Reasons why lemon leaves fall, what to do and how to revive the plant

Subtropical citrus plants are now successfully grown at home. Lemon is one of the popular plants, but it needs proper care to bloom and bear fruit. If the lemon leaves turn yellow and fall off, this is a sign of problems. In order to prevent the plant from dying, it is important to know about the main reasons for this deviation and ways to correct the situation.

Causes of falling ovaries and leaves

There can be many reasons for the appearance of yellowing and falling leaves in lemons, but to solve the problem it is important to correctly identify it. If the plant sheds its green mass, then the rules of care have probably been violated; this is where you need to look for the cause of the abnormal behavior in the first place. This situation may also be associated with the negative influence of environmental factors or pests.

Improper care

Any plant needs to follow the rules of agricultural cultivation. Care consists of ensuring proper planting and growing location, sufficient lighting and watering, and timely feeding.

Any mistake in at least one of the listed points is fraught with problems with the health of the lemon.

Overfilling and underfilling

Excessive watering leads to acidification of the soil, as a result of which it becomes compacted, and the access of oxygen is significantly hampered. As a result of a lack of oxygen supply to the roots, the shoots die off, which leads to a lack of nutrition for the lemon. Experiencing a deficiency, the tree begins to get rid of green mass and shed its leaves.

If the soil is not sufficiently moistened, the soil dries out, causing the root shoots to also die. The plant begins to experience problems with the movement of sap and sufficiency of nutrition, as a result of which a liquid saving program is activated, the result of which is the shedding of leaves.

An adult plant can live in a state of stress with insufficient moisture for a month, but ultimately dies without correcting the situation.

The plant also reacts negatively to sudden changes in watering conditions. If, after a long drought, a tree receives sharply excessive watering, then the reaction to stress is to shed its greenery. If the soil is excessively dry due to the absence of watering for a long time, the frequency of moistening should be restored gradually. To do this, water the soil with small portions of water at intervals of 2 hours. After 2, the normal frequency of watering is resumed.

Watering with bad water

A common mistake made by novice gardeners is watering the plant with tap water. As a result of such actions, the soil is limed, salts accumulate in the soil, and the lemons begin to wither. After saturation with salts, a white salt crust appears on the surface of the earth, which impedes the supply of oxygen to the root system. At the same time, it closes the drainage hole, blocking the possibility of removing excess moisture. Rain and melt water are considered the best for irrigation.

At home, warm boiled water is used for irrigation. Using cold liquid can lead to hypothermia of the roots. If possible, you can stock up on water from a lake or spring, since in nature it is soft and does not contain a large amount of salts.

Poor quality or depleted soil

Lemon intensively consumes nutrients from the soil, and therefore causes soil depletion over time.

Cold or too hot air temperature

Excessively high temperatures in summer negatively affect lemon growth. The optimal temperature for plant growth is +17 ⁰C, for fruit ripening +21 ⁰C. Higher rates combined with low air humidity lead to leaf drop. Lemon has a negative attitude towards changes; for it, approximately the same temperature of the soil and air is important. Shedding of leaves is often observed in the autumn, when the tree is brought home from the open air.

Lack or excess of fertilizers

With a lack of nutrients, lemon leaves begin to turn yellow, changes are observed in the vein area. Little formation of flowers and falling leaves indicate that the added complex of drugs may have been too much.

Wrong place for the plant

If there is insufficient lighting, the lemon slows down in growth and may wither, so choose sunny southern sides for its placement. In this case, in the summer it is necessary to shade the bush, preventing direct rays from hitting it. The tree does not like rearrangements, so you should think about its location in advance. Every 15 days it is recommended to rotate it slightly so that the crown is formed evenly on all sides.

Lack or excess of light

The cause of leaf falling may be poor lighting. If there is insufficient natural light, the plant automatically starts a program of shedding foliage. In winter, it is recommended to provide additional illumination with a daylight lamp for 5-6 hours.

Proximity of heating devices

The cause of leaf falling in winter is often too high a room temperature and excessive dry air. To avoid overheating during the heating season, the bush should not be placed near radiators. If it is impossible to move the pot, you should lower the temperature of the battery or cover it with a thick blanket. Regular spraying will reduce the risk of leaf shedding.

Diseases

Leaf falling may be due to plant infection by a fungus or viral disease. The most common are homoz, scab, leaf mosaic, cancer, tristeza. The last two types cannot be treated. Most often the problem occurs with weakened trees that have not been properly cared for.

Pests

Yellowing of leaves and their further falling off may be a consequence of parasite infection, most often associated with aphids or spider mites. When the latter is damaged, the plant becomes covered with a whitish coating. To combat the pest, lemons are given a water procedure with parts of the plant washed with warm water and sprayed with a targeted chemical preparation, for example, Fitoverm.

When infested by aphids, the pests concentrate on the lower surface of the leaves. In this case, they are removed mechanically and special preparations are used, for example, “Tanrek”.

Symptoms

You can tell if there are problems with a lemon by the appearance of the bush. It begins to wither, the leaves lose their glossy shine and begin to dry out. The source of the problem can be determined by the nature of the tree's behavior.

Blackening of leaf tips

The appearance of a dark area on the edge of the leaf blade is most often associated with low humidity and high temperature in the room.This situation is caused by excessive watering and the use of hard water. The quality of liquid penetration into the soil should be checked; often the top layer is covered with a hard crust and does not allow it to penetrate inside.

Spots on leaves

If the leaves turn yellow and dry at the end, then with a high degree of probability the plant has contracted an infection or is being overcome by pests. The type of problem can be determined by the nature of the stains:

• when scale insects invade, the leaves become covered with yellow spots, which gradually grow;
• when infested with mites, numerous small dots form on the leaf blades;
• with fungal diseases, yellow-brown formations form, which eventually turn into scabs.

Problems most often arise when the soil was poorly treated before planting. For control, drugs with special action against infections or pests are used.

Curling leaves

Curling of leaves can occur due to watering with cold water. In summer, this may be a reaction to hot weather and lack of air humidity. Often the anomaly is observed during mineral starvation. To do this, it is important to understand what element is missing. This can be determined by the appearance of the curled leaves:

• calcium - leaves lose color;
• magnesium - blanching is observed between the veins, leaf blades acquire a variegated color;
• boron - the leaves look wilted, and watering does not change the situation in any way.

The problem of curling is also common in plants affected by spider mites and aphids.

Drying twigs and green leaves

Problems with the root system often lead to drying. This may be due to excessive watering and the beginning of rotting of the shoots.This situation may also indicate infection with a fungal disease or be a consequence of transplanting into a large pot when the soil was selected incorrectly. To eliminate the risk of the plant becoming infected with a fungus, the plant should be treated with a fungicide.

Dropping flowers and fruits

If a lemon withers and drops its fruits, then in this way it can react to a change in environment. Regardless of the quality of care, when moving a plant to a new place, shedding is likely to occur. The reasons for this situation may also be the tree’s inability to bear fruit due to its age, soil depletion, or the plant’s need for more lighting or watering.

How to revive a tree

Reviving a lemon tree is not an easy task. The main problem of how to revive a plant is to correctly determine the reasons for what happened. If the lemon has dried out due to insufficient watering, then attempts are made to restore the root system. There is a certain algorithm of actions that will help you understand what to do in such a situation.

To begin, the plant is removed from the pot, and the roots are soaked for 5 hours in a Heteroauxin solution.

You must first clear them of soil and remove damaged shoots. Next, the plant is planted in a pot, leaving the root collar 3 cm above the ground. Cover the crown with a plastic bag, providing further periodic ventilation. The soil is moistened with a nutrient solution. After 7 days, the tree is sprayed with Zircon and the soil is watered abundantly

We saturate citrus fruits with micro- and macroelements

The plant can be revived only by using high-quality soil. After replanting, it is not recommended to feed the tree with fertilizers for 2 months.To prevent soil depletion throughout the year, the plant is fed with mineral and organic means. It is recommended to adhere to the following rules:

• In spring, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied;
• in summer, complex fertilizing is carried out at regular intervals;
• In the fall, nitrogen and organic matter are removed and the rate of potassium fertilizers is increased.

When applying the drug, you should follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

Properly caring for the plant

It is important for the plant to ensure timely watering and periodically loosen the soil. In winter it is good to provide additional lighting. Fertilizing the plant with mineral and organic fertilizers is carried out on a regular basis, focusing on the time of year.

Choosing the optimal place for lemon

For placement choose the sunny south side. It is desirable that there are no nearby heating systems. The place must be protected from drafts and have minimal traffic.

We set up irrigation and regulate watering

Lemon needs moderate watering. This means that after the soil in the pot dries, the soil is not moistened immediately, but only after 3 days. Air humidification and irrigation have a positive effect on plant growth.

We fight infections and insects

To prevent infection, use high-quality soil and preventively wash the shoots with soapy water once a year. To combat lemon diseases, targeted drugs are used.

What to do with citrus after purchase so as not to fly around

After purchase, the plant is freed from the packaging that holds the roots. For an annual plant, take a container with a volume of 0.5-1 liters; for a two-year-old plant, you can take 2 liters.Place a drainage layer on the bottom of the pot, fill it with soil and deepen the roots of the tree, leaving the neck at soil level. The plant is moistened abundantly and a layer of humus is formed on top of the soil. To reduce stress levels, cover the lemon crown with polyethylene or a glass cover. After a couple of days, spray with “Epin” or “Zircon”.

How to prepare a plant for transfer from the street to the window

Indoor lemon must be moved indoors before frost sets in. Temperature changes will be stressful for the plant, so it is moved in several stages. To begin with, the tree is moved to a cooler room, for example, to a veranda. After a couple of days, it is moved to a room, the temperature of which is also recommended to be reduced to street levels.