Iron chelate bolsters leaves on lemon trees
Question: I have a small lemon tree growing in a large container. I now have many small lemons on it. The leaves are a sickly, yellow color. I used a fertilizer on it in late February that was labeled for citrus. It looks like it needs some iron and/or more fertilizer. What is best to apply now that will not cause the lemons to fall off, or is it best to wait?
Get a 1-pound canister of EDDHA iron chelate. These chelate s are expensive, but the canister is not badly priced. Apply it to the base of the tree and water it into the soil.
Next year, apply it to the soil in January or February just before new growth begins. This should help green things up. Leaves that are already yellow may still stay somewhat yellow, but the growth coming out in the next month should be green.
Make sure you check the soil moisture, and do not irrigate if the soil is still wet. The soil should be damp .
Bob Morris is a professor emeritus in horticulture with the University of Nevada and can be reached at extremehort@aol.com. Visit his blog at xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com.