Citrus saplings in need of some help wants to grow! Please help!

Question

I have been trying to grow a pair of lemon saplings (from seed) with much care as to not over water. I previously tried to grow some from seeds and several unfortunately did not survive (due to my novice green thumbs overwatering) and 2 more were given away. I have looked all over the internet and have not had very much luck. My previous deceased plants died of root rot so I have become somewhat familiar to its unfortunate signs and symptoms.

These 2 saplings have grown from your run-of-the-mill generic miracle-gro potting soil, as I live in a very small town and was all I could find. I recently purchased a water/ph/light meter to help me with watering etc. as well as a fertilizer (Jobe's Organics Fruit & Citrus Tree Granular Fertilizer 3-5-5) I ordered online, which recieved and mixed into soil yesterday. They currently live in their own 12" plastic pot and i water them every about 10-14 days. Since doing more research online I have found that the conditions I am providing may not be sufficient. I currently live in south texas where usually we get heat of up to 100-105Fº (38-41ºC), because of this I usually leave them indoors by a window which seemed to do them well as leaves seemed to be coming in and looked perky. We have recently been having cold and gloomy days for weeks on end(light drizzle with temperature from 45-60 ºF or 7-15 ºC) and have not moved them from their spots; Today I saw online wrapping pot to help keep warmth could help in these cold conditions so I wrapped the pots in a few shirts each.

This week I have noticed about 50% of one saplings leaf fall, without any warning, and at first glance fallen leaves show no signs of distress. The other sapling has only dropped a single leaf in the same fashion. Most recently have begun to notice what looks like burn spots on a number of leaves on both.

Can someone please point me in the right direction on how to save and help make these 2 saplings thrive. The more detail the better please, I just don't want my ignorance and lack of experience to be the cause of death of these precious lemon saplings. I have looked into possible changing potting soil to cactus/citrus potting soil something like this possibly but also found that other things should be mixed in like sand, mulch, worm castings etc. and honestly it just goes right over my head:

https://www.amazon.com/Espoma-CA4-4-Quart-Organic-Cactus/dp/B002Y0CFNY/ref=sr_1_16?crid=14E8NRL02GH3W&keywords=citrus+potting+soil&qid=1582255426&s=lawn-garden&sprefix=citrus+pott%2Cprime-instant-video%2C257&sr=1-16

I am trying to grow them because my parents have just moved and sold the childhood home where I was raised and where the original lemon tree resided. So many great memories came with that tree so in a way being able to grow and plant these at my future home will allow me to keep having great memories and quite possibly share some with my future family.

Answer 1

Don't over-think things. I successfully grew a Clementine from seed and kept it for years until it got too large and ugly. In the winter, I generally ignored it (I live in Wisconsin, so it's "winter" something like 7 months of the year). I would put it outside in mid-May - in the shade - and bring it in again in late September. Every time I moved it, it lost leaves. One year it lost 90% of its leaves. I kept it in the shade when outdoors so that the leaf loss would be less - the transition from sun to shade and then back again really took a toll on it.

I suggest that the pots may be too large for your seedlings; I'd probably have put them in individual 3" or 4" pots (let the root ball be your guide as to the pot size). I would also use clay pots, because citrus tend to like soil on the dry side and the clay helps with that. You're entering spring now, it seems (lucky you - I'm looking at 4 foot high snowdrifts as I type this), so your watering schedule may be fine. The soil should be dry when you water the little guys. I'm assuming that you're watering them thoroughly and removing any water from the saucer 30 minutes afterwards.

If you do go with smaller pots, you'll probably have to water more often as the seasons progress. I'd put the pots in dappled shade if you put them outdoors - again, to reduce drying out from too much sun.

BTW, I rarely fertilized my tree, which grew to 4 feet high over several years. If I did fertilize, I used Osmocote. Yeah, I treated the tree poorly, but it lived. It flowered only once though (the one year I kept it between 50-55F over the winter), which isn't a surprise given how I virtually ignored it.

Answer 2

Leaf drop:

most common reason for this is temperature changes.

note: citrus trees go dormant during winter and require different watering schedule then normal.

although it seems that you are doing all that you can correctly so far

the only thing I can notice is that when you changed your soil you needed to ensure the ph of the soil is suitable for citrus saplings.

the ph of the soil would also shift when you added fertiliser. citrus require soil PH range from slightly acidic 6.0 to alkaline 8.0 you can check thos by measuring the runoff water from the pot. measure the ph of the water before you water the saplings collect the runoff water from the pot using a clean bowl and measure the PH again. this should give you some insight in to the conditions of the soil and how acidic/alkaline it is.

also note that citrus sapling may lose almost all the leaves if it is stressed by temperature fluctuations or major soil changes

hope this helps