| I purchased Monrovia Meyer Lemon in the summer of 2005. I live in Portland, Oregon. I repotted the plant and it is indoors. The plant had several small lemons and buds. It has blossomed and now the lemons have turned dark brown and the green leaves are all falling off. No new lemons have set on. Help me!! I don't want to lose the plant. It is in a stairway with a southern exposure window. |
| It sounds as though your lemon tree is suffering from a little shock. It was probably grown under ideal conditions in a greenhouse and when you brought it home, things were not quite the same. The tree is going through an adjustment period and when it adapts to the growing conditions in your home, it should once again produce flowers and fruit. Like most houseplants, citrus thrive in a normal household temperature range of 70 degrees during day, to 55 to 55 degrees at night. Citrus trees prefer full sun from a southern exposure. If that's not possible, you can supplement the light by installing 40-watt fluorescent shop lights above the plant, keeping it on 14-16 hour a day. As for moisture, you'll need to keep the soil evenly moist and since most interiors are quite dry during the winter months, mist your plant often -- daily if you can. Give your lemon tree a shower occasionally to remove dust. Browning fruit indicates inadequate soil moisture so adjust your watering schedule and your tree should stop losing leaves and begin producing healthy new leaves and flowers. Best wishes with your lemon tree! |
