Our lemon tree has lost almost all of its leaves

[Roni]

We have a dwarf lemon tree that's about one year old and in the last few months it has lost most of its leaves. It started to grow heaps of flowers and the leaves started falling off around the same time. We may have given it too much water at some stage but I'm not sure. It still has plenty of flowers but only a few leaves and they are quite dry as well. My mrs also planted a flower to the same pot some months ago and we're wondering if we should move it.

Does anyone have advice on how to get new leaves growing on the tree? 

[greygardener]

Could be a few reasons here @Roni. First thing to check is the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. Make sure they are not blocked as drainage crucial for lemon trees. Another culprit could be wind, although being next to the house and fence there it should be reasonable sheltered. And have you been feeding it? Make sure you feed regularly in spring but nothing too strong - if you use something designed for trees planted in the ground like the granules then the tree can become stressed and drop its leaves. 

[Roni]

Thanks @greygardener, that makes a lot of sense. It does get pretty windy at that spot, especially when we had those crazy winds in Melbourne so I'll move it to another place and I'll check the holes as well. We've been feeding it with diluted liquid from our compost bin every now and then.

[Isobel]

I wonder whether even the diluted water from the compost was too strong. Perhaps stick with dedicated citrus food and see if that helps give the tree a lift. 

[Andy_Mann]

Agree @Isobel, compost tea can be too much of a good thing even if sensibly diluted.

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[Roni]

Thanks @Isobel and @Andy_Mann, I'll try to revitalise the tree and hopefully get it healthy again

[Jason]

Good luck @Roni, let us know how the tree recovers. 

Jason

[Roni]

Hey all, just another question that I wanted to ask you. Can we move the tree to a bigger pot or will it stress the tree too much at the moment?

[greygardener]

I wouldn't move it at the moment @Roni as the hot weather has started and the plant might not recover. Generally you can transplant citrus successfully but its best done in early spring or autumn - when the tree is dormant but its not too cold. When you do it, try to retain as much of the roots as possible, water in well and add a seaweed solution. You might also want to trim the branches back a little.

[Roni]

Thanks @greygardener