Trinny T Thank you SO MUCH for the compliment!!! There are over 200+ gardening lessons on the IV Organic UA-cam channel, and the publications from this year are getting way better in quality & expert collaborations!! Be sure to subscribe!!! Charles 🌱👍
I have some 300 lemon trees in my garden. i was looking for how to maintain. I found it here. Thank you for the video. Now i will do the follow-up works.
I learn so much good stuff from you! TY! I have had many veg gardens over the years but now I have caught the habitat gardening bug also. Planted my first citrus trees also. Struggling with this new learning curve and.... Your vids are the best! Your techniques work great. Saved me from wasting lotsa time and making mistakes. Thanks man! Never a wasted moment watching your vids. You truly are a pro at this.
Had my indoor meyer lemon tree a year now, has produced a nice 10 fruits. This has given me a massive insight how to tidy it up. It's growing new leaves like no tomorrow at the moment. Thank you for this video!
Hello Andrew Murphy, Thank you for the compliment! :-) Another recent video I did on pruning Meyer Lemons is right here: ua-cam.com/video/Q5EWng9cwaI/v-deo.html Keep me posted on your gardening successes! :-) Charles
Just watching that video... Your lemons are a much deeper shade of of orange/yellow compared to mine. Makes me wonder if they are of the Mayer variety now. However it's been pruned with an unexpected casualty of the first flower of the year :(. Just need to harvest the lemons off, and do something with them! :)
Hello Andrew Murphy, Whatever lemons I knew we would not consume fresh within 10 days of harvest, I squeezed the juice into eight (8) ice cube trays to have ready to use lemon juice any time of the year! Charles :-)
Thanks Charles for that advice! :) One question now we've entered spring... I've got a lemon tree, and now an orange one too (couldn't help myself, it looked like it needed a home at the store!). My orange tree has bloomed into flower and I've looking at in excess of 20 fruit off it, but my lemon tree has been growing leaves, leaves and more leaves! There are about 3 flowers on the oldest, but thinest branches nearer the bottom. Is it normal for it to just explode with lots of leaves? Will it flower more towards summer?
Hello Andrew Murphy, Meyer lemons typically bloom 6-8 months out of the year... supporting as many of those flowers into fruit as it can tolerate... such an amazing citrus tree! But do not be focused on flowers and fruit, as much as gaining more growth and just getting established. The more your plants grow this year, the more branches it will have to support more fruit in the upcoming year. Supporting fruit in the first year WILL slow down it's growth and prevent you from enjoying heavier yields of fruit sooner. I hope this makes sense? Charles :-)
Charles! I was searching for tips on how to prune my lemon tree and am so happy to see you! Hope you’re doing amazing and thank you for the great advice!
I have a lemon tree for 4 years it grows very slowly no fruit at all We live in California in sandy soil Any idea please to help my poor tree I will be appreciate thank you so much
Wow!... Thanks for such an informative and upfront video.... Really good to see the variation of trees and different ways of pruning and helpful tips... I've wondered how to weight some branches... How innovative of you with the water bottles.....lol
This is awesome and has been so helpful and informative. I started my lemon plant from a seed and now it's very leafy and branchy and about three and a half feet tall. I knew pruning was something that people did but I didn't realize how important it is! Thank you so much! :)
Thanks for the advice. Wouldn't have thought of the mini water bottle weights... I'm trying to limit my plastic usage though. Been saving old socks that I never managed to find its match. Think I'll invest in some round marbles (classic children's game) that I can later display in a vase for decoration but for purposes of the tree project, add a few marbles into the sock, tie sock and thread a needle- lightly rope around a branch so it stays.
Thank you so much for all the tips. Can I prune my lemon tree in summer? My tree It's getting a little out of control, and living in southern California it gets pretty hot in the summer time.
Awesome video and thanks. I'm an arborist and a fan of teaching my clients to prune. I was wondering if by chance you meant to prune to collars and growth points? It's splitting hairs, I know, but maybe you have different terms of phrase over there. Thanks. Joe
Good video. Very informative. I have a citrus tree????? Or a lemon tree not really sure. Someone gave it to me. But its branching tho no fruit yet. But I cant wait to go out and check for suckers and prune it so it can get enough light on each branch and the crown.
I've been wanting to have a few trees/plants on our balcony or indoors, and your videos have been great inspiration! I just bought a semi-dwarf eureka lemon tree yesterday in West Los Angeles area and didn't get a chance to ask any questions. all I know is it needs sunlight at least 6hrs. and I think our west facing balcony could work. or indoors we have south facing corner windows that could work. I want to learn more about proper care, insects, pruning etc. 😃 I'm also considering a dwarf Meyer lemon tree and/or a pomegranate tree. 😎
Hello Efrain, Thank you so much for the compliment! :-) The Eureka lemon tree is a must have lemon variety. The Improved Meyer is my #2 favorite lemon variety. Also, good choice in selecting a semi-dwarf size. The plant will grow much more vigorously, quickly created more branches to support more fruit in a very short period of time. Also being in a pot, and a semi-dwarf, it will be easy to manage the size with occasional pruning of branches reaching in the "wrong" direction. Spend a bit of time 2-3x per year managing the shape and size. I recommend that you keep your tree outdoors, year round. In most parts of Los Angeles, there is very little chance of winter freezing temperatures that can harm your tree.... And the more mature your tree grows, the less likely it would be harmed by slightly freezing nights. It's a great idea to grow a variety of trees, that will reward you with years/ decades of organic quality food!!! The ONLY pest problem I have with my citrus is leaf miner, that will likely show up on your trees starting May/June through November--Only. Here is a couple video links to help you manage this problem: ua-cam.com/video/Y6VdWAPiNhQ/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/1b1VUyNEc1E/v-deo.html Let me know if you have any other questions! :-) Charles
IV Organic Awesome. any tips on how often to keep the eureka watered? and some leaves look eaten or burned away. should I clip those? also, any thoughts on keeping a dwarf or semi-dwarf Meyer lemon tree indoors? :: efrain
Hello Efrain, Thank you for the compliment! :-) When watering your citrus, you should allow the soil to dry, but not "bone-dry", between watering. And when you do water, soak the trees, trying to get the water into the entire rootball zone. Generally, this means watering 1-2x per week spring and fall. 2x (maybe3x) summer. 0-2x in the cooler winter months. Container trees require even more water... like 3x per week in the hottest summer months. For your indoor citrus, be sure to use a quality organic potting soil. Many potting soils add chemical fertilizers that do support the soil biology as well as the organics. Position in a south, or south-east (morning sun) window during the winter months. Note, your trees will perform better outdoors (if no freezing winter nights). Young citrus and avocados are very susceptible to sunburn to exposed branches and trunks-- coat all exposed surfaces with IV Organic 3-in-1 Plant Guard. Once it has an established canopy to shade the lower branches and trunk, the risk is minimized. Between dwarf and semi-dwarf Meyer in container, I would go with the semi-dwarf. Almost all trees grow slower in a container, than in-ground; therefore, I would want the additional vigor of the semi-dwarf which you can also control will occasional pruning throughout the year. You'll enjoy the semi-dwarf Meyer much more than the slower growing dwarf variety. Lastly, dead or weak branches should be pruned; however, damaged leaves can stay until they naturally fall off. Let me know if you have any other questions! :-) Charles
Thank you so much for the information; however, I have a question. Can you tell me if I need to prune young trees that haven’t produced any fruit? I have two young citrus trees about the size of your Meyer lemon. One is starting to bloom but the other hasn’t yet. Do I prune them or not. I live in San Clemente, California ant it’s the fall, 2023. THANK YOU!
@Spy Tube Thanks for your response, I just saw it. Yes there was a big tree that was cut down perhaps it blocked the wind before. It's too bad it doesn't give lemons anymore.
Thank you so much this has really helped me as I know nothing about citrus fruit. I live in Spain and moved int a house with a lemon tree, an orange tree, and a mandarin tree, well more like bushes as the branches grow very low to the ground. The orange tree/bush is very tall. I wondered if I should remove the lower branches which are in the shade. After watching your video it has helped me a lot.
Thank you so much for all great information, I enjoy your videos, I have an orange tree, it had fruits then I noticed loosing all the leaves and now it looks dead, is there anything I can do to save the tree?
Thank you for the advice, I have recently ventured into citrus growing despite living in a totally unsuitable part of the globe (Upper Rhondda, South Wales, UK). I have grown fruit and vegetables for years, but exotics are a new venture for me. I have pruned some of the worst crossing growth on the Yuzu and it has been very forgiving, although my hands suffered with all of those spikes! At this point I can see that all of the trees (peach as well) that I have bought were essentially pruned to fit into the box for shipment to me, not pruned according to the plants' needs - so I need to be careful this year. I couldn't prune my Bears lime as it is flowering and fruiting just about everywhere. May 50/50 prune it in the future (like an evergreen) if that is how it 'behaves', that way I will get both the structure and the yield - assuming that is if it is still alive by next year. As your trees are grown outdoors, I would be interested to know how cold it can get there. My t.v. knowledge of California says it has hot beach/ desert areas as well as great skiing, so it is hard to know what your trees are exposed to in terms of winter and night time temperatures. My citrus will overwinter in a cold greenhouse, but I add a number of candles in frost conditions, I also plan to insulate the glass with large gauge bubblewrap - for insulation and shade purposes. Give my tree's current fruiting, I am nervous about potting on, which it ideally needs. Should I avoid potting on until the spring, or could I pot on regardless of the fruit? My tree is in its original pot as sent from the grower. Apologies for the lengthy response, but not a lot of knowledge in my location, thus short on advice. BTW: I have seen fishing weights used to bend branches into form, mostly on plum when it is trained onto a festoon. (An iron stake attached to a large iron hoop to which the branches are tied.) Should help transport the sugars to the fruit as well as they are south of the branch line. Thanks, Vox.
My orange tree has white spots on its bark near the ground and seems to have some scaring on the fruit. It’s almost like dead bugs. I can scrap it off with a fingernail and the fruit is mostly unaffected. I have some pale oranges and that fruit is sometimes hard and dry inside. Do you think I should be worrying? What can I do?
Hello Charles, I have a question. I’m growing a lemon tree from the seeds. It was getting tall and I cut off the head of it and about five new branches growing and the are having spikes. Are the males or the entire tree is a male? How am I suppose to know? Please help.
Can the main trunk from a Eureka tree be trimmed or cut to make the tree shorter? Also, can the regular Eureka (non-dwarf) be potted? Thank you, love your awesome videos!
I grew a lemon tree from seed in a pot. I had one long upright stem with one branch growing to one side. I just trimmed the upright stem in hopes it would promote branching. was this the right thing to do?
Hello Christie Broadhurst, Absolutely! :-) You are the artist and designer of that tree, so do not be intimidated by pruning the tree periodically to perform the way you want it too (shape, size, etc...) Although citrus can go without any pruning at all, lightly pruning by 10-20 annually will ensure that the tree maintains more "stable" with a root structure that is stronger and more established relative to the upper tree. I have found that a light pruning of citrus results in less "dead wood", more flowers and more fruit too! :-) If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me! Charles :-)
Thanks for your videos. I enjoy them. You give some great information. I live in south FL. I had tried growing several small citrus trees in my yard unsuccessfully. We have extremely sandy soil that doesn't retain much moisture. Also felt that the trees were being plagued by psyllids and leafminers. So, that brings me to my question. I have an outdoor south facing lanai entrance to my home. I grow many plants there in pots. I would like to try growing a potted dwarf Key Lime in that area. I have contacted a nursery and verified that I have the appropriate sized pot for this endeavor. Can you give me any hints for dealing with psyllids and leaf miners? (I was able to salvage a Meyer lemon from those plants I had in the ground (about 4 year old trees). I cut it back to about 1.5 ft. above the graft, trimmed the roots and have it growing in a bonsai soil (soil less mix). It is surviving and starting to develop new roots and branch out. That tree, thus far, hasn't been fodder for the leafminers or psyllids. But, I watch it very closely. Would appreciate knowing your comments on this situation. Thanks.
Hello Patricia Sholar Freund, Great to hear from you! I lived about 8 years in Boynton Beach and Boca Raton, before returning back to Los Angeles about 5 years ago. So I am very familiar with the sandy soil and the challenges with making sure you plants have sufficient nutrients in the soil. To correct some of these issue, I recommend that you (1) add compost, (2) add organic fertilizers, and (3) dress the root zone with a 2-3 inch layer of wood chips. By having all this organic material around your plants, you will have a healthy population of worms, nematodes, beneficial bacteria and fungus that will aid in helping your plants reach their genetic potential. About controlling the psyllids and miners, my favorite product is neem oil. However, be careful that you do not burn your plants on those days that get over 85-90+ degrees as that will burn the leaves, fruit, branches, etc... Just like what oil does on human skin in the sun. To help cool the plant, I recommend adding neem in the evening, and then the following morning, misting the plant with IV Organic 3-in-1 Plant Guard that will act as an organic sunblock for these plants during the hottest days of summer. Further, the product may help repel those insects as IV Organic has a time-release layer of organic oils, including garlic, cedarwood, cloves, rosemary, peppermint, castor and cinnamon all of which have their unique way of repelling insects. I hope this helps! Please keep me posted on your gardening successes! :-) Charles
Thanks for the great advice. Now I feel better about adding a citrus seedling to my garden. Neem oil is part of my arsenal of good pest control. I'll try organic nutrients in the soil when I pot the plant. Where can I find the IV Organix 3-in-1 Plant Guard?
You're welcome Patricia! :-) You an find IV Organic 3-in-1 Plant Guard at Home Depot, Amazon Prime, Sears, Arbico Organics, Harmony Farms, Walmart. Here are some lnks: www.homedepot.com/p/3-5-oz-Tree-Guard-Paint-Protection-Against-Damaging-Sunburn-Insects-and-Rodents-IVO31s-White/206864861 www.amazon.com/IV-Organic-Guard-Paint-Protection/dp/B01AQ15TX0 Thank you, Charles
Thanks. The Meyer Lemon that I was able to save last year is starting to sprout. I am a bonsaist - applied bonsai root pruning and planting techniques on it. In bonsai we often tip prune to get the trees to become fuller. Will this work with citrus?
That's great news Patricia! And yes, you can use bonsai pruning tips on your lemon trees. Feel free to share some pictures of your gardening successes with me at Info@IVOrganics.com! Charles :-)
hey Charles, great video. I live in southern florida where it is next to impossible to find a dwarf eureka at a nursery. I need to keep it relatively short so it can be kept in a cage to prevent the crows from pecking lemons and eventually destroing them. I live near a bird sanctuary. So my question is can I keep a standard eureka tree to 5 feet without it looking weird?
We moved into a house with 1 orange tree with 3rd-degree burns, at least 20' tall. It's producing, but they are sour. Not sure if we should cut it down or try to rescue it. Also, have a lemon tree that is taller than the house. Have been pruning the wood branches as you suggest, but should the height be pruned to be shorter, and how much to cut without shocking it? Live in Tucson, AZ, so I'm nervous about damaging it from the sun. Thank you for these videos!
We have a 20ft lime tree in southern California. I want to make it smaller for practical reasons. Any suggestions? I am afraid I might damage it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Hello Leser Sharp, Here are two videos released this year that discussing pruning. The first is a Bearss lime tree where the "leggy" shoots were pruned to maintain the bushy design: ua-cam.com/video/KrObhsIwV4g/v-deo.html However, if you are doing major pruning, I would wait until all risk of frost has passed-- Such as late January or February to prune the tree. Be cautious of exposed branches and trunk to too much sunlight. Checkout this orange tree that suffered 3rd degree burns within 6 months of being pruned: ua-cam.com/video/RJ-a473LWh4/v-deo.html If your canopy is going to allow too much light into it, I would recommend coating the lower trunk and branches with IV Organic 3-in-1 Tree Guard Paint, which can also be diluted 2-3 teaspoons per gallon and sprayed onto the leaves and thinner stems to help minimize the shock of pruning.... also coat all large pruned stems to prevent disease and wood boring insects (beetles & termites) from entering. Last tip, most citrus do not need to be pruned, other than to strengthen the tree, remove dead wood, or (as in your case) controlling the shape and size. When making you cuts, be sure to keep a lot of lower branches and leaves to help support the sugar needs of the plant. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Charles :)
How do you deal with scale. Or maybe it’s called rust it’s a little bubbly things on the branches and a lot of ants are hanging around. I’ve tried the various soaps for trees with very poor results. I live in northern California east of San Francisco
I have two year old Meyer lemon tree and it gots about 15 lemons but all the weight of lemons splitting the branch from trunk. Should I be removing lemons? I'm neewbie with lemon tree
Hello Jesse, YES! Remove some of the most ripe... hopefully you can find a use for a partially ripe (even all green lemons). We use our lemons (even immature lemons) for flavoring water, salad dressings, marinades, etc, etc.... This weeks publication is on exactly this issue... except a naval orange tree where the branch split in half due to the weight of the fruit... to be published in the next day or two. Stay tuned! Charles :-)
If you live in the northern hemisphere, the fruit generally ripen November through March, April or May. However, many varieties offer small quantities of lemons between May and November. They are ripe once the skin turn yellow on all sides. A young tree can get severely damaged (broken branches) from supporting too many fruit, and may take one to several years for the tree shape to restore. As the tree gets more mature, the risk is less likely, however thinning is a good practice with all heavy bearing fruit trees to improve the size & quality of remaining fruit. Let me know if you have any other questions. Charles :-)
This man looks like a Dr but he likes gardening ☺️ I have a lime and avocado tree from seed. I need to prune both and although I’ve seen many videos on pruning, it makes me nervous. I don’t want to ruin the trees. Where can I buy those sticks in the middle of the trees? I want to add 1 to each tree cause they’re a lil bit wonky.
I am interested in growing a privacy hedge using citrus trees. I would like to prune it so it’s shaped like a formal hedge. Do you have any experience with this or advice?
Hello, we have this Eureka lemon tree that was 7.5 gallon and planted it roughly 8 months ago. The main stalk has grown to almost 7' tall with all the others around 2' long. How would you prune this tree for a successful grow? Thanks for your advise.
moved to a new place with an orange tree that is dozens of years old, needs some help bad! also have a meyer lemon tree that is splitting before ripening. ive heard from some it needs water, others say splitting is too much water. should i prune it down a lot? and cut off the branches even with the fruit? thank you!
Thank you so much! I'm watching your other video about citrus trees now. I'm brand new to growing citrus but not new to gardening and house plants. I have a MASSIVE bird of paradise plant (strelitzia) happily growing and blooming a few times each year INDOORS in Southern NJ- zone 7 :(. In fact, this plant is now approaching it's 62nd birthday!!! It's quite a looker when it's blooming but a bit of an eye-sore when it's not. I love it all the time even if it's less than beautiful 6 to 8 months each year. It's become so large over the last few years that it has once again burst the side of it's pot out which will absolutely require me to divide it and re-pot it this year. I've been holding my husband off for at least 4 years about dividing it because it blooms best when it is a little pot-bound but NOT much or not at all when it has been put through the absolute horror of the division process. It usually takes a few years for my special baby to recover. I'm hoping that because we've been doing it for decades and we've got it pretty much down to a science, that we can somehow avoid shocking the crap out of it this time. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that plant! I've had it for 29 years. It has become part of my family almost. Here's the story about how I came to own this lovely plant: my Dad had a friend who was stationed someplace in the South Pacific and had brought the seeds home to his wife (an avid gardener) when he came home on leave (US Navy) in 1954. She grew the seeds and it became this enormous plant that she loved and divided every 6 or 8 years. Everyone in her family had gotten one. At the time I came into the picture, she had recently divided it again and nobody wanted one. She was ok with that because she loved them and was fine with keeping them all. She used to have each of them sitting on a platform her husband attached to one of those red wagons that children play with. She'd pull them around, out into her driveway each summer. There were 3 of them. My Dad kept after her for weeks and weeks until she finally agreed to sell me one. I had to pay her 85 bucks for the one I finally ended up getting. Of course it was the smallest one she had but it was still very large compared to what you would buy at a garden center if you could even find one that was mature back then. But 85 bucks was a LOT of money for me back then. I was only 19. I So it took me almost 10 years to figure out how to get it to bloom. There were times through that initial period when it looked pretty bad and I almost killed it a few times from lack of gardening skills. Now I know that it really boiled down to the fact that I just didn't have enough sunlight in my first home to support blooming in this type of plant. I never wanted to put it outside because I was scared to death it would get bugs and die!!! I finally gave in and put it out there and holy cow did it finally bloom. It was slow at first but then more each year. Now it blooms on and off throughout the year. I have a few other plants that have been with me for 15 to 20 years or so- just one that is demands high light though. It's a croton shrub and it blooms as well. Nobody here has ever seen one bloom indoors and they're all shocked when they see it blooming. So anyway, I am going to attempt citrus. I'm hoping to avoid many of the mistakes I made with the others. Thanks to youtube and google, I'm way ahead of the game compared to years ago. Thanks again and wish me luck! I may even try figs next. Your fig tree videos are on my list to watch. I have friends who grow them outdoors all over this area but there is a trick to getting them to survive the winter. A lot of friends lost their figs the winter before last to extreme cold and blustery winds.
Hello Sherie, Thanks for sharing your success story with growing giant bird of paradise, indoors, and in growing zone 7! Two major challenges that you have overcome! Great point regarding your plant being most productive once the roots become bound. I too have noticed the same phenomenon with other plants and fruit trees. I will be sure to share this fact in future videos! Regarding winterizing figs, I just released this video that has become a hit about a week ago: ua-cam.com/video/xIjGr1WJG-w/v-deo.html Thank you for your support and please keep in touch! :) Charles
I'm planning on checking out all of your videos. I really like them. My bird of paradise isn't the giant variety, it's just the regular orange and red multicolored variety that wants to be a giant! hahaha actually I did try one of those and it didn't do well for me. Of course that was back when I didn't have it figured out yet for these guys.
Got it! :) When you said massive, I was thinking "giant;" however, I know that the smaller bird of paradise can also get quite large! I am glad that you are enjoying watching our IV Organic UA-cam channel! We try to publish something new and educational every week! So be sure to subscribe! Keep in touch! :) Charles
I just planted a meyer lemon tree this year. I live in San Antonio TX. The tree was doing well, had lots of blooms this spring and lots of little lemons started sprouting. Then the small fruits started turning black and some fell off and others just turned black on the tree and they only got to be the size of a small pea. Now all the blooms have gone, there's no fruit that ever matured, and the tree is back to Green Leaves only. I bought the tree from Sams Club. Is doing welll other than that. Am I doing something wrong? Will it bloom later on this year and bear fruit or will it be next year? Any help is much appreciated. My expectations may have been too high when I saw all the blooms and initial fruit before they all went away. Thanks in advance!
I just planted a satsuma tree in March I live Louisiana I want it to get a good root I don't want any fruit should I cut the flowers or wate till it makes fruit?
Hello Josh T, In the first year, I recommend that you remove any fruit the tree attempts to set. Even though some research will say a few on tree is okay-- which sometimes you just want to taste just one to make sure you planted what you wanted (no nursery labeling mistakes, which happens from time to time). The energy the plant will save from going into the fruit will be redirecting into more growth which ultimately will support even more fruit in year 2. I will be removing the fruit set on my 2 or 3 year old Oro Blanco Grapefruit this year to accomplish the same goal... More growth. The tree has been very productive for the past 2 years, but not accomplishing much in the sense of tree vigor... which I am hoping to correct this year. I'll have a publication on this topic in the upcoming 1-2 weeks... Stay tuned! Charles :-)
Hello Avery S, Great questions!!! The fact is that you will gain more lemons per Meyer lemon grafted onto standard rootstock; however, you will gain more fruit per cubic feet of plant on a dwarf. To reiterate, dwarf citrus support a more dense crop, compared to the more plentiful and more spaced out crops found on full-size trees. So a semi-dwarf may be a better consideration to have trees that are most manageable in the sense of pruning, harvesting, etc. However, if you view my many Meyer lemon tree publications, the trees in my garden are on standard rootstock because I wanted the vigor the standard rootstock can offer while I prune the plants to about 6-8 feet about 2-4x per year... with the most sever pruning in the winter immediately following the primary fruit harvest. Check this video link to see what I am talking about: ua-cam.com/video/5uxLnJWHjtE/v-deo.html Let me know if you have any other questions. Charles :-)
I just planted 2 plum & 2 cherry trees 1 week ago. They are 6 foot and have strong leaves already. They need to be shaped / trimmed - pruned. I'm getting conflicting reports on waiting till next year to do this vs doing it immediately. I'd prefer to do it now.
Hi! Rookie here- I have a lemon tree that looked like there were two trunks (or just one large branch growing from the core at the very bottom of the tree trunk. I learn with peach trees you'd cut this ( so i did so) and was wondering did I just kill/damage the tree?
Brand new to gardening. I had a local nursery plant a Eureka lemon tree last month. Even from my perspective, they didn’t do such a great job prepping the soil or providing care instructions. There are few small lemons still on the tree, some of the leaves are curling up and there are many really long branches that I don’t know whether or not I should prune. I live in Las Vegas with a hard, rocky soil - just have to figure out how to grow citrus! Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hello Dave Kammler. Firstly, the tree should have come with a 1 year warranty, just in case. Winter is the worst month on most plants & trees, so do not judge the health of the tree yet. The #1 best thing you can do for your tree is make sure it has a 2-3 inch layer of mulch (wood chips). Mulch will improve the soil structure, attract beneficial earth worms & other beneficial soil life, keep the soil warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer... and so much more. Check out this video on Lemon Tree Care that was published this morning: ua-cam.com/video/VJxLK400xyg/v-deo.html&lc=UgyLS-z0WLL50kcIPU54AaABAg Keep me posted on your Eureka lemon tree successes!!! Charles :-)
When is it a good time to prune a Meyer tree?! Mine isn't doing good at all my leaves havebturned out yellowish they are not green like your show in this video
I have a very old (50 years plus) Meyer lemon tree. It has lost lots of leaves and seems non robust. Is there any chance that I could send you an image of it for some advice?
What would cause a lemon tree to produce lemons with no juice in them? It was that way from the start. Didn't bring it back to the nursery because I thought next crop will be better and watered the tree, put fert etc..; got lot of tlc and still the fruits are dry as. Other trees are not that way except a mandarine tree which I just cut off and will probably cut that tree also and start fresh. Any ideas ? Is it the tree or did i do something wrong? Other citrus are thriving.
One of the best informative video that is straight forward. Please make more for gardeners like myself who knows pretty much nothing
Trinny T Thank you SO MUCH for the compliment!!! There are over 200+ gardening lessons on the IV Organic UA-cam channel, and the publications from this year are getting way better in quality & expert collaborations!! Be sure to subscribe!!!
Charles 🌱👍
I have some 300 lemon trees in my garden. i was looking for how to maintain. I found it here. Thank you for the video. Now i will do the follow-up works.
Finally someone who knows what he's talking about . . worth subscribing to.
Hello Nathan,
Thank you for watching & love your comment! THANKS!!!! :)
Charles
The tree shaping is a great idea. My trees are growing almost straight up. Will shape them to be bushier. Thx!
thanks for all the info much appreciated! now I'm going to go out and prune my citrus
Thanks, the water bottle and bamboo string trick were 👍
Thank you! 🌱👍
I learn so much good stuff from you!
TY!
I have had many veg gardens over the years but now I have caught the habitat gardening bug also.
Planted my first citrus trees also.
Struggling with this new learning curve and....
Your vids are the best!
Your techniques work great.
Saved me from wasting lotsa time and making mistakes.
Thanks man!
Never a wasted moment watching your vids.
You truly are a pro at this.
Had my indoor meyer lemon tree a year now, has produced a nice 10 fruits. This has given me a massive insight how to tidy it up. It's growing new leaves like no tomorrow at the moment. Thank you for this video!
Hello Andrew Murphy,
Thank you for the compliment! :-) Another recent video I did on pruning Meyer Lemons is right here: ua-cam.com/video/Q5EWng9cwaI/v-deo.html Keep me posted on your gardening successes! :-)
Charles
Just watching that video... Your lemons are a much deeper shade of of orange/yellow compared to mine. Makes me wonder if they are of the Mayer variety now. However it's been pruned with an unexpected casualty of the first flower of the year :(. Just need to harvest the lemons off, and do something with them! :)
Hello Andrew Murphy,
Whatever lemons I knew we would not consume fresh within 10 days of harvest, I squeezed the juice into eight (8) ice cube trays to have ready to use lemon juice any time of the year! Charles :-)
Thanks Charles for that advice! :) One question now we've entered spring... I've got a lemon tree, and now an orange one too (couldn't help myself, it looked like it needed a home at the store!). My orange tree has bloomed into flower and I've looking at in excess of 20 fruit off it, but my lemon tree has been growing leaves, leaves and more leaves! There are about 3 flowers on the oldest, but thinest branches nearer the bottom. Is it normal for it to just explode with lots of leaves? Will it flower more towards summer?
Hello Andrew Murphy,
Meyer lemons typically bloom 6-8 months out of the year... supporting as many of those flowers into fruit as it can tolerate... such an amazing citrus tree! But do not be focused on flowers and fruit, as much as gaining more growth and just getting established. The more your plants grow this year, the more branches it will have to support more fruit in the upcoming year. Supporting fruit in the first year WILL slow down it's growth and prevent you from enjoying heavier yields of fruit sooner. I hope this makes sense? Charles :-)
Thank you for all of the great information. 🙂
What a garden! Love the variety
💯
Super super helpful! Thank you for saving me from having to watch 10 different amateur videos to get everything I needed to know in one bite.
Charles! I was searching for tips on how to prune my lemon tree and am so happy to see you! Hope you’re doing amazing and thank you for the great advice!
I have a lemon tree for 4 years it grows very slowly no fruit at all
We live in California in sandy soil
Any idea please to help my poor tree
I will be appreciate thank you so much
Just what i needed! Helpful information, easy to follow! Thanks, Charles.
Wow thanks so much for your tips. I cant tell you how helpful they were. Thank you so much.
Always wondered about cutting in an angle! Cool!
Wow!... Thanks for such an informative and upfront video....
Really good to see the variation of trees and different ways of pruning and helpful tips... I've wondered how to weight some branches... How innovative of you with the water bottles.....lol
This video is as full of great tips as I want my Calamansi tree to be full of fruit! Thanks! :-)
This is awesome and has been so helpful and informative. I started my lemon plant from a seed and now it's very leafy and branchy and about three and a half feet tall. I knew pruning was something that people did but I didn't realize how important it is! Thank you so much! :)
Thanks for the advice. Wouldn't have thought of the mini water bottle weights... I'm trying to limit my plastic usage though.
Been saving old socks that I never managed to find its match. Think I'll invest in some round marbles (classic children's game) that I can later display in a vase for decoration but for purposes of the tree project, add a few marbles into the sock, tie sock and thread a needle- lightly rope around a branch so it stays.
Great tips and examples…thanks!
Thank you for such a concise and informative video.
This was a great video with so much information! I enjoy your channel and your products! Thanks for providing great knowledge and healthy products!
Really informative and great explanation in this video.
Excellent tips for citrus trees, thank you for sharing!
👍thanks Charles, this was really great!
This was very helpful. Thank you.
*Excellent video and tips* 👍
_Thank you_
awesome thankyou helped me alot i love the water bottle idea too going to be doing that
Thank you so much for all the tips.
Can I prune my lemon tree in summer? My tree It's getting a little out of control, and living in southern California it gets pretty hot in the summer time.
Awesome - I needed this info - very very helpful - thank you.
Excellent video, thanks for the close ups and extensive info!
Awesome video and thanks. I'm an arborist and a fan of teaching my clients to prune. I was wondering if by chance you meant to prune to collars and growth points? It's splitting hairs, I know, but maybe you have different terms of phrase over there. Thanks. Joe
Hugely informative. Thank you so much!
Very informative, thank you
Nice video.. Do I need to prune bottom of the lemon tree
Good video. Very informative. I have a citrus tree????? Or a lemon tree not really sure. Someone gave it to me. But its branching tho no fruit yet. But I cant wait to go out and check for suckers and prune it so it can get enough light on each branch and the crown.
I've been wanting to have a few trees/plants on our balcony or indoors, and your videos have been great inspiration!
I just bought a semi-dwarf eureka lemon tree yesterday in West Los Angeles area and didn't get a chance to ask any questions. all I know is it needs sunlight at least 6hrs. and I think our west facing balcony could work. or indoors we have south facing corner windows that could work. I want to learn more about proper care, insects, pruning etc. 😃
I'm also considering a dwarf Meyer lemon tree and/or a pomegranate tree. 😎
Hello Efrain,
Thank you so much for the compliment! :-) The Eureka lemon tree is a must have lemon variety. The Improved Meyer is my #2 favorite lemon variety. Also, good choice in selecting a semi-dwarf size. The plant will grow much more vigorously, quickly created more branches to support more fruit in a very short period of time. Also being in a pot, and a semi-dwarf, it will be easy to manage the size with occasional pruning of branches reaching in the "wrong" direction. Spend a bit of time 2-3x per year managing the shape and size. I recommend that you keep your tree outdoors, year round. In most parts of Los Angeles, there is very little chance of winter freezing temperatures that can harm your tree.... And the more mature your tree grows, the less likely it would be harmed by slightly freezing nights. It's a great idea to grow a variety of trees, that will reward you with years/ decades of organic quality food!!! The ONLY pest problem I have with my citrus is leaf miner, that will likely show up on your trees starting May/June through November--Only. Here is a couple video links to help you manage this problem:
ua-cam.com/video/Y6VdWAPiNhQ/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/1b1VUyNEc1E/v-deo.html
Let me know if you have any other questions! :-)
Charles
IV Organic Awesome. any tips on how often to keep the eureka watered? and some leaves look eaten or burned away. should I clip those? also, any thoughts on keeping a dwarf or semi-dwarf Meyer lemon tree indoors?
:: efrain
Hello Efrain,
Thank you for the compliment! :-) When watering your citrus, you should allow the soil to dry, but not "bone-dry", between watering. And when you do water, soak the trees, trying to get the water into the entire rootball zone. Generally, this means watering 1-2x per week spring and fall. 2x (maybe3x) summer. 0-2x in the cooler winter months. Container trees require even more water... like 3x per week in the hottest summer months. For your indoor citrus, be sure to use a quality organic potting soil. Many potting soils add chemical fertilizers that do support the soil biology as well as the organics. Position in a south, or south-east (morning sun) window during the winter months. Note, your trees will perform better outdoors (if no freezing winter nights). Young citrus and avocados are very susceptible to sunburn to exposed branches and trunks-- coat all exposed surfaces with IV Organic 3-in-1 Plant Guard. Once it has an established canopy to shade the lower branches and trunk, the risk is minimized. Between dwarf and semi-dwarf Meyer in container, I would go with the semi-dwarf. Almost all trees grow slower in a container, than in-ground; therefore, I would want the additional vigor of the semi-dwarf which you can also control will occasional pruning throughout the year. You'll enjoy the semi-dwarf Meyer much more than the slower growing dwarf variety. Lastly, dead or weak branches should be pruned; however, damaged leaves can stay until they naturally fall off. Let me know if you have any other questions! :-)
Charles
Great information it’s spring in Las Vegas. Would you suggest I trim my trees now or do it in the late fall?
Wow, you really planted those trees close together. Great horizontal recommendations and now I've gotta try growing my tomatoes by my citrus!
Thank you so much for the information; however, I have a question. Can you tell me if I need to prune young trees that haven’t produced any fruit? I have two young citrus trees about the size of your Meyer lemon. One is starting to bloom but the other hasn’t yet. Do I prune them or not. I live in San Clemente, California ant it’s the fall, 2023. THANK YOU!
I have a 10 foot lemon tree here in souther California that use to give lemons but it has not in the last 5 years. Any advice?
@Spy Tube Thanks for your response, I just saw it. Yes there was a big tree that was cut down perhaps it blocked the wind before. It's too bad it doesn't give lemons anymore.
That reminds me of san diego county. Where I used to live, valley center... where is that place located?
Hello Kate B! I was at a beautiful home in the Hollywood Hills in this lesson, overlooking Lake Hollywood & downtown Los Angeles!!! Charles :-)
Thank you so much this has really helped me as I know nothing about citrus fruit. I live in Spain and moved int a house with a lemon tree, an orange tree, and a mandarin tree, well more like bushes as the branches grow very low to the ground. The orange tree/bush is very tall. I wondered if I should remove the lower branches which are in the shade. After watching your video it has helped me a lot.
I would remove all branches below 2 feet or 60 cm. and branches above what you can reach.
How do you feel about pruning suckers low down. Leave them for protection from the sun or clean them up? Thanks!
Excellent pointers. Thank you.
Thank you so much for all great information, I enjoy your videos, I have an orange tree, it had fruits then I noticed loosing all the leaves and now it looks dead, is there anything I can do to save the tree?
Thank you for sharing.
I can't wait spring to come to start my project.
Best garden pruning/maintenance video. Thanks
very informative! Thanks
I have a calamansi plant and it’s growing crazy. Do I cut it just like a lemon tree?
Thank you for the advice, I have recently ventured into citrus growing despite living in a totally unsuitable part of the globe (Upper Rhondda, South Wales, UK). I have grown fruit and vegetables for years, but exotics are a new venture for me. I have pruned some of the worst crossing growth on the Yuzu and it has been very forgiving, although my hands suffered with all of those spikes! At this point I can see that all of the trees (peach as well) that I have bought were essentially pruned to fit into the box for shipment to me, not pruned according to the plants' needs - so I need to be careful this year. I couldn't prune my Bears lime as it is flowering and fruiting just about everywhere. May 50/50 prune it in the future (like an evergreen) if that is how it 'behaves', that way I will get both the structure and the yield - assuming that is if it is still alive by next year. As your trees are grown outdoors, I would be interested to know how cold it can get there. My t.v. knowledge of California says it has hot beach/ desert areas as well as great skiing, so it is hard to know what your trees are exposed to in terms of winter and night time temperatures. My citrus will overwinter in a cold greenhouse, but I add a number of candles in frost conditions, I also plan to insulate the glass with large gauge bubblewrap - for insulation and shade purposes. Give my tree's current fruiting, I am nervous about potting on, which it ideally needs. Should I avoid potting on until the spring, or could I pot on regardless of the fruit? My tree is in its original pot as sent from the grower. Apologies for the lengthy response, but not a lot of knowledge in my location, thus short on advice.
BTW: I have seen fishing weights used to bend branches into form, mostly on plum when it is trained onto a festoon. (An iron stake attached to a large iron hoop to which the branches are tied.) Should help transport the sugars to the fruit as well as they are south of the branch line. Thanks, Vox.
My orange tree has white spots on its bark near the ground and seems to have some scaring on the fruit. It’s almost like dead bugs. I can scrap it off with a fingernail and the fruit is mostly unaffected. I have some pale oranges and that fruit is sometimes hard and dry inside. Do you think I should be worrying? What can I do?
Hello Charles, I have a question. I’m growing a lemon tree from the seeds. It was getting tall and I cut off the head of it and about five new branches growing and the are having spikes. Are the males or the entire tree is a male? How am I suppose to know?
Please help.
It is a very good information, thank you sir
You plant trees and install electrical appliances. Great video, thanks
Can the main trunk from a Eureka tree be trimmed or cut to make the tree shorter? Also, can the regular Eureka (non-dwarf) be potted? Thank you, love your awesome videos!
oro blanco can it take vegas cold nights? i just bought one and planted in a shady location and leaves dying......is it normal or i need burlap cover
I grew a lemon tree from seed in a pot. I had one long upright stem with one branch growing to one side. I just trimmed the upright stem in hopes it would promote branching. was this the right thing to do?
Hello Christie Broadhurst,
Absolutely! :-) You are the artist and designer of that tree, so do not be intimidated by pruning the tree periodically to perform the way you want it too (shape, size, etc...) Although citrus can go without any pruning at all, lightly pruning by 10-20 annually will ensure that the tree maintains more "stable" with a root structure that is stronger and more established relative to the upper tree. I have found that a light pruning of citrus results in less "dead wood", more flowers and more fruit too! :-)
If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!
Charles :-)
IV Organic thanks so much! I feel better now!
Great! Keep me posted Christie! :-)
Charles
Thanks for your videos. I enjoy them. You give some great information. I live in south FL. I had tried growing several small citrus trees in my yard unsuccessfully. We have extremely sandy soil that doesn't retain much moisture. Also felt that the trees were being plagued by psyllids and leafminers. So, that brings me to my question. I have an outdoor south facing lanai entrance to my home. I grow many plants there in pots. I would like to try growing a potted dwarf Key Lime in that area. I have contacted a nursery and verified that I have the appropriate sized pot for this endeavor. Can you give me any hints for dealing with psyllids and leaf miners? (I was able to salvage a Meyer lemon from those plants I had in the ground (about 4 year old trees). I cut it back to about 1.5 ft. above the graft, trimmed the roots and have it growing in a bonsai soil (soil less mix). It is surviving and starting to develop new roots and branch out. That tree, thus far, hasn't been fodder for the leafminers or psyllids. But, I watch it very closely.
Would appreciate knowing your comments on this situation. Thanks.
Hello Patricia Sholar Freund,
Great to hear from you! I lived about 8 years in Boynton Beach and Boca Raton, before returning back to Los Angeles about 5 years ago. So I am very familiar with the sandy soil and the challenges with making sure you plants have sufficient nutrients in the soil. To correct some of these issue, I recommend that you (1) add compost, (2) add organic fertilizers, and (3) dress the root zone with a 2-3 inch layer of wood chips. By having all this organic material around your plants, you will have a healthy population of worms, nematodes, beneficial bacteria and fungus that will aid in helping your plants reach their genetic potential.
About controlling the psyllids and miners, my favorite product is neem oil. However, be careful that you do not burn your plants on those days that get over 85-90+ degrees as that will burn the leaves, fruit, branches, etc... Just like what oil does on human skin in the sun. To help cool the plant, I recommend adding neem in the evening, and then the following morning, misting the plant with IV Organic 3-in-1 Plant Guard that will act as an organic sunblock for these plants during the hottest days of summer. Further, the product may help repel those insects as IV Organic has a time-release layer of organic oils, including garlic, cedarwood, cloves, rosemary, peppermint, castor and cinnamon all of which have their unique way of repelling insects. I hope this helps! Please keep me posted on your gardening successes! :-)
Charles
Thanks for the great advice. Now I feel better about adding a citrus seedling to my garden. Neem oil is part of my arsenal of good pest control. I'll try organic nutrients in the soil when I pot the plant. Where can I find the IV Organix 3-in-1 Plant Guard?
You're welcome Patricia! :-)
You an find IV Organic 3-in-1 Plant Guard at Home Depot, Amazon Prime, Sears, Arbico Organics, Harmony Farms, Walmart. Here are some lnks:
www.homedepot.com/p/3-5-oz-Tree-Guard-Paint-Protection-Against-Damaging-Sunburn-Insects-and-Rodents-IVO31s-White/206864861
www.amazon.com/IV-Organic-Guard-Paint-Protection/dp/B01AQ15TX0
Thank you,
Charles
Thanks. The Meyer Lemon that I was able to save last year is starting to sprout. I am a bonsaist - applied bonsai root pruning and planting techniques on it. In bonsai we often tip prune to get the trees to become fuller. Will this work with citrus?
That's great news Patricia! And yes, you can use bonsai pruning tips on your lemon trees. Feel free to share some pictures of your gardening successes with me at Info@IVOrganics.com! Charles :-)
great and informative video thank you
Thank you for the compliment Diana Gimon! :-)
Charles
hey Charles, great video. I live in southern florida where it is next to impossible to find a dwarf eureka at a nursery. I need to keep it relatively short so it can be kept in a cage to prevent the crows from pecking lemons and eventually destroing them. I live near a bird sanctuary. So my question is can I keep a standard eureka tree to 5 feet without it looking weird?
When do you prune an orange tree if you live in SoCal? TIA
how many months after planting citrus is the proper pruning to produce fruits
We moved into a house with 1 orange tree with 3rd-degree burns, at least 20' tall. It's producing, but they are sour. Not sure if we should cut it down or try to rescue it. Also, have a lemon tree that is taller than the house. Have been pruning the wood branches as you suggest, but should the height be pruned to be shorter, and how much to cut without shocking it? Live in Tucson, AZ, so I'm nervous about damaging it from the sun. Thank you for these videos!
We have a 20ft lime tree in southern California. I want to make it smaller for practical reasons. Any suggestions? I am afraid I might damage it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Hello Leser Sharp,
Here are two videos released this year that discussing pruning. The first is a Bearss lime tree where the "leggy" shoots were pruned to maintain the bushy design: ua-cam.com/video/KrObhsIwV4g/v-deo.html However, if you are doing major pruning, I would wait until all risk of frost has passed-- Such as late January or February to prune the tree. Be cautious of exposed branches and trunk to too much sunlight. Checkout this orange tree that suffered 3rd degree burns within 6 months of being pruned: ua-cam.com/video/RJ-a473LWh4/v-deo.html If your canopy is going to allow too much light into it, I would recommend coating the lower trunk and branches with IV Organic 3-in-1 Tree Guard Paint, which can also be diluted 2-3 teaspoons per gallon and sprayed onto the leaves and thinner stems to help minimize the shock of pruning.... also coat all large pruned stems to prevent disease and wood boring insects (beetles & termites) from entering. Last tip, most citrus do not need to be pruned, other than to strengthen the tree, remove dead wood, or (as in your case) controlling the shape and size. When making you cuts, be sure to keep a lot of lower branches and leaves to help support the sugar needs of the plant. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Charles :)
Thanks for the info!
My pleasure! :)
How do you deal with scale. Or maybe it’s called rust it’s a little bubbly things on the branches and a lot of ants are hanging around. I’ve tried the various soaps for trees with very poor results. I live in northern California east of San Francisco
How can you be sure that and know when the roots can’t support more branches, leaves, fruit?
I have two year old Meyer lemon tree and it gots about 15 lemons but all the weight of lemons splitting the branch from trunk. Should I be removing lemons? I'm neewbie with lemon tree
Hello Jesse,
YES! Remove some of the most ripe... hopefully you can find a use for a partially ripe (even all green lemons). We use our lemons (even immature lemons) for flavoring water, salad dressings, marinades, etc, etc.... This weeks publication is on exactly this issue... except a naval orange tree where the branch split in half due to the weight of the fruit... to be published in the next day or two. Stay tuned! Charles :-)
IV Organic lemons are green and size of golf ball how can I tell if it's ripe?
If you live in the northern hemisphere, the fruit generally ripen November through March, April or May. However, many varieties offer small quantities of lemons between May and November. They are ripe once the skin turn yellow on all sides. A young tree can get severely damaged (broken branches) from supporting too many fruit, and may take one to several years for the tree shape to restore. As the tree gets more mature, the risk is less likely, however thinning is a good practice with all heavy bearing fruit trees to improve the size & quality of remaining fruit. Let me know if you have any other questions. Charles :-)
Very helpful tips. Thanks a lot! :)
This man looks like a Dr but he likes gardening ☺️ I have a lime and avocado tree from seed. I need to prune both and although I’ve seen many videos on pruning, it makes me nervous. I don’t want to ruin the trees. Where can I buy those sticks in the middle of the trees? I want to add 1 to each tree cause they’re a lil bit wonky.
I am interested in growing a privacy hedge using citrus trees. I would like to prune it so it’s shaped like a formal hedge. Do you have any experience with this or advice?
Can I use any white paint on my grapefruit tree ?
Hello , i have a small orange tree ( less than 1meter high) with sagging branches , wondering if i should
Prune or stake them .
Hello, we have this Eureka lemon tree that was 7.5 gallon and planted it roughly 8 months ago. The main stalk has grown to almost 7' tall with all the others around 2' long. How would you prune this tree for a successful grow? Thanks for your advise.
Stay blessed and happy
moved to a new place with an orange tree that is dozens of years old, needs some help bad! also have a meyer lemon tree that is splitting before ripening. ive heard from some it needs water, others say splitting is too much water. should i prune it down a lot? and cut off the branches even with the fruit? thank you!
How long after you prune a branch will the new growth produce fruit?
Hello, Should cotyledon leaves, or lower branches be removed when repotting/planting out young seedlings?
Very helpful, thanks!
Very informative. Thank you!
Hello Sherie,
I am glad you enjoyed watching this gardening lesson! Happy gardening! :)
Charles
Thank you so much! I'm watching your other video about citrus trees now. I'm brand new to growing citrus but not new to gardening and house plants. I have a MASSIVE bird of paradise plant (strelitzia) happily growing and blooming a few times each year INDOORS in Southern NJ- zone 7 :(. In fact, this plant is now approaching it's 62nd birthday!!! It's quite a looker when it's blooming but a bit of an eye-sore when it's not. I love it all the time even if it's less than beautiful 6 to 8 months each year. It's become so large over the last few years that it has once again burst the side of it's pot out which will absolutely require me to divide it and re-pot it this year. I've been holding my husband off for at least 4 years about dividing it because it blooms best when it is a little pot-bound but NOT much or not at all when it has been put through the absolute horror of the division process. It usually takes a few years for my special baby to recover. I'm hoping that because we've been doing it for decades and we've got it pretty much down to a science, that we can somehow avoid shocking the crap out of it this time. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that plant! I've had it for 29 years. It has become part of my family almost. Here's the story about how I came to own this lovely plant: my Dad had a friend who was stationed someplace in the South Pacific and had brought the seeds home to his wife (an avid gardener) when he came home on leave (US Navy) in 1954. She grew the seeds and it became this enormous plant that she loved and divided every 6 or 8 years. Everyone in her family had gotten one. At the time I came into the picture, she had recently divided it again and nobody wanted one. She was ok with that because she loved them and was fine with keeping them all. She used to have each of them sitting on a platform her husband attached to one of those red wagons that children play with. She'd pull them around, out into her driveway each summer. There were 3 of them. My Dad kept after her for weeks and weeks until she finally agreed to sell me one. I had to pay her 85 bucks for the one I finally ended up getting. Of course it was the smallest one she had but it was still very large compared to what you would buy at a garden center if you could even find one that was mature back then. But 85 bucks was a LOT of money for me back then. I was only 19. I So it took me almost 10 years to figure out how to get it to bloom. There were times through that initial period when it looked pretty bad and I almost killed it a few times from lack of gardening skills. Now I know that it really boiled down to the fact that I just didn't have enough sunlight in my first home to support blooming in this type of plant. I never wanted to put it outside because I was scared to death it would get bugs and die!!! I finally gave in and put it out there and holy cow did it finally bloom. It was slow at first but then more each year. Now it blooms on and off throughout the year. I have a few other plants that have been with me for 15 to 20 years or so- just one that is demands high light though. It's a croton shrub and it blooms as well. Nobody here has ever seen one bloom indoors and they're all shocked when they see it blooming. So anyway, I am going to attempt citrus. I'm hoping to avoid many of the mistakes I made with the others. Thanks to youtube and google, I'm way ahead of the game compared to years ago. Thanks again and wish me luck! I may even try figs next. Your fig tree videos are on my list to watch. I have friends who grow them outdoors all over this area but there is a trick to getting them to survive the winter. A lot of friends lost their figs the winter before last to extreme cold and blustery winds.
Hello Sherie,
Thanks for sharing your success story with growing giant bird of paradise, indoors, and in growing zone 7! Two major challenges that you have overcome! Great point regarding your plant being most productive once the roots become bound. I too have noticed the same phenomenon with other plants and fruit trees. I will be sure to share this fact in future videos! Regarding winterizing figs, I just released this video that has become a hit about a week ago: ua-cam.com/video/xIjGr1WJG-w/v-deo.html
Thank you for your support and please keep in touch! :)
Charles
I'm planning on checking out all of your videos. I really like them. My bird of paradise isn't the giant variety, it's just the regular orange and red multicolored variety that wants to be a giant! hahaha actually I did try one of those and it didn't do well for me. Of course that was back when I didn't have it figured out yet for these guys.
Got it! :) When you said massive, I was thinking "giant;" however, I know that the smaller bird of paradise can also get quite large! I am glad that you are enjoying watching our IV Organic UA-cam channel! We try to publish something new and educational every week! So be sure to subscribe! Keep in touch! :)
Charles
I just planted a meyer lemon tree this year. I live in San Antonio TX. The tree was doing well, had lots of blooms this spring and lots of little lemons started sprouting. Then the small fruits started turning black and some fell off and others just turned black on the tree and they only got to be the size of a small pea. Now all the blooms have gone, there's no fruit that ever matured, and the tree is back to Green Leaves only. I bought the tree from Sams Club. Is doing welll other than that. Am I doing something wrong? Will it bloom later on this year and bear fruit or will it be next year? Any help is much appreciated. My expectations may have been too high when I saw all the blooms and initial fruit before they all went away. Thanks in advance!
I just planted a satsuma tree in March I live Louisiana I want it to get a good root I don't want any fruit should I cut the flowers or wate till it makes fruit?
Hello Josh T,
In the first year, I recommend that you remove any fruit the tree attempts to set. Even though some research will say a few on tree is okay-- which sometimes you just want to taste just one to make sure you planted what you wanted (no nursery labeling mistakes, which happens from time to time). The energy the plant will save from going into the fruit will be redirecting into more growth which ultimately will support even more fruit in year 2. I will be removing the fruit set on my 2 or 3 year old Oro Blanco Grapefruit this year to accomplish the same goal... More growth. The tree has been very productive for the past 2 years, but not accomplishing much in the sense of tree vigor... which I am hoping to correct this year. I'll have a publication on this topic in the upcoming 1-2 weeks... Stay tuned! Charles :-)
Charles, is this you in the video. Is this your channel? You are so informative!
Thanks for the great Info, I love lemon tree, its like Gold in my recipe , Thanks again keep up the good work!
Question: Would it not make sense to take cuttings from the tree and replant into new plants rather than just composting?
Try air layer before pruning if you want to have new trees from cuttings otherwise it is likely it will fail if you try to plant it before rooting.
I found using Root tone (Auxin) and sticking cutting in water works well. After hearty roots form the cutting is ready for soil.
How tall and wide should Meyer lemon trees grow in a profitable orchard? What's the planting density? How long do they live for?
Hello Avery S,
Great questions!!! The fact is that you will gain more lemons per Meyer lemon grafted onto standard rootstock; however, you will gain more fruit per cubic feet of plant on a dwarf. To reiterate, dwarf citrus support a more dense crop, compared to the more plentiful and more spaced out crops found on full-size trees. So a semi-dwarf may be a better consideration to have trees that are most manageable in the sense of pruning, harvesting, etc. However, if you view my many Meyer lemon tree publications, the trees in my garden are on standard rootstock because I wanted the vigor the standard rootstock can offer while I prune the plants to about 6-8 feet about 2-4x per year... with the most sever pruning in the winter immediately following the primary fruit harvest. Check this video link to see what I am talking about: ua-cam.com/video/5uxLnJWHjtE/v-deo.html
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Charles :-)
Thanks! What's the planting distance for dwarf, semi-dwarf and regular. And what is your expected harvest for each variety?
What happens if you pick all the lemons 🍋 does the tress die and not produce any more lemons
I just planted 2 plum & 2 cherry trees 1 week ago. They are 6 foot and have strong leaves already. They need to be shaped / trimmed - pruned. I'm getting conflicting reports on waiting till next year to do this vs doing it immediately. I'd prefer to do it now.
wonderful help - thank you.
Hi! Rookie here- I have a lemon tree that looked like there were two trunks (or just one large branch growing from the core at the very bottom of the tree trunk. I learn with peach trees you'd cut this ( so i did so) and was wondering did I just kill/damage the tree?
Brand new to gardening. I had a local nursery plant a Eureka lemon tree last month. Even from my perspective, they didn’t do such a great job prepping the soil or providing care instructions. There are few small lemons still on the tree, some of the leaves are curling up and there are many really long branches that I don’t know whether or not I should prune. I live in Las Vegas with a hard, rocky soil - just have to figure out how to grow citrus! Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hello Dave Kammler. Firstly, the tree should have come with a 1 year warranty, just in case. Winter is the worst month on most plants & trees, so do not judge the health of the tree yet. The #1 best thing you can do for your tree is make sure it has a 2-3 inch layer of mulch (wood chips). Mulch will improve the soil structure, attract beneficial earth worms & other beneficial soil life, keep the soil warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer... and so much more. Check out this video on Lemon Tree Care that was published this morning: ua-cam.com/video/VJxLK400xyg/v-deo.html&lc=UgyLS-z0WLL50kcIPU54AaABAg Keep me posted on your Eureka lemon tree successes!!! Charles :-)
Instablaster.
When is it a good time to prune a Meyer tree?! Mine isn't doing good at all my leaves havebturned out yellowish they are not green like your show in this video
When I cut a large I put a dab of white glue on the cut is that ok.?
Great video. Favorited
Thank you SO VERY MUCH for the compliment Alphawav3! Charles :-)
Thank-You for a great educational video #1
I have a very old (50 years plus) Meyer lemon tree. It has lost lots of leaves and seems non robust. Is there any chance that I could send you an image of it for some advice?
I have an orange tree that is growing tall. Should the top be cut?
What would cause a lemon tree to produce lemons with no juice in them? It was that way from the start. Didn't bring it back to the nursery because I thought next crop will be better and watered the tree, put fert etc..; got lot of tlc and still the fruits are dry as. Other trees are not that way except a mandarine tree which I just cut off and will probably cut that tree also and start fresh. Any ideas ? Is it the tree or did i do something wrong? Other citrus are thriving.
What happened if I cut all the branches? Pls reply to me. Thanks
Oh I love your videos.
Thank you so much Maceo! Charles :)