Lemon trees haven't grown in a year

hollydillabough

Hello, I have had these lemon trees for about 1.5 years. They lost a lot of leaves about a year ago so I repotted into these larger, fibreglass planters as I thought maybe they needed more room.

The planters have good drainage holes, i water when dry (abiut twice a wrrk.over summer), and they are on a sunny north facing terrace.

The plants have continued to stagnate in these new pots. They have not grown, and in fact have fewer leaves than when I first bought them.

In researching this weekend, I realised I've never fertilized them, which I understand they need. Do you think they'll be right with a feed?

My second worry is that the premium potting soil I used doesn't have good enough drainage. These planters are large and I'm hoping I don't need to take them out to add some perlite or something as that would be a large hassle!

Thoughts? Will fertilizer be enough, or should I take them out and improve soil drainage by adding perlite?

Thanks!

MitchellMc

Hi @hollydillabough,

The nutrients provided in the premium potting mix are likely exhausted after 1.5 years, so I'd certainly recommend you apply a citrus fertiliser. 

Provided the pots have good drainage then I think it's unlikely the premium mix is holding too much water. 

Sharing the relatively narrow pots with other plants likely isn't doing the citrus any favours. I suspect the plant on the left is likely close to being rootbound given the size of its pot mate.

Given that the pots seem to be in a relatively hot location, I suspect that watering two times a week in summer is on the low side. But you're doing the right thing by watering when the soil begins to dry out; I just wouldn't wait until it's bone dry.

Here's a helpful guide: How to plant and grow citrus in pots.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell