Hello,

I received a potted Eureka lemon tree for Christmas. I've always wanted a lemon tree, but have absolutely no idea how to take care of it. The tree was purchased at a nursery 4 hours away, and lemon trees are not sold in nurseries in my area.

The tree will remain potted as I live in Sudbury, ON (zone 4a) and will live indoors (though I may occassionally bring it outside in July and August). Sudbury is very sunny and the tree is currently located by a south facing window. The tree has 3 green lemons, but many of the flowers are falling off. The leaves are pointed down.

How much should I water the plant?
Do I need any special soil or fertilizer?
What do I need to know if I want to repot the tree (it's currently in an ugly plastic gardening store pot)?
Is there anything else I need to know...I'm NOT a gardener (though would like to be), so any info would be helpful.

If you want long term success with your containerized lemon tree, you will need to purchase a soil thermometer. The reason the leaves are pointing down (drooping) is because the foliage is receiving the direct rays of the sun, while the containers is not. The leaf surface temperature can easily reach 100F+ (32C) when placed all day in a southern facing window. The only way the leaves can cool down is by evaporating water which must be supplied by the tree's root system. If the tree's container is not receiving direct sunshine then the temperature of the potting soil, will be a lot cooler that the leaves. 55.4F (13C) is absolute zero for citrus roots. At temperatures at or below 55.4F citrus roots are completely dormant and are unable to send water to the leaves. Even at temperatures above, but near 55.4F root function is minimal. Due to evaporation from the surface of the soil, the soil in the container will be 5 to 15 degrees below the room temperature. Just because your room is 70F (18C) does not mean the tree's root zone is also at room temperature. This is why the leaves are not growing as they should. A containerized citrus tree after a few sunny days of this situation will begin to drop its leaves in an attempt to bring a balance between the foliage and soil. This is known as Winter Leaf Drop (WLD), and is a very common problem with new owners of citrus. You need to either raise the temperature of the soil to at least 64F (18C) 70F (21C) is much better, or move the tree out of the direct sun. When the tree drops its leaves due to WLD, only the leaf blade is dropped and the petiole (leaf stem) remains attached to the branch. When you water the tree water the tree well so that 10 percent of the water applied drains out of the holes at the bottom of the container. Then do not water the tree again until the top couple of inches of the soil feel rather dry. Over watering a containerized citrus tree is the number one killer of citrus. Fertilize the tree a minimum of once a month with a complete fertilizer (NPK) that also contains trace minerals. Two good growth mediums are a blend of: 4 parts pine bark, 1 part peat moss and 1 part COARSE sand *do not use play sand). Another excellent medium is 4 parts coconut husk chips (CHC) and 1 part peat moss.

Thank you, that really helps me out.