WELCOME

This all seems very complicated !!!!

There are still some gremlins in the system which will be sorted out very soon. Go to the group you wish to join and follow the instructions. It looks more complicated now, but it is not really. We all need to get used to this. :)

Having just joined this group, just to say that I have put my lemon tree outside now. It is against a wall which gets a lot of sun and is fairly well shielded from the wind, so am keeping fingers crossed! Some of the leaves look a bit pale, but there has been plenty of blossom and now tiny green buds where the blossom has been. This is i'ts second year and it stands about 18 inches tall. I have been giving it liquid citrus feed for a few weeks now, so hope this is ok.Is there anyone on here who living in Italy, can give me a progress report on their lemon trees?

Hi. Yes our lemon trees are doing fine with plenty of flowers; although one tree is loosing it's flowers before they full bud;not sure why probably something to do with watering. Against a wall is good for them as they don't like to be too exposed when they're small. I have a few lemons on ours(still green) and we also have a small orange tree which is going beserk at teh moment. That reminds me need to feed them. Ciao.

It is difficult to generalise in Italy as you have to take into account the region, its climate and the altitude; however, plenty of sun and a wall to shield it from the wind should be ideal conditions for your lemon tree almost anywhere. Citrus trees need open, sunny positions but in colder climates a north - facing wall may protect them. Good drainage is most important. The pale leaves may suggest some deficiency, but as you have applied the liquid citrus feed fairly recently and the buds look fine give it a bit more time to see how it goes. Loosing the full bud is more problematic and it could be related to poor draining if the watering is too abundant or if it rains very heavily.

Hi Gromit,yes, I need to feed mine again tomorrow. Advised to feed every two weeks in the growing season, is that right?Am so looking forward to picking my own lemons later this year :)

My lemon trees had a pretty tough winter as the place I had put them ended up being much colder than I had planned (windows of the out building blew in and have only just now been replaced). But the main trouble is that they get nasty white blobs all over the stems and whilst I try to pick these off and spray with anti bug stuff it just comes back. Ideas?Y

Hi Yvonne. It is hard to tell without seeing the damage, but it could be either a fungus or citrus canker. I don't think that in those cases the antibug would do much for the tree. There are some special anti-fungal preparations.

Thank you for the suggestion of anti-fungal treatment on my lemon trees: I sprayed them with the same stuff as we put on the vines and they are distinctly better, putting on a lot of new leaf and the odd fruit, the infestation (whatever it was) has almost disappeared.Y

Good news, Yvonne! This winter has been so wet that if has helped to develop this kind of infestations. Fortunately, and as you experienced, it is easy to get rid of them without harming the tree.