I have a Lemon Tree in a large Pot. It was doing quite well until I read it was time to fertilise it and we also had plenty of rain. The small lemons have dried up and the tree has hardly any leaves, but it's still alive. I asked my local garden centre if it needed more goodness such as NovaTec and their explanation was to leave it, check it was not water logged and hopefully it may recover.

My family has a reputation of lemon tree failures and I guess I tried to break the curse. I now think I should try to plant it out of the pot into the garden (having already lost one there before I do not hold high hopes. I have tilted the pot to allow for additional drainage and could cut the bottom out of the pot if this could help. Assuming I was to remove it from the pot and plant it in the garden can you recommend when the best time to do that is? Will it be now when all the citrus trees are in the garden centers and it's spring? What are your thoughts please? I'm Wellington based so I know wind protection is a must.

Hi Bernadette

Some factors to think about are whether the pot is the right size for the plant, a good rule of thumb is to choose a pot that is twice the diameter of the root ball of your plant. Citrus need good drainage, so it's important that the pot have drainage holes in the bottom too. Spring is a good time to plant citrus into the garden, but with container grown citrus they can be planted in the garden at any time as long as there is plenty of water to help them become established.

Feed your citrus in spring and again in late summer with a balanced fertiliser such as Tui Citrus Food for the garden, or Tui NovaTec Premium or Tui Enrich Fruit, Citrus, Tree & Shrub for pots and containers. Lemon trees can also be prone to leaf drop if temperatures fluctuate, apply Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic at a rate of 70ml per 9L watering can every week until it starts to recover. 

Also, check out our citrus growing guide and top tips for successful citrus.

Thanks, Tui Team.