Why lemon leaves fall and how to deal with it. Why do indoor lemon leaves fall off?

Exotic plants grown on a windowsill have long since surprised no one. Most often, lemons are grown at home. At unfavorable conditions he's sick. Lemon ailments can manifest themselves in different ways: sometimes it drops its leaves, and sometimes the leaves turn yellow and curl. Those who have been growing plants recently do not know the reason why leaves fall and what to do in such a situation. Before resuscitating the plant, it is necessary to understand the causes of the disease.

A common problem with lemons is loss of leaves.

Why did the lemon tree suddenly shed its leaves?

Citrus trees come from the subtropics, where there is a certain mild climate without temperature fluctuations and high light levels all year round. Therefore, all varieties of lemon are very sensitive to temperature changes and changes in lighting when kept at home. Beginner gardeners often find it difficult to follow everything the necessary conditions, so the plant may get sick. Lemon malaise is expressed in the dropping of part of the foliage or the entire green crown, and the leaves may turn yellow or curl into a tube. There may be several reasons for the appearance of such symptoms:

Insufficient lighting.
Excessive soil moisture.
Insufficient watering.
The soil has run out of nutrients.
The indoor air is too dry and hot.
The plant is frozen, the room temperature is too low.
Sudden temperature changes.
The homemade lemon does not feel well due to being moved to a new location.
Transplanting the plant into a new pot has a negative effect on the crown.
Excess fertilizer.

If you want to understand why lemon leaves fall, you need to pay attention to several main factors. In addition to checking the soil for moisture and pests, it is worth checking the humidity and temperature in the room where the lemon is growing. The combination of several factors may contribute to the reason why the leaves have fallen.

Leaves may fall due to dry air

Effect of lighting

In dendrology for indoor lemons It is customary to use the term “conditionally deciduous plant.” This means that leaf fall for lemons with the onset of winter is not a natural process, but a reaction to some external irritant.

The most detrimental factor for a plant is poor lighting, so insufficient natural light in winter time It is worth replenishing with artificial, then the leaves of the lemon will not crumble and turn yellow.

There are several ways to improve the illumination of lemons in winter:

Place the plant on a south-facing window, away from radiators and other heating elements.
It is best to place several mirrors around the lemon. This way the plant will receive enough from all sides sunlight.
Extend sunny days with fluorescent lamps.

If a lemon's green shoots, leaves and flowers fall off, and improved lighting does not help, then the cause should be looked for in another factor.

Lack of light in winter can cause leaves to fall off

Overwatering

One of the reasons why lemon leaves fall is acidification of the soil, which occurs when excessive watering plants. If there is excess moisture, the soil in the pot becomes dense and does not allow oxygen to pass through. Lack of air has a detrimental effect on the plant itself; it experiences stress. Small capillary roots begin to gradually die. The tree receives little nutrition and does not have enough strength to provide the entire crown and new shoots with useful substances. Therefore, young shoots can dry out and part of the crown fly off.

Insufficient watering of the plant

Insufficient watering is also harmful to the lemon tree. If a gardener notes that the leaves of a tree are gradually turning yellow, curling, and drooping, then the culprit is the drying out of the earthen clod. Lack of moisture leads to the death of small roots and the inability to absorb nutrients from the soil. The plant falls into a state of stress, and the movement of juices in its tissues slows down. In this state, the lemon has nothing to feed the upper shoots and leaves, so it gets rid of part of the crown.

If the lemon has not been watered for a long time, then you cannot immediately flood the soil with water. Such sudden watering is no less destructive for the roots than overwatering.

Therefore, a fallen lemon must be revived gradually: watering should begin by spraying the leaves with water and adding a little moisture to the soil; Every day the amount of moisture is increased slightly.

It is the gradual soaking of the earthen clod and increasing the humidity in the room that will help to slowly, without stress for the tree, restore fallen leaves.

Watering the lemon should be moderate but regular.

Soil depletion

Summer is the period when the lemon tries to produce as many shoots as possible. Active growth requires nutrients that the plant takes from the soil. Mineral substances have nowhere to come from in the soil just like that, so it is necessary to fertilize regularly.

For indoor lemon Several types of fertilizers are needed: nitrogen nutrients, phosphates and bait based on potassium salts. In addition to them, humus and microelements (zinc, iron, cobalt) are often added to the soil. A deficiency of one of the micronutrients causes the lemon to lose its leaves and show signs of deficiency:

Yellowing of all leaves or appearance of yellow spots.
The leaves are drooping, limp and dull.
Sometimes the shape of the leaf changes.
Drying of leaves and young shoots is noted.

If the reason why a lemon drops its leaves is a lack of nutrients, then it is easy to restore the tree to its former healthy appearance. It is enough to add nutrients to the soil monthly according to the scheme indicated on the packaging for the bait. If the lemon has dropped its leaves for another reason, then you should pay attention to the climate in the room.

Potassium salts are necessary for the functioning of lemons

Dry climate in the apartment

In most apartments, the air in winter is dry and warm, and this is detrimental to lemon. And if the tree stood on the windowsill next to the battery, then you can notice that with the onset heating season the lemon has dropped all its leaves. This type of care is not suitable for a lemon; it loves wet areas. What to do if the air in your apartment is too dry and the lemon begins to dry out:

Remove the plant away from heating devices.
If it is not possible to move the lemon from the battery, then you need to cover it with a thick blanket.
Regularly moisten the room and spray the tree with water.

Ideal ready-made solution There will be an air humidifier installed in the room where the exotic plant is kept.

The plant is frozen

Low temperatures are necessary for lemons to successfully overwinter. But you shouldn’t put it outside or on an unglazed balcony. The ideal place for the plant would be a place where the air temperature does not exceed ten degrees above zero. If the temperature is too low, then after a while you may notice that the lemon has dropped its leaves.

What to do to prevent the plant from dying is the primary question. You cannot immediately bring a plant into a warm place if it is frozen, because temperature changes will completely destroy the plant.

It is necessary to gradually increase the temperature in the room and monitor how the remaining leaves and shoots react to this change. Protect the tree from drafts, as sudden changes in temperature will negatively affect the condition of the crown.

A lemon left on the balcony may freeze and lose its leaves.

Pests are one of the main causes of leaf fall

Aphid. Its presence is determined by changes in young leaves. Aphids stick around inner part sheet and gradually it curls up.
Spider mite. If the lemon has bloomed and the leaves have suddenly fallen off, and cobwebs are visible on the branches, the plant is infected with spider mites.
Shield. It feeds on plant juices; small holes are visible on the leaves.

What to do if a lemon suddenly flew around

If flying is associated with poor or improper care, then it can be eliminated by changing the conditions of the plant.

Lemon is a subtropical crop. This citrus loves warmth, sun and moisture. However, during the cold season, the lemon tree requires less watering and nutrients. An exotic plant like lemon often faces various problems. One of them is associated with leaf fall.

Reasons for leaf fall in indoor lemons

There are many factors causing this disease:

Lack of light and moisture or excessive watering.
Leaves fall due to nutrient deficiency. An urgent transplant of the plant into fresh soil is required.
Too high or low temperature in the house.
The plant sheds its leaves when there is a temperature change or from drafts.
Development of fungi and bacteria on leaves. This can happen with excessive watering and spraying of leaves during the cold season.
The appearance of tubercles on the leaves along the veins. This indicates that the plant is infected with scale insects (false scale insects). These sucking pests suck the juice from the leaves, after which they fall off.
Damage to leaves by spider mites. These pests also feed on plant sap. Often the leaves are simultaneously affected by fungi.
Scab is characterized by the appearance of small tubercles on the leaves. This leads to their deformation, destruction and falling off.
Bacterial plant canker is characterized by the appearance of small watery spots on the underside of leaves. Malignant tumors resembling a sponge grow in the leaf epidermis. This often occurs with excessive watering and spraying.
Read the article "" and learn how to properly care for a tree so as not to cause problems.

Methods of control and preventive measures

In the cold season, due to a decrease in natural light, the lemon tree may experience excessive leaf loss. Therefore, in autumn and winter, the plant should be placed closer to the light, or special lamps with LEDs and a reflector should be used for illumination.

Excessive soil moisture causes rotting of the substrate, inhibits the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the roots, which also causes yellowing, disease and falling leaves.

Lack of moisture is also detrimental to lemon. Dry soil slows down the flow of sap in the plant and leads to the death of the root system. The leaves lose turgor and appear dry brown spots and soon they fall off. Dry air is no less harmful to lemon. This often causes the leaves to curl and turn yellow.

Excessive dryness of the soil requires compliance with certain measures when watering lemons. Do not moisten the soil too much after a long drought. This has an adverse effect on the development and growth of the plant. The lemon tree does not like “stressful” situations and in these cases sheds its leaves. Therefore, you should not bring the soil to excessive dryness and then fill it with water. It is necessary to constantly maintain the soil in a moderately moist state. If the soil is still dry, moistening is carried out with small portions of water for two to three days, until the entire soil is completely saturated.

Lemon leaves also fall due to a lack of minerals in the soil. They should be added periodically. Among organic fertilizers necessary for the plant The three most important ones can be distinguished: nitrogen, potassium and phosphate. Also, leaves will begin to fall due to a deficiency in the soil of microelements such as selenium, zinc, molybdenum, iron, manganese and others. Fertilizers must be applied to the soil at least once every 5 months. And the plant is fed with microelements once a month.

Preventive measures

High temperature in the house and dry air in a room heated in winter have a negative effect on lemon leaves. To avoid leaf falling, you need to follow these recommendations from gardeners:

A flowerpot with a lemon tree should not be placed near hot radiators.
You should spray the lemon leaves on both sides with water.
It is useful to periodically give the plant a warm shower.

In winter, if conditions permit, the lemon tree can be kept in a room with a lower temperature than in the room. However, do not forget that at +10°C or less the plant may begin to lose leaves.

If the cause is pests

Spider mites cause significant harm citrus trees. It settles at the base of the leaves and feeds on their juice. It can be detected by its characteristic web. If measures are not taken against this pest, the leaves on the tree will soon turn yellow, curl and fall off. To combat ticks, special means are used. One of them is the drug “Fitoverm”. You can use sulfaride paste. Florists recommend dousing the crowns of small lemon trees hot water.

Aphids that have settled on lemons should be combated using the Tanrek product. This small insect quickly occupies all parts of the tree. The pest feeds on sap, which leads to deformation, drying and falling of leaves. For prevention, it is recommended to wash the crown of the tree with hot water. A solution of green tea is often used to combat aphids. Garlic infusion also effectively destroys this insect. To do this, chop the garlic and add water. After three days, the lemon tree is sprayed with this infusion.

Sometimes it is very difficult to determine a plant disease. In this case, it is recommended to use a complex drug. There are quite a lot of them on the market today. This is not the entire list effective fungicides: Effector 70WG, Score 250 EC, Quadris, Antrokol and Fundazol.

To prevent the occurrence of pests and the development of diseases, the lemon should be inspected daily, the crown should be washed with soapy water once a month, and the tree should be given a warm shower once a week.

Few people today can be surprised by exotic flowers or plants grown in a window. Quite often lemons are grown on windowsills. The northern Russian climate is not suitable for these natives of distant tropical countries. in the best possible way, therefore, when conditions favorable for growth change, lemon trees begin to get sick.

Diseases and ailments manifest themselves differently: sometimes the leaves fall off completely, and sometimes they remain in place, but become yellow and dried out, curling up into a tube. Flower growers who have been growing lemons for a long time know very well the reasons for the leaves falling and are aware of what actions need to be taken in such situations in order to help the tree. And these subtleties and wisdom are unknown to beginners - they have never encountered such things before. It is for them that a review of the reasons that contribute to the appearance of various troubles is described below, and how it is subsequently possible to bring the plant back to life.

Why do lemon leaves fall off?

In the homeland of citrus fruits, there are always even climatic conditions favorable for growth without sudden temperature fluctuations. And once in the harsh northern regions, where the temperature rises and falls and the light levels are constantly different, lemons cannot acclimatize and begin to get sick. Sometimes all the foliage of plants falls off, sometimes the leaves remain on the tree, but turn yellow, dry out and curl up into a tube. Here are the reasons why such negative changes occur:

Lack of light.
The plant is flooded and the soil is very wet.
Lemon is rarely watered, there is not enough moisture.
Lack of necessary substances in the soil for growth.
The room is dry and hot.
The room is cold, the plant is freezing.
Large temperature changes.
Poor health of the plant due to the fact that it was placed in a different place.
Transplanting from one pot to another.
Too much fertilizer.

How lighting affects

Dendrologists consider homemade lemons to be “conditionally deciduous.” What does it mean? This concept means the following: with the onset of winter, the lemon does not shed its leaves, but does so only in response to some external irritating factor.

Advice! Lemon suffers most from a lack of light, so in winter, when the light is poor and the days are short, it is worth supplementing natural lighting with artificial lighting. And the leaves will stop falling off and turning yellow.

To make the lemon better lit in winter, you can use several methods:

Place the pot with the plant on a window facing south. More light falls from the south side, and this factor will please the light-loving lemon.
Place 2-3 mirrors around the plant. They will reflect the light, and the lemon will no longer experience a shortage of bright sensations.
After sunset, turn on the lamps to extend the daylight hours.

If the lighting is improved and extended, but the lemon leaves along with the flowers still fall off, then the reason lies in something else.

Much water

One of the reasons leading to lemon leaves falling is that the soil turns sour, which happens due to large quantity moisture contained in it. Overly wet soil becomes too hard and oxygen cannot reach the roots. And this has a bad effect on the plant, and it falls into stress. Small thin roots dry out and die. A tree that does not receive nutrition cannot provide the entire crown with the necessary substances. As a result, the newly hatched shoots dry out, and the crown flies off and becomes bare.

Lack of water

But you shouldn’t skimp on water for watering lemons either - a shortage doesn’t lead to anything good either. The leaves of a tree growing in dry soil also begin to turn yellow, curl, and fall off. The consequences of a lack of life-giving moisture are still the same - small roots die off, and the plant cannot absorb the substances necessary for life from the soil. Which puts the lemon in a stressful state and slows down the circulation of juices through the tissues of the plant. As a result, there is nothing to nourish the shoots and foliage growing from above, so you have to discard part of the crown.

When trying to bring a lemon that has not been watered for a long time back to life, you cannot immediately start flooding the soil. Because excess water (this has already been discussed) destroys the roots of the plant no less than the lack of moisture.

Therefore, in this case, resuscitation of the plant should be carried out gradually: spray water on the leaves, adding a little moisture to the soil. The amount of water needs to be increased daily. Then everything will be fine - the earth will slowly get wet, the amount of moisture will increase, and the lemon will be restored.

The soil is depleted

In the summer, in warm time year, he tries to give lemon whenever possible maximum amount shoots. In order for them to grow and develop, they need plant nutritional substances. But a flower growing in a tub or pot has nowhere to get the necessary minerals; they cannot appear in the soil out of nowhere. Here the owner needs to feed the citrus fruit from time to time.

It is necessary to add nitrogen-based substances, phosphates, and also fertilizers based on potassium salts into the soil. In addition, it is necessary to fertilize the soil with humus and various baits based on iron and zinc. As soon as a lemon lacks any of the above elements, it will begin to lose leaves. You can see the lack of these nutrients by the following signs:

The leaves become covered with yellow spots or turn yellow completely.
The leaves look down, giving the impression of lethargy and dullness.
Sometimes the shape of the foliage changes.
It is clearly visible that the leaves and young shoots are drying out.

If the lemon has lost its foliage due to a micronutrient deficiency, then return the tree back to its previous state. healthy life not difficult. All you need to do is add it to the soil every month. nutritional elements according to the diagram indicated on the package. And if the leaves of the lemon have fallen for some other reason, then it is worth looking at the climate in the room. Maybe that's the problem?

The plant is cold

It has already been said that I am not a fan of lemon high temperatures. And for it to survive the winter, it needs a low temperature regime. But this does not mean that the plant needs to be taken out to the balcony - it will freeze completely outside. The most optimal thing is to place it where it is no warmer than plus ten degrees. If it gets colder, the lemon will simply shed its leaves.

But even when you see that the lemon is frozen, you don’t need to rush to bring it into the warm room- a sharp change in temperature will have a detrimental effect on the exotic inhabitant of the room, and he will die. You just need to gradually raise the temperature around the tree - say, install heaters.

You should be careful to ensure that there are no drafts in the room. - they also lead to temperature changes. And it has already been written that temperature changes have a negative effect on the lemon crown.

Diseases and pests that lead to leaf shedding

There are many pests that want to live in lemons. Plants kept in a room are most often bothered by spider mites, common aphids and scale insects.

There are several types of pests, here are the most common:

Traditional methods of getting rid of pests

Citrus fruits are exotic plants. It needs a warm climate, plenty of sunlight and water. There is a special art to growing lemons at home. Caring for it requires patience. This plant is considered a deciduous shrub, but if the lemon has dropped its leaves, it means there were mistakes in care. It is important to react quickly so that the indoor lemon does not die.

If homemade lemon drops leaves, urgent action must be taken

Causes of leaf falling

Incompatibility between subtropical plant and climate is the main cause of problems associated with citrus cultivation.

Why does a lemon shed its leaves?

Insufficient lighting. Owners of homemade lemons most often encounter this problem in winter: the plant does not have enough natural light due to the short daylight hours, the leaves of the lemon fall off.
Flooding. Too much water leads to acidification of the soil, it does not allow air to pass through. The roots of the bush do not breathe, the green mass is not provided by all nutrients, so the leaves fall off.
Small watering. If there is little water, the earth dries, and with it root system.
Skinny soil. If you plant young shoots in soil with a low mineral content, then the tree will have nowhere to get the strength to grow. Over time, the soil becomes depleted, so it must be fertilized.
Cold. The tree should not be overcooled. The optimal temperature for wintering the plant is above 10 °C. Take care of temperature conditions, otherwise this will be the reason why the lemon's greens fall off.
Dry indoor air.

The last reason most often appears with the beginning of the heating season: the radiators dry out the air. This is reminiscent of a salt desert climate, which is very harmful to any plant except cacti. If lemon leaves turn green due to dry air, you should:

Place the tree away from the radiator and heater.
Adjust the temperature in the room (cover all radiators with fabric).
Use a humidifier, trays of water, and spray the plant.

To accurately determine why lemon leaves fall, you need to know the characteristics of this plant and the rules for caring for it.

Mineral deficiency

During the period of flowering and fruit set, this citrus most actively consumes organic substances and minerals from the soil. The plant is limited to a pot, so care should be taken to provide additional feeding. To ensure that the citrus blooms profusely and its parts do not fall off, phosphates, nitrogen and potassium salts, zinc, iron, cobalt and other minerals are used.

If the plant does not have enough food, the leaves will change color, droop and dry out at the edges. The greenery will lose its elasticity and fall off, the bush will shed its flowers. It is better to fertilize every month.

Errors in replanting

The plant should not be disturbed during the period of flowering and crop development. Choose a tub larger than the previous one so that the root system can develop freely. This process will become stressful in any case. Most likely, its leaves will be directed downwards. You need to diligently care for the tree after replanting, then you will definitely not see the leaves dropping.

Mistakes made when transplanting lemons can lead to problems with leaves

Pests

If you follow all the rules of care, and the lemon still drops all its leaves, the likely cause is diseases and pests. The plant is susceptible to attacks by spider mites, aphids, scale insects and mealybugs.

The first sign of the spread of pests is that the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out, and the lemon sheds its green mass. Ticks spread most quickly in hot weather. If cobwebs are detected at the base of the leaf, the bush should be treated with an insecticide. If you find aphids, you should do the following: cut off the affected greenery, treat with a soap solution.

There are a lot of drugs that effectively exterminate pests without harming the plant.

Lemon treatment

There are several ways to revive a plant. What to do if the greenery begins to crumble:

In autumn and winter, increase the light on the lemon. Place the pot near the south window and use artificial lighting(fluorescent lamps) with reflectors.
To avoid problems with oxidation or drying out of the soil, the soil in the tub should always be slightly moist. You should not suddenly water a tree after a drought, otherwise problems may increase.