Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Plant Diseases

Citrus Trees Not Fruiting: Light, Pests, and Nutrition

Three citrus trees in Los Angeles underperform: lime drops fruitlets, Eureka lemon yields few fruit, Meyer lemon lost crop after deer browsing. All are 6 ft tall (dwarf rootstock?).

Key Issues

Lime: Shade reduces flowering/fruiting. Needs full sun.
Eureka lemon: Sunny but low yield—may need pollinator or better nutrition.
Meyer lemon: Deer damage removes fruiting wood. Protect with fencing.
All: Leaf curl = citrus leafminer (serpentine mines under leaf).

Management

Move lime to full sun if possible.
Fertilize with citrus-specific formula (higher N, micros) 3×/year.
Control leafminer: horticultural oil or spinosad at flush.
Exclude deer: 6-ft fence or repellents.
Meyer lemon: May fruit next summer on new growth.

Note on Product Claims

Some responses promote "Atomic Grow." University extensions recommend species-specific nutrition and IPM.

Plant Diseases: Transplant Shock in October Glory Maples: Watering Strategy for Summer Planting; Apple Tree Curly Leaves: Powdery Mildew on Single Tree; Orange and Key Lime Leaf Drop: Normal Seasonal Cycle or Stress?; Bearss Lime Sudden Leaf Drop: Transplant Shock or Pesticide Injury?; Lime Tree Leaf Curl and Fruit Deformity: Leaf Miner and Neem Oil Prevention; Troubleshooting Curling Leaves and Poor Fruit Set on a Potted Bearss Lime Tree; Multiple Plant Leaf Curl After New Plantings: Crab Apple Scab and Aphids; Why a Bearss Lime Tree Won't Bloom; Lime on Fall Leaves? Don't Do It—Compost Them Right; Indoor Lime Tree Care: Light Duration and Temperature

Garden Articles

Fig Orchard Fungal Disease: Sanitation and Fungicide Strategy

Japanese Maple Transplant Shock and Leaf Scorch

New Mulberry Tree Leaf Death After Pruning: Transplant Shock or Stress

Key Lime Seasonal Leaf Drop and Leafminer: Normal Cycle and Organic Management

Solarium Key Lime: Ants, Sooty Mold, and Neem Oil Solution

Weeping Cherry Branch Dieback: Check Scale, Planting Depth, and Roots

Sycamore and Silver Maple Decline in Georgia Drought: Wait for Spring

Plants

Citrus Leafminer and Chewing Pests: Diagnosis and Management

Tree Identification: Mulberry vs. Poison Oak

Locust Leaf Miner: Yellow Spotted Leaves on Young Trees

Encouraging Full Bloom and Leaf Drop in Tabebuia Trees

Root Spread of Large Lime (Linden) Tree: 2–3× Dripline Radius

Moving Ficus benjamina Outdoors for Summer: Expect Massive Leaf Drop—Twice

Lime Tree Diseases: Identification, Treatment, and Prevention