Problems with lemon trees
Identify what's wrong by where it appears and what you can see.
Where is the problem?
Start by selecting the part of the plant where you see the problem.
Start with the symptom
Or pick from the symptoms most often seen on lemon trees.
Common problems with lemon trees
The problems recorded on lemon trees, the most common first.
20 problems
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Overwatering
Yellow, limp leaves in soil that stays wet. Roots short of air rot and stop drinking. -
Cold and frost damage
Blackened, glassy shoots after a cold night. Tender plants collapse; hardy ones grow out of it. -
Mealybugs
White, cottony insects tucked into leaf joints and under leaves, with sticky honeydew. -
Nutrient deficiency
Pale, yellowed or purpled leaves in a telling pattern. Read which leaves first, then feed. -
Scale insects
Brown or white bumps stuck to stems and leaf veins, with sticky leaves below. -
Sooty mould
A black, sooty film on leaves that wipes off. It grows on honeydew from sap-sucking insects. -
Spider mites
Fine pale speckling on leaves, then yellowing and webbing. The mites are barely visible. -
Sun scorch and sunscald
Bleached, papery or brown patches on the leaves and fruit that face the sun. -
Aphids
Small, soft insects clustered on new growth and under leaves, leaving sticky honeydew. -
Poor pollination
Flowers but no fruit, or small, misshapen fruit that shrivels at the tip. -
Blossom drop
Flowers yellow at the stalk and fall before any fruit forms. Usually heat or cold. -
Fertiliser burn
Brown, crisp leaf tips and edges after feeding. Salts in the compost draw water from the roots.
