Husband thinks the new green shoots is rationale to keep this lemon tree. I think it’s basically dead and we should quit while we’re behind. Thoughts?

by NighteyesWhiteDragon

41 comments

  5. Yeah green shoots means it’s probably worth at least trying

  6. Repot it and loosen up the roots and add some fresh compost. It’s alive, just needs a little help.

  7. If anything is in a situation like this at my home I always give it a second chance. Cut the branches back so it’s not using as much energy. A good healthy water and some feed and see what happens. Nothing to lose.

  11. I can’t speak for lemon trees but if that was a cannabis plant I’d let the green grow out and eventually take and plant a cutting which would grow in to a fully budding and harvestable supply of pot

  13. Clearly still alive, Cut the top off to make the growth concentrate on the lower part

  15. Well if it’s sprouting green shoots its definitely not dead.

  19. It’s the roots which are the most important bit TBH.
    Strong foundations and all that…
    If it’s looked after well.again now it should relatively quickly re-grow to a reasonable size on top.
    I killed my windowsill limequat like this a while back by letting it dry out too much. It recovered getting shoots in a few places which quickly became it’s new main branches, then I fecked up again & killed it, touch water that time. No signs of life again yet 😞

  22. Put it in your garden and both wait for that lemon stealing whore.

  23. That soil is drier than my nan’s ashes.

    Water it and it might actually grow again.

  24. How can it be dead if it has fresh green shoots?

    That’s like saying every deciduous tree dies in Autumn.

  26. It needs pruned back, and put into a bigger pot with compost suitable for citrus plants. It’s definitely not dead.

  27. It’s trying it’s best to stay alive.

    You just need ro help it!

  28. It reminds me of when Dickon tells Mary in *The Secret Garden* “I’m glad it’s wick! I want them all to be wick.”

  29. The root stock is alive. The graft looks to be dead. It probably won’t produce the best fruit.

  30. Virtually all citrus is grown on a rootstock and when the top transplanted bit of the tree dies, the rootstock starts to grow. Normally apical dominance stops this happening but once the top bit is dead the rootstock is free to grow. It looks like this is what is happening here although if it was grown from seed then ignore all this!

    The rootstock normally is one of a few types and they are not know for producing great fruit.

  32. I used to live opposite a lemon orchard in Sicily. I know a lot about lemon cultivation and I can tell you that lots of the advice you have received here is wrong.

    1. Saw it off above the shoots.

    2. Feed it tomato plant food every week, which has all the nutrients lemons need.

    3. Apart from this, treat it like a cactus. The soil should become dry as a bone between each watering.

    4. Keep it in that small pot. Lemons need to be root bound.

    5. Put it outside for the summer.

    If it looks ridiculous by the end of summer, just replace it. If it’s recovering well, keep it. It needs to spend the winters on a south-facing window sill above a radiator.

  35. Someone clearly hasn’t seen WALL-E; that plant is still alive

  39. Water it with some liquid fertilizer, it’ll grow back.

  41. We have one in the garden that looked even deader after the winter. Zero leaves, just a stick basically. Then suddenly there were a couple of leaves like this then a few weeks of sun and some water and the whole thing is absolutely verdant, dozens of healthy leaves all over. Give it some sun!

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