Lemon tree leaves curling is a cry for help.
Here’s how to figure out what your plant needs.
Laurie Black
When you see yourlemon treeleaves curling, should you worry?
Credit:Laurie Black
A healthy tree’s leaves don’t curl so it’s definitely something you should pay attention to.
It means your lemon tree needs your help.
Curling lemon tree leaves have several possible causes that can be treated or addressed after the problem is identified.
Theyre often tiny insects you cant see easily.
They look like a speck of dirt.
Youll see the damaged leaves before you see the insects, she says.
Silvasy recommends spraying leaveshealthy ones and curled oneswith an organic pesticide likeneem oilor insecticidal soap.
Left untreated, the insects will kill your lemon tree.
Like all citrus, lemon trees benefit from pre-emptive, regular applications of pesticides.
We call it preventative spraying, Silvasy says.
Drought
Too little water can cause lemon tree leaves to curl.
When you notice curling leaves, check the soil moisture with a moisture meter or your fingers.
Lemon trees need consistent moisture, whether theyre in the ground or in a pot, Silvasy says.
Overwatering
Too much water can cause leaves to curl, too.
Extreme Temperatures
Lemon trees are hardy inUSDA Plant Hardiness Zones8-11.
If your tree is in the ground,protect it from extreme heatwith a shade cloth or burlap cloth.
Keep the tree healthy by using fertilizer regularly.
For lemon trees grown in containers, use a coated, slow-release fertilizer so the plant gets consistent nutrition.
Plants grown in containers are in artificial conditions, so giving them the correct nutrition is trickier.
Coated fertilizers provide a prolonged supply of food instead of a brief burst of nutrition.
Lemons like steady feeding, steady watering, and steady pest control, Silvasy says.
Those are the three main things they need.
