Overwatering a Meyer Lemon Tree

Pot and Outdoor Sites

• Put Meyer lemon trees in outdoor sites with quick year-round drainage to avoid puddling and counteract overwatering. If you pot the trees, use large 15- to 20-gallon pots with drainage holes. Lemon trees rot and die in standing water and fall prey to fungus in muddy soil.

Soil Mixture

• Purdue University notes that lemon trees tolerate poor, infertile soil but always require efficient soil drainage around their roots. Counteract overwatering with a loose, quick-draining planting mixture of garden loam, potting soil, organic compost and gravel or perlite. Mix the soils and amendments into natural soil or together for both outdoor and potted growing.

Watering

• Meyer lemon trees do best on the slightly dry end of moist, with good available moisture without mud or standing water. Start the trees with 2 inches of water once a week and test for moisture before every watering. Adjust the schedule to give the trees 2 inches of water when the top 2 to 3 inches of soil are dry. Water the lemon trees more frequently indoors.

Other Care

• Correct watering cannot replace adequate sun, temperature and nutrition for lemon trees. Keep Meyer lemons in full sunshine and give them 10 to 15 feet of space for growing in outdoor sites. Never expose them to temperatures under 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Give the trees 10-5-5 fertilizer every month from spring to fall for healthy growth.