Meyer Lemon Trees in Pensacola

Hello!!

My husband is determined to have some sort of citrus tree here in a little town directly outside of Pensacola.

After much Googling, he has determined that Meyer Lemons might have the best chance of making a go of it.

If anyone here in our area could give a little bit of a testimony to how Citrus trees do, or dont do, I would greatly appreciate it!!

Thanks so much!!
Lizzie

Meyer lemons, tangerines and calamondins are good candidates. I'm not in your area, but even though this area is perhaps slightly warmer, it's not by much. I have a Meyer lemon and a tangerine in ground that produce heavily and have been doing so for the last five years. I've just finished harvesting the tangerines - I had so many that I froze many of them in plastic bags to enjoy over a long period. Both trees are blooming again profusely and the fragrance is wonderful. My trees get no additional protection during freezes but the quality of the fruit has not diminished. The fruits develop over a long period from early bloom to first ripening in late November. Calamondin fruits are small but I'm told the rind is sweet and the whole fruit is often candied. There is a grove of them at the botanical garden. I'm trying to find space for one. The first couple of years I did wrap the young trees during freezes (planted seven years ago) but now they're on their own. Enjoy!

Here's some general advice on citrus, followed by some specific advice (which differs) on Meyer lemons (we have three of them):

Growing lots of lemons by Kathy Huber, Houston Chronicle
To encourage flower and set fruit, provide a fertile, slightly acidic, well-draining soil and sun. Apply a nitrogen fertilizer monthly from March through August on young trees. The amount depends on the age of the tree and the size of the trunk. A 1-year-old tree, for example, would take 1/4 cup of ammonium nitrate per inch of trunk diameter. A 3-year-old tree would take 1 cup per inch of trunk diameter a foot off the ground. At maturity (4 years) apply nitrogen in March (1 cup per inch of diameter). Water well--not often, but deeply each time.

You can substitute cottonseed meal at the rate of 9 quarts per inch of diameter. It takes more, but it costs less and is organic. Cut back if the tree is growing too fast; excessive growth is weak. If you're growing the lemon in a container, make sure the pot is large enough for the plant and drains well. Place in full sun, and keep well watered. Flush excess salts if necessary, once a year.

Apply a soluble fertilizer twice a month during the growing season. Container trees are not as productive as those grown in the ground. Citrus requires minimum pruning. Remove suckers and dead or diseased wood as they appear. While you may want to shape your tree occasionally, heavy pruning may slow fruit production. If a tree becomes leggy, prune (preferably in February) to promote branching and give it more light. Trees produce heavier crops as they mature. Flower and fruit drop is common, and there's nothing you can do about it. Less fruit can mean larger fruit.
=================

Improved Meyer lemons (my personal experience)
Meyers are unusual for citrus in that they bear crops when young, although the flavor of ALL citrus improves as they mature (about 7-10 years). They are extremely heavy feeders and do not tolerate well any competition from other plants. In such plantings or in poor soil they will quickly become chlorotic, which will evidence itself in yellowing leaves. Curling leaves are also a sign of either bug invasion or other nutritional deficiencies. I get best results with regular monthly applications of citrus fertilizer and if I see any tinge of yellow (often after bearing a heavy crop of fruit) I give it a shot of liquid iron. I've tried chelated iron in granules but the liquid iron seems much more easily absorbed and the plants respond almost instantly, compared to the granular stuff.

On occasion I throw them some of my special mix of greensand (we have clay soil), alfalfa meal, epsom salts and humic acid. Works for my roses too, lol.

Meyers have almost unnoticeable thorns (unlike Bearss Limes, for example) but they tend to put out many crossing branches. So be stern and prune out the weaker ones!

By nature they are a bush, not a tree -- 7-10' tall and as wide around. If you find them in tree form they have been grafted, so make sure no below-graft sprouts are left unattended, and prune them off. Meyers grow so fast that like rose standards, they will easily become top-heavy, so it will reward your staking and tip pruning to avoid the heavy fruit production that will bend branches right down to the ground, making it look more like a weeping lemon tree instead of an upright!

From a mature Meyer in the ground, you can expect anywhere from 100 to 400 lbs. of fruit per year.

I have a friend who lives in Navarre and is growing a Meyer lemon successfully. she got hers from The Garden Gate in Gulf Breeze.

Thanks so much for all the info!!

You totally inspired my husband and he went out yesterday and bought a fairly good sized Meyer!!

Thanks Again!!