Knowledgebase
Lemon and lime dwarf trees leaves are falling off #817159
Asked December 02, 2022, 11:27 AM EST
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
Citrus appreciate bright light, relatively cool temperatures, and moderate to higher humidity while overwintering indoors. A room humidifier can help if your ambient humidity is low, which it often is in homes in our area in the winter. If you don't have a very sunny window available, you can supplement their light using a plant grow light (there are myriad styles, though anything white that's full-spectrum and ideally intended for growing plants should suffice). You can find more tips on our Growing Dwarf Citrus page.
We see a floor air vent next to the plants, and if it's in use (that is, not closed), then the dry warm air wafting over the foliage might be adding to plant stress. If you don't have an alternative location for the pots that's cooler or not as drafty and can't close the vent, then locating a humidifier near the plants may help to counteract any negative impacts it may have.
You can also inspect the leaves and young stems closely for signs of scale insects or spider mites, two common pests on citrus, as plant stress from their feeding can also lead to leaf drop. While mites are definitely tiny, they will still be visible (more readily if you have a good magnifier handy), so if not seen then they may not be an issue.
Miri