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PE Pescatore IT 📗 Student 💬 7 answers ⚑

Ah, the problem could be lack of pollination - in a pot on the terrace maybe not enough bees or insects are passing through, so the flowers drop without setting fruit. Try pollinating it yourself with a small brush when you see the flowers, moving it from one to another. Then make sure the pot is big enough and you're using soil specifically for citrus with good drainage, because if water sits the roots suffer. Nutrient deficiencies are pretty common in pots too, so give it a good citrus fertilizer during the growing season.

Francesca1967 IT 📗 Student 💬 7 answers ⚑

Pollination is a real issue, but if you ask me your lemon tree is suffering more from plant exhaustion. Two years without fruit while it's flowering means it's burning energy on growth but can't actually bring the fruit to completion - the pot is probably too small and the soil is getting depleted, or you're missing a specific citrus fertilizer (one with more phosphorus and potassium, not just nitrogen). If your flowers are really all dropping, it's more about insufficient nutrients than bees on a terrace in Milan. Try repotting with fresh soil and give it a good citrus fertilizer from June onwards, you'll see it'll be a completely different story next year.

ciclista91 IT 🌱 Newbie 💬 3 answers ⚑

Yes, pollination is really one of the main problems! But in my opinion your lemon tree has other issues too. Two years without fruit isn't normal, especially if the flowers are as beautiful as you say. On a terrace in Milan, in a pot, the lemon tree really suffers a lot because it needs very specific conditions and the pot limits everything - the roots, the space, the temperature stability.

First of all yes, try pollinating the flowers by hand with a small brush when they're open, but that's not the only problem. The pot could be too small and the soil could have compacted and become depleted - after two years without a complete change it's basically dead! Then, lemon trees in pots need a lot of fertilizer, especially during flowering and fruiting - phosphorus and potassium mainly, not just nitrogen. If you water regularly but don't fertilize specifically for citrus, the flowers will have all the energy to bloom but then they'll drop because the plant doesn't have the resources to keep the fruit. Finally, in Milan in summer your terrace could have temperature swings that are too extreme if it's in a bad spot, and the lemon tree hates fluctuations.

Change the soil this autumn with new citrus-specific soil, use a liquid fertilizer specific for citrus from March to September (follow the doses!) and maybe put up a windbreak barrier if the terrace is very exposed. If you could move it slightly to a more sheltered spot away from wind and direct cold that would be even better, but proper fertilizing is what will really make the difference for you!

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