Potted Improved Meyer Lemon Tree Problem-Spider Mites?

maybe try an oil spray. since you probably have some oil already and also since it is about the best except for stuff you can buy. What you can buy is predator mites. i have heard from my friends that they work very well.

also you can buy poisons. cold pressed extract of neem applied according to package directions or else whatever the EPA is recommending for this situation in your state. your local extension can give you pesticide info (as well as local grow info, fyi):

http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html

To do the oil spray you need a spray bottle and whatever oil; vegetable that is used for cooking is okay. Good thing is oil can work on almost any pest..i say that because it sounds like you haven't actually seen these guys yet. You might need a magnifying glass to get a good look. there are a couple other candidates it could be, like whiteflies or thrips or aphids. nice thing about mites is that they are probably the easiest to get rid of out of all those common ones due to the others either fly or tunnel during part of their life.

the mite overwinters in the soil. so good news is if you knock them down from the plant and then put up a barrier they cannot get back up. Like a sticky barrier maybe because i don't know if a copper band would work, it does for some bugs like slugs but plants and copper do not really like each other anyway since copper is what they use to coat pipes to keep roots off.

sticky barrier can be bought at the garden department. or i think there might be a recipe or two online although i don't got the links offhand..like peanut butter except you do not want conflicts with the dog licking it off. the vegetable oil might work if you smeared on an undiluted band of it at the bottom of the trunk; it would probably need reapplying every day for a week or two. And that is the trick with organic stuff like oil..you just need to keep at it for a certain period of time until the life cycle is completely interrupted. usually every third day for two weeks.

so, you can spray. plus band it at the bottom. plus hit that soil; like scratch all around on the surface and disturb where their lairs and babies and such might be. Do all of that every third day for two weeks and all problems on a plant would have to disappear.

to interrupt it completely we are going to need to hit that soil too i think. it's where they will overwinter and it is where they came from when the plant got inside to a nice warm dry climate.

It is the dry warm air that really helps the plant be attacked due to it encourages the bugs but also it weakens the plant tissues. so keeping the tree watered can be a good preventative. plus it will need it to grow new leaves.

do not include a lot of fertilizer in that water. it would tempt ME but thing is there are no leaves to support it and an Overdose could easily accumulate. A weak tea of something once a week until good active growth happens. even for a while after that. then resume normal if it is more than the tea i am recommending now. Also, do not use the tea if the soil is already well fortified of course. So regular water most of the time with only a light feed in case she needs a little snack if her soil is not well fertilized.

a nice tea is most anything slightly colored and organic. just like the tea you drink, ha ha. it is soaked leaves and that is also what a plant likes to drink. but any organic juice is good. kelp is maybe best. if you have compost, then that makes an excellent tea, or worm castings or the liquid off your dinner veggies/rice/pasta. not hot of course and then diluted to a weak tea opacity.

To spray oil, it should be diluted too. now, i use it a lot stronger than you will find any recipes telling you to so do not be very afraid. 3 tablespoons to a quart of water is the recipe you will find everywhere. some folks add garlic or hot peppers or some other secret thing but the main action is suffocation upon the bugs. so good coverage is key. under the leaves, on the stems, all around everywhere, even on the soil surface after you scratch it all up.

here is page, for profit unfortunately but still great tips on getting rid of bugs:

http://www.ghorganics.com/page9.html

also, there are garden discussion forums, sort of like here but two way:

http://www.dmoz.org/Home/Gardening/Forums_and_Onli...

if you run into trouble, or maybe check for extra tips, then here are a couple places specializing in trees:

http://forums.arborday.org/forum/index.php

http://www.arboristsite.com/

Meyer Lemon Problems

Don't trim the tree till Feb. or early March.When you see the first new bud coming out. Don't wait for the flowers to show cause that will be to late to trim.

You can spray with dishwashing soap, Ivory liquid is the best mixed with water in a spray bottle, once a week. Make sure to get under leaves as well. This will not harm the tree or little ones you might have around the house.

Put the plant outdoors on warm days. Do not water till soil is dried out.