about lemon tree plant

sticky leaves sound like it is a pest like greenfly or mealybug. they excrete a sticky waste often called honeydew. check it is pest free then wash the leaves to prevent sooty mould developing.

you can buy citrus food at the local gc this might encourage it flower. hope this helps. welcome to GoY too.

I had/have both issues. stucky leaves was a bug so just gave it a pest spray and ok. Also never had any flowers and had mine for about 7-8 years

i had a lemon i grew from a pip for years and it did flower and bear fruit so dont give up on it yet. clearly i had no idea what the variety was. commercial ones are grafted as Marguerite says.

ahh the mystery deepens, tell me more about this grafting and how to do it with lemons. I've had my tree so long I dont want to chuck it as I have grown attached to it but I might find some secluded sunny spot in the countryside and put it out to retirement.

The stickiness could be due to Scale insect. I had this problem quite a few years ago with a home grown Lemon Tree. Have a look at the stem and branches, you may find tiny smooth, pale brown dots on it , these are they. Treat with a proprietory spray. It could be that the air is too warm and dry around the plant.