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How long for a lemon tree to grow


How to Grow and Care for an Indoor Lemon Tree

With sweet-smelling flowers, glossy foliage and tart, tasty fruit, an indoor lemon tree rewards your attention year-round. Regardless of your climate, you can grow a container lemon tree indoors and enjoy your own homegrown lemons. Growing indoor lemons isn't hard as long as you choose the right tree and meet its special needs. These basics on how to grow and care for an indoor lemon tree can have you drinking lemonade in no time.


When grown outdoors in warm climates, regular lemon trees grow 20 feet tall and take up to six years to bear fruit.1 For indoor lemons, you need a tree that stays small and delivers lemons sooner. Growers graft indoor lemon tree varieties onto special dwarfing roots that speed up fruit-bearing ability and keep trees small.

Some of the easiest, most popular indoor lemon trees are actually crosses with other fruits, but some are true lemon trees that do well in pots. The best dwarf indoor lemon tree varieties include:

Most dwarf lemon trees sold by nurseries are two to three years old — old enough to start bearing fruit, but still immature. Container size helps limit a tree's eventual height, but most indoor dwarf Meyer lemon trees grow to at least 3 to 4 feet tall. Other indoor varieties can grow to 6 feet or more.

If you plan to grow a lemon tree from a seed, understand that the new tree won't be the same as the one the seed came from. Starting a lemon tree from a cutting will yield the same tree — from the ground up — but the process is challenging. Either way, your new tree won't have the small size and disease resistance of grafted dwarf trees, and you won't see fruit for many years.


Lemon trees fill your home with fragrance and fruit.


It's tempting to start your lemon tree in a pot worthy of its final size, but it's better to start out small. Overly large pots with excess soil make it difficult to tell when your indoor lemon tree needs water. For most young, nursery-grown trees, start with a 12-inch diameter container. As your tree grows over the years, slowly progress to pots double that size in width and depth.

Lemon trees do well in all kinds of pots, from porous terra cotta to lightweight resin. Just make sure the container has large, unobstructed drainage holes. Like other citrus trees, lemons prefer cool roots, so avoid black pots and other dark colors that heat up in sunlight.

Always use a deep saucer under your container to protect indoor floors from excess water. Consider putting a wheeled plant dolly underneath. Lemon trees get heavy and hard to move as they grow.


Lemon tree roots demand abundant oxygen, so proper planting and excellent drainage are key. When planting your tree, the flare at the base of the trunk should sit slightly above your eventual soil line.

Start by filling the new container's bottom with soil, then lightly tamp it down. Repeat until you reach the right depth for your tree's root ball. This helps provide a good foundation so your tree won't settle in too deeply. Always leave a few inches at the top for watering.

Indoor lemon trees do best when their soil stays evenly moist. Choose a well-draining potting mix designed for indoor palm trees or citrus. These mixes help prevent soggy soil while still retaining moisture, so roots don't get too wet or too dry.

As a final step, treat your newly planted lemon tree to Pennington UltraGreen Plant Starter with Vitamin B1, which provides micronutrients and reduces transplant shock.


Nursery-grown dwarf lemons bear fruit at a young age.


Once your lemon tree is in its new container, it's ready for its new environment. These two factors are critical to a successful indoor lemon tree:

During warm summer months, consider giving your indoor lemon tree an outdoor vacation. Once all danger of spring frost passes, gradually acclimate it to the outdoors. The extra sunlight will do it good — and reward you with fruit. Before fall frost comes, move it back inside. Always move lemon trees gradually. Abrupt changes in light and temperature can make fruit drop.


To keep your lemon tree healthy, allow the soil to dry out about 3 inches deep before you water. Then water thoroughly until it runs through the pot's drainage holes. Keep the soil moist, not overly wet, but never let it dry out completely. Test soil with a moisture meter (available online and in garden centers) or use your index finger instead.

During active growth, especially if they're outdoors during summer, container lemon trees may need daily watering. During winter, water only as needed to keep soil moist. Timing varies depending on your indoor temperatures, your container and your tree size. Watch for warning signs such as yellow leaves, which signal soggy roots or nutrient problems.

To grow tasty fruit and beautiful foliage, your indoor lemon tree needs proper food. Like other citrus trees, lemon trees require plentiful nitrogen as well as other essential nutrients, including magnesium and iron.1 This is especially important for indoor lemon trees, which are restricted to containers.

A premium citrus fertilizer such as Pennington UltraGreen Citrus and Avocado Plant Food 10-5-5 provides indoor lemon trees with an ideal blend of primary nutrients and micronutrients at planting time, then it keeps feeding for up to four months.

As your tree grows older its needs will change, so follow label instructions for your indoor lemon tree's age and pot size. Feed container lemon trees every three to four months. Avoid disturbing shallow roots when you feed.


Indoor lemon trees look as good as their fruit tastes.


Unlike some fruit trees, lemons are self-pollinating. That means they don't need pollen from another lemon tree in order to bear fruit. But in nature, lemon trees rely on insects to pollinate their blossoms. Better pollination translates to more and better fruit.

With popular indoor varieties your tree should bear fruit on its own, but you can also help it along. When flowers are blooming and you stop to inhale the intoxicating fragrance, gently shake the branches to help spread pollen within the blossoms.

Indoor lemon trees typically need little to no pruning. Most indoor varieties are thornless, but some lemon trees have thorns. Wear long sleeves and gloves to prune away thorns and all shoots or roots near soil level. Most lemon trees fruit on outer branches, so wait until after fruit sets to avoid pruning away your prize.

By learning how to grow and care for a lemon tree indoors, you can enjoy a year-round parade of beautiful foliage, fragrant blossoms and shareable lemony treats. At Pennington, we're committed to bringing you premium plant fertilizers and expert advice to help you grow the indoor lemon tree of your dreams.

Always read product labels thoroughly and follow the instructions carefully.

UltraGreen is a registered trademark of Central Garden & Pet Company.

Pennington is a registered trademark of Pennington Seed, Inc.


Resources:

1. J.H. Crane, "Lemon Growing in the Florida Home Landscape," University of Florida IFAS Extension.

How long does it take for a lemon tree to grow?

(Image credit: Alamy)

How long does a lemon tree take to grow? You'll be asking yourself this question, perhaps a little anxiously, if you're new to growing citrus trees or are just beginning to explore Mediterranean garden ideas. 

Lemons are beautiful and rewarding trees to grow – eventually, you'll be able to enjoy homemade lemonade – but they do take their time. If there is one top tip for growing lemons, it is this: be patient. Let them do their thing, provide them with the correct conditions, and eventually you'll have beautiful trees full of lemons.

How long does it take for a lemon tree to grow?

(Image credit: Unsplash)

The answer to this question depends very much on what type of lemon tree you're growing and whether it's a regular lemon tree growing in the ground or a dwarf lemon tree grown in a container. 

A standard lemon tree that grows in the ground in your backyard will reach anywhere between 20 and 30 feet tall – it will take it 10 or 15 years to reach that full height. Standard lemon trees often don't produce any fruit in the first six years of their life. Find out more about landscaping around trees if you're growing tall trees in your garden.

If you're growing a dwarf lemon tree such as Meyer or Eureka, they will reach maturity at some point in the first six years of growth. Dwarf lemons can reach up to eight feet in height. Crucially, if you've bought a lemon tree that already has fruit on it but it's under four feet tall, it's still an immature tree that will keep growing. Dwarf citrus trees typically don't produce edible fruit in the first three years, so if you've bought a tree that has large, edible lemons on it, it's at least three years of age. 

This is important for repotting lemons if you want them to reach their full height. However, lemons don't mind being a little root bound, so you can keep dwarf varieties more compact if you wish.

Find more container gardening ideas in our gallery. 

Why is my lemon tree not growing? 

(Image credit: Future)

A healthy lemon tree will grow by between 10 and 25 inches a year. If yours is not even doing the minimum, it's probably not getting inadequate amount of light (they need at least eight hours a day), has poor draining soil, or is being affected by disease. According to SFGATE , 'while no quick fix forces your lemon tree to grow abnormally fast, proper growing conditions do encourage the tree to grow properly. Poor drainage, lack of sunlight, improper irrigation and lack of care can slow the growth of your lemon tree, causing poor production of fruit.'

If your tree is growing well and flowering but producing no fruit, don't worry: it's just not mature enough to produce fruit yet. 

If you live in Southern California, you need to be aware of a deadly citrus disease called Huanglongbing (HLB). There's a dedicated website where you can find more information about identifying and preventing the disease. 

Don't forget, there's top tips on growing fruit in pots in our dedicated guide. 

Anna writes about real estate, interior design, and gardening. Her work has appeared in Homes & Gardens, Livingetc, and many other publications in the US and the UK. Before embarking on her writing career, Anna taught English at university level and is the author of a book called London Writing of the 1930s. She is an experienced outdoor and indoor gardener and has a passion for growing roses and Japanese maples in her outside space.

Growing a lemon tree at home. Photo — Botanichka

The lemon tree is a perennial plant that loves warmth and sufficient moisture. Under natural conditions, it grows in a subtropical climate and reaches a height of three meters (dwarf varieties) to eight. Due to its unpretentiousness and love of warmth, a lemon tree can be grown in an ordinary city apartment or house.

Lemon tree sprouts. © Megs

Home-grown lemon trees produce edible fruit all year round if cared for. True, such trees begin to bear fruit at the age of 7-10 years from the moment of planting. Planting can be done in two ways: from a simple lemon seed bought at any store, or from cuttings and seedlings. Lemon trees grown from seeds grow more actively, they are healthier and more unpretentious than those grown from seedlings or cuttings, but the latter begin to bear fruit much faster. nine0003

To grow a lemon tree from seed, it is necessary to choose neat, ripe and well-formed lemons in the store, without signs of spoilage. Seeds are extracted from them, the best specimens of which are used for planting. It must be done immediately after extracting the seeds from lemons.

Seeds are planted in small pots or boxes five centimeters apart. Suitable for planting soil, mixed from peat and flower soil in equal proportions. At the bottom of the pots, drainage from expanded clay or small stones must be present. Seeds are planted to a depth of 1 centimeter. nine0003 Lemon tree. © Pam

The soil should not be allowed to dry out, but it should not be overfilled with water either. Shoots of a lemon tree will appear within a couple of weeks after planting. Among the sprouts that appear, you need to choose only the strongest and grow them until several true leaves appear. Growing is done by covering the lemon sprouts with a jar and placing them in a bright place. In this case, direct sunlight should be avoided. Once a day, the jar rises briefly so that the plant gains access to fresh air. nine0003

When the leaves appear, the strongest sprouts of the lemon tree are transplanted into separate small pots with soil from flower soil and humus. A layer of drainage is laid out at the bottom of the pot. Lemon sprouts should be in this pot until they reach a height of about twenty centimeters, after which they are transplanted into larger containers. Growing lemons need to be watered twice a week. Soil moisture should be balanced: without drying out or waterlogging. nine0003 Lemon tree sprout is ready for transplanting. © Megs

To grow a lemon from cuttings, you need to take a branch that is five millimeters thick and about ten centimeters long. The cut stalk is placed in water for several days, after which the twig should be planted in a small pot or box.

The soil for rooting such a seedling should consist of sand, flower soil and humus, which are taken in equal proportions. The branch is buried in the ground to a depth of about three centimeters. The soil is well moistened (without flooding), and the plant itself is sprayed daily with water from a spray bottle. After a month and a half, the plant that has taken root can be transplanted into a pot. nine0003 Meyer lemon sapling. © Josh Puetz

For a permanent location in which to keep a pot of lemon trees, you need to choose a bright room where the grown plant would have access to direct sunlight. The lemon tree does not like moving around the house, so it is better to immediately find a suitable place for it, where the plant will be all the time. It is only allowed to slightly turn different sides of the plant towards the light to form a uniform crown. Yes, and this must be done carefully, gradually turning the lemon tree at a small angle. nine0003

Every year, the lemon should be transplanted into a slightly larger container, carefully moving the roots and the old earth ball into a new pot. After that, new soil is poured into the free space in the pot. When the size of the pots used to transplant the lemon tree reaches 10 liters, you can limit yourself to updating the topsoil and regular top dressing. Also, once a week, you need to spray the lemon from the sprayer. During the heating season, this should be done daily. nine0003 Lemon tree sapling. © Maja Dumat

To form a beautiful dense crown, the upper shoots of the lemon tree must be pinched off. Thanks to this, the plant will produce side branches, thereby ensuring density.

When the plant begins to bloom, it should be pollinated with a cotton swab or brush, with which the pollen is gently transferred from the anther to the sticky stamen. Further, active fruit setting will begin. To avoid depleting the tree with too many ripening fruits, some of them are best removed when the ovary is abundant. nine0003

planting and caring for a lemon tree

You don't have to go to the jungle or run to a nearby supermarket to enjoy citrus sourness. Why not grow a lemon tree right on your windowsill? Then you can harvest the lemon crop all year round.

CONTENTS

Lemon trees are hybrid plants that have migrated from the Pacific Islands to our window sills. They do not occur in the wild, as they appeared quite by accident when mixing two different species: citron and bitter orange. Countries with a hot climate can boast the largest lemon plantations. Superiority in terms of harvest belongs to Italy, India and Mexico. nine0003

Despite the love for the subtropical climate, the lemon feels great in the colder environment of our region. They began to grow it at home about 3 centuries ago. Now it is considered one of the most popular house trees that live in our apartments.

How to grow a lemon from a seed at home?

Any indoor plant creates an atmosphere of comfort in the house. But infrequently we think about the benefits that home vegetation brings us. nine0003

Lemon trees may not be as beautiful as a blooming orchid or begonia, but they look very impressive in the room. The plant can grow up to one and a half meters in height and will always delight you with a lush crown. At the time of flowering, it is covered with beautiful white flowers, and over time - juicy and fragrant fruits.

Lemon not only enlivens the interior, but also has useful properties:

Just one lemon tree in a room can be of great benefit to everyone in the household. But in order for a tropical plant to bring a harvest, it must be properly looked after.

Choice of variety

Despite the exotic pedigree, growing a lemon at home is not difficult. There are several ways to get a tropical tree:

  1. Buy a mature tree. Gardening stores are full of fruit-bearing lemon trees that you can enjoy today. But gardeners do not recommend buying an adult plant. Lemon reacts very painfully to changing conditions and may refuse to bear fruit. Yes, and the cost of such a purchase is rather big.
  2. Propagate lemon from cuttings. If your friends have a fruit-bearing lemon tree growing at home, ask them for a shoot or leaf of the plant and plant it in a pot. Lemons grown by cuttings retain all the useful qualities of the parent tree. The first "harvest" can be harvested after 3-5 years, while growing a lemon from a seed at home will not work so quickly. nine0038
  3. Plant a seed. The most affordable way is to plant a lemon seed. Seeds can be bought at the store or obtained from a fresh fruit.

If you decide to purchase ready-made seeds, pay attention to specially bred varieties for home cultivation:

You can also grow a tree from a lemon bought in a store. But use only fresh fruit, as dried seeds will not germinate. Elastic fruits with a uniform color and healthy skin are best suited.

Preparing the seeds

The first step is to remove the seeds from the lemon. Rinse them and, if desired, soak them in rootstock, which stimulates the growth of young plants. One drop of the product is diluted in a glass of water at room temperature and left for several hours or all night. nine0003

After soaking, the seeds must not be allowed to dry out, only in this way the seeds will give strong shoots that are resistant to sunlight and lack of moisture.

Lemons like moderately acidic soil rich in phosphorus. In the store you can buy a specialized soil for citrus fruits, which is designed for growing lemon at home in a regular pot. To mix the soil yourself, take equal proportions of peat, humus and soddy soil. Calcining the soil in an oven at 200 degrees or in a water bath will make the seeds more resistant to disease. nine0003

A small container is used as a container - plastic cups or pots. The main thing is to make a drain hole and form a drainage layer of charcoal or expanded clay.

Planting

It is better to plant a lemon from the stone in separate containers - this way the plant will receive less stress during transplantation. If you decide to plant lemons in one box, place the holes no closer than 1 cm from each other. After the appearance of the first 3 leaves, the plant will have to dive into different pots. nine0003

The ideal time for planting is the end of winter. Daylight hours increase and subsequently provide good conditions for seed development.

When the preparatory stage is completed, you can start planting:

  1. At the bottom of the container, lay a drainage layer 2 cm high.
  2. Place the stones in the ground to a depth of 3 cm.
  3. Cover the pot with cling film to create a warming effect. nine0038
  4. Place the pot in a warm place with plenty of light.

Immediately after planting, it is not necessary to water the seeds - the film will create a greenhouse effect and an optimal level of humidity. At intervals of once every 2 days, open the containers for 15 minutes so that the seedlings breathe.

Plant several seeds at once to ensure that the planting yields results, as the seeds may not germinate. It will not be superfluous to take 10-15 pieces - one of them will definitely rise.

Maintenance

The first shoots will appear in 2-4 weeks. If one bone gave two shoots at once, remove the weaker one.

Lemons are thermophilic plants. In indoor conditions, they take root well, but require some care, which includes:

In the warm season, lemons grown from the stone can be transferred to the balcony. Create a light shade for them and protect them from direct sunlight. In a particularly dry season, do not forget to spray the crown.

Proper care will help both grow a lemon from a seed and get a delicious home harvest.

What are the diseases of lemons grown from the stone?

It is important to monitor the condition of the soil during maintenance. If the plant is systematically transfused, mold may form in the soil, after which the roots will begin to rot. If you notice the first signs of white bloom or feel an unpleasant odor, immediately transplant the flower. Once a year, try to treat the plants with special agents against diseases and parasites. nine0003

At home, stoned lemons are quite resistant to pests and diseases. However, careless care and poor soil quality can lead to the development of some diseases.

In addition to diseases, domestic lemon is often attacked by aphids, spider mites and scale insects. To avoid their appearance, treat the plant with special pesticides.

It would seem that all the conditions have been created, but the lemon tree grows poorly, does not please with fruits and is “naughty”. Minor problems can be solved with careful care. nine0003

When will the lemon tree begin to bear fruit?

If you follow all the rules of care, homemade lemon will definitely please you with an intoxicating aroma and juicy fruits for 40 years! But how soon he will do it depends on the method of planting: