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Lemon tree maintenance


Types and How to Care for Them – FastGrowingTrees.com

Nothing embodies the warm, carefree vibe of spring and summer quite like citrus fruit. And lemon trees are arguably one of the best to choose for your own at-home orchard. Why? Well, for starters, they're super easy to grow and generally fruit quickly, even in less-than-stellar and cooler climates.

Plus, having a lemon tree is like having a little slice of the tropics right in your backyard. There's nothing like their fresh flavor and versatility.

Choosing Your Tree

Though it's a symbol of exotic, island-inspired growth, there are many places you can grow a lemon tree. Even if you live in an area where it gets cold outside, you can plant your lemon tree in a pot and bring it indoors during the winter. But if you're not sure what to choose, we've highlighted a few of our favorites below to get you started on your citrus journey!

1. Meyer Lemon

The famous favorite. The Meyer Lemon Tree is probably what comes to mind when you think of versatile indoor or outdoor growth and amazing, easy-to-grow flavor. It's especially known for offering both sweet and savory flavors from each squeeze, making it even better than store-bought.

In fact, Meyer Lemons aren't available in grocery stores because its thin skin is subject to easy bruising. However, this delicious skin also allows the citrus juices to develop fully, making it the perfect raw fruit for juices, desserts and flavoring.

While some lemon varieties can grow as tall as 20 feet, a Meyer Lemon tree will naturally reach between 10 and 15 feet tall.

2. Eureka Lemon

The top choice for growing juicy lemons on your patio is the Eureka Lemon Tree. Dwarf-sized for easy harvests, the Eureka Lemon offers effortless home-grown fruit and the benefit of drought tolerance.

It's no wonder the Eureka Lemon Tree is the most popular selection amongst homeowners who grow their own citrus fruit. You'll easily grow bushels of lemons that are great for lemonade or for adding a sweet flavor to your meals.

The Eureka is also adaptable to most soils and conditions, and you don't need to spray harsh chemicals because it isn't prone to pests or diseases.

3. Limequat Citrus

The Limequat Citrus Tree is technically not a lemon tree, but as a member of the citrus family, it's a must-have.

The Limequat is exactly how it sounds: a natural cross between a Key Lime Tree and a Kumquat Tree. This variety offers small, yellow-green, oblong fruit about the size of kumquats, which are perfect for snacking without peeling.

Limequats have the sweet flavor of limes and oranges with a tart aftertaste. Their unique flavor is perfect for cooking with, as well as adding to drinks, to give your favorite recipes some extra zest.

How to Plant Lemon Trees Indoors

Lemon Trees are a great low-maintenance plant and can grow perfectly even within your house!

As a citrus variety, lemon trees require full sun, which means about 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight daily. For indoor growth, simply place them in front of a south-facing or sunny window.

Once you've scouted your chosen area and selected your favorite lemon tree, it's easy to plant. Select a container that's about one and a half or two times the width of your tree's shipped container. When selecting a container, make sure there are adequate drainage holes as any citrus will be unhappy with overly wet roots.

How to Plant Lemon Trees Outdoors

To plant outdoors, place your lemon tree in a south-facing area that gets plenty of sun and drains well. If you soil is clay or poor drainaing try mixing in some organic matter or compost to boost fertility and drainage of the area. Other than that, lemon trees just need a regular watering schedule and a plan for fertilizing.

The best time to plant your lemon tree is during the spring, to avoid any harsh winter or summer temperatures. This also depends on what growing zone you're located in so check and make sure that the ground isnt frozen and you are past the risk of frost.

Dig your hole just as deep and approximately twice as wide as the tree's root ball. After you've got everything ready, place your tree and loosen its roots just a bit. Then, backfill your hole with soil and 2 inches of compost and water well.

When the planting process is complete, you can also spread a 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch over the tree's root area to preserve moisture. Just ensure you keep the mulch away from the tree's bark.

Lemon Tree Care

So, how should you care for your lemon? Caring for your lemon tree can be broken down into these five steps: watering, fertilizing, pruning, pest & disease solutions and harvesting.

1. Watering

Generally, a lemon tree should be watered once weekly or bi-weekly, depending on rainfall in your area or your humidity indoors. A watering schedule is important to keeping your lemon trees healthy and happy. But if you're not sure when to water your lemon trees, just check the top 2 inches of soil. When this area is dry, it's time to water.

FGT Tip: Citrus leaves love humidity. Indoor lemon trees will do best if misted daily, especially when you're running your heat during cooler months. You can also use a humidifier or fill your pot's saucer with rocks and add water; place your plant on the rocks, ensuring the bottom of the pot is above the water line, for best results.

2.

Fertilizing

We recommend fertilizing your lemon trees (especially Meyers) every four to six weeks, from February to August, to ensure a healthy cycle. Citrus trees benefit from fertilizers that are generally balanced with a slightly nitrogen-rich blend.

3. Pruning Your Lemon Tree

Prune as needed to maintain your lemon trees' shape. Clip any branches that are too long, and remove branches growing toward the trunk of the tree instead of away from it. This process maintains airflow between the branches and allows light to penetrate the center of the tree.

FGT Tip: Sterilize your pruning tools with rubbing alcohol. This ensures a clean cut to keep your lemon trees healthy.

4. Pest and Disease Solutions

Citrus canker, root rot and mites are the most common pests and diseases affecting lemon trees, but luckily, they're easy to treat, especially with organic, natural solutions. And if you keep your lemon trees indoors, you simply need to monitor and clean the leaves.

If you're treating, ensure that you always use an approved fungicide, or just remove any dead or diseased areas. Fully remove infected material from the tree. Don’t use any of this material for compost.

5. Harvesting

Now it's time for the best part: harvesting! Lemons are ready to pick when they're yellow or yellow-green on the outside. And most of our lemon trees are primed for harvest after only a couple of years, or sooner.

How Long Does it Take a Lemon Tree to Bear Fruit?

Lemons ripen anywhere between 4 and 12 months after flowering, with blooms appearing in spring to signal a later transition to fresh fruit in the summer. The exact time it takes for the fruit to develop will depend on the specific variety and growing conditions, but many of our lemon varieties will typically fruit within the first 1-2 years.

So, no matter the variety you choose, ease and home-grown flavor await - select your favorite from our delicious and juicy lemon trees today, and get growing!

And check out our Meyer Lemon Tips and Tricks for more helpful info!

Blair Brown

Blair is the Content Marketing Manager at FastGrowingTrees. com, and though she's not your traditional gardener, the planting world is definitely growing on her (pun intended!). She's enjoyed digging into plant care and maintenance and growing her plant collection, especially with exotic indoor varieties.

Lemon tree - pruning, caring for and harvesting lemons

Lemon tree is a rather easy citrus to grow. It looks magnificent, too!

A summary of Lemon tree facts

Name – Citrus limon
Family – Rutaceae (Rue family)
Type – fruit tree

Height – 10 to 16 feet(3 to 5 meters)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – well-drained

Foliage – evergreen
Flowering – March to July
Harvest – winter

Planting, caring and pruning it are steps that help enhance fruit-bearing and avoid diseases on your lemon tree.

Planting a lemon tree

The planting of the lemon tree is an important step that influences its further development, lemon production, and lifespan.

Lemon trees are demanding trees that require well drained and rich soil to develop well.

Planting a lemon tree outdoors

Planting lemon trees in the ground is possible only in mild-wintered areas. They are vulnerable to freezing and need temperatures that never drop below 41 to 44°F (5 to 7°C) in winter.

Plant your lemon tree preferably in spring, after the last frost spells. Choose a sheltered spot well-endowed with sunlight.

Potted lemon tree

If it freezes in your area, try to grow your lemon tree in pots with shelter for winter.

Lemon trees can’t survive indoors in winter, so they will need an outside unheated greenhouse, or horticultural fleece if the climate stays mild enough.

Pruning a lemon tree

Pruning isn’t really needed, but if you don’t prune it, your lemon tree will quickly grow very large. Yellow lemon trees are particularly vigorous, and require pruning, especially if grown in pots.

Season for lemon tree pruning

Pruning is best in spring, ideally during the months of March, April or May. You should never prune before or during winter, this would make the plant vulnerable to freezing.

How to prune your lemon tree

Using a disinfected hand pruner, cut each new shoot back to more or less half its length, taking great care to cut just above a leaf.

Remove dead wood regularly and clear the inside branches to let light penetrate to the center.

Watering lemon tree

If planted outdoors, normal rainfall should be enough to provide for the lemon tree’s needs, especially if the climate in your area is wet. However, during the first year and in case of high temperatures or prolonged dry spells, it is best to water from time to time.

In pots, water as soon as the soil is dry, without flooding the pots. It is best to water with collected rain water, because they are vulnerable to calcium ions in water. Tap water often is too hard, leading to chlorosis.

Caring for your lemon tree

Like most citrus, lemon trees are quite difficult to grow directly in the ground when winters are cold.

Regularly give them citrus-specific organic fertilizers to give them the best chances of developing well.

Growing them in pots is most adapted, because that makes it possible to bring the lemon trees to a spot where it doesn’t freeze in the winter.

Lemon trees aren’t indoor plants, and can’t bear staying in a heated environment all year round. They need relatively lower temperatures from October to May, especially during the night.

Diseases commonly found on lemon trees

Lemon tree diseases and parasites are the same that would attack most citrus plants.

Rotting fruit, aphids or scale insects don’t spare lemon trees and you’ll find proof of their presence on leaves.

Learn more about the lemon tree

A close relative to Citron, one of the three original citrus, lemon has long been grown in many civilizations. Lemon health benefits are renowned, and in culinary use it has thousands of applications.

In the garden, too, you can use lemon to repel ants and keep them from climbing up your fruit trees where they tend to aphids. Simply cut the fruit into slices and tie them around a tree trunk. Block all passageways by overlapping the slices a little.

Smart tip about lemon tree

Pick the lemons as soon as they easily break off from their branch.

Learn more about citrus plants

Credits for images shared to Nature & Garden (all edits by Gaspard Lorthiois):
Lemons on tree by John Englart under © CC BY-SA 2. 0
Lemon tree flower by Ulrike Leone under Pixabay license
Unripe lemons by Free Photos under Pixabay license

Care of a lemon tree in a pot at home

Care of a lemon tree at home is simple, but it is important to know some features of keeping citrus fruits in pots. Only then will it grow into a strong, beautiful and fruitful tree. The lemon tree in a pot is a spectacular, unpretentious and useful citrus crop in everyday life. It is represented by many varieties, but all of them do not create difficulties in maintenance. But there are a few nuances that should be considered when growing a lemon:

Contents:

0.1.Lemon tree care summary

1.How to water a lemon?

2. Rules for feeding lemons

3. Rules for pruning lemons

4. Rules for transplanting lemons

5. Diseases and pests

Lemon Tree Care Summary

Winter

How to water limon?

Lemon is a moisture-loving tree, which is important to water frequently in spring and summer. For this, warm water is used, which will not damage sensitive roots. Excessive watering is also harmful - the earth in the pot becomes waterlogged, and the tree itself rots. Do not forget about the need to lay drainage at the bottom of the pot. nine0003

Rules for feeding lemons

Due to active growth and fruiting, lemon actively consumes nutrients from the soil. To compensate for the scarcity of the soil, the plant must be fed with complex mineral fertilizers. Fertilizing frequency:

In the spring season, when caring for a lemon tree at home, it is necessary to introduce nitrogen compounds into the soil, while in summer it is important to fertilize it with phosphorus and potassium. If desired, top dressing with organic matter is possible - bird droppings diluted in water, or humus.

Lemon pruning rules

With proper care, the lemon actively grows and develops. To give its crown a decorative shape, it can be trimmed. This will positively affect not only the beauty of the plant, but also its fruiting. nine0003

Basic rules for pruning lemon:

Potted lemons can grow poorly in shoots that form ovaries. They usually dry out completely. That is why it is important after each fruiting to cut them off by about 2-3 leaves.

Rules for transplanting lemon

With proper care, the plant quickly grows the root system. That is why it is important to replant a lemon every year - otherwise it will become cramped in a pot and growth may stop.

For transplanting, it is better to wait until spring, before the flowering period, or postpone it until autumn, when fruiting has already ended. In this case, the new pot should be only a couple of centimeters larger than the old one, because. an overly spacious container will cause moisture to stagnate, which means that the roots of the lemon can rot. nine0003

The tree is transplanted using the transshipment method. It is important to keep the earthen ball on the roots. Mature trees are transplanted once every couple of years. But in this case, it is important to change the top layer of the earth every year.

Diseases and pests

Indoor lemon is resistant to diseases and pests. But, despite this, some ailments can make the plant suffer. One of the most common problems is the formation of soot fungus or scab. The signal that they have appeared are dark spots on the leaves. The sooty fungus provokes the drying of leaves and shoots, while when damaged by scab, the leaves begin to rot and become soft. nine0003

Fungicides are used to treat the plant. Trees can be treated with Bordeaux mixture or blue vitriol. Remember that a healthy plant is important for the prevention of disease. As a rule, lemons get sick from care errors - excessive or insufficient watering, stagnant water in the soil, etc.

If the leaves on the plant began to turn yellow and fall, but we can safely talk about a lack of lighting or incorrect temperature conditions. Avoid placing tubs of lemon in a draft and in dark rooms without access to natural light. nine0003

Season Temperature range
Summer 26 ° C
Spring, autumn to 14 - 16 ° C
from 7 to 12 ° C
CITRUS PLANTS

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Author

Lilia Ivanova

Florist, freelance brand creator and author of Artplants.ru blog articles

Lemon tree home care in winter and summer

Having a lemon tree at home has many advantages. With the help of such a tree, tasty, healthy and fragrant fruits are independently grown. nine0003

The plant becomes a decoration of any room, causing delight in every guest.

Lemon tree care at home is a simple and straightforward process if you follow the basic guidelines and consider optimal conditions.

Reasons for growing lemon at home

The advantages of growing lemon crops include:

During the flowering period, beautiful, bright flowers appear. The lemon tree impresses with its evergreen and fluffy crown.

Nuances of growing

At home, it will not be difficult to properly care for this plant. But the main nuances of the process include:

  1. a spacious area in the room is being prepared;
    2. nine0019 the plant should get a lot of sunlight;
  2. the plant requires regular ventilation;
  3. provides optimal drainage;
  4. high-quality top dressing is introduced;
  5. in winter the tree is kept cool;
  6. it takes several years from the moment of planting to getting lemons;
  7. with proper care, the tree pleases its owners with durability, incredibly pleasant aroma and healthy fruits.

Over time, the plant grows stronger and begins to bloom. Only after that the first lemons appear, which are not large in size. But every year the harvest becomes more generous. nine0003

Favorable conditions for planting

You can grow a lemon tree from a stone or seedling. In the first case, there is a high probability that the bone will not be accepted, so it is advisable to purchase a strong seedling. Seedlings are selected from a tree grown in the Russian climate.

If the plant is brought from the Caucasus, then it can only be grown in a cool room, so a greenhouse or winter garden is suitable. At home, such a plant quickly dies.

Landing rules include:

Attention! The lemon tree needs suitable air humidity, so if the apartment is too dry, this will negatively affect flowering and fruiting. nine0003

Temperature

The optimum temperature for plant development is +17 degrees. During the period of fruit development, the temperature rises to 22 degrees. In summer, with significant warming, flowers and ovaries fall off, and with sharp temperature changes in autumn and winter, leaves fall. Therefore, artificial optimal conditions are created for the tree.

The soil temperature must be the same as the air temperature, and it is also forbidden to transfer the plant to a heated room from the open air if there is a significant difference in temperature or humidity. nine0003

Lighting

Lemon trees need soft and good lighting. In summer, it has to be protected from direct rays, which lead to burns. In winter, there is an acute shortage of light, so fluorescent lamps are purchased, under which the plant is at least 5 hours a day.

If the tree is left in the shade for too long, it will slow down the development and also reduce the leaves significantly.

Pot selection

The pot intended for planting the plant is selected taking into account the size and age of the tree. The young tree is grown in a small plastic container. Transplantation is carried out in pots that are 2 cm wider than the previous container in diameter.

A mature tree is planted in large flowerpots. But it is not recommended to choose too deep containers, as the root system rots in them and the soil turns sour.

Soil

Neutral and sterilized soil is required for planting a lemon tree. It should be saturated with numerous nutrients. It is recommended to choose a universal soil specifically designed for citrus fruits. It can be replaced with homemade soil. For this, 2 parts of garden soil are used, 1 part of sifted turf, to which a little wood ash or lime is added, 1 part of sand and 1 part of peat. nine0003

Sand is easily replaced by artificial substrates such as vermiculite or perlite.

Expanded clay is ideal for creating drainage. In properly prepared soil, the tree grows for several years, so only high-quality components are selected.

Care instructions

Optimum care is taken to get a strong plant that produces a large annual yield. It consists in proper lighting, top dressing, watering and moisturizing. Even the slightest mistakes cause a deterioration in appearance and a decrease in yield. nine0003

Watering and spraying

The longevity of the plant depends on the correct watering. If a lemon tree is bought by an inexperienced gardener, then it literally dies within a few weeks. The main reason is illiterate watering. Therefore, in order for the plant to be healthy and strong, the following rules are taken into account:

  1. the plant is watered only with settled water once a day;
  2. it is allowed to water the tree every 2 days, but with the obligatory monitoring of the state of the soil; nine0020
  3. in winter, watering is carried out 2 times a week;
  4. the accumulating water in the pan is immediately drained, otherwise the root system will quickly rot;
  5. leaves are sprayed daily with settled and warm water;
  6. it is allowed to increase the amount of spraying in winter if the air in the apartment becomes too dry due to the operation of the heating.

Beginners must find a balance between overflow and lack of water. If the plant does not receive enough moisture, then the leaves turn yellow. With excessive watering, the process of decay begins. nine0003

Attention! If yellow leaves are found, then it is advisable to spray the tree abundantly with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

In the summer, it is important to use a warm shower, but it is required no more than once a month.

Top dressing

Citrus fruits are plants that are extremely sensitive to applied fertilizers. Therefore, preparations are regularly changed, since when using only one top dressing, the acidity of the soil changes. This leads to poor yields, disease or slow development. nine0003

When choosing fertilizers, recommendations are taken into account:

The most suitable is an infusion made from birch leaves and quinoa.

Pruning

Needed to improve the appearance of the lemon tree. If the tree is small and grown only for decorative purposes, then it does not need sprawling and large branches. Therefore, they are completely cut off, which allows you to make a compact crown.

For trees that produce a crop, it is required to balance the number of branches and shoots. Therefore, instead of standard pruning, pinching is carried out. It is carried out for plants older than one year. For this, the main shoot is pre-cut, and about 30 cm of length is left. Pinching is done after the tree gets stronger, and new branches appear. nine0003

Propagation

It is allowed to propagate the lemon tree by cuttings or seeds. If a seed is planted, then you can enjoy the first fruits only after 8 years. For cuttings, this period is reduced to 4 years.

Care rules depending on the period

The tree needs specific care, taking into account the period, which can be represented by flowering, dormancy or fruiting:

  1. Flowering. At this time, the tops of the shoots acquire a purple color. Large flowers appear in the spring after the appearance of the first bud. The flowering period lasts about two months. Only after the petals fall does the fruit set. During the year, one tree may have small fruits, ovaries, buds and flowers. No need to pluck the inflorescences, as they become ovaries. When flowering, standard care is provided. The plant is protected from drafts, and is also regularly sprayed. There should be about 10 leaves per 1 inflorescence. The remaining ovaries are removed, otherwise many small and tasteless fruits will be obtained. nine0020
  2. Fruiting. The fruit ripens after tying for 200 days. During this period, the plant needs nourishment and good watering. The number of fruits usually does not exceed 8 pieces. During this period, specific care is not required, so it is enough just to remove the fruits in a timely manner.
  3. Peace. It falls during the winter period. It is necessary to create optimal conditions so that during active growth the tree fully blooms and bears fruit. Therefore, the plant is kept at a cool temperature. Before the dormant period, flowers and shoots are removed. The temperature is in the range from 12 to 17 degrees. Minimal watering is required, but the soil must not dry out. Spraying is carried out several times a week. nine0020

With proper care in each period of time, the rapid development of a lemon tree is ensured.

Care at different times of the year

In spring, the tree wakes up, so active growth begins. At this time, he needs a lot of sunlight, so it is advisable to use lamps. In warm weather, it can be taken outside. The room in which the tree is located must be ventilated, as air flow is required.

In summer, it is advisable to put the plant outside or even bury it in the country. nine0003

In autumn, the tree returns home, and it must be carefully inspected, as appropriate preparations are used when pests or diseases are detected. A warm shower is arranged, and the leaves are washed well.

Before wintering, watering is gradually reduced and the amount of fertilizer applied is reduced. In winter, a dormant period begins, so a cool temperature is maintained, and watering is also reduced.

Transplanting

The tree is grown only in the right pot, so as it grows it needs to be transplanted into a larger container. nine0003

Attention! Too large a pot causes root rot.

The size of the container is increased gradually, for which the growth of the roots is taken into account. Transplantation is carried out in a standard way, for which an earthen lump is pulled out of the pot, transferred to a prepared container. After that, the citrus culture is put in its original place. Change of environment negatively affects development.

What to do if the plant dries up

The lemon tree usually dries out if the soil is not properly selected or watered too much, as this leads to rotting of the roots. When transplanting, the rules for gradually increasing the size of the container should be taken into account, otherwise the soil will quickly turn sour. nine0003

Sometimes the plant dries out when attacked by pests that are located on the trunk or in the roots. The frequent movement of the pot from one place to another is detrimental. If the tree is watered too infrequently, then it simply dries out from lack of moisture.

To combat drying out, the cause is determined, after which pest control products are applied, a special top dressing for citrus fruits is applied, or the plant returns to its original place.

What to do if the leaves have fallen

The reason for dropping leaves is poor lighting. The lemon tree is depleted, so it cannot provide all the necessary nutrients to the available leaves.

Therefore, if the leaves begin to fall off, then the pot is immediately placed on the windowsill on the south side so that the plant can get a lot of light. In cloudy weather, artificial lighting is provided.

Why there are no fruits

Lemon trees can bloom profusely, but the ovaries fall off without producing fruit. There are various reasons for this:

  1. no cross-pollination, which you have to do yourself with a cotton pad or an ordinary brush;
  2. exposure to pests, since even the slightest infestation leads to stunted growth and lack of fruit;
  3. the plant blooms even in winter, therefore, due to the lack of rest, forces for fruiting are not restored;
  4. abundant flowering, which becomes an obstacle to the appearance of fruits, so you need to get rid of numerous flowers yourself; nine0020
  5. lack of feeding.

After determining the exact cause, it becomes possible to cope with the lack of fruiting.

Protection against diseases and pests

Usually diseases appear only in the absence of proper care. For example, if a plant lacks lighting or nutrients, then its leaves brighten. In the absence of the required amount of moisture, foliage falls. Dry air is accompanied by the cessation of flowering and darkening of the leaves. nine0003

The following parasites are found among the pests:

Attention! The sooner pests are identified, the higher the likelihood that they will not be able to cause irreparable harm to the lemon tree.

Conclusion

The lemon tree is a beautiful plant that can produce tasty and healthy fruits every year.

Learn more