Pruning meyer lemon tree in pot
How to Prune a Potted Lemon Tree | Home Guides
By Amelia Allonsy Updated December 14, 2018
Dwarf lemon trees (Citrus limon) make the best choice for growing in containers because their height is limited to about 12 feet. While potted lemons don't require pruning to control height, regular pruning still is necessary to encourage outward growth for better fruit production. Additionally, diseased and damaged branches must be removed immediately to prevent disease from spreading throughout the lemon tree. Common dwarf lemon varieties include "Meyer" lemon (Citrus x meyeri) and "Eureka" lemons (Citrus limon "Eureka"), which grow to 12 feet and 10 feet tall, respectively.
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1.
Disinfect your pruning tools with a solution of 10-percent bleach, which contains one part bleach and nine parts water. Bypass pruners work well for clipping small branches less than 1/2 inch in diameter. Prune 1/2- to 1-1/2 inch diameter branches with lopping shears. Use a pruning saw for larger branches.
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2.
Clip off any root suckers that grow up from the ground below the graft union. Cut them with bypass pruners, making the cut as far down below soil level as possible. These suckers can be removed at any time throughout the growing season.
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3.
Cut diseased, broken and dead branches off the tree as they develop throughout the year. Make the cut 1/4 inch above a branch union or bud, cutting back to at least 6 inches inside healthy wood. If an entire branch must be removed, cut it just outside the branch collar which is the wrinkly collar around the joint that protects the tree from disease. Disinfect your pruning tools immediately after cutting these types of branches to avoid spreading disease elsewhere.
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4.
Clip off any water shoots back to the parent branch. A water shoot is a vigorous grower that commonly shoots straight up from stronger branches. They rarely grow into productive branches and simply crowd other healthy branches.
These occur throughout the year and can be pruned at any time. -
5.
Eliminate any rubbing or crossing branches to encourage an outward growing habit with an open center, so sunlight reaches all the branches. Cut these branches back to 1/4 inch above an outward-facing bud or just above the branch collar. Wait until late winter to prune these branches, after the tree is done fruiting, but before new growth begins.
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6.
Clip any long, straight branches 1/4 inch above an outward-facing bud to encourage branching. The tree will produce more fruit and have a better shape if it has many short branches as opposed to a few long, straight branches.
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7.
Cut back any overgrowing branches to 1/4 inch above a healthy bud to maintain a uniform shape. This type of pruning should be done in late winter after harvest but before new growth begins.
Things You Will Need
Bleach
Bypass pruners
Lopping shears
Pruning saw
Tip
Lemon trees grow in U.
S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. Potted lemons, however, can be grown in lower hardiness zones because you can bring them indoors to protect them from cold temperatures.
References
- University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources: Pruning Citrus
- Texas A&M University Horticulture: Growing Citrus in Patio Containers
- National Gardening Association: How to -- Grow Citrus in a Container
- Arizona Cooperative Extension: Pruning Citrus
- University of Florida Nassau County Extension: Meyer Lemon
- Cal Poly Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute: Lemon
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Citrus Limon
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Citrus x Meyeri
Writer Bio
A former cake decorator and competitive horticulturist, Amelia Allonsy is most at home in the kitchen or with her hands in the dirt. She received her Bachelor's degree from West Virginia University.
Her work has been published in the San Francisco Chronicle and on other websites.
Potted lemon trees: care, pruning and re-potting
Potted lemon trees are an excellent citrus to grow at home. Care from re-potting to pruning helps boost lemon harvest and prevents appearance of diseases.
Key potted lemon facts
Name – Citrus limon
Height – 3 to 10 feet (1 to 3 m)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – well-drained
Foliage – evergreen
Flowering – March to July
Harvest – November to March
The climate in most of our regions isn’t well suited to growing lemon trees directly in the ground, but growing them in pots is perfectly possible.
- Health: health benefits and therapeutic properties of lemons
Re-potting potted lemon tree
Potted lemon trees cannot extract the nutrients they need from the ground.
So the pot and soil you have put in it are their only source of food for them to stock up and grow. Re-potting is thus critical.
- Re-pot every 2 or 3 years in spring.
- Choose high-quality citrus-specific or planting soil mix.
- Double-check that the bottom of the pot has a hole drilled in.
- Place a bed of small pebbles or clay pebbles at the bottom of the pot to ensure excellent drainage.
For larger pots, repotting becomes difficult. In this case, increase nutrient availability by topdressing the top of the pot with rich, fresh soil mix.
Pruning a potted lemon tree
Pruning isn’t really needed but if you don’t prune your lemon tree, it will quickly grow very large.
In pots, it is best to control your tree’s growth with very regular pruning.
Shorten each new shoot back to more or less half its length, taking great care to cut just above a leaf.
This will result in your lemon tree keeping a nice, tight shape.
- You might need to do this several times a year.
Remove dead wood regularly and clear the inside branches of your lemon tree to let light penetrate to the center.
Watering potted lemon tree
In pots, lemon trees dry up much faster than if they were planted in the ground.
In summer, frequent watering is required, whereas watering can be reduced in winter.
- Water as soon as the soil is dry, without flooding the pots.
- Avoid all heat sources such as nearby radiators, because this could dry your tree out.
Every two weeks, during the growth phase, add citrus-specific fertilizer to boost fruit-bearing. You can do this while watering your lemon tree.
Potted lemon tree in winter
Growing these trees in pots is most adapted, because it makes it possible to bring the lemon trees to a well-lit 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.
It is important to place them in an unheated greenhouse for instance, where the temperature never drops below 32°F (0°C).
- If you’re looking for citrus plants that cope well with growing indoors, check calamondin trees out.
Harvesting lemons
Harvest season is usually November to March.
- You will ensure the lemons mature best by protecting the tree from freezing, and keeping the soil around it slightly moist.
In the northern hemisphere, lemon fruits start forming in spring and slowly mature over the winter.
- Protecting the lemon tree from the cold and from intense indoor heat is important at this point.
If ever you have to absolutely bring your lemon tree indoors to keep it from freezing, do your best to keep the air moist.
- Best ways to create indoor air moisture
Common potted lemon tree diseases
- European brown rot – lemons rot while still on the tree
- Citrus foot rot – root infection by phytophthora
- Scale insects – whitish masses colonize leaves
- Aphids – leaves curl up and fall off
- Thrips – leaves and fruits marked with silver-white blotches. Note: fruits are still edible, even though they don’t look nice.
Learn more about citrus plants:
- Background information on citrus plants
- Planting lemon trees directly in the ground
- Other Citrus worth growing: clementine, orange, grapefruit
Smart tip about the lemon tree
Pick the lemons as soon as they easily break off from their branch.
This shows that the fruit has matured enough for the seeds and flesh to be fully developed, without yet being over-ripe.
Credits for images shared to Nature & Garden (all edits by Gaspard Lorthiois):
Lemon tree in pot by Wolfgang Claussen under Pixabay license
Lemon Seedling by an anonymous photographer under Pixabay license
Picking a lemon by Martin Belam ☆ under © CC BY-SA 2.
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Lemon harvest by Ulrike Leone under Pixabay license
rules, deadlines, recommendations in 2022 at GoodGrunt
Contents
- Why is pruning necessary?
- General rules
- Timing
- First pruning
- Subsequent pruning
- Pruning scheme
- Challenges
- Secrets
- Rejuvenation 9005
Lemon is a beautiful plant that can be grown at home. To make the tree look neat and well-groomed, you should properly prune the indoor lemon, which will help give its crown a decorative shape.Why crop?
There are several reasons why a plant should be pruned.
- It helps to keep the crown even and neat.
- The procedure helps to rejuvenate an old tree.
- If the plant is not pruned, it will grow up and not bear fruit.
- Pruning reduces the risk of tree diseases.
- A properly formed crown will increase the life of the plant and the duration of fruiting.
It is necessary to give the crown an even shape even if there is no goal of obtaining fruits, otherwise the tree will look untidy.
General Rules
In order for the pruning of a lemon tree not to harm it, the following rules must be observed.
- It must be done when the plant is dormant. This is the period from late autumn to early spring.
- If the plant is mature and already bearing fruit, all fruit should be removed from the plant.
- Shoots of the first level should be removed 25 cm, the second - no more than 10 cm. All subsequent branches - only 5 cm.
It is necessary to understand that the procedure is simple, but it must be approached responsibly, because incorrectly performed pruning will set the tree in the wrong direction of growth. You can correct mistakes after an unsuccessful procedure only by removing a large number of branches, which is why it is important to act clearly in accordance with the recommendations of experienced lemon tree owners.
Timing
Experts are divided on the best time to prune indoor lemons. Most believe that the most suitable time for this is the beginning of spring, before the formation of new shoots. However, in winter, you can slightly thin out the crown. To improve fruiting next year, pruning the tree should be in late autumn.
First cut
At home, the first pruning of the tree should be done in time; if it is carried out correctly, you can count on the fact that the houseplant will bear fruit. The procedure is carried out in the first year of the life of a lemon, the trunk is cut off at a height of about 20 cm, but it is very important that 3-4 developed buds remain, from which shoots will form - this will allow the side branches to develop. Pruning is done with a pruner.
Tip
It is best if the kidneys are placed at the same level, but on different sides of the trunk.
When pruning a young lemon, all vertically growing branches are removed.
The best time for the procedure is February. Plant height depends on where the lemon pot is placed. So, if the tree will grow on the windowsill, it should not be too high. This must be taken into account when forming the crown.
Post trimming
The first stage of crown formation is the most important, it determines whether the tree will bear fruit. In the second year of life, lateral branches form in the seedling (they are called branches of the first order), there should be 3-4 such shoots, which is why it was necessary to leave 3-4 buds during the first pruning. In order to form shoots of the third order, pruning is also carried out. Further, the tree itself will form a crown, and will begin to bear fruit after the appearance of branches of the fourth order.
Two removal methods are commonly used:
- partial - shortening of the fattening branches by 25 cm;
- complete - this is how most often dead or old branches of a tree are destroyed, which can cause disease.
Shoots are removed when they interfere with each other's development. At the same time, the strongest shoot is left, and the weak one is cut off.
Tip
If the shoot is strong, but growing vertically, it should be removed, leaving a weaker one, but growing horizontally. At the top of the plant, the shoot growing upwards is cut off first.
Cutting pattern
Tree pruning scheme is as follows.
- In the first year, only the trunk is trimmed, this will encourage the formation of side shoots. If this is not done, the lemon will begin to grow up and will be an unattractive "stick". Plant height should be 25-30 cm from the ground.
- In the second year, side branches are pruned. It is necessary to ensure that 3 new shoots begin to actively grow and develop. If only one grows, it should be completely removed to stimulate the growth of others. This process is called breaking out.
- Next, the branches of the third order are pruned.
- The formation of the crown is completed by pruning the branches of the fifth order, after which the tree can be allowed to bear fruit.
The main task is to give the crown a fan-like appearance.
Tip
If one of the young shoots grows vertically, you can not cut it, but give it the right direction by carefully wrapping it with wire and fixing it in the required position.
Difficulties
Some difficulties may arise when pruning lemons.
- Often only one shoot begins to actively form at the place of pruning, while it is necessary to achieve the development of three or four. In this case, it is completely removed (breaks out) under the base, sometimes this procedure has to be repeated several times.
- So-called tops may appear, growing vertically upwards and incapable of fruiting. Their growth rate is much higher than that of fruit branches. The easiest way to deal with them is to remove them.
Some experts use 25 cm pruning.
It should be remembered that the pruning of a lemon tree must be carried out carefully, it is very difficult to correct the result.
Secrets
In order for the formation of the homemade lemon crown to be successful, it is important to adhere to the following recommendations of experienced flower growers.
- After pruning, be sure to treat the sections with a garden pitch. However, if very thin branches were removed, then there is no need for such processing.
- Annual pruning of the tree will help to form a beautiful crown of a homemade lemon: all weak shoots are removed, as well as those that grow in a vertical direction.
- Worker shoots need to pinch off the top so that they begin to form fruits. This should be done after the appearance of 6-7 leaves.
Often there is a need to correct the crown of an already mature tree growing in a pot. In this case, pruning should be carried out in April or early May - at the time when shoot growth begins.
The formation of the crown of an adult plant is done primarily for aesthetic purposes, to make it attractive. It is also very important to remove dead and diseased branches. Tip
It is necessary to cut tops as they appear, throughout the year.
If your house tree is many years old, regular pruning will help rejuvenate it. After shortening the old branches, new shoots will begin to develop more actively.
Flower removal
If the purpose of growing indoor lemon is to produce fruits, then removing excess flowers will allow you to control the process. With the help of this procedure, it is possible to ensure that the forces of the tree will be directed to the full development of the ovaries from the remaining flowers.
The number of buds to be left depends on the age of the young tree.
- If the lemon is three years old, remove half of the buds, then leave 2-3 fruits.
- For a 4–5 year old tree, the number of fruits is increased to 7.
- When the lemon has reached 6-7 years, you can leave up to 10 fruits.
Remove the weakest flowers. If the whole branch does not bloom well, you can cut it completely.
Tip
The more empty flowers and weak flowers are cut off, the more ovaries will remain on the branches and, accordingly, the harvest will be richer.
Rejuvenation
When a lemon tree is 15-20 years old, pruning can rejuvenate it. This will not only improve the appearance of the plant, but also increase fruiting.
Pruning is carried out in the spring, all branches are cut up to the 4th or 5th order, this stimulates the growth of dormant buds and the subsequent emergence of young shoots. After this procedure, the plant must be transplanted into a new pot, carefully shortening the root system by about 30%. It is very important not to touch the roots inside the earthy coma.
The crown formation process of a young tree is quite lengthy and can take up to 4 years.
However, having completed it once, in subsequent years it will be enough to slightly cut the shoots so that the lemon does not lose its attractive appearance. Lemon crown formation: pruning, pinching
Lemon crown formation: lemon tree shoots pruning and pinching. Types of homemade lemon pruning. Regulation of the fruiting of domestic lemons.
Olga Ravilova ⏳ 07-10-2017 06-28-2021
Indoor lemons are allowed to bear fruit in the 4th year of life. Photo: Indoor lemons are allowed to bear fruit in the 4th year of life. Photo:Contents:
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- Lemon formation in the first year. Stem height selection
- Lemon pinching in the second year of life
- Indoor pruning
- Shaping pruning
- Sanitary pruning
- Rejuvenating pruning
- Regulation of indoor lemon bearing0006
Forming a lemon crown is a simple matter, but requires knowledge and skills.
Indoor lemons need shaping, regardless of the variety - only the frequency of pruning and pinching the lemon tree depends on the variety. Some varieties of lemons are cut often, or rather constantly, while others are rarely. Crown formation is an obligatory agrotechnical technique, on which the health and productivity of a lemon tree depends when grown at home. The correct formation of a lemon accelerates the onset of the fruiting period in young lemons, plays a decisive role in the overall yield of plants.
Lemon formation in the first year. Stem height selection
Indoor lemons begin to form in the first year of plant life. Under normal conditions, in the first year a powerful vertical shoot 25-30 cm high grows, it is also called the “zero shoot”.
The zero shoot of a lemon must be forced to branch so that the plant does not break through the ceiling in a few years, reaching an exorbitant height, for this they make tweezing - they pinch, remove the top of the stem.
Pinching can be done with secateurs or a sharp knife. By pinching the top of the zero shoot, the height of the future tree is adjusted. Depending on the height of the pinching, low-stem (stem height is 10-15 cm), medium-stem (20 cm) and high-stem (30 cm) lemon trees are obtained. We remind you: a bole is a part of the trunk from the root neck to the first skeletal branch of the lower tier of the crown.
To avoid stunted growth and development of lemons, fruiting should not be allowed until crown formation is complete. This is especially true of the Meyer variety, in which buds can appear on branches of the 2nd order, and even during the rooting of the cutting.
The height of the trunk determines the appearance of the lemon tree in adulthood and the productivity of plants in general: the lower the stem, the earlier the tree begins to bear fruit and the higher the yield of lemons .
Pinching a lemon in the second year of life
Sharpened, sharp tools are used to trim the stems5-6 strong, well-developed buds and leaves.
In the spring, when the lemon buds left behind begin to grow, the strongest young shoots are selected, 3-4 shoots going in different directions, shoots of the first order, and the rest are removed with a knife or pruner.
Sometimes, after pinching a lemon, only one upper bud sprouts from the shoot, continuing the same shoot. For other buds to germinate , this bud must be cut . Sometimes two or three shoots sprout from one kidney at once. Of these, the strongest is left, and the rest are removed at the very beginning of growth.
When shoots of the first order grow 15-20 cm long, they are also pinched, leaving 3-5 buds on each branch in the axils of the leaves.
To rejuvenate a lemon, all shoots are removed, starting from the VI order. Shoots of 2-5 orders, forming the skeleton of the crown, do not cut out! Old shoots are cut almost to the very base, leaving only 2-3 live buds on them.
For the correct formation of the crown of a lemon tree, the last remaining bud must be facing the outside of the crown.
Branches of the second order will grow from these buds. To obtain branches of all subsequent orders, the branches of the previous order are pinched when the length of the shoots reaches 10-15 cm, leaving 2-3 shoots.
The formation of the crown of lemon can be accelerated by pinching young growing shoots without waiting for the wood to ripen on them.
The formation of the skeleton of a lemon tree is completed with the growth of shoots of the IV-V order. With a low standard form of a lemon tree grown from a cutting, this procedure takes a little over a year.
Lemon begins to bear fruit when branches of the IV order grow - flowering begins on these branches. Attention: Meyer lemon begins to bear fruit when branches of the II-III order appear.
Lemon seedlings grown from seeds bloom later, for 7-10 years , with proper crown formation.
Pruning indoor lemons
Properly formed crown of indoor lemons is fluffy, compact, with many fruit twigs, with developed foliage.
Pruning of mature lemon trees is done as needed. Depending on the purpose, there are: shaping, rejuvenating and sanitary pruning.
Shaping pruning
Lemon shaping pruning is done to keep the crown in good condition. During formative pruning, fat shoots and shoots that thicken the crown are removed, and long shoots that spoil the appearance of the crown are shortened.
If the branch is removed completely, then it is cut off at the base, and when the shoot is shortened, an oblique cut is made with a sharp knife above the bud selected for continued growth (3-5 mm above the bud).
In fact, formative pruning is a regular pinching of shoots, so this type of pruning is used to stimulate the growth and flowering of the plant.
Shaping pruning helps to shape indoor lemon tree crowns, such as a pyramid or cube. It is important to choose the right direction for the growth of future shoots. If it is necessary to obtain a horizontal branch, then the last bud left on it (closest to the place of pinching) should be turned down or to the outside of the crown.
To grow a vertical branch, this bud must point up or into the center of the crown. Formative pruning of lemon is carried out in the spring, in March-April, but the fattening shoots, which grow very quickly, are removed regularly in the initial stage. A fattening shoot can be turned into a fruit-bearing shoot by carefully tilting it, giving it a horizontal direction, and then, when it reaches a length of 10-15 cm, pinch.
Sanitary Pruning
This lemon requires sanitized pruning to remove stem galls. Photo: Suburban Tomato Wasp larvae have settled in a lemon. Urgent pruning required. Photo: Suburban TomatoSanitary pruning is used at any time of the year to remove diseased, dry and weak indoor lemon branches. Sanitary pruning gives the lemon a healthy look and prevents the spread of pests and diseases.
When sanitary pruning shoots are cut to healthy tissue.
Rejuvenating pruning
Cubed old lemon. Anti-aging pruning is required for lemons at the age of 17-20 years.
Photo: Hitchhiking to Heaven Anti-aging pruning of indoor lemons is carried out at the age of 17-20 years. At a venerable age, the fruiting of lemon trees worsens. Anti-aging pruning is done in March - early April, at the beginning of the period of active growth.
To rejuvenate a lemon, all shoots are removed, starting from the VI order. Shoots of 2-5 orders, forming the skeleton of the crown, do not cut out! Old shoots are cut almost to the very base, leaving only 2-3 live buds on them.
Anti-aging pruning causes increased growth of young lemon shoots, so the plant should be fed after it. After rejuvenating pruning, many strong, healthy shoots grow, so sometimes it is carried out to obtain quality cuttings.
Anti-aging pruning is done with a sharp instrument, and the surface of the cuts is sprinkled with wood ash to prevent diseases.
Regulation of fruiting indoor lemons
For the sake of the health of lemons, fruiting has to be regulated by cutting off buds and ovaries.
The fruiting of indoor lemons depends entirely on the correct formation of the crown. The fact is that in lemons that have entered the fruiting season, the growth of shoots slows down, since a lot of nutrients are consumed for the formation of buds and the ripening of fruits.
To avoid stunted growth and development of lemons, fruiting should not be allowed until crown formation is complete. This is especially true of the Meyer variety, in which buds can appear on branches of the 2nd order, and even during the rooting of the cutting.
For the correct development of indoor lemon, it is recommended to remove half of the buds on a profusely flowering three-year-old tree , and after the formation of the ovaries, leave only 2-3 fruits . A 3-4 year old plant can freely bloom and bear fruit, provided that the plant is in good condition.
Do not leave a lot of ovaries on a young, immature lemon tree. The fruits may form and ripen safely, but the plant itself will suffer.
