Lemon: 83 photos and rules for winter care of a lemon tree

Description of the plant

Indoor lemons are low-growing evergreen trees. Their homeland is Southeast Asia. Lemons look very impressive even without flowers and fruits.

Their beauty is enhanced by their shiny, leathery leaves. They contain essential oils. The leaf lifespan is about 2 years. The development of buds takes a little over a month. The flower lives for the same amount of time, filling the room with a delicate aroma.

Lemon at home (photo)

The fruits can take longer than 10 months to ripen. They contain juicy but sour pulp, consisting of segments. The seeds of this fruit have a dense parchment shell.

So, lemon is a beautiful indoor plant. Therefore, with its help you can make the room more attractive.

In addition, the pleasant smell of this fruit will always be present in the room during lemon blossom.

Growing lemon at home

Before moving on to the question of the conditions for lemon flowering, you should at least briefly become familiar with the methods of growing it. There are 2 of them: from a seed or from a cutting.

1. When using the first method, you should take several of the largest seeds from a freshly cut lemon.
2. When choosing the cutting method, one-year-old planting material is needed. You can borrow it from friends or buy it.
3. The stalk should be about 10 cm long with 3 leaves.

Regardless of the chosen method, there are general planting rules:

• It should be carried out in April – June.
• The future plant needs a container no more than 10 cm in diameter.
• You need a hole at the bottom to drain excess moisture.
• Before planting a lemon, it is necessary to make drainage from small pebbles or expanded clay.

What does a lemon look like - photo

For growing from seeds, regular soil or special soil for citrus fruits is suitable.

When planting a plant using cuttings, it is better to put a 1 cm thick layer of moss on the drainage. Then fertile soil, leaving about 4 cm to the top of the pot. Then a layer of sand.

When planting, the seed should be deepened by 1 cm. Before performing this procedure, it is better to place the seedling for ½ day in a root former solution.

The future plant needs to choose a warm place. Otherwise, the pot with the seed planted in it should be covered with film.

To root a seedling, place an inverted jar on the container with it.

During this period, the plant needs regular moisture, warmth and light.

Usually the seeds germinate within a month or a little later. It will take a little longer for the seedling to take root. So, even an inexperienced gardener can grow lemons at home.

What is lemon 088

In nature, an evergreen tree can live up to almost 90 years. People have cultivated the plant for a very long time, and now lemons are grown almost everywhere as a valuable crop. Grows well in warm and mild climates.

In the north, lemons have adapted to be grown in greenhouse conditions, where they grow well with sufficient care. Many citrus lovers grow it at home. The variety was bred in Russia taking into account climatic conditions and cultivation in low light conditions.

It’s interesting to read: what is a Genoa lemon and find out how to buy lemon seedlings and how to choose them correctly.

Plant care

To achieve flowering of this plant at home, it is necessary, first of all, to take proper care of it. The secrets to good lemon care are as follows:

• It should not be moved from one place to another. The plant should develop evenly. To do this, the tree needs to be turned slightly every 10 days so that the pot rotates completely within a year.
• Lemon cares about space. 2 m is the minimum distance from the floor to the stand.
• 14-27 °C is the optimal temperature for the comfortable existence of the plant.
• It needs to be provided with good humidity (about 70%). Therefore, you should not place the tree near the heating system. You need to spray it often.
• An east-facing window is an ideal place for this plant, as it benefits from morning sun in summer. In winter, lemon needs about 5 hours of illumination.
• Water the tree with settled water. This should be done 2 times a day, in the morning and evening. There must be a water tray under the pot.
• Plants require regular replanting. It is better to do it in early spring.
• This procedure is carried out, for example, if the pot size is insufficient. It is needed if the leaves turn yellow, the soil has become sour, etc.
• When pests appear, you must immediately begin to fight them.

  Lemon tree begins to bear fruit (photo)

Thus, caring for lemon is quite simple. The main thing is to carry it out with soul.

Priming

You can use ready-made soil from the store or prepare the mixture yourself. In preparation, equal parts of humus, deciduous and turf soil are used. River sand and pieces of coal are added to the mixture.

To prevent waterlogging, drainage made from pieces of brick and expanded clay is used.

Lemon needs feeding frequently. In the summer season - once a week. The rest - at least once a month.

Lemon blossoms at home

Under no circumstances should a lemon be allowed to bloom during its first year. Since this will deplete the tree so much that it may lead to its death. Even if it miraculously survives, it is unlikely to be able to produce a good harvest.

How to get a plant to bloom? Of course, this can be achieved if you follow a number of important rules:

In winter, the tree should be placed in the coolest corner of the room to ensure complete rest. This event will help avoid the appearance of a meager number of buds.

It is necessary to combat excessive flowering, which can significantly weaken the health of the plant. Therefore, it is necessary to pick off its buds until the number of leaves on the tree is at least 20. It is believed that 10 adult leaves can feed 1 fruit.

How lemon blooms at home - photo

Therefore, the number of ovaries left should depend on their number. Lemon blooms best in a cool room.

If it is grown from a seed, then correctly done grafting will help to significantly speed up the onset of flowering. It comes in two types: budding (inserting a bud with a thin woody layer into the bark of a tree) and grafting with a cutting (a twig with several leaves is used).

In addition, the tree should be fed and pruned. The features of these events will be revealed in the next part of the article.

Knowing the secrets of growing lemon will help its owner to ensure the plant blooms and enjoy a decent harvest.

Expert opinion

Yulia Yurievna

I have a large garden and vegetable garden, several greenhouses. I love modern methods of cultivating plants and mulching the soil, and I share my experience.

Ask a Question

Why lemons don't bloom at home

How long does a lemon grow before it starts to bloom and bear fruit? When grown from cuttings, this occurs already in the second year of the plant’s life, if the planting was carried out correctly and the care was correct. But sometimes this doesn't happen. We need to figure out why the lemon doesn’t bloom. The most common reason is improper care. Thus, growing problems may be associated with improper watering, poor lighting, poor soil and lack of fertilizing, lack of replanting when the root system has grown. Or an incorrect procedure when the roots are injured. Incorrect watering regime leads to a lack of buds. Also, when lemon blooms at home, you should not allow the earthen clod to become waterlogged or overdry, otherwise the buds will fall off. It is better to moisten the tree as the soil dries and spray it at least twice a week. Buds fall off more often due to lack of moisture. The stems do not have enough water, and the plant sheds flowers so that they do not deplete the already scarce resources. Usually, after the buds, the leaves also fall off. In this situation, it is important to maintain a balance. After all, similar symptoms are observed from overwatering, but at the same time the soil is wet, mold can form on it and an unpleasant odor can be emitted. In this case, you can transplant the flower into clean soil and a pot, removing the rotten roots and treating the plant with a fungicide. If watering is correct, but the lemon still does not bloom, the next thing to do is to reconsider the fertilizers applied. The described plants need a constant supply of nutrients, otherwise the condition of the rhizome worsens. Thus, undeveloped roots do not provide the plant with the necessary forces for flowering. For the same reason, lemon sometimes blooms but does not bear fruit. The optimal frequency is 2 times a month. On winter days, the amount of fertilizing should be reduced, but not removed completely. We recommend purchasing complex products. During the period of bud formation, you can water with a solution of boric acid (1 g per 5 liters of water) or diluted ash (100 g per 1 liter of water). Also, if at normal times nitrogen may predominate in fertilizing, when the tree is about to produce buds, phosphorus and potassium are required. If you constantly overfeed a lemon with nitrogen-containing products, the plant may not bloom at all, even if it is completely healthy and developed. How to make a lemon bloom and bear fruit? Give it good lighting. In the cold season, when daylight hours are short, phytolamps may be required. The same technique can be used if the apartment does not have sufficiently well-lit windows. If the flower looks generally limp, we recommend checking that it is free of pests. Most often, this tree is attacked by aphids and spider mites. You need to check the bottom of the leaves for insects and thin cobwebs. You can use Aktara for aphids, and Neoron for ticks. In the second case, you need to increase the air humidity.

How to buy lemon 088

Currently, the choice of planting material in special stores and nurseries is huge. You can buy almost any exotic plant or order good seedlings from an online store. Timely delivery and excellent packaging allow you to get your favorite varieties at an affordable price, even in the Far North. If you are not satisfied with the product, you can return it back.

When buying a seedling in a store, you should pay attention to healthy, glossy leaves and green bark. Plants, as a rule, are now grown in pots, so they tolerate transportation well. Be sure to inspect the seedling for pests and diseases. For this reason, before purchasing, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with information about diseases and pests of the variety.

The best option may be “help from a friend.” This is a person with an agronomic education who can choose good and strong seedlings.

Comments (14)

• Sofia

  07/13/2017 at 00:21 |
  I don’t have a problem with lemon blooming, but I have difficulty maintaining these flowers and ovaries. Often, after a while, the ovaries begin to dry out and fall off, and then the lemon begins to shed its leaves.

  Answer

  Yulia Expert Plodogorod

  07/01/2019 at 21:56 |

  Hello Sofia! Quite often, lemons lose their ovaries as a negative reaction to a change in environment. For example, if you rearrange the plant or even just move it, then the already set fruits will certainly fall off. Even when eating, care was correct the entire previous time.

  The reason for the described reaction is a change in the level of illumination. Even small changes provoke stress in the plant.

  If the lemon tree is young enough, then this may also be the reason for the falling of buds and ovaries. In this case, there is no need to worry, this happens quite often.

  If we are talking about an adult specimen, it probably does not have enough strength to ripen the crop due to poor soil, that is, a lack of nutrients in the soil. Lack of light and moisture can also lead to the problems described.

  If there are a lot of fruits, most likely the plant will get rid of them, since it simply cannot ensure normal ripening for all of them.

  Sometimes the situation is a little different - the lemons remain, but the foliage falls off. This is a dangerous condition for the plant. It may die. We recommend feeding your pet with a complex mineral remedy without delay.

  If your plant produces buds from time to time, but you can’t get a harvest, you need to adjust its care.

  First, you need to check whether the beneficial substances are introduced sufficiently. If fertilizing is carried out regularly, it is worth transplanting the lemon into a new substrate. Be sure to check the acidity of the soil. The appropriate level is slightly acidic.

  Read also:  Plants used for landscaping - selection and application in garden landscape design

  Watering is carried out as the soil dries. Typically, during the warm season, about 3 waterings per week are required. This plant also responds well to spraying. You can also place a container of water nearby to ensure a sufficient level of humidity.

  These plants do not like shadows. Suitable lighting is diffused light without direct sunlight.

  In addition to what is described, we recommend normalizing the ovaries. On a young tree it is worth removing all the buds. On an adult, if there are a lot of them, leave only a part. The fewer ovaries left, the higher the likelihood of ripening.

  Answer

Growing seedlings from seeds

The most promising, but rather time-consuming way to obtain lemon seedlings is generative (seed) propagation. The seeds are removed from ripe, high-quality fruits, washed under running water, and then sown in light fertile soil to a depth of 2–3 cm. Sowing can be done either in individual flower pots or in seedling boxes, followed by picking. At a temperature of +25°, the first shoots appear after 2–3 weeks. Caring for seedlings comes down to timely watering, loosening the soil and fertilizing with complex fertilizers. In the summer, plants are kept on the balcony or in the garden, and with the arrival of cold weather they are provided with a cool winter and maximum peace. Strong, healthy lemons that are 1–2 years old should be planted in open ground. Self-rooted seedlings exhibit high resistance to low temperatures, which is important for growing crops in the average climate zone. However, they begin to bear fruit late - at best, the first harvest can be harvested 5-6 years after planting. In addition, plants obtained as a result of generative propagation rarely inherit the qualities of the parent tree, so the taste and appearance of the fruit may differ from the similar qualities of those lemons from which the seed material was selected.