Amazing How To Grow A Lemon Tree

Lemon Tree Essentials

Growing trees in pots restrict growth providing a focal point in any garden space making them perfect for small indoor gardens. Growing a lemon tree outdoors can provide over 30 years of fruit bearing lemons that offer bright health benefits for those who consume lemon. Citrus X Meyer is otherwise known as the Meyer Lemon originates from China.  The Meyer Lemon tree size ranges from 4-6 feet while dwarf varieties grow about 5-7 ferret tall displaying dark green shiny leaves while its blossoms are white with a purple base. Some trees thrive in containers making them portable when you move to other locations other tree varieties grow better outdoors in the ground. Citrus trees are bright cheery plants with the scent of lemon permeating any garden space with a fragrant scent of fresh lemon. The improved Meyer lemon blooms with fragrant white flowers and produces aromatic lemon fruit year-round.

During the winter months place it indoors in a nice sunny spot to enjoy a nice fragrant houseplant. The Meyer Lemon is easily reproduced by rooting large cuttings in a nursery and planting them directly in a lemon grove. The fruit 2-3 years sooner than budded trees and have a long life remaining in full production for 30 years or perhaps much longer. If you are wondering how to plant a lemon tree in a container, plant it in a large pot 20 inches in diameter to allow room for root growth. Use potting soil with some added grit or sand for drainage leaving 2 inches at the top of the pot. Citrus trees need well-drained soil so selecting the right potting mix is essential for proper growth. Commercial potting mixes with perlite, peat moss, vermiculite, and compost are fine as long as it drains well. Always use enriched potting mediums to yield the best results when cultivating lemon trees for planting and repotting growing healthy citrus plants.

Citrus Tree potting soil mixes 4 quarts enough for 3 six-inch pots special blend for indoor lemons, oranges, and limes with no added chemicals additives. Citrus potting mix benefits aeration, drainage and nutrition retention, PH balance, and much more with ingredients peat moss perlite, sand, worm castings, and lime available on Amazon. Increasing the humidity during the winter places the pot on a tray of damp pebbles allowing the water to evaporate into the air into a vapor moistening the plant. Regular pruning especially in the first two years is key in encouraging growth and creating a structure for a plentiful yield. Small trees thrive when planted in small pots at least 20-24 inches across in diameter with small holes in the bottom of the pot for adequate drainage. Trees in containers dry out faster than those in the ground so they need more frequent watering only when the soil is dry to the touch a few inches from the surface.

The true lemon tree can reach 10-29 feet in height and usually has sharp thorns on the twigs with alternate reddish leaves when young then become dark green as the plant continues to grow to produce white flowers with yellow anthers.  The fruit is oval in appearance, dotted with aromatic lemon oil on the panel of the lemon with a ¼ inch thick pale lemon yellow pulp that may yield 8-10 acidic juicy segments per lemon. Lemon tree seeds can be planted in starter pots with amended soil to start the growing process. Live lemon trees can be purchased online or at your local plant nursery available in different varieties including the Eureka lemon tree, the Improved Meyer Lemon Tree, and the Ponderosa lemon tree in different sizes making the tree easily manageable to plant indoors or outside. 

Cheers!

Patricia Lynn

Photo by Ernest Porzi on Unsplash