How to care for home grown lemon in a pot

Homemade lemon is an interesting and original plant, which can often be found in the house of flower lovers. It is not difficult to grow such a culture, it will decorate any corner, add a touch of exoticism and a light fresh aroma. Despite the fact that the lemon tree grows well as an indoor flower, getting its fruits is a rather difficult task, requiring patience, knowledge and special care.

Lemon tree - one of the most popular types of citrus fruits, native to the tropics. It is grown commercially in India, China, USA, Italy. For harmonious development, it needs warmth and high humidity. In nature, culture grows more than two meters in height.

Fruit lemon

In order to wait for the fruiting of a houseplant, it is necessary to study some of the nuances and tricks of how to care for a lemon at home in a pot. An important role is also played by the choice of variety - if the plant should not only carry a decorative function, you should choose a tree that can fully develop in a limited space.

Culture Description

A room lemon is an evergreen dwarf tree with thorns on branches. Lemon leaves are bright green, oblong, very dense. They contain glands with essential oils that bring a pleasant, fresh smell of citrus into the room. Young pagans stand out with a rich purple-purple hue. The buds develop in about five weeks. White flowers collected in inflorescence are characterized by a pronounced aroma. One flower can live up to nine weeks.

Lemon in buds

The ripening process can last more than nine months. They are mainly egg-shaped with a tubercle at the base. Color and size may vary: from deep green to pale, almost yellow or striped color. There are lemons whose weight exceeds 100 g, there are smaller ones - up to 50 g.

Decorative properties of lemon

Thanks to the beautiful crown, exotic look, lemon will become an adornment of any corner in the house or on the terrace. The plant is evergreen, looks great all year round, gives a fresh, refined aroma. Piquancy and originality add beautiful fragrant flowers and ripening fruits. The shape of the crown is controlled by trimming.

The best varieties for home

The best varieties for home growing:

• Pavlovsky. One of the best varieties for growing indoors. The tree is unpretentious, self-pollinating, tolerates poor lighting. Lemon grows up to two meters, bears fruit well - an average of 20 fruits per season. A more adult plant can produce up to 60 lemons. Fruits are characterized by an expressive smell and a small number of seeds. The period of flower formation is the beginning of spring and autumn.
• Volcano. Dwarf tree - grows no more than one and a half meters tall, a hybrid of lemon and kumquat. A hardy plant that is not afraid of temperature spikes and low humidity. It is characterized by small fruits up to 4 cm in length, with a thin skin.
• Kiev large-fruited. A great option for growing in the middle lane - in summer the plant can be taken outside, planted in a greenhouse. It is characterized by continuous flowering - the tree is able to bear fruit 4 times a year. The fruits are large, tasty, leaves and flowers are large, very fragrant. For greater productivity, the crown must be cut.
• Meyer lemon. Dwarf variety, characterized by good productivity, small, very acidic and juicy fruits. Demanding care - needs frequent watering, top dressing. It reacts poorly to a lack of light and a change in air temperature.
• Genoa It is characterized by high-quality, medium-sized (about 100 g) fruits. Lemons are oval, tuberous, bright yellow or greenish. The pulp is tender, juicy, not too acidic, the peel is edible, thick, poorly separated.
• Eureka. The variety is valued for its decorative effect - a beautiful broad-leaved crown and small fruits, often with a color resembling a watermelon: striped, yellow-green. The pulp is an interesting pink color, very sour, but juicy.

The most reliable way to grow a tree of a suitable variety is to buy a seedling in a specialized store. More complex and long-lasting options are the grafting method, grafting, and bone planting.

Care rules and growing problems

In order to grow a lemon tree at home, it is necessary to provide the plant with optimal conditions and learn the basic principles of how to care for a lemon. The culture needs regular watering and good lighting, but it does not respond well to direct sunlight, the light must be scattered. The best place in the house is the south and east side. Lemons can be placed on the windowsill or in the glazed balcony.

Lemon on the windowsill

Basic care rules:

• Requirements for the temperature regime. Lemon is a southern plant that loves warmth and is sensitive to its differences. In summer, the culture develops well at a temperature of 25-30 degrees, in winter, 14-17 degrees are enough. It is important that the difference between day and night temperatures does not exceed 4-5 degrees. If it is too hot, the tree can throw off the buds, in the cold - not form them at all.
• Humidity level. Lemon - a tropical plant, needs moisture, regular watering, spraying. The minimum humidity level for the harmonious development of the culture is 60 percent. With its lack, the lemon leaves will begin to dry and curl.
• Care at different times of the year. At different times of the year, growing lemon has its own characteristics. In spring, the tree begins to grow rapidly, gaining green mass. During this period, it needs more sunlight, regular ventilation of the room. The culture responds well to feeding. When stable heat comes, it is better to move the lemon to the balcony or terrace, to take it out onto the street. Experienced gardeners recommend for the summer to dig a tree in the garden. Such rest helps to strengthen the plant, the accumulation of energy for the whole year. Particular attention should be paid to the place for the lemon - it is necessary to exclude drafts, direct sunlight, flooding during rain. In autumn, the plant returns to the room, the leaves are thoroughly washed, the branches, the trunk are inspected. Lemon is placed in a permanent place. The frequency of watering is gradually reduced. In winter, most plants go into a dormant state, care is minimized: leaves are sprayed, watering is carried out only when the soil dries. With a lack of lighting, fluorescent lamps are used. Some lemons leave in the winter with fruits on the branches. In this case, it is necessary to continue the usual care of the plant: water, spray, fertilize and provide lighting. At the end of winter, you can cut dry or diseased branches, if necessary, transplant a tree.

Lemon in the garden

• Pollination of a lemon in a pot. Lemon flowers are bisexual, the tree is most often pollinated independently. If problems arise, and the ovaries do not form, you can use the preparations "Ovary", "Bud". Another method that gardeners sometimes use is manual pollination. With a cotton swab, pollen is removed from one flower and gently transferred to the stamen of another. This is a very sensitive process that requires accuracy and patience.

• Pest and disease control. Lemon tree is quite resistant to diseases and pests. The causes of the disease can be improper care, infection of the soil or other plants, weakened immunity. The main pests:

• Aphid. With a small number of insects, the leaves break off, the plant is well washed. If there are a lot of aphids, the lemon is treated with insecticides, the earth changes (heat treatment must first be done).
• Shield. The leaves are washed with soapy water, and if necessary, insecticides are treated.
• Spider mite. A solution of boric acid is used.
• Sooty fungus - the plant is washed, the room is ventilated.
• Scab, wartiness (a common reason why leaves and fruits begin to fall off) - affected areas are removed, the plant is treated with Bordeaux fluid (5%).
• Gommosis, root rot - the plant is removed from the tank, the affected areas of the roots are removed, treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. The soil should be replaced with a new one, plant a plant. Never deepen the root neck.

Lemon viral diseases cannot be cured.

Lemon with fallen leaves

How to grow lemon from seed

Growing lemon from seed at home is the least expensive way to propagate and get a beautiful fruiting tree. In addition, a plant grown in this way is strong, easily adapts to the right conditions.

Bone germination conditions

One of the criteria that affect the cultivation of lemon is the quality of planting material. Bones for planting should be freshly collected, dried for several hours at room temperature. It is better to plant several seeds at once - not all will germinate, and already formed sprouts can die.

Preparing a place for a seedling

For seed germination, optimal conditions are a shaded place, with a temperature of 17-22 degrees. It is desirable to cover the container with a jar and cling film to create a comfortable moist microclimate. When a sprout appears, the film is removed, the pot moves to a well-lit warm place.

Planting a Lemon Bone

Citrus Soil

For growing lemon, a ready-made mix for citrus fruits is used, which can be purchased at a specialized store. It will not be difficult to prepare the land yourself: you need to mix sand, soddy soil and humus. At the bottom of the tank must be placed drainage - fine gravel.

Pot selection

First, the seeds are planted in small containers (plastic cups). When leaflets appear, you need to monitor the number of shoots. If there are two of them on one sprout, then one needs to be removed. When the pagon gets stronger, forms a developed root system, it can be transplanted together with an earthen lump into a pot of an appropriate size. It is better to use a ceramic or clay pot with a tray.

Lemon sprouts

Watering mode

Lemon is a moisture-loving plant, it must be watered with settled water at room temperature. Watering is necessary when the soil in the pot dries (approximately 2-3 times a week). If you overdo it with moisture, you can harm the plant - the roots will begin to rot. Leaves begin to turn yellow and fall, the plant weakens. Beginners often confuse this condition with a lack of moisture and water the plant even more abundantly.

Much more effective effect on the lemon spraying leaves and soil. In hot weather, you can spray the tree 2-3 times a day - this procedure not only refreshes and nourishes the plant, but also rinses off the dust, allowing it to breathe.

Some tricks that help moisturize the lemon are also used:

• Wet expanded clay is poured into the pallet - it evenly saturates the soil with fumes.
• The plant moves to the kitchen - there the humidity is always higher.
• Domestic flowers are grouped together - this improves the microclimate, retains moisture.

Temperature mode

During the germination period of the bone shoot, the air temperature should not exceed 20 degrees. During active growth and the formation of ovaries, in spring and summer, lemon needs warmth - it feels good at temperatures up to 30 degrees. During the rest period (in winter), comfortable conditions for a tree are up to 17 degrees.

How to plant a lemon tree

Lemon from the seed begins to bear fruit for 6-7 years after planting. To speed up this process and grow a tree of your favorite variety, you can use the vaccination method.

If the lemon is planted correctly, then it will begin to bear fruit already for 2-3 years.

To complete the process, it is necessary to grow a seedling, give it time to grow stronger, to develop roots. The second stage is to prepare high-quality parent material. This may be the stalk of an adult lemon variety intended for home cultivation. You will also need some material: a pruner or sharp knife, tape, garden var, damp cloth.

The best period for vaccinations is April-August.

Budding method:

• Disinfection of hands and tools.
• At a trunk height of 5 cm, a T-shaped incision is made on the cortex - horizontal 1 cm and vertical 2.5 cm.
• The graft branch is cut at an angle (a thin plate with a bark should remain).
• A stalk is inserted into the cut - it should pester the tree tightly.
• The vaccination area is wrapped with adhesive tape.

You can vaccinate two kidneys at the same time.

Ophthalmic vaccination

Split vaccination method:

• A tree is cut at a level of 5 cm.
• The grafting material is selected - it must match the size of the trunk.
• An oblique section of the scion (in the form of a blade) and a horizontal incision of 2-3 cm depth on the trunk are carried out.
• The branch is inserted into the incision, the vaccination site is wrapped with tape and treated with garden var.

All leaves are removed from the grafted plant, the lemon is covered with a glass jar or a bottle. If the scion blackens after a few days, the vaccination was unsuccessful.

Split vaccine

In the process of growing a lemon tree, it must be fed with fertilizers for citrus fruits, rich in trace elements zinc and boron. Good effect on high-quality fruiting pruning. First, the central shoot is cut off at a height of 20cm. Twigs of the second and third order should be pinched when they grow by 18 cm, flower buds are formed on the shoots of the fourth order.

Lemon pruning

Growing a lemon tree at home in order to get its fruits is a painstaking, lengthy process, it requires a lot of effort and patience. It is necessary to ensure the correct temperature, humidity and lighting. Propagation of lemon from the seed is the most affordable option for beginner gardeners. Having carried out a high-quality vaccination, you can expect a harvest already 2-3 years after planting a tree.

Video

Watch the video: How to Grow Lemon tree in Pots for Endless Supply & more fruits at home? (November 2024).