How Long Does It Take To Grow A Lemon Tree From Seed

Tangy and sour, lemon adds flavour to every cuisine. Learn How to Grow a Lemon Tree in Pot hands in this article with all the required information!

Do you want to grow lemons, but a shortage of space is stopping you? If this is your plight, and so growing lemon tree pots is a smart idea. Establish it on a patio, terrace, or fifty-fifty indoors, and you will be bestowed past its scented flowers and soft yellow citrus fruits. You tin grow it on the balcony too! Let'southward accept a await at How to Grow a Lemon Tree in Pot hands!

Follow some crawly tips to grow bountiful lemons here

Best Lemon Tree Varieties to Grow in Pots

Growing a lemon tree from seeds is a bad idea because information technology can take up to 4-5 years to produce fruits. Instead, ask local nurseries for dwarf varieties that can exercise well in containers.

Varieties that are most suitable for containers are Improved Meyer, Lisbon Lemon, and Dwarf Eureka. However, a lemon tree doesn't abound besides big, which means yous can grow nearly any variety in the pot.

Buy a good for you lemon establish that is at least 2-3 years old so that you don't have to wait for it to start blooming and fruiting.

How to Grow a Lemon Tree in Pot

Choose a pot that is 25% bigger than the root ball of the plant. A clay pot is ideal because, unlike plastic, it is porous and evaporates h2o from the sides. This helps the lemon tree to abound well every bit it dislikes beingness waterlogged.

The quality and blazon of potting soil is an essential factor, as well. For growing high-yielding plants, apply a well-draining potting mix with a lot of organic thing and aged manure.

If you're growing a lemon tree in a balcony or any other small space, take care of its thorns, keep the plant in a corner.

Requirements for Growing Lemon Tree in a Pot

Location

All plants in the citrus family love total sun, around 7 to 8 hours of sunlight is essential. If growing a lemon tree indoors, position the pot near a window with ample sunlight. You tin likewise substitute the lack of direct light with artificial abound lights.

Soil

Lemon does best in well-draining soil. The pH level of soil should exist effectually 5.5 to seven as this found prefers slightly acidic soil to neutral soil. You can also use equal parts of garden soil, cocopeat, and compost.

Watering

The lemon tree requires consistent watering to produce healthy fruits. Giving it too much or as well little water tin lead to blossom and fruit drop, and sometimes the plant may die likewise. Check the top 2-inch layer of soil for dryness before watering. On windy and hot days, it requires more than frequent watering and slightly moist soil.

Humidity

If you lot are growing a lemon tree indoors, it requires a sure humidity level to thrive: 50% is ideal. You tin maintain humidity by placing it on a pebble tray or using a humidifier.

Re-Potting

Re-pot your lemon tree every couple of years or and so at the offset of spring (in warm climates, winter is the best season). Your pot size should be according to the scale of your tree. Avoid too large or small planters; keep in mind to use a container that is ane size bigger than your previously used pot.

Lemon Tree Care

How to Grow a Lemon Tree in Pot 2

While growing a lemon tree in a pot in USDA Zones 9 to 11, you don't demand to care for cold that much, but below these zones, special care is needed in harsh winters. Temperature below 30°F (-ane C) is life-threatening for the lemon tree, except 'Meyer' lemon variety, which tolerates some cold till 24°F (-iv C).

Freezing temperatures kill citrus plants. The optimum temperature is around 50°F to 82°F (10°C to 28°C). To overwinter it, keep your potted establish indoors or in a greenhouse when the temperature falls below 35°F (2°C).

Pruning and Pinching Lemon Tree

Pinching encourages bushier growth — pinch growing tip when a branch is well-nigh v-6 inches long. Pruning of a lemon tree is best carried out when new growth starts in spring (February-March). You can as well exercise this in fall or late winter in frost-free regions.

Be careful before pruning information technology, merely prune diseased or expressionless branches or the ones that are reducing airflow. Considering lemon stores excess nutrient in its leaves, and too much pruning can result in inferior fruits. Besides, keep looking for suckers and clip them immediately if plant one.

Fertilizer for Growing Lemon Tree in a Pot

All plants of the citrus family are heavy feeders. Lemon requires fertilizer to produce juicy fruits, lush foliage, and fragrant blooms. Use special-purpose citrus fertilizers for every citrus species plant; if unavailable, use ho-hum-release fertilizer with NPK 12-six-half dozen or 20-20-twenty.

Expect for a fertilizer that contains micronutrients, especially iron, manganese, and zinc. If yous're not using slow-release fertilizer, requite a boost to your lemon tree past applying a water-soluble fertilizer once a month in the growing season. Occasionally, side-wearing apparel your establish with compost or well-rotted manure.

Tip: This may sound absurd, but you can cascade a cup or ii of patently yogurt (without added colorant or flavour) once in 4-6 weeks around the base of a lemon tree to observe the stronger growth.

Pests and Diseases

Pests similar mealybugs, spider mites, aphids, and scales occasionally concenter toward it. Keep an eye on them. If yous see the infestation, apply insecticidal soap, neem oil, or pesticides. To become rid of them organically, read this article.

Harvesting

Harvesting time depends on the blazon of lemon variety you are growing and your weather conditions. The citrus fruits finish ripening one time they are off the tree. To determine if the fruit is ripened, see if the fruit is heavy, soft, and yellowish.

Boosted Tips for Growing Lemon Tree in Pot

Continue your lemon tree in a less windy spot as it dislikes potent winds and drafts. However, y'all'll demand to provide practiced airflow.
If moving indoors for winter or outside for summertime, acclimatize it slowly to avert daze.
Yous tin also practise grafting to get 2 or more varieties from a unmarried tree.
Avoid wetting the foliage to relieve the plant from potential diseases.