Everything you need to know about caring for lemons at home. How to grow a room lemon at home from a seed? Indoor lemon - care, reproduction, disease, treatment, pests and varieties: description How does a lemon tree bloom in an apartment

Caring for a lemon at home is quite simple, but you need to know some of the nuances. Subject to the rules of cultivation, a lemon tree will not only grow strong and healthy, but will also be able to please with delicious fruits.

Features of caring for a lemon tree at home

indoor lemon- a beautiful, useful in everyday life and quite unpretentious citrus culture, represented by many varieties. The flower does not create great difficulties in caring, but it has certain features:

1. The plant is sensitive to the amount of moisture. The lemon tree is very fond of water and does not tolerate even short-term droughts. You need to water it constantly, if you take long breaks between moistening and allow the soil to dry out, then the tree is unlikely to be able to grow tall and strong.
2. Lemons need plenty of sunlight. The plant is difficult to grow in apartments with insufficient daylight, for example, on the ground floors or with windows facing north. With a lack of light, the flower begins to wither and drop leaves, so you need to think about a place for growing it in advance.
3. The lemon tree needs periodic top dressing. Since the plant spends a lot of energy on flowering and fruiting, the soil in a pot of lemon quickly loses nutrients and becomes scarce. Every year, the flower must be fertilized, only in this case it will reach a maximum of decorativeness and will bear fruit.

Important! The main condition for caring for a lemon home plant is to maintain stable comfortable conditions. Lemon is very sensitive to the slightest changes in care and reacts with yellowing and dropping foliage to violation of the rules of cultivation.

Optimal conditions for growing lemon at home

Caring for a lemon will not bring any particular difficulties if created for a plant optimal conditions and constantly support them. When growing a crop, you need to take care of several key points:

1. Nutrient earth mix. The lemon tree prefers a neutral or slightly acidic soil with a loose texture. For growing and care, you can buy ready-made soil for citrus plants or prepare the land yourself. In the latter case, it is necessary to mix peat, sand, hardwood and humus in equal proportions, and then add more sod land.
2. Lighting. The lemon tree is best placed on the south side, where there is enough sunlight throughout the year. At the same time, it is best to place the pot not on the windowsill, but in close proximity to it, so that the light is bright, but diffused and without direct rays. On the hottest days, it is recommended to take the tree outside or onto the balcony, and if this is not possible, then rearrange it a little deeper into the room. In the process of care, from time to time the pot must be turned from side to side so that the shoots of the plant receive sunlight evenly, and the main trunk was not bent.
3. Temperature conditions. The optimum summer temperature for growing is about 26 ° C - the plant feels comfortable in the heat and develops calmly. In spring and autumn, the tree feels best at a temperature of 14 to 16 ° C, and in winter it is desirable to provide it with a temperature of about 7-12 ° C. It is important to remember that the seasonal change in temperature should be smooth and soft - the home flower does not like sudden changes.

According to the rules of care, it is necessary to regularly moisten not only the soil, but also the air around the plant. In the summer, a potted lemon tree calls for frequent spraying, they need to be produced on cloudy days or in the evening and morning. It is important that the sun's rays do not fall on the leaves of the plant during spraying - this can lead to burns.

How to care for lemon at home

A homemade lemon tree requires constant attention from its owner. Flower care measures are quite simple, they come down to simple, but regular actions.

How to water a lemon

A moisture-loving lemon tree in spring and summer must be watered very often, the soil must always be moist. Water the tree with soft, settled and slightly warm water so as not to harm sensitive roots. At the same time, it is also impossible to allow waterlogging during care, if the soil in the pot becomes swampy, the lemon will begin to rot. Even when planting a tree, it is important to ensure high-quality drainage at the bottom of the pot.

How to feed a lemon

Since lemon intensively consumes nutrients from the soil, it must be regularly fed with complex mineral fertilizers. Lemon is fertilized from March to October - at a time when the tree is actively growing and developing. Fertilizers for lemon are applied to the soil in small quantities every 2 weeks, and in winter the frequency of fertilizing is reduced to 1 time per month.

Like most plants, in the spring indoor flower especially needs nitrogenous substances, and in summer and autumn it needs potassium and phosphorus. Also, citrus can be fed with organic matter - humus or bird droppings dissolved in water.

How to cut a lemon

Subject to the rules of care, the lemon grows quickly and actively expands in width. To give a decorative shape, it is recommended to cut it regularly, this will positively affect the beauty and ability to bear fruit.

Rules to follow when pruning a lemon:

1. Young indoor trees usually not trimmed, but simply systematically rotated different sides to the sun, so the crown is formed more evenly.
2. You need to turn the tree smoothly and gradually, no more than 30 ° C every 5 days.
3. When homemade citrus reaches about 25-30 cm in height, it can be cut with a pruner. It is best to leave about 20 cm before branching in order to form a standard plant on a low main trunk.
4. Pruning a lemon encourages the growth of side shoots, but next year you will need to cut them too, this will start the process of growing additional branches.

In a home flower, shoots that form ovaries do not grow well. Often they dry out completely, so after fruiting, these branches are cut into 2-3 leaves.

Lemon transplant

At good care lemon tree grows fast root system. Therefore, growing and caring for a lemon at home involves an annual plant transplant, otherwise it will become too crowded in a pot and it will stop developing.

Transplantation is carried out in the spring before flowering or in the fall, when the lemon has already finished fruiting. Each new pot should be only a few centimeters larger than the previous one, if you pick up a container that is too spacious, moisture will begin to stagnate in the soil, and the citrus roots will rot.

The lemon is transplanted using the transshipment method - while preserving the previous earthen clod. An adult tree needs to be transplanted only once every few years. But at the same time, in the process of care, it is necessary to replace annually upper layer soil.

Protection against diseases and pests

Room low citrus due to its chemical composition quite resistant to pests and diseases. However, some ailments can affect even an unpretentious lemon.

Most often, an indoor tree suffers from sooty fungus or scab - you can recognize them by the appearance of dark spots on lemon leaves. At the same time, the sooty fungus leads to the drying of leaves and shoots, but when damaged by scab, the leaves become soft and begin to rot.

Treatment of fungal diseases is carried out with conventional fungicidal preparations - lemon can be treated with copper sulphate or Bordeaux mixture. When caring for a plant, disease prevention is very important. Most often, the lemon is sick from improper care and an excess or lack of moisture, watering should be plentiful and frequent, but without stagnation of moisture in the soil.

Attention! Very often, indoor lemons turn yellow and shed their leaves, such a disease indicates a lack of lighting or a violation of the temperature regime. Lemon cultivation and care should be carried out in light warmth a place without cold drafts, otherwise it will be difficult to maintain the health of the plant.

Of the insects for citrus, several pests are dangerous:

At the first sign of pests lemon tree it is necessary to treat the plant with insecticides. Proven means are Karbofos, Aktara and other drugs, and the leaves of the plant can also be treated with a mild soapy solution.

The nuances of caring for indoor lemon in a pot at different periods

Homemade lemon is a plant in the care of which it is especially important to observe seasonality. This means that specific tree care measures depend on the time of year.

Lemon care in winter

Lemon care at home in winter involves providing the plant with conditions that will allow it to go into a dormant state. First of all, this means that the lemon needs to be moved to a cool room, where the temperature does not rise above 7-14 ° C, and the amount of watering should be greatly reduced. The vegetative processes of the lemon tree in this case will stop until spring.

Advice! The easiest way to arrange wintering for citrus according to all the rules of care in the presence of a glazed balcony or covered terrace. In winter, they are quite cold, but not so much that the lemon just freezes.

It often happens that at home it is impossible for a lemon tree to organize wintering with a decrease in temperature. In this case, you need to take care of the lemon tree in normal conditions, but water it much less often, no more than once a week, so that the earthen ball in the pot does not dry out. If flowering begins in the middle of winter, then most buds will need to be removed and no more than 1 bud per 15 leaves should be left.

A lemon tree wintering in cool conditions has enough natural amount of light. But if the lemon winters in the warmth, then in the process of care it is required to arrange additional lighting for it, the daylight hours should be at least 10 hours.

Lemon blossom care

flowering - milestone development of citrus, on which the beauty and future fruiting of a houseplant depend. At the flowering stage, it is recommended to feed the lemon with potash fertilizers - this will contribute to the successful formation of ovaries.

Since the tree consumes a lot of nutrients during flowering, it is recommended to remove some of the buds in the process of caring for a lemon flower at home. Closely spaced buds are thinned out, leaving only the largest of them and plants located closer to the base.

Optimum temperature during flowering for a lemon is about 20 ° C. Also during this period of care, it is advisable to move the plant pot away from the window to protect the lemon from an excess of bright sun.

Caring for a fruiting indoor lemon

Lemon care at home during fruiting requires phosphate fertilizers. If the plant does not have enough nutrients contained in the soil, then the fruits will dry out and fall off ahead of time, their shape will be wrong, and the peel will be too dense. At the time of fruiting, it is useful to replace ordinary water for watering the plant with an infusion of eggshell, such a liquid will additionally provide the lemon with valuable substances.

Lemon care after fruiting

Ripe ripened lemons from the branches of the plant are usually carefully cut along with the stalks, without waiting for the natural fall. After fruiting is completed, lemon care is again carried out according to the usual rules - the plant is abundantly watered with plain soft water and the temperature is maintained at about 20-25 ° C.

Since the active season for a lemon ends after fruiting, immediately after harvesting the last fruits, you can prune the plant and start preparing the tree for wintering. AT autumn period lemon is useful to feed with phosphorus and organic matter to enrich the soil that has been depleted over the summer.

Some tips from experienced flower growers allow you to grow a homemade lemon more beautiful and strong:

1. The lemon tree at home enters its natural fruiting period only a few years after planting. Purchased lemon trees begin to form fruits after 3-4 years, while lemons grown from the stone take about 7 years. For faster formation of the plant, it is recommended to remove from it all the buds released in the first year, there will still be no benefit from them, and the lemon will spend a lot of strength and nutrients on flowering.
2. It is necessary to feed indoor lemon with both organic matter and minerals. However, it is necessary to apply fertilizers to the soil only in liquid form, along with conventional watering.
3. It is necessary to put a pot with indoor citrus on a table, window sill or other raised surface, from which at least 1.5-2 m remains to the ceiling. You cannot put a pot with a plant on the floor. Drafts walk along the floor too often, and the lemon tree is very sensitive to temperature changes and can react by dropping leaves.
4. If in the summer the tree is kept in a room, and in the winter it is transferred to outdoor balcony, the change in temperature conditions during care must be carried out gradually. The tree is accustomed to heat or cold for a couple of weeks, first it is taken out to new conditions for only a few hours, and then the time spent in warm or cold air is slowly increased.

I wonder what's too abundant flowering room citrus speaks of improper care behind the plant and goes to the detriment of fruiting, and not to the benefit. If the tree has produced too many flowers, some of them must be removed and only 2-3 flowers per branch should be left.

Conclusion

Caring for a lemon at home is quite simple. The plant is sensitive to changing conditions and requires stable care, but in general it is unpretentious - cultivation measures are reduced to regular watering, fertilizing and maintaining the temperature regime.

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Indoor citrus varieties are compact, they rarely grow more than two meters in height. How to care for a lemon on the windowsill so that it grows safely, blooms and bears fruit, read the article.

Choosing a lemon for home growing, you need to take into account its need for lighting. If the windows of the apartment face west or north, you can choose pavlovsky lemon, it grows well on northern windows. This variety is unpretentious in cultivation, begins to bear fruit for 3-4 years of life, bringing from 20 to 40 tasty fruits of medium size.

For more experienced growers, a variety is suitable. Meyer or Chinese lemon. It is demanding on watering, lighting and air temperature. If in winter the room where it grows is more than +12 ° C, the fruits may not set.

Distinguished by beautiful flowering variety Anniversary. Flowers collected in inflorescences of 14 pieces, white with purple tint. The fruits are large, can reach 600 g, they begin to set 3-4 years after planting. The variety is undemanding to watering and air humidity.

Variety Maykop attracted by high yields. mature tree can produce from 100 to 300 fruits weighing about 150 g per year. Lemon prefers to winter in a cool room.

Large fruits, weighing more than 500 g, grow on a variety Panderose. This hybrid was obtained by crossing citron and lemon. It normally tolerates dry, hot air, loves bright diffused light, and needs frequent feeding. It blooms with large creamy white flowers.

Miniature delicious lemons, about 4 cm in diameter gives a variety Volcano. it bonsai does not exceed 1.2 m. It is very decorative, because it blooms all year round, on it you can often see flowers and fruits at the same time.

Optimal conditions for breeding indoor lemon

It is advisable to choose a well-lit place for indoor lemon, where it will be protected from direct sunlight. In order for the crown to develop evenly, the plant is turned to the window a few degrees once every 10 days.

Growing conditions and care for lemon:

• soil with a slightly acidic reaction (pH 6);
• regular top dressing all year round;
• illumination in winter;
• abundant summer watering;
• air temperature from 14 to 27 °C;
• shaping cut.

You need to feed homemade lemon, alternating mineral and organic fertilizers. When the tree begins to bear fruit, it is especially necessary to feed it.

You can make nitrophoska under lemons. Fertiku or Pokon fertilizer for citrus fruits are well perceived by plants. AT winter period lemon is fertilized only with wood ash (1–2 tablespoons per 1 liter of water). From early spring to late autumn they are fed with biohumus, where more nitrogen promoting leaf growth. In summer, you need to fertilize 1 time in 2 weeks, in winter - 1 time per month.

How to properly water a tree

It is necessary to water the plant as the soil in the pot dries out. In summer, when moisture evaporation is stronger, this is done more often. If the plant is standing outdoors - in the garden or on the veranda, it needs daily watering.

You can check the level of soil moisture with an indicator or by touch, if it dries to a depth of 5 cm, water it. Water is taken at room temperature. Likes lemon sprinkling in the morning when Sun rays will not leave burns on wet leaves.

Cutting technology

In order for the plants to have a compact shape, they need shaping pruning. It is best to cut off the top point of the shoot in January, when the plant is still at rest.

In February, the indoor lemon will begin to “wake up”, and will give side shoots from 3-4 buds located closest to the top. Lateral shoots are also pruned, leaving 3-4 internodes, after which branches of the third order begin to awaken.

Formation is necessary for good fruiting. The more branching orders a plant has, the more fruits it has.

In order for the plant to begin to bear fruit faster, the branches must be taken to a horizontal position. This can be done with thick copper wire.

Lemon cuttings left after pruning can be rooted in sand or perlite, they easily sprout roots in about a month. Then they are transplanted into fertile soil.

Basic transplant rules

Pots for transplanting should match the size of the root system. It is undesirable to place a plant in a spacious planting container.

While the citrus is young, it is transplanted 2 times a year. For an adult 8-year-old lemon, the ground can be updated once every 5 years.

To prepare the soil, take compost, humus, coarse sand. Good to add pine bark fine fraction, then the root system develops better.

You can not use sphagnum moss as a mulch for lemon, it retains moisture for a very long time, this leads to decay of the root neck, and the death of the plant. As a mulch better fit crushed pine bark.

How to care for a lemon during flowering

It is better to cut off blossoming flowers on a young lemon so that it gains strength, grows roots and leaves, and only then bears fruit. The plant must grow at least 20 leaves so that it can produce the first few fruits, and then bear fruit annually.

In order for a full-fledged crop to grow at home, flowers need to be pollinated. Citrus fruits set without pollination, but seeds are formed in them only with cross-pollination. If there was no pollination, the fruits are obtained smaller size, the ovaries are worse kept on the branches, sometimes fall off.

The more fruits on the tree, the smaller they will grow, so some of the ovaries are removed immediately after flowering. They usually leave the largest of several closely spaced ones. Citrus fruits have a very long fruit ripening period, from 7 to 9 months.

Disease and pest control

If the root system is rotten, the leaves fall off. This happens when the plant overflows. Dangerous intensive watering in the cold season. To help the lemon, which begins to "bald", it is transplanted into a pot with fresh soil.

The roots are well cleaned of the old substrate, washed under warm water, cut off all rotten. You can put the plant for several hours in Kornevin's solution (1 tsp per 1 liter of water). Then the roots are sprinkled with Fundazol and charcoal, and planted in the "Universal" substrate.

Noticing insect pests on the tree, they are treated with Fitoverm. Most often settles on a lemon spider mite and scale insects Against insects, two sprayings are carried out with an interval of 5–7 days.

What difficulties can be encountered in the cultivation and care

In evergreen plants, nutrition is deposited in the leaves, so they need to be protected. Sometimes, a lemon sheds its leaves and its existence is threatened.

Causes of leaf fall and treatment:

1. When the earthy clod dries out, the lemon can shed its leaves. To help the plant, it is watered and placed on the lightest windowsill. When new leaves grow, all dry branches are cut off.
2. A lemon can shed its leaves 1–2 months after purchasing it from a flower shop. This is due to the fact that the conditions of indoor maintenance are very different from the greenhouses to which the plant is accustomed. Lemon lacks, above all, light. Noticing the fall of the leaves, it is necessary to organize a backlight for the plant.
3. Low air humidity also contributes to leaf fall. You can buy a humidifier or just spray the plant 2-3 times a week on the leaves with water at room temperature.
4. Yellowing and falling leaves can be caused by a lack of nutrition. The plant needs to be fed and transplanted into fertile soil.
5. If the leaves have fallen, the lemon needs to be transplanted, fed, and covered with a bag to create high humidity, then young branches and roots will grow. You can not immediately remove the package, this is done gradually. You can treat a weak plant with Epin.

"Aboriginal" plants are more resistant and unpretentious than those bought in a store; you can grow a tree from a lemon stone yourself. To do this, a fresh seed is placed in a pot of earth, deepening by 1 cm, it will sprout in about 1 week. In order for lemons grown from seeds to begin to bear fruit, they are grafted when the trunk thickness reaches 4 mm. Grafting can be done about a year after seedling germination.

Lemon, one of the few fruit-bearing plants that can be grown at home without much difficulty. Unlike exotic and, which can also be grown at home, even a child can sprout a seed of an eaten lemon (which they often amuse themselves with). But growing a small lemon is not all. To achieve full fruiting, you need to make an effort and have at least a minimum of knowledge about how to care for a lemon at home. All these efforts will pay off in the long run. If we omit the undeniable decorative qualities of the evergreen lemon tree and the beauty of fragrant flowers, and focus only on fruiting, then lovers of “useful” houseplants will be delighted. Indoor lemon gives large, full-fledged fruits, which, in their own way, palatability often outperform purchased ones. An adult lemon tree at home is able to bear fruit throughout the year, and the number of fruits is quite capable of letting you forget about buying lemons.

Growing a lemon from a seed

As I mentioned, the easiest way to grow a lemon is from a seed. Often this is done in passing, by sticking a stone in a pot with any other houseplant. Usually such seeds germinate and grow for some more time, but in most cases this is all and ends. If you want to grow a full-fledged lemon tree from a stone, then you need to give it an individual space with the most suitable land for it. In principle, for the germination of lemon seeds, the usual mixture for indoor flowers, but it is better to make it even easier by diluting it with pure peat. For germination, seeds taken from well-ripened fruits are best suited (unripe lemons are often found on sale). The pot should be small - 7-9 centimeters in diameter (as for). The bone is deepened by about a centimeter - one and a half. Next, put the pot in a bright, warm place. It is desirable, how, to create greenhouse conditions for the seed. To do this, it is enough to cover the pot with ordinary glass jar. On this, the process of planting a lemon seed can be considered complete. In the process of germination, make sure that the earth does not dry out. A sprout should appear in a couple of weeks.

Caring for a lemon seedling is also simple. Keep the soil moist, do not let it dry out too much, spray periodically. To maintain greenhouse conditions, leave it under the same jar, only periodically (once a day) remove it for several minutes to ventilate and remove condensate from the walls of the jar. So a young lemon is kept until it grows to about 15 centimeters. After that, it can be transferred to a more spacious (10 cm in diameter) pot, sprinkled with more nutritious soil (about it below) and start caring for an adult lemon.

There is a nuance. This simplicity has a significant drawback. For many years, a lemon grown from a stone will be only an ornamental plant for you, there can be no talk of any fruiting for a long time. Only after 10 years can you count on flowering and the beginning of fruiting. There is a way to speed up this process, but it will also speed it up by a maximum of 4-5 years. This method is not easy and I will definitely describe it separately.

Other ways to grow indoor lemons

More effective is the method of grafting a cutting of a fruiting lemon onto an adult non-fruiting tree. As a rootstock, you can use the same lemon grown from a stone. By the way. As a rootstock, any citrus tree (tangerine, orange, etc.) is suitable. A lemon is grafted, as well as. This operation is quite complicated and beyond the reach of most beginner flower growers, so if you decide on it, think carefully about whether you can carry it out with high quality.

Despite the fact that the fruiting of such a lemon will begin incomparably earlier than when grown in other ways, it also has a number of significant drawbacks.

– Firstly, the method is complex and requires skills.

- Secondly, you need to have a well-developed (not younger than three years old) stock, and its cultivation also takes time ...

Growing lemon from cuttings is the most effective, simple and reliable way grow a fruit-bearing indoor lemon. For him, you need to have only cuttings taken from an adult fruit-bearing lemon tree. I have already described in detail how to grow a lemon from a cutting. You can read -. I can only add that although the flowering of such lemons can occur within a few months after rooting (as evidenced by the photo below), they will not begin to bear fruit immediately either. For starters, they need to develop well. But after three or four years, you can safely count on the first harvest.

How to care for indoor lemon

Lemon care at home is, first of all, a set of rules that must be strictly observed! These rules are simple, but ignoring at least one of them will lead, if not fatal, then very unpleasant consequences.

Lighting

Lemon is considered a short daylight plant. This means that he will calmly endure the lack of light. But it is also impossible to call an indoor lemon a shade-tolerant plant. In a well lit large quantity the windows of the room, it will successfully grow even in its far corner. But if there is not enough light, the lemon will immediately react to it with the appearance of chlorosis. The leaves will become faded, embossed, veiny. It may even go as far as dropping leaves. This is especially evident in winter, when daylight hours become very short. In some cases, artificial illumination of the lemon may also be required. But this is if it is a very dark room, and it also depends on the variety of the lemon tree. The lengthening of daylight hours and bright lighting, on the one hand, contributes to the growth of homemade lemon, but on the other hand, it slows down the onset of flowering, and, accordingly, fruiting. As practice has shown, a lemon can develop well on a western windowsill (as long as it fits there). Other window sills, including oriental ones, are not the best solution for its placement. Here on a table or stand near the south or east window is the most suitable place for it. And although a certain amount of direct sunlight will only benefit him, he must be protected from the scorching rays of the south side.

Lemon develops cyclically. Regardless of the time of year, indoor lemon enters the stage of active development every 3-4 months. That is, if your lemon is frozen and does not grow new shoots and leaves, it does not mean anything. If there are no signs of deterioration in his well-being, then the time has not yet come.

temperature for lemon

Room lemon does not like heat. The most comfortable temperature for him lies in the range of +17 - 20 degrees. Higher temperatures are possible and desirable only during fruit ripening. For the formation of buds and ovaries, the temperature of indoor lemon content should be moderate and even cool (+15 - 18 degrees). If it is warmer, then it is quite possible to drop the buds. Preferably in winter. To do this, he needs to provide a very cool content at a level of +12 - 15 degrees. In practice, this content is applied only to young lemon trees or those that have not yet reached fruiting age. For fruit-bearing trees, this is the time of fruit ripening, which means that they need a higher temperature.

Indoor lemon is essentially a lemon tree adapted to home conditions, therefore, in summer it will be most comfortable for it on the street. At the same time, one should not forget that the tree is southern and sudden changes in temperature are undesirable for it. If a sharp cold snap is expected, then bring it better into the room.

Watering a lemon and air humidity for it

Equally, both excessive watering and overdrying of the earth are dangerous for indoor lemon. The frequency of watering directly depends on the air temperature, the size of the plant, the volume and density of the land in which it grows. Of course, in the warm season, the lemon should be watered much more often. It is advisable to maintain a constant soil moisture in a pot, but without undue zeal, so as not to flood the plant. Until you have studied all the essential needs of your lemon, wait until the top layer of soil dries out, then water. In winter, especially when kept in cool conditions, watering is reduced.

For room lemon should be increased. Especially if you keep it in warm conditions in winter. Heating appliances during this period greatly dry the air, which will inevitably affect the plant. Spray it as often as possible. But if the conditions are cool, then spraying is excluded! In the summer, wherever the lemon is, outdoors or indoors, be sure to spray it at least once a day.

Top dressing lemon

There are many fertilizers for citrus fruits. But, alas and ah, not all of them correspond to the description and purpose. Over the years of growing lemons, I went through a great many of them until I found a really worthy one. I'm afraid that you will have the same search. Indeed, in your city there simply may not be such a fertilizer. But if you're lucky, then this is a fertilizer for citrus fruits, the Master-Agro series. From March to September, feed the lemon with this (or similar) fertilizer every week. If it is with fruits, then top dressing can be continued even after the end of this period. There are also folk ways lemon. In particular, infusion of ash (preferably birch), infusions of birch leaves or quinoa leaves.

Lemon transplant

Note! An untimely and incorrect transplant of a lemon can nullify all efforts to grow it!

It is impossible to transplant an indoor lemon tree. Most of the so-called "recommendations" say that it should be transplanted almost annually, and even in a pot 5 - 6 centimeters more. It is not right! Lemon loves a cramped pot, and a container that is too spacious is the most common cause the fact that the lemon does not bloom. Moreover, in a large pot, the danger of acidification of the earth and rotting of the roots increases many times over. But you still can't do without transplants. As the root system grows, the capacity must also be increased. But not much, a couple of centimeters maximum. Let the transplant have to be carried out more often, but your plant will develop normally. Determining the need for a transplant is easy. If the roots of the lemon have begun to break through the drainage holes of the pot, then this is the most obvious sign. But this may not happen, and a transplant is required. Therefore, I advise once a year (in the spring) to carefully remove the lemon from the pot along with a clod of earth and inspect it. It usually comes out very easily. If the roots are wrapped around the whole lump, then a transplant is required immediately, if only a part of them breaks through a lump, then a transplant is desirable, but not necessary, if the roots are not visible at all, then return the lemon to its place, this year there is no need to replant it. Transplanting a lemon is also not difficult. As it is, with a clod of earth, place it in a larger pot and fill the free space with fresh earth. Prepare a new pot first. Create a good drainage layer, pour on it right amount fresh earth, so that when installing the tree on it, about 0.5 centimeters remain from the surface of the earth to the edge of the pot. Lemon really does not like when its root system is disturbed. Therefore, the transfer method is used. Try to avoid transplanting with cleaning the roots from the ground and use it only in case of emergency. For example, if the earth is acidic and there is a danger of rotting the roots of a lemon.

Advice. If you are not replanting a lemon this year, then just carefully remove the top layer of soil in the pot and replace it with fresh. This procedure is safe and very beneficial. You can do it as often as you want and at any time.

For indoor lemon should not be overly heavy. It should freely pass water and air, being at the same time quite fertile. There are many citrus mixes on the market, but not all of them are suitable for proper cultivation lemons. Sometimes they have to be lightened with peat or, on the contrary, weighed down and enriched with humus. When choosing land for indoor lemon, be sure to familiarize yourself with its composition.

If possible, it is better to make the earthen mixture yourself: two parts of leafy earth, one part of humus and sand. You can also add a quarter of wood ash or ashes.

Advice. Even if you bought ready mix, then add ash to it.

pruning lemon

Answer unambiguously the question "How to cut a lemon?" is possible only if you have it only as ornamental plant and is not fruitful yet. At this time, it can (and should) be shaped into a branched tree. In this, it is not much different from, or. Young lemons grown from cuttings or seeds usually first grow in one stem, a "fishing rod". When it reaches a length of 15 - 20 centimeters, pinch the top, this stimulates the growth of side shoots. You can also cut off the top if the "rod" is too long. The effect will be the same. But pruning is better not to abuse. If possible, use only pinching. This is especially true for fruit-bearing plants. For such a lemon, every leaf counts! In theory, each fruit for full development an average of 25 leaves is needed, therefore, the more lemons on a tree, the more leaves are required. At the same time, removing old, withered branches will not only improve the appearance of your indoor lemon, but also extend its life.

Successful cultivation and a bountiful harvest!

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A homemade lemon tree is a godsend for many gardeners. Not every plant can simultaneously please with decorative foliage, fragrant flowers, growing and already ripe fruits. The advantage of homemade lemons is absolute naturalness. And although the harvest does not always come out quickly, indoor citruses grow tastier and juicier than store-bought. If the grower wants to harvest a decent harvest, one must responsibly approach the cultivation of a homemade lemon: how to care for the plant, when to mold and feed - everyone who has purchased citrus should know this.

The citrus guest comes from subtropical regions, so it does not take root well in open field in cold winter conditions. However, growing it indoors can be successful. To do this, you must initially organize competent care for homemade lemon: maintain a constant humidity of the air, soil, provide a sufficient amount of light and heat.

AT flower shops or nurseries, it will not be difficult to acquire seeds or seedlings of varieties that are adapted to adverse conditions. In the wild, the plant can reach an impressive size, and for growing in a room, samples are taken no higher than 1.5-2 m. For the winter, the foliage of a subtropical guest does not fall off, which is why it is called evergreen. Leaf plates last 2-3 years, so they must be protected. - a solid competitor for lemon, he also boasts elegant decoration.

AT room conditions flowering is possible twice a year: in early spring and late autumn.

The best varieties citrus tree for the house - dwarfs and semi-dwarfs:

Dwarf varieties do not differ in yield, they are grown mainly for decorative purposes. Taller trees can reward the grower with large fruits in large quantities.

How to care for indoor citrus?

Lemon tree care consists in constant monitoring of humidity, temperature and lighting. He needs correct selection soil composition, its friability. Do not ignore the formation of the bush. The gardener must initially know how to cut a lemon so that it develops harmoniously and produces more fragrant fruits.

• Lighting and temperature regime summer and winter

South windows and other places with good lighting. Lemon prefers bright light and long daylight hours. Young specimens are best shaded from the midday sun, as fragile leaves will get a serious burn. Organizing, cypress, variegated ficuses also take into account this rule, despite the fact that these plants are photophilous.

The temperature in the room where the lemon is kept should be moderately warm. Sharp drops are contraindicated, therefore, during winter ventilation, the pot must be removed from the windowsill without changing the position of the crown to the light. In summer, the plant can be sent to the garden or to the open balcony.

The crown develops better if it is not often turned over in different directions to the light.

Lemon care in winter is moderate. The room should be cooler - from 10 to 14 ° C warm. Perfect option accommodation - insulated loggia. If the tree has not gone into the dormant phase, then the temperature is maintained at about + 18 ° C, while it is necessary to extend the daylight hours up to 12 hours with the help of a lamp.

• Watering a lemon without errors

Depending on the air temperature, the amount and frequency of water application is changed. In hot weather, moisture is applied daily. Water is taken warm, settled for at least 7-8 hours. From September to March, one watering per week will suffice. After each introduction of liquid, the soil must be loosened so that air flows freely to the roots. The plant does not tolerate both drought and waterlogging. It is necessary to focus on the volume of the pot, the temperature regime.

The smaller the pot and the looser the soil, the faster it dries out. In rooms with central heating need to be watered more often. Humidify so that the liquid penetrates through the drainage hole onto the pan. Excess water is removed after 20 minutes. In this way, it will be possible to wet the entire earthen lump, and not just its upper part.

Lemon care involves spraying in hot weather. Foliage is processed from a spray bottle 2-3 times a week. Spraying is carried out both in summer and in winter, when the heating radiators are operating at full capacity. To increase the humidity of the air will help placing a tray with water or a humidifier next to the tree. If there is a practice of caring for this plant, then it is possible to grow wild for a bountiful harvest.

When caring for a lemon in a pot, it is important not to forget about fertilizing. During the growing season, feed every 10 days. Fertilizers are suitable for both mineral for citrus fruits and organic ones, for example, mullein solution. Before applying fertilizer for 2-3 hours, the soil is watered. This will protect the root system from burns. In winter, fertilizers will also be useful, but the frequency of their application is once a month. If the tree has a healthy appearance, it blooms and forms fruits, then for a while you can refrain from applying fertilizers.

Rules for transplanting and pruning

When transplanting citrus, a drainage layer of broken brick, expanded clay or coarse sand must be laid at the bottom of the box. Drainage holes must be made in any container to drain water. Liquid stagnation must not be allowed. The soil in the pot should be loose, without lumps. The reaction is neutral or slightly acidic. Lemon develops well in soil of medium nutritional value: they take humus, sand and leaf ground. A container for transplantation is needed 3-4 cm larger than the previous one in diameter.

Pruning is necessary to approach the flowering period. The shoots are also shortened in order to create a neat crown. It is pinched, removing the apical kidney. At least 4-5 leaves should remain on the shoot. The lemon tree is pruned in the spring at the beginning of flowering.

Pruning homemade lemons play an important role. If it is ignored, then the tree will not give enough fruit or will not bloom at all. If in one year the lemon has formed much more ovaries than usual, then the weakest branches with buds must be removed. Too many fruits will deplete the plant.

As soon as the lemon peel turns yellow, the lemons must be harvested. If you are late with the collection, they will become too sour and dense.

Video about cropping rules.

How to increase productivity?

The room lemon gives the first harvest, depending on the method of reproduction. If a tree is grown from a seed, then it is not worth waiting for fruits before 5-7 years. Sometimes it takes at least a decade before fruiting begins. A bush obtained from a cutting, with proper care, begins to bear fruit for 2-3 years.

Secrets of a bountiful harvest:

Growing problems

What difficulties can be encountered in growing? There are several problems:

1. Falling leaves and buds occurs when there is a lack of moisture, drying out of the soil, excessive dryness of the air. Leaf loss can also be caused by waterlogging. It is recommended to transplant the tree by taking out the roots with a clod of earth and pre-drying on a newspaper sheet.
2. The leaves become pale with a lack of lighting, a minimum amount of nutrients.
3. Lack of flowering - a cramped or overall pot is to blame.
4. The tips of the leaf plates turn brown due to lack of moisture and dry air.

As a prevention of fungal diseases, the soil is watered every 2 years with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

If no mistakes were made at all stages of cultivation, then after a few years the florist can be content with mouth-watering lemon slices for tea throughout the year. In addition to fragrant and tonic supplements, they will be useful during the cold season.

The lemon tree is an evergreen perennial heat-loving plant that does not tolerate low temperatures well. It is a hybrid species of plants of the genus Citrus, belongs to the Rutov family. The lemon tree was originally grown as an ornamental plant in China.

Lemon tree - description

The height of the lemon tree can reach three meters. The leaves of the plant are dark green with a sheen. lemon tree flower has white inflorescences, which are arranged in brushes in the axils of old leaves or at the tips of old and new shoots.

The formation of a flower bud occurs throughout the year, but more in the spring. After the appearance of the bud, the lemon tree flower develops for another month and only then blooms. Lemon blossoms for several days. The aroma of blossoming buds is thin and sweet, a bit like the smell of acacia or jasmine. With a sharp drop in air temperature in the room, the lemon tree reacts immediately. It is for this reason that leaves, unopened buds and flowers fall off the lemon tree. The optimum temperature of the room in which the plant is located is +16 +18 ° C, humidity should be at least 60%.

The color scheme of the lemon pericarp can be from light yellow to red or green. Lemon peel is dense from orange to bright - yellow color. It contains glands essential oils which give it a specific aroma. The weight of the fruit is small, on average 65 grams. The length of a lemon is from 6 to 9 centimeters, the diameter is from 4 to 6 centimeters. The inner part in the section has several nests with seeds. The fruits of the lemon tree can be located both singly and in clusters. In form, they differ depending on the variety or type of hybrid.

Types of lemon trees

By the presence of a stipule, it can be determined that a lemon tree in a pot is a hybrid. These varieties include Jubilee lemon, Meyer lemon, Ponderosa lemon. Pavlovsky lemon, Novogruzinsky lemon, Genoa, Lisbon, Ural lemon, Kursk lemon, Maikop lemon, Jubilee lemon, Eureka, Lunario and other species are also distinguished.

Some types of homemade lemons during flowering have a reddish-lilac color of flowers. Room or decorative types lemon trees are unpretentious, relatively low and produce well (some varieties up to four times a year). They differ only in the taste of the fruit, the size of the plant and the frequency of appearance and ripening of fruits. Flowering and fruiting begins in their third year of life.

Where does the lemon tree grow?

China, India and the tropical Pacific islands are considered to be the birthplace of lemons. The wild condition of the lemon is unknown, most likely it is a hybrid that arose in the process of evolution. As an agricultural crop, lemon is grown in the CIS countries: in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The leaders in the cultivation of lemons are India, Mexico, Italy, Turkey.

Lemon Tree Care

In order for this plant to delight you with its aroma and frequent harvest, you should know the rules for caring for a lemon tree. Before planting, it is important to learn how to fertilize, prune, and water your lemon tree.

Primarily, watering a lemon tree produce only settled (at least a day) water. The trickle of water must be directed as close to the ground as possible to avoid erosion of the roots. The pot is filled with water until it appears at the bottom of the pan.

The soil during planting and during growth should be loose and nutritious. Fertilizer is applied once a week along with watering the lemon. In winter, if the air temperature in the room is not higher than 15 ° C, the lemon goes into “sleep mode” and does not require strong lighting. A pot with a lemon tree is placed as close as possible to the window, but it is better if direct sunlight does not fall on the lemon. If the lemon tree began to bloom prematurely, such buds must be removed, otherwise the plant may die.

Leaves require special care. It is necessary to ensure that pests do not appear on the surface of the leaves, spray them with water at least once a week. If, nevertheless, pests were found, a soap solution or tobacco tincture should be prepared, with which each leaf is treated. You can also purchase special insecticides. The most dangerous and common homemade lemon pests are the worm, scale insect, aphid, mite, nematode and garden slug.

The nematode is a small transparent worm that gnaws through the roots of a lemon, settles in them and sucks out the juice. At the same time, the tree begins to lose leaves abundantly. To detect a pest, you need to dig up the roots, they will have small swollen areas or growths, and the pest lives in them.

An interesting fact: if you move a plant from its usual place where it was constantly, and simply unfold the pot of lemon, the plant can slow down growth and bear fruit poorly.

Lemon tree - home care

Many people ask if it is possible grow lemon at home. In fact, caring for a lemon at home is not so difficult. First you need to seriously approach the choice and purchase of a seedling. When buying a lemon tree, you should initially pay attention to the root system: the roots should not be cut or dry. The seedling should have 2-3 old leaves, and young shoots should be small, about 10-15 centimeters. It is not difficult to determine the age of the leaves, the old ones have a dark green glossy color, and the young leaves are lighter with a delicate structure. When buying, do not take mature plant, its plus lies only in the beautiful appearance. But there is a huge minus: a change of place adversely affects the lemon tree, up to its death. It is better not to take seedlings of southern varieties, as they are grafted on trifoliate, and the fruits have an unpleasant aftertaste.

The crown of a lemon tree is formed in the process of its growth; randomness cannot be allowed in it. For this, tweezing is used (removal of the top of a young growing shoot). Sometimes the lemon is pruned to increase the yield.

Useful properties of lemon and lemon tree

In the process of growth, all parts of the lemon tree release volatile essential substances into the air - phytoncides, they can have a beneficial effect on the human body, increase efficiency, sterilize the air in the room, killing pathogenic bacteria and microbes. Lemon pulp contains a large number of citric acid and vitamins C, B, A, E. Lemons contain many micro and macro elements, such as chlorine, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, iron boron, zinc, copper, fluorine and many others. Also, lemons are able to relieve constipation: they contain a lot of fiber and pectin, which have a strong laxative effect.

Collection and storage of lemons

Lemons do not ripen at the same time, they need to be harvested as they ripen. Some varieties of lemon can be stored directly on the tree for up to three years. It is best to store the fruits of the lemon tree in the refrigerator on the shelf for vegetables and fruits.