Lemon tree on the windowsill is a real decoration of the house. In addition to beautiful shiny leaves of dark green color and a spreading crown, pleasing to the eye, it boasts that it bears fruit well at home.
Freshly picked indoor lemons are much tastier and healthier than store lemons, so this plant has a double benefit - both aesthetic and practical.
Lemon varieties growing at home
However, not all types of lemons are intended for home growing. In order for the tree to take root, bloom and bear fruit, one of the specially bred varieties should be chosen:
- Mayer, Meyer or Chinese dwarf - the most common, unpretentious species. It is characterized by small growth (up to 1 m), dense beautiful foliage and small, but sweet and juicy fruits of a round shape.
- Novogruzinsky and Kursky are tall (up to 2 m) varieties. They require more careful attention and care. Bear fruit more often. The fruits are large and aromatic.
- Pavlovsky is an unpretentious bushy plant of medium growth (about 1.5 m) with several trunks.
- Maykopsky is a medium-sized (1.5 m) variety with thin-skinned elongated fruits.
- Eureka is a fast-growing species. Gives fruits with a thick peel and a very sour taste.
- Genoa is a dwarf high-yielding variety. Differs in gentle pulp and fragrant zest without bitterness.
Optimal conditions for a good growth of indoor lemon
An ideal place for light-loving citrus trees is the windowsills of the southwestern and southeastern windows. In any other place, it is desirable to compensate for the lack of sunlight with phytolamps. Lemons grow well on glazed balconies and loggias, subject to the temperature regime and the absence of drafts.
Lemon Care at Home
In general, lemon is not a very capricious plant. It can be grown in a fairly wide temperature range. However, in order to achieve flowering and fruiting, it is necessary to observe the rules of care somewhat more strictly.
Lighting
Like many plants, lemon prefers bright but diffused sunlight. If the pot is on the windowsill, in the summer days it must be shaded or cleaned inland to avoid sunburn.
In winter, you can make up for the lack of lighting with ultraviolet lamps.
The plant does not like when the light changes direction, especially during flowering, and can react by dropping flowers and buds. Therefore, it is not recommended to frequently turn the pot or rearrange it in another place.
Temperature mode
Indoor lemon is not very demanding on the temperature in the room - the main thing is that it does not go beyond + 15 ... +27 ° C. In winter, the plant can be kept indoors cooler, but not lower than +5 ° C. In such conditions, the tree falls into suspended animation without dropping the foliage.
The main requirement is the absence of sharp temperature jumps. Lemon does not tolerate them and can lose all the leaves.
Not recommended:
- radically ventilate the room with an open window, exposing the plant under a draft;
- transfer the pot from a warm room to a cool one or vice versa;
- with the first autumn cold immediately bring in the heat from the street;
- to purchase a plant in a store in the winter - it will have to be carried in the cold.
Excessive heat is not good for the tree in the spring, when it is going to bloom. During this period, the optimum air temperature is +14 ... +18 ° C, otherwise flowering may not occur or buds that are already set will risk falling.
Air humidity
Citrus trees are hygrophilous. For full growth, they require an air humidity of at least 60%. To provide it, a room humidifier, a decorative fountain or just expanded clay filled with water on the pan of a pot will help. In this case, you must ensure that the water does not stagnate and does not cause rotting of the roots.
Watering
Citruses need abundant and timely watering during the period of active growth - in spring and summer. In autumn and winter, the frequency is reduced by observing the state of the soil.
If the plant is in hibernation in the winter, watered only occasionally with a small amount of water to prevent the soil from completely drying out. To do this, use settled or filtered water a little warmer than room temperature. Cold can cause root rot. The plant will benefit from melt or rainwater.
Top dressing
They begin to feed the plant in March, after leaving hibernation and with the beginning of the active growth phase. To do this, alternate organic and mineral fertilizers, adding them to water for irrigation about once every two weeks. In November, feeding is stopped - in winter, the plant does not need it.
Transplant Features
The first few years of life, a young lemon is transplanted every year. Adult plants only once every three to four years, subject to the annual replacement of the upper layer of the earth.
The best time is early spring, before flowering, or autumn.
When choosing a pot, it should be remembered that the capacity should not be too large - if there is too much free space, the plant directs its forces to growing roots, and not to flowering. In addition, the risk of decay in spacious tubs is higher.
The transplant is done by the method of transshipment - the roots are carefully removed together with the earthen lump without damaging it, and placed in a new pot with a layer of drainage (for example, expanded clay) at the bottom. The trunk is not buried - the ground level should remain the same. Fill up free space with fresh substrate.
Earth mixture
The soil for growing lemons is light, neutral or slightly acidic. The earth mix for citrus corresponds to such characteristics.
If you wish, you can mix it yourself: take two parts of sod land, one each for humus and leaf, and one for sand and peat.
Crown formation
In order for the tree branches to grow evenly in all directions, it is recommended that the pot be rotated about 30 degrees every few days. This can not be done if buds appear on the plant - a change in the direction of light can lead to their decline.
Crown formation begins when the lemon is one year old. To do this, cut the top of the tree with a sharp secateurs, leaving a 20 cm high stem. After this, side shoots appear. They are also cut off after another year, so that they branch more strongly.
Pruning not only improves the appearance of the plant, it also contributes to good fruiting. But plant growers do not recommend letting the tree bloom until crown formation is complete.
In adult fruiting plants, it is desirable to remove the shoot from which the fruit is picked - it will no longer branch.
Flowering and pollination
The flowering process takes a lot of energy from the plant. To help him successfully begin to bear fruit, it is necessary at this time to carefully look after him.
One of the conditions is a decrease in the number of flowers on a tree. The younger it is, the less fruit it can grow. Therefore, during the first flowering, you can not allow it to more than four ovaries - the rest must be removed. With each subsequent flowering, the number of fruits can be increased by two.
Pollination is the process necessary for the fruit to set. In vivo, it occurs with the help of insects. At home, you can easily do it with a regular brush, gently transferring pollen from flower to flower.
Rules for growing lemon fruits
The development and ripening of fruits on a lemon tree takes from 7 to 9 months. During this period, several rules must be observed:
- avoid temperature extremes;
- do not turn and do not move the flower pot again;
- Do not cut stems and leaves.
The foliage of the tree plays a very important role in the ripening of lemons. It is she who provides them with carbon dioxide and nutrients. It is believed that at this time at least ten leaflets should grow for each fruit on the plant.
Ripe lemons pluck one and a half to two months after formation. If you do not harvest on time, the skin will become thick and rough, and the flesh will become dry.
Propagation of indoor lemon
Indoor lemons are propagated by seeds and cuttings. Both methods are quite successful, but sowing is more time-consuming.
Regardless of which variety you want to grow, you can use the seeds of ordinary store lemons. The largest should be chosen. Then you can follow the instructions:
- Immediately after extraction, soak the bones for several hours in a solution of growth stimulant.
- Prepare small containers with holes in the bottom and a layer of drainage.
- Fill the containers with soil - the same as for adult plants.
- Plant one seed in each pot, deepening them by 2 cm.
- Cover with plastic wrap or cut plastic bottles and place in a warm (at least +18 ° C) place.
- Ventilate and spray from time to time. Water only with signs of soil drying.
Keep in mind that not all seedlings will sprout. Germination can take two to four weeks after planting. When four leaves form on the sprouts, you can transplant them into a pot.
When propagating from seed, plants lose all varietal characters and will not bear fruit. In order for them to turn into full-fledged fruit trees, it is necessary to vaccinate against the fruiting lemon.
A simpler way is to propagate an adult tree by cuttings. They can be taken from flower growers growing lemon at home, or received by mail, ordered in the online store.
A suitable stalk is 8-12 cm long and has at least three buds. The slice should be oblique, at a 45-degree angle. The bottom leaf needs to be cut, and the remaining half cut.
Landing is done step by step:
- Prepare a pot of the desired size with drainage holes, but put a claydite layer on the bottom and fill it with soil.
- A cut of the handle is treated with a growth stimulator.
- Place the seedling in the soil of the standard citrus composition vertically, deepening the stem by 1-1.5 cm.
- Put in a warm place and sprayed regularly. Watering is done only when the soil dries.
Rooting of cuttings usually ends in a month or a half.
Pests and diseases of indoor lemon
The minus of citrus trees is their susceptibility to a large number of diseases, some of which are useless to fight.
| Disease | Signs | Treatment |
| Sheet mosaic | Curl of leaves, light specks, stunting. | Isolate from other plants, provide proper care and top dressing. In case of severe infection, destroy the plant. |
| Citrus cancer | Deformation and dark spots on leaves and fruits, growth arrest. | Destroy the plant. The disease is not treated. |
| Tristeza | Causeless leaf fall, brown spots on the trunk and branches. | |
| Melseko | Drying, starting at the ends of the leaves and spreading to the branches. Leaf fall. Redness on the cut of branches. | |
| Gomoz | Oblong dark spots on the trunk and branches, often covered with cracks, from which a yellow resinous substance stands out. | Remove affected areas, treat with fungicidal preparation. Repeat treatment until stains disappear completely. |
| Anthracnose | Blanching and falling leaves. Reddish spots on the fruit. | Remove all affected parts, treat the plant with Fitosporin or Bordeaux mixture. |
| Scab | Yellow spots on the leaves, subsequently swelling and acquiring a pinkish color. Orange spots on the fruits. | |
| Root rot | Leaf fall, the smell of rot, darkening and softening of the roots. | Make an unplanned transplant. To clear the root system of the earth, cut off the damaged roots and treat with crushed activated carbon. Completely replace the soil. |
Sometimes the cause of the plant’s poor health lies in the attack of pests.
| Pest | Signs | Treatment |
| Shield | Brown tubercles on leaves and stems, sticky coating, wilting. | To process the plant with soap and water, rinse in the shower. Repeat in a few days. |
| Aphid | Deformation of the leaves, sticky plaque, insect clusters visible by the eye. | Cut off the affected leaves. If the stems are infected, treat them with garlic infusion. In advanced cases, treat with insecticides. |
| Root aphid | Stunting, wilting and yellowing of foliage. | Remove the roots from the pot, treat with garlic infusion or an insecticidal preparation, transplant into a new soil. |
| Spider mite | Thin, sticky web on young shoots. | Every five days, spray the plant with a solution of boric acid. |
To prevent infection of the lemon tree with parasites and diseases, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime, maintain the humidity in the room at the required level, systematically fertilize the soil and prevent excessive or too scarce watering.
