Lemon at home - cultivation and care. Indoor lemon - the subtleties of growing at home
Lemon is very fragrant and useful fruit. Lemons grown at home cannot be compared with store-bought lemons in terms of taste or aroma. Its use is limitless: pastries, teas, salads, jams and much more. Lemon is also widely used in traditional medicine because it contains a lot of vitamins. And the tree itself purifies the air. It is very pleasing to the eye when it snows outside the window, and a yellow lemon ripens on the windowsill among the green foliage.
Growing a lemon at home is a lot of work, and it doesn’t always work out the first time. I will share my experience of growing this wonderful tree.
Growing a lemon from a cutting
A lemon can be grown from a stone, it will be more viable than grown from a cutting, but it can only produce fruit in 15-20 years. If there is a desire to see the fruits on this tree earlier, then you need to be vaccinated from a fruiting plant. But I will tell you how to grow a beautiful tree from a cutting, from a fruit-bearing tree.
To begin with, we need a cutting from a fruit-bearing tree. Its length should be 8-12 cm, and it should be a little lignified, it is advisable to cut a branch from a tree in March. And it is very important that there are 3-4 leaves on the branch.
You will also need soil, you can use a universal one for citrus fruits, you can cook it yourself. The composition of the soil is washed river sand and humus in equal parts. There is still a belief, from experienced lemon growers, that a lemon tree grows well in the ground collected in the place where nettle grows well.
We will also need a root formation stimulator Kornevin, a container for growing lemon (I use plastic cups, without forgetting to make a drainage hole at the bottom of the cup), a plastic bottle to create a greenhouse.
The stalk should be soaked for a day in Kornevin's solution. We prepare the solution - 1 g of the drug per 1 liter of water.
The next day, we cut the leaves to half, so that the plant does not waste energy on feeding the leaves, but let all its vitality for root formation.
Sprinkle the lower cut with Kornevin.
After that, stick the cutting into wet ground. After the cutting is planted, it must be watered with settled water. room temperature. Then the stalk must be closed with a transparent plastic bottle, cut off the upper half. Then our greenhouse needs to be placed in the sunniest place, but it should be remembered that direct sunlight is dangerous for the handle. The stalk should be watered regularly, but do not flood and do not let the earthy coma dry out.
After about 3-4 weeks, the first roots should begin to appear, you can open the greenhouse and lightly try how to pull the cutting out of the ground: if we meet an obstacle, then we are on the right track, the roots have gone to growth. Now we need to adapt our lemon to room conditions. Within two weeks, starting from 5-10 min. and gradually increasing the time daily, open the cap on the bottle, accustoming the lemon to room conditions. After two weeks, the shelter is removed.
After the stalk starts up new young leaves, it is contained, as mature plant. When the roots in the cup are braided with an earthen lump, it can be transplanted into a permanent pot, by transshipment, increasing the diameter of the cup by two finger thicknesses.
If a young lemon has started buds, then they need to be cut off, up to about 3-5 years of the plant's life, since the early fruit set can damage the tree, deplete it.
A homemade lemon needs to form a crown. Otherwise, it will not bear fruit well. First, cut off the lower shoots, then the upper ones. For a good development of the crown, the tree needs to be rotated around its axis, but a little bit, so that the flower completes a complete revolution around the axis within a year, otherwise, with a sharp turn, the lemon can throw off the leaves.
Conditions for bearing a lemon and the fight against its diseases
Watering
Lemon loves moderate humidity and does not tolerate both drought and strong moisture. But he loves soul very much when they spray it or bathe it in the bathroom under the shower, using a spray gun: spray the leaves with water 3-4 times a week. An excess of moisture leads to rotting of the roots, and a shortage leads to an attack by ticks.
top dressing
Lemon is very picky about feeding. Fertilizer should be applied once a month, complex, better for citrus fruits. If the leaves begin to turn yellow, then you need to apply a fertilizer with a high content of magnesium.
As a fertilizer, you can use slurry, sawdust and ash, and mineral supplements containing nitrogen. You can add a couple of grams of zinc or copper.
Flowering and fruiting
Lemon blossoms from spring to autumn. Blooms most profusely in March. To speed up flowering, you need to pinch the plant. When new shoots grow, they must be pinched or cut so that there are 3-5 leaves on the shoot. With this method of growing, the lemon will look compact, the leaves are larger. Flowers are of two types, empty flowers and with lemon. Which flowers have a large pistil, which means that a lemon will be tied from this flower. Experienced lemon growers believe that each fruit feeds 9-10 leaves. Depending on the number of leaves, you need to leave the crop.
On a lemon, you need to leave 3-4 tied lemons, the rest of the buds need to be plucked, otherwise the flower will throw off the tied lemons, and there will not be enough strength to tie new ones. I collect the collected flowers and buds and dry them, then add them to tea, the aroma of tea cannot be conveyed, you just have to try it.
The fruits ripen from 6 to 10 months, depending on the variety of lemon. The weight of a lemon can be from 50 g to 600 g. But the long wait is worth it.
Diseases, pests and how to deal with them
As a result of errors in care, the introduction of insects from outside with new plants, a weakened plant is affected by diseases and pests.
Homemade lemon can be affected by scale insects and spider mites, these are the most common diseases.
Disease prevention is regular spraying with water.
If noticed on reverse side leaves brown plaques and smudges, then this is a scab.
It needs to be treated with acaricides. You can also process folk remedies. Collect scale insects with a damp cotton swab and treat with a solution of soap and kerosene (40 g of soap and 5 drops of kerosene per 1 liter of water). Or smear the leaves with onion and garlic gruel (1 teaspoon per glass of water), thus depriving pests of the opportunity to drink plant juice.
Lemon leaves can also damage spider mites. If white thin threads are noticed on the branches and on the underside of the leaves, then this is the spider mite. spider mite does not tolerate moisture, the plant must be washed in the shower and the leaves processed laundry soap, put on a plastic bag on top and create greenhouse-humid conditions. You can process the leaves with a daily mixture of grated onions and garlic, one teaspoon per 1 liter of water. Spraying should be carried out three times with an interval of 7-10 days.
Transfer
Transplanting should be done at the end of winter, at the beginning of spring. Before the appearance of the first fruits, the plant is transplanted every year, increasing the volume of the pot by 2 cm. Then the transplant is carried out every 4-5 years, while between transplants do not forget to change upper layer earth.
Here is my experience in growing lemons, I grow two varieties of lemon - Panderose and Meyer. The former has very large fruits, the lemon is thick-skinned, the latter has small fruits with a thin skin.
Have a good experience in growing and enjoy tea drinking with delicious hand-grown lemons.
Lemon is an evergreen citrus tree. The birthplace of lemons is the subtropics, so plants love warmth and moisture. IN open field the tree grows up to 8 meters, although there are also dwarf three-meter trees. Home varieties at good care bear fruit all year round.
Indoor lemon - a brief description
At home, lemons are grown in flower pots or tubs. Growing a lemon in a tub, you can get from 10-30 fruits from a young plant to 200 from an adult every year. Lemons that are not inferior in quality to southern varieties can be picked from a tree about one and a half meters high. You can grow a houseplant from lemon pit, but truly delicious fruits are obtained only from varietal plants. Lemon - perennial and it blooms profusely, although the flowers are not too noticeable behind the dense foliage, but the room is filled with a fresh aroma from the essential oils secreted by all parts of the plant.
Growing features
Growing a lemon at home is not as easy as other indoor flowers. A home tree requires a spacious, well-lit room and constant attention. But there are obvious advantages - durability, pleasant smell, tasty and healthy fruits.
Several years pass from the moment of planting until the first fruits are obtained, so be patient and wait until your tree blooms and gives you the first medium-sized lemons. Over time, the tree will get stronger, and will delight you with a more generous harvest.
When growing a room lemon, the following conditions must be met:
- Light room.
- Regular ventilation.
- Good drainage.
- Regular feeding.
- Cool winter.
Planting a lemon
If you decide to grow a lemon from a seedling, pay attention to the "pedigree". It will be difficult for a fruit-bearing tree from the subtropics to acclimatize. We recommend choosing seedlings from indoor plants or from a tree living in your climate. Lemons from the Caucasus, grafted on trifoliate, are suitable for growing in cool rooms - winter gardens or greenhouses. At home, the plant is likely to die. When choosing a seedling, carefully study the information about it.
Landing root collar should be buried in the ground by only 5 mm. The soil level is 1 centimeter below the edge of the pot. This is necessary so that the root neck does not rot, and the soil is not washed off when watering. After planting, spray the seedling and water with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Place the pot in a bright spot, but keep the leaves away from direct sun rays, if necessary, shade the tree.
Lemons do not like to move from place to place, so choose a permanent home for the plant and do not turn it sharply so that home flower could develop normally.
Optimal time
The best time to plant is late winter to early spring as this is when the natural growing season begins.
The soil
Pour loose and nutritious soil into the pot after laying the drainage. Soil composition:
- Light loam (meadow turf) - 2 parts.
- Leaf land - 2 parts.
- Manure humus - 1 part.
- Coarse sand - 1 part.
On ordinary earth suburban area the lemon will bear fruit poorly.
If you cannot assemble such a complex composition, buy Lemon or Rose land at the flower shop.
Important! The tree will grow in the same soil for several years, so correct selection substrate and regular feeding are very important.
Features of care
Flaw sunlight should not kill the plant. When the days lengthen, the growth of the tree is activated, but fruiting is delayed. South and east windows are suitable for a houseplant. The most favorable place for a lemon is the windowsills of the eastern windows, on which the rays of the sun are bright in the morning, but not scorching. In the hot summer, fence off the flower pot from the sun with a gauze curtain.
Indoor lemons do not like light changes and rearrangements, the growth and development of fruits may slow down a little, but the tree will form correctly when turned.
Advice. In winter, it is desirable to organize daylight illumination for 6 hours a day. Place an incandescent or fluorescent lamp 60 cm above the tree.
Humidity
The most difficult period for indoor plants is October-March. The air in the apartment at this time is dry due to heating. Move the pot away or cover the batteries with a damp cloth. Spray the lemon periodically, but do not get carried away so as not to cause the development of the fungus. Place a cup of water in or near the pot.
In summer, it is useful to give the tree a cool shower once a week and wipe the leaves with a damp sponge. This is necessary so that the plant can fully breathe.
Important! The plant reacts painfully to changes in air humidity, dry air is especially dangerous when high temperature during flowering and fruiting. Flowers and ovaries may fall off. The more humid the air, the longer the leaves of the plant live.
Watering
In May-September, lemons should be watered daily, but sparingly. Waterlogged soil is categorically not suitable, but overdried soil can destroy a tree. In winter, water the lemon less often, but provide it with sufficient humidity.
Important! Do not water lemons cold water and in the sun. The optimal time for watering is morning or evening.
Temperature
The optimum temperature for the development of shoots and leaves is + 17 ° C, for the growth of fruits the temperature should be higher - + 21 ... 22 ° C. Lemons do not survive heat well, especially when humidity is low. In summer, when it gets warmer, flowers and ovaries can fall off, and temperature drops in autumn-winter can lead to leaf fall.
Attention! The soil temperature should be close to the air temperature. It is dangerous to bring lemon from the open air into a heated room. When it gets cold, try to gradually move the pot with the plant so that it can adapt to new conditions.
Top dressing and fertilizer
Fertilizers should be applied to the soil moderately, but regularly, since their excess is harmful to plants.
According to the condition of the leaves, shoots and fruits, one can judge what kind of nutrition a lemon needs:
- The leaves turn yellow, the number of fruits decreases, and they become smaller - there is not enough nitrogen.
- The leaves turn pale and fall off, and the fruits are deformed and coarsen - phosphorus deficiency.
- The leaves are growing, and the fruits are shrinking - potassium starvation.
- The tops of the branches dry out, the leaves turn pale and turn yellow, the lemon does not bloom and does not bear fruit - there is little iron.
In summer, when the plant can be taken out of the house, you can feed it organic fertilizer(bird droppings or water in which the meat was washed). It is not necessary to apply all fertilizers at the same time - lemons suffer from excessive feeding.
Carry out planned top dressing twice a month in the summer; from October to February, you do not need to feed the lemon.
pruning
When growing indoor lemon, it is important not to let it grow to the size of a tree, especially since this plant is prone to the formation of long branches. If the bush is not cut, the crown will become too large. When pruning, some of the branches are removed after the fifth leaf - the crown from such a haircut will become productive and compact.
Lemon transplant
The fact that it's time to transplant the lemon is evidenced by the roots sticking out of drainage hole, but this is a case of extreme neglect. A planned transplant should be carried out as the tree grows, each next flower pot should be slightly larger than the previous one. Circumstances occur, forced transplantation, for example, a pot may break or you will feel bad smell from the ground.
If the lemon does not grow well, it can be transplanted in the fall, although the optimal time is the end of February, until active growth begins, or the middle of summer.
- Carefully remove the plant, cut off the broken and damaged roots, and sprinkle them with crushed coal or Kornevin. The earthen ball does not need to be completely shaken off.
- Put drainage on the bottom of the pot and sprinkle some river sand. Above is a layer of soil.
- Cut off some of the branches to make it easier for the roots to nourish the plant.
- Make a recess in the soil, set the clod so that the neck is just below the edge of the pot. If you need to raise, add earth.
- Pour the earth in layers around the edges, making sure that the trunk is located in the middle of the pot.
- Trample the soil with your hands so that there are no voids left.
- Pour with settled water and loosen the soil a little.
Advice. To make the lemon easier to endure stress, sprinkle it with Zircon and cover it with a film for 5-7 days.
reproduction
Cultivation of lemons can be carried out by cuttings or seeds. A tree grown from a seed will bloom and begin to bear fruit no earlier than after 8 years. If you plant a cutting, you will wait for your own lemons in 4 years. A lemon cub grown from a seed does not necessarily inherit the characteristics of a variety from the parent tree, and when cutting, identity is guaranteed. But trees and seeds are more resistant to disease and better adapted to life in captivity.
Reproduction by seeds
You can get lemon seeds from any ripe fruit. Each lemon contains several seeds, take them out and plant several pieces at a distance of 5 cm. It is better to plant seeds from several fruits.
The soil for planting is well-drained peat and soil for flowers in a 1: 1 ratio. Bury the seeds 1 cm deep and make sure that the ground remains moist, but without overflow. At room temperature, sprouts should appear in two weeks. Choose the tallest ones, and delete the rest. Cover the sprout with a jar and place in a well-lit place without direct sunlight. Every day, air the sprout for several hours by removing the jar.
When a few true leaves appear, plant the sprouts in pots up to 10 cm in diameter with good drainage. When transplanting, try to keep the roots and soil around them. Pour a mixture of peat and earth for flowers into a pot. Transplant a plant that has grown up to 15-20 centimeters into an “adult” pot.
Reproduction by cuttings
In the spring, semi-lignified twigs are cut about 10 cm long with several leaves, and rooted in a homemade greenhouse with high humidity and temperature. Soil: peat and earth for flowers.
Lay drainage at the bottom of the pot, on top - a 5-centimeter layer of a mixture of soddy soil and sand (6: 1), then a mixture of sand and moss. This layer will mainly contain the root system of the future plant. Plant a cutting, water it and spray it warm water. Cover with a jar.
It is necessary to spray the cutting twice a day with water at about + 25 ° C until rooting occurs. At room temperature, the cutting should root in 3-4 weeks. After that, remove the jar for several hours a day, and after a week remove it completely. After another 7 days, you can transplant the cutting into a small pot with nutritious soil and reliable drainage. After a year, you can transplant a lemon into a regular pot, and after 3-4 years it will begin to bloom.
Bloom
Tops of young lemon shoots are pink-purple. The oval toothed leaves contain an essential oil. Leaves are replaced after 2-3 years. Large lemon flowers (4-5 cm) bloom in the spring five weeks after the appearance of the bud, flowering lasts more than two months. After the petals fall, a fruit is tied, ripening after 200 or more days.
If young plant begins to bloom in the first years of life, it is desirable to cut off the buds so that the tree can develop normally. When the buds appear for the second time, they are no longer cut off - the lemon itself “decides” how many fruits it can feed. Extra buds will fly around themselves. You can allow flowering when the tree already has at least 20 leaves. It is believed that each fruit requires at least 10 mature leaves.
Care after flowering
Lemon grows all year round, blooms and bears fruit. On one tree there may be ripe fruits, ovaries, flowers and buds. It is not necessary to pluck faded inflorescences, as they turn into ovaries. If the lemon bloomed in summer, the fruits ripen faster than in spring flowering.
Problems, diseases, pests
Many diseases of decorative lemons are caused by improper care. With a lack of light and nutrients, lemon leaves brighten. Buds and leaves fly around if there is not enough moisture. The dry air in the room is especially hard for the plant, flowering may stop, the leaves darken and fall off.
Pests also often settle on the plant:
- Shchitovki lead to the drying of branches, leaves and the death of a lemon. Remove the pests with a toothbrush and wash the lemon with soapy water.
- The spider mite settles on the wrong side of the leaves and the web gradually envelops the entire tree. Spray with a 0.15% Aktelik solution three times, every 10 days.
- The mealybug leaves sticky secretions on the leaves. The fruits and leaves fall off. It is recommended to inspect the plant and collect the larvae.
- Citrus aphid. The Aktelik solution helps to get rid of this pest.
- Thrips and whiteflies also settle on lemons, which must be collected by hand, and the tree should be washed in the shower and treated with soapy water.
Popular types of indoor lemon
- If the lemon leaves turn brown, increase the humidity in the room and water the plant more often.
- Small leaves and thin shoots indicate that the lemon urgently needs to be fed and put in a more lit place.
- The leaves dry and curl when there is not enough light and moisture. Spray the lemon every day, water and feed with complex fertilizers.
Answers on questions
Lifespan of indoor lemon
With care and proper care lemons live up to 45 years. indoor flower dies prematurely due to diseases and pests.
Why isn't the lemon blooming?
You probably planted the plant in a too cramped pot. Transplant it and feed it with complex fertilizer.
What to do if a lemon sheds leaves?
For a lemon, leaf fall is a reaction to stress. Perhaps after the summer you moved it into the room or, on the contrary, abruptly placed it under bright rays. Arrange artificial lighting or create a shadow. The reason may be excessive or insufficient watering - souring of the soil and drying out of the earthy coma are equally harmful to lemons. If the tree has not been watered for a long time, do not moisten the soil abundantly, add water little by little over several days.
Why does a lemon shed fruit?
Lemon sheds fruit when it does not have enough strength to develop them. The first flowers that appear on a young lemon must be cut off, and only 2 fruits can be left on a three-year-old plant. In the future, each fruit should have at least 10 leaves.
How to winterize?
The main task in wintering is to save the leaves. The room should not be too hot - no more than + 20 ° C. Keep the plant pot away from the batteries and place a container of water next to it. If the windows are reliably protected from cold air, arrange a tree on the southeast or southwest window. Watering a lemon in winter should not be as plentiful as in the warm season.
Ornamental plants and indoor flowers. However, a plant can be not only beautiful, but also useful - for example, fruit-bearing, like a lemon. Have you tried to plant a bone before, and it didn’t work out for you? To grow lemons at home, you need to know some tricks. Then in a few years you will enjoy fragrant tea with your own lemons.
What kind of plant?
Lemon is considered an evergreen shrub, belongs to the "rue" family. Leaves and twigs of lemon in large quantities have glandular cells with pores that secrete phytoncides and essential oils - from this the house is filled with a wonderful aroma and health is strengthened.
The lemon looks interesting - it's a tree small size, although it all depends on the variety - there are trees and three meters each. The lemon has fleshy glossy dark green leaves, and there are small spines on the trunk. Lemon blooms beautifully - these are red-pink outside and white inside flowers. Previously, lemons were exotic, but today they are not so rare even in our apartments with a far from tropical climate.
Seedling or stone?
It is easier to grow a lemon from a sapling (sprouted small tree), although it is quite possible to grow one from a lemon seed. Many people think that a bad lemon will turn out from a stone, and there will be no fruits on it, although this is not true. In about five years, it is quite possible to grow a fruit-bearing bush, thus lemons are bred in Italy, Spain and South Asia. It is more difficult to grow lemons here because of the climate, but at home the climate can always be created according to the requirements of the plants.
If you intend to buy lemon seedlings from specialized stores or botanical garden, then you will be asked which of the varieties you would like. And you need to know that only six main varieties can be grown at home - these are Genoa, Maikop, Meyer, Eureka and Novogruzinsky lemons. Of these, Maikopsky will be especially fruitful, and low ones - Eureka and Genoa, they can even be placed on a warm windowsill.
If you want a lemon from the escape
This method is easier, and it is recommended to start with it for inexperienced botanists. Escape is usually acquired in specialized amateur societies or botanical shops and gardens. When buying, ask for a one-year-old shoot so that it has at least three to four leaves. It is necessary to buy and plant a lemon at the end of February or March - these are the most natural growing conditions for a lemon in nature. At other times, the escape simply does not want to take root.
Special land is important - it should be loose soil and a mixture of humus, turf and leaf ground, you need to take them in equal parts, it is necessary to add sand from large particles to this earth mixture in a ratio of 1: 1.
Lemons grow only in clay pots of very wide diameter and depth. In a few hours before transplant lemon in the ground soak the pot in water. At the bottom of the pot in the place of the hole, put a clay shard so that it looks up with a bulge and closes the hole. A layer of fiberglass, a layer of sand drainage, small pebbles or expanded clay are placed on it (they can be perfectly replaced charcoal). On top of this, a layer of dry manure (no more than 1 cm) is laid and the stalk is planted in the ground. Make sure that the root neck of the seedling is at the level of the edge of the pot or below it.
Pour the stalk with warm settled water and close it with a jar (700-gram or liter), this will protect the seedling from moisture loss. The jar can be removed only when the seedling takes root.
Bone Lemon
To germinate a lemon so that it also bears fruit, you need to know the intricacies of its cultivation. Select the largest and most intact seeds from the fruits, place them in small containers like cups from curds with 3-4 drainage holes made.
For best effect treat the seeds with a natural germination stimulant - this is usually a sodium gummate solution (you can find it in flower shops). In a diluted solution, the seeds should lie for a day. This will give good development the root system of the tree in the future, and seedlings - the strength for growth.
After soaking in this solution, many recommend treating the seeds and seedlings with extra-epin and zircon to accelerate the growth of the seedling and form resistance to dry air and low light in apartments.
From 10-15 seeds, select the most germinating ones and plant them in loose soil - it should be loose soil and a mixture of humus, sod and leafy soil, you need to take them in equal parts, sand from large particles must be added to this earth mixture in a ratio of 1: 1. Planting depth - no more than 2 cm. Wait for shoots to germinate from three to five months, then select the best shoots. Further, everything is practiced as described above.
Subtleties of care
A tree at home requires special care - in order to wait for flowering and fruits, you must follow several rules for growing lemons in the house.
How to grow a lemon tree from seed / shutterstock.com
- Lemon needs organize additional portions of ultraviolet light, so get a special phyto-lamp for it - it will be useful for all colors.
- Indoors with lemon constant presence of a humidifier is necessary: he is a resident of the tropics and loves humidity.
- For lemon frequent transplants are important- at least once, and preferably twice a year - this is usually June and February, the soil should be the same as for the initial planting.
- For lemon at home timely feeding is important- this is done between February and early September. Lemon grows in waves, and during active growth it is also necessary to feed it. This is usually a ready-made mineral complex from specialized stores, and choose liquid fertilizers.
- If in the first year of growth the lemon began to bloom- it is necessary to ruthlessly cut off all its buds: if you do not do this, a lemon growing out of its natural conditions, will spend all its vitality on flowers and then wither away. You can let the lemon bloom when it has at least 15 leaves per flower.
Of course, this is not all the subtleties in caring for a lemon. But you'd better discuss all the details with a botanist when buying a seedling or on specialized forums for growing lemons. There experts will help you with advice.
What fruits do you manage to grow at home?
Alena PARETSKAYA
Everyone knows the lemon - this evergreen perennial is a guest from the subtropics, which has taken root quite comfortably in our homes and apartments. Homeland lemon - Southeast Asia, more than a thousand years ago, these fruits were brought from India, and eventually found popularity in Africa and America. This deservedly popular citrus can live in your home. How to grow a lemon from a stone at home, you will learn from this article.
This citrus tree produces color several times a year. Home-grown lemons have a thinner rind, more intense flavor than outdoor-grown ones. To grow a lemon from a seed, you will need to create comfortable conditions: high-quality ventilation, lighting, periodic top dressing with fertilizers, individual approach according to the season.
One of the main stages is the selection of high-quality seeds - this is the key to the future harvest. For planting material bones from purchased ripe lemons are quite suitable. Sow many seeds at once, so that later you can choose the strongest sprouts.
What is a lemon plant?
Lemon is considered an evergreen shrub, belongs to the "rue" family. Leaves and twigs of lemon in large quantities have glandular cells with pores that secrete phytoncides and essential oils - from this the house is filled with a wonderful aroma and health is strengthened.
Lemon looks interesting - this is a small tree, although it all depends on the variety - there are trees and three meters. The lemon has fleshy glossy dark green leaves, and there are small spines on the trunk. Lemon blooms beautifully - these are red-pink outside and white inside flowers. Previously, lemons were exotic, but today they are not so rare even in our apartments with a far from tropical climate.
Lemon tree - care rules and growing problems
At home, growing lemons requires special care. Subject to all the rules, you can get flowering and fruiting plants.
- For a lemon, additional lighting is needed - especially in early spring and autumn.
- In the room you need to create humid climate. To do this, spray the plant more often. Give him a shower, wash the leaves - lemons are tropical inhabitants and love high humidity.
- For a young lemon, frequent transplants are important. We prepare the earth, as for the first landing. Plants are transplanted necessarily with a clod of earth. A new pot is taken 5-7 cm more. Young ones - once a year, an adult plant can be transplanted every 2-3 years. The best time in summer is in June, and in winter we transplant in February.
- In the period from February to September, the lemon grows more actively - so you need to feed the bushes with bio-fertilizers at this time, alternating with mineral ones. We feed only liquid fertilizers. Do not forget about the rule: less is better than more.
- We form plants correctly. To make the tree more magnificent and actively grow side shoots- pinch the top of the head. It is better to do this in the first year of growth.
- For proper crown formation, turn the pot a quarter every week. In the future, a well-formed trunk will affect the quality of the fruit.
- If the lemon at home began to bloom in the first year, then you need to cut off all the flowers - do not regret it. Lemon spend all his strength on flowers and then wither away. Lemon can be allowed to bloom when the plant has at least 15 leaves per flower!
Growing lemon indoors. What should be the soil?
Ordinary land from the garden or purchased is not very suitable for the lemon to grow and develop, so it is advisable to create the necessary mixture yourself.
For ideal growth and development on 4 glasses of earth (100 g each), it is recommended to use the following ingredients in appropriate proportions:
- 2 tablespoons of ash;
- 6 tablespoons of humus leaves and manure;
- mix with 200 grams of sand.
The resulting mixture is diluted with water and placed in a pot prepared for lemon. It is important to tamp the ground so that air voids do not form in the root area.
After about six months, when the lemon has grown a little, it is transplanted into a larger container. It is desirable to prepare the composition of the soil in the same proportion as the previous one. You can, of course, buy earth in a store, but it is sold with a high alkali content. And growing a lemon from a seed at home is preferable in neutral soil.
If there is no other way out, you can neutralize the alkalinity of the earth by adding to the soil citric acid, but the main thing is not to overdo it (use a solution of water with 2-3 drops of acid for watering). 
Lemon from the stone: where to start?
Seeds are used only freshly harvested. They are selected from mature fruits that do not have signs of disease. Purely theoretically, this is true, but lemons come to us from supermarkets and bazaars.
Such fruits can not exactly be called freshly picked. How to be? Dried seeds that have lain for a month at room temperature significantly lose their germination capacity, but still germinate.
To completely grow a lemon at home, you need to stock up not with one or two seeds, but much big amount. Out of a dozen seeds, there will definitely be several sprouts.
Do not be afraid to grow many seedlings at once. It is not a fact that all your lemons from the stone at home will live to bear fruit. Some will die due to diseases, others will suffer when you vaccinate them. 
We start to grow homemade lemon bone as follows:
- We buy special soil or prepare the soil ourselves from river sand, soddy soil, humus.
- Prepared soil mix Arrange in separate small pots or cups.
- The seeds are planted in moist soil to a depth of 3 cm.
- We cover the top with a film to create a better microclimate.
- We are waiting for the appearance of sprouts, which appear after about 3 weeks.
- If 2 shoots grow from one lemon seed, one (which is weaker) should be removed.
Citrus plants obtained from seeds adapt better to room conditions, are more hardy and viable compared to cuttings or grafts. Fully fruit-bearing cultivated seedlings grow from the seeds. Their only drawback is that they begin to bear fruit late.
Growing a lemon
The time of emergence of sprouts depends on the temperature in the apartment. It usually takes 2 weeks to 1 month. As soon as 4 or more leaves appear on the sprout, you can remove the film if you made a greenhouse, and place the pot with sprouts in a well-lit place. It is important that young leaves are not exposed to direct sunlight, otherwise the young sprout will die. Follow the watering schedule. Water the soil as it dries. Water must be pre-settled and be at room temperature. For irrigation, it is recommended to use rainwater, but make sure that such water is not cold. 
It is not necessary to feed the lemon sprout in the first months. In spring and summer, a little fertilizer can be applied every 14 days. But only a little, proceed from the fact that it is better to feed less than to overfeed. Remember, the lemon tree is very demanding and capricious. The slightest violations in care and changes in environment affect the tree very unfavorably. Too much sun, strong winds, and drafts can cause your plant to lose its foliage. Non-compliance with the temperature regime is also undesirable for the germ.
With the advent of autumn, watering is carried out as rarely as possible. Landmark - the state of the upper layer of the earth. Top dressing is necessary only once every 30 days.
It is worth starting to form a crown in time, this must be done already in the first year of a young seedling's life. All weak, inward growing and deformed branches should be removed.
As soon as the seedlings germinate, you should choose the strongest and transplant into a larger pot.
In order to choose the right seedlings for transplantation, you should pay attention to the following criteria:
- crown. You have to look at its density. To determine this, pay attention to the distances that pass between the buds on a lemon seedling - they should be minimal.
- needles. Their number on the trunk should be minimal.
- leaves. The more of them, the better. It is good if they are strong and do not fall off from the minimum breeze.
All seedlings that are weakened, have thin shoots and an insufficient number of leaves must be immediately discarded.
Care during the fruiting period of a lemon
Fruiting lemon requires special care at home:
- Quality and additional lighting. This plant needs bright but diffused light. IN winter time year, the lemon is illuminated with LED or fluorescent lamps.
- High air humidity, which can be provided with electric humidifiers.
- Regular lemon transplant - at least once a year. End of February - beginning of March - best time for this procedure at home. For transplantation, it is necessary to take a container 2-3 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. Lemon is planted in a nutrient mixture of leafy, humus soil with the addition of rotted leaves in equal proportions. You can also use ordinary garden soil if you add horse manure to it in a ratio of 1: 3.
- Regular fertilization even for transplanted specimens. Plant nutrition at home is carried out from February to September. Fertilizers, which are rich in soil, lemon is enough for only a few months. The optimal nutrition of this plant at home consists of all essential trace elements, which are part of complex fertilizers.
This top dressing is applied in liquid form, previously diluted with water. 1 gram of the substance is consumed per liter of water. When using a weakly concentrated top dressing, the risk of burning the roots of a lemon plant is reduced.
Many flower growers alternate mineral lemon dressings with preparations containing organic components.
Lemons can bloom at home in the first year of life. All flower buds are recommended to be removed. Flowering takes away all the strength and energy from the plant, as a result of which it can simply wither. Only a few flowers per lemon plant are allowed.
Only after a few years you can see the result of the effort and time spent. The lemon tree will fully bloom and begin to bear fruit. A home-grown lemon tree differs from a purchased specimen in its endurance to indoor growing conditions. In the future, such a plant will require the same care as, for example, geranium or ficus.
DATES OF THE BEGINNING OF FRUITTING OF LEMON PLANTS GROWN BY VARIOUS METHODS
We are often convinced that it is extremely easy to make plants grown from seed bear fruit. That regardless of whether you are the owner of a grafted plant grown from a cutting or a tree seed, you will still receive the first harvest no later than four years later. You are being deceived.
- Firstly, the period of entry into fruiting of citrus fruits grown different ways, are different.
- Secondly, the mere presence of a tree at home does not mean that it will bloom at all. Proper care, attention, creation of optimal conditions for fruiting, feeding, lighting, temperature regime, microclimate and much, much more.
The timing of the onset of fruiting for various lemons is as follows:
- trees from seeds bloom in 8-10 years;
- citruses obtained by cuttings from earlier flowering tree will give the first fruits in 3-4 years;
- plants grafted by cuttings from a fruit-bearing tree may bloom the very next year after grafting;
- all these terms become irrelevant if the cutting for rooting or grafting is taken from a previously never fruiting adult plant.
The result of growing a lemon
Growing lemon for the purpose of obtaining good harvest, the process is long, but not difficult, if you follow all the rules described in our instructions. Take care and fertilize your tree, and it will thank you with excellent fruits.
Lemon grown in a pot on the windowsill will saturate the air in the house with phytoncides and essential oils, protecting from infectious diseases and bacteria. And so that a miniature tree regularly pleases not only appearance, but also fruits, it needs to be grafted. You can buy seedlings in specialized stores, but it is more interesting and cheaper to plant a seed in the ground and wait until it turns into a young sprout.
Choosing planting material
Where can I get lemon seeds? Go to the supermarket or the market, choose the most large fruit rich yellow hue and get a bone out of it. The main thing is that there are no spots or other damage on the citrus peel. In planting material taken from a dented or rotted sample, an infection or disease may lurk that will destroy fragile sprouts that have hatched from the ground.
The purchased lemon is carefully cut, trying not to touch the shell of the seeds with the blade, and the seeds are removed. Planting material is immediately sorted: large specimens are left, small ones are thrown away, because they rarely sprout.
It is advisable to plant the seeds in pots immediately, while they are still wet. But if there are a few dry lemon seeds left in the cabinet, which are a little more than a month or two, the workpiece is soaked in warm water for several hours, and then buried in the ground.
Lemons are also grown from cuttings, which you can get hold of from friends or neighbors. Cut off a young twig from a fruiting tree, put it in water, add heteroauxin and wait a day. There must be at least 3 buds on the handle, and the mother lemon must necessarily produce at least 6-10 citrus fruits per year.
Soil and pots
Some home trees grow up to 8–10 m in height, others stop at around 3–4 m. Beginners who deal with lemons for the first time try to plant a seed or cutting immediately into a huge pot or wooden box. The plant needs space, but when there is too much of it, the root system does not develop properly. Therefore, at the first stage, a small clay pot or a disposable plastic cup will suffice.
You can create a container for growing lemon from a bottle:
- Cut in half or a third. Throw away the top with the lid, leaving the bottom of the bottle.
- Make many small holes in the bottom to allow air to circulate.
- Place the homemade pot on a plastic plate or tray to excess water dripped on the stand, not on the windowsill.
- Fill the bottle with earth and plant a lemon seed in it.
You can grow citrus seedlings in flower pot, several pieces at once, but there should be a distance between them. It is recommended to mentally draw an equilateral triangle on the surface of the earth and in each vertex geometric figure stick in 1-2 grains.
Use for growing lemons and wooden rectangular boxes. Between the seeds, 15–20 cm recede so that the root system has space for development. Regardless of the chosen capacity, the bottom of the pot or box is placed drainage layer 1–1.5 cm high. If it is absent, moisture begins to accumulate, the air circulates poorly and a fungus appears in the soil. root system lemon rots, and the plant disappears.
As a drainage use:
- small pebbles or pebbles;
- small pieces of earthenware;
- grated foam;
- coarse sand;
- expanded clay or crushed wine cork.
Tip: To provide the plant with a nutrient medium, it is recommended to put a layer of peat, dried cow or horse manure or some moss. The height of top dressing is 1.5–2 cm, then comes the soil.
Ideal soil
lemon count unpretentious plant that can take root in any land. The main thing is to be warm and have enough moisture. Often seeds are planted in a mixture of soddy soil, river sand and humus. More experienced gardeners added to soil wood ash, which will feed weak sprouts.
Suitable for growing a citrus tree and land intended for indoor plants. You can buy soil in flower shops, it is advisable to add a little peat to the soil. If lemon cuttings are planted in pots, then a layer of sand is poured over the ground. This helps the citrus take root faster and take root in a new place.
Disembarkation process
Make a small depression in the soil, about 1.5–2 cm, slightly moisten the soil and stick a few seeds into it. It is recommended to take 2–3 grains per hole, because part of the planting material may turn out to be empty and unviable. If several sprouts have hatched from the hole at once, the strongest and healthiest specimen is left, the rest are carefully pulled out or cut off to the very root.
How it all happens:
- Put the seeds in moistened soil, sprinkle them with earth and lightly tamp the soil.
- Spray the ground with warm distilled or melted water using a spray bottle.
- Cover the pot with a plastic bag, which will create the effect of a greenhouse.
- Put lemons in a room where the temperature does not fall below +18. Before the first sprouts appear, the seeds do not need light, so citrus fruits can be kept in any room.
- Periodically open the film and ventilate the earth in pots, regularly moisten the soil with a spray bottle, but make sure that the earth is not too wet and damp.
With cuttings they do a little differently:
- A branch that has stood for several days in a special solution is planted in the ground after the appearance of thin roots.
- The plant is buried so deep that only two buds remain on the surface, the rest must hide underground.
- The stalk at first needs abundant watering, because the lemon does not have strong roots that can draw moisture from the soil.
- The plant feels comfortable at a temperature of + 18-20 degrees.
- It will take about 1.5–2 months for a citrus cutting to finally take root in a pot and begin to grow actively.
Tip: If you overdid it with watering, and the earth cannot dry out in any way, you should not wait for mold to appear. The pot is freed from moist soil and filled with new dry soil, into which the lemon is transplanted.
little trick
You can cover the hatched lemon shoots not only with a bag, but also with a regular glass jar. Place the container upside down to create a greenhouse effect. Lemons are drawn out faster wet conditions reminiscent of a tropical climate. If citruses were planted in a pot in winter or early spring, the plant is placed next to a battery or heater, and watered 3 times a week.
Water is used rain or melt, heated to room temperature. Irrigation liquid should settle for several days so that harmful impurities precipitate.
Fertilizer and transplant
Seedlings are fertilized every two weeks. Citrus fruits are suitable for dressings such as "Ideal" or "Healthy". You can buy special fertilizers created for lemons and other exotic plants, but they must include:
- manganese;
- zinc.
Citrus leaves are regularly wiped with a damp cloth, cleaning from dust. A pot with seedlings should stand in a well-lit window so that the plant receives a lot of ultraviolet light. But in order for the sprouts to stretch evenly and not shed their leaves, the lemon should be rotated around its axis by 1.5–2 cm every month. You can’t twist the seedlings sharply, otherwise such unexpected changes may result in “baldness” of the young tree.
In early spring, the grown citrus is transferred to another, more spacious pot. In the first year, the lemon should "move" 4 times. An adult tree can live in its pot for several years, the main thing is to renew the topsoil from time to time.
How to understand what a lemon needs new house? If its roots reach the drainage layer and try to get out of the pot, the tree has become cramped. Move the lemon from one container to another carefully so as not to damage the base. A little earth is left on the root system so that the plant adapts to new conditions faster.
Tree formation
So that the seedling does not turn into a shaggy bush of an incomprehensible shape, you need to take care of it. When the central shoot becomes strong and begins to stretch upward, acquiring branches and additional leaves, it is cut off. A stump 20 cm high should remain. Further, branches of the second order are formed on the central trunk, which are pinched when they reach 18–19 cm. Repeat the procedure again until shoots of the fourth “generation” appear. It is on them that buds, flowers and fruits are formed.
If you do not cut off the extra sprouts and branches, the crown of the lemon will become thick, and the tree will spend too much energy on feeding the leaves and unnecessary shoots.
When the trunk of the seedling becomes as thick as a pencil, the lemon should be grafted. It is necessary to ask friends or order a two-year-old stalk cut from a fruiting citrus in a specialized store. You will also need:
- well-sharpened knife;
- a roll of electrical tape;
- plastic bag;
- garden var.
First, a lemon branch is cut off, extending from the central trunk, leaving a stump 5–10 cm high. It must be carefully split into two equal parts. Sharpen the bottom of the handle in the shape of a blade and insert into the stump. Coat the open "wounds" with garden pitch, tightly tighten with electrical tape so that it covers the stump.
The top of the scion is also cut off, leaving 2 to 4 buds. Treat the cut with garden pitch, cover the pinned lemon with a bag to create a warm, humid microclimate. In such conditions, wounds heal faster, and the stalk takes root better. Remove the cellophane after the first shoots appear. A grafted lemon will begin to bear fruit in 2-3 years.
For the first time, 2 flowers are left to be pollinated with a cotton swab. Collect pollen from one cup and transfer to another. In the future, as many fruits can ripen on a lemon as the ovary appears.
- In late autumn, the temperature in the room where the citrus pot is standing should be gradually reduced to 15 degrees so that the plant adapts to harsh conditions. At the same time, daylight hours are increased, otherwise the tree will begin to shed its leaves.
- In winter, it is recommended to wrap a tub of lemon with heaters or thick blankets to protect the roots from hypothermia.
- The soil is loosened every 5-6 waterings to improve the flow of air into the soil and prevent acidification of the earth.
- In late spring and summer, it is useful to take a mature citrus tree outside, but hide it from direct sunlight.
Lemon, like other plants, needs regular care and attention. The plant loves heat, moisture and sun in moderation, sometimes it needs to be fed and protected from pests. If you do not forget to water the tree, fertilize and keep it away from drafts, it will live long and regularly delight with fruits.
Video: how to grow citrus fruits at home
