Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Planting a tree
• Part 2 of 3: Caring for your lemon tree
• Part 3 of 3: Picking Lemons
• Tips
• What do you need

Lemon is an evergreen citrus tree with a pleasant aroma that produces the eponymous sour yellow fruits. Although lemon trees grow best outdoors, they can be grown indoors with careful care. Meet the needs of the tree as it grows, so it can more easily adapt to the indoor environment. You will not even notice how the tree grows up and gives the first harvest!

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Planting a tree

1. 1 For indoor growing, choose Meyer's lemon. Of all the varieties, Meyer's lemon tree is best suited for indoor growth. This tree produces quite a lot of small to medium-sized fruits, and it is easier for novice gardeners to care for it.
   • The variegated pink lemon also grows well indoors and is suitable for beginners.
   • Get a lemon tree that is at least 2-3 years old, as trees that are too young do not grow well indoors. Although the lemon tree can be grown from seed, it will have a harder time adapting to indoor conditions and will produce a poorer crop than its ancestor.
2. 2 Find a deep plastic pot suitable for the lemon tree. Plastic pots are ideal for growing lemon trees as they can be easily rearranged to the most luminous areas as the seasons change. The pot should be deep enough so that it does not tip over when the tree grows and fruits appear on it.
   • The depth of the pot depends on how big the lemon tree can grow. Choose a pot with a volume of at least 60 liters.
   • The pot should have drainage holes so that excess water does not accumulate in it.
3. 3 Find a tray large enough to place the pot on. Put some pebbles or gravel in it and pour in water before setting the pot. A sump filled with water will help maintain the required humidity.
   • You can cut a strip of landscape fabric and place it under the bottom of the pot to prevent soil from seeping into the pan. Remove the fabric after transplanting the tree into the pot, otherwise it will block the drainage holes.
4. 4 Purchase a slightly acidic potting potting mix. Lemon trees grow well in a soil mixture with peat moss, as it is moderately acidic and permeable to water. Purchase this or another acidic and highly absorbent potting mix from your garden supply store or plant nursery.
   • For a lemon tree, cactus soil is also suitable.
5. 5 Find a well-sunlit spot for your tree. Lemon trees grow best in areas that receive at least 8-12 hours of direct sunlight a day. Place the pot by the window so that light shines on the tree throughout the day.
   • If there is little sun in your area, place a plant lamp next to the tree and turn it on for up to 12 hours a day.
6. 6 Remove the lemon tree from the old pot and spread its roots. Massage the roots with your fingers and gently spread them apart. Diluted roots will grow faster in the ground and will receive more nutrients and water.
   • Be careful with the roots to avoid damaging or cutting them off.
7. 7 Fill the pot halfway with potting soil. Before planting the lemon tree, fill the pot about halfway with potting soil and level it.This will help the roots of the lemon tree to grow and anchor in the soil.
8. 8 Plant a lemon tree in a pot. Place the tree vertically and fill the rest of the pot with soil. Compact the soil around the base of the tree and make sure all roots are underground and not protruding from underneath.
   • Plant the tree at the same level as in the old pot.
   • Do not cover the tree trunk with earth, as this can cause a fungal infection.
9. 9 Water the tree immediately after planting. The moisture will help the plant get used to the new location. Water the tree until the soil is moist, but not too wet and saturated with water.

Part 2 of 3: Caring for your lemon tree

1. 1 Water the lemon tree every week. If the tree does not have enough moisture, natural salts that the plant secretes can accumulate in the soil. Keep the soil moist, but not too wet, or root rot may develop.
   • If you are using hard tap water, you may need to lower its pH before watering. This usually requires adding 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of white vinegar for every 4 liters of water.
   • If a tree has curled leaves, it needs more water.
2. 2 Ventilate the room where the tree is. To simulate outdoor conditions, open doors and windows near the plant in warm weather. If it's too cold outside, put a fan on next to the lemon tree for fresh air.
3. 3 Periodically fertilize wood. Lemon trees need enough nitrogen to grow properly. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers are available at your garden supply store. Fertilize the tree every three weeks in the spring and summer and every six weeks in the fall and winter.
   • Fertilizers with a 2: 1: 1 formula (respectively proportions of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) are well suited for citrus trees.
   • Do not use fertilizers that include alfalfa leaf meal or cottonseed meal. Such fertilizers can cause fungal diseases.
4. 4 Prune the tree lightly. Yes, removing too many leaves will reduce the yield, but pruning the lemon tree is sometimes helpful. Remove dead, broken and diseased branches and try to control the height and span of the tree so that it is not cramped in the designated area.
   • Indoor lemon trees can be pruned any time of the year.
5. 5 Set near a lemon tree humidifier. Naturally, lemon trees grow in humid climates. Place a humidifier near the tree to freshen the air. Set the humidifier to at least 50% to keep the wood moist.
   • You can also spray the lemon tree with water several times a week or when it rains - this will also provide it with the moisture it needs.
   • If you live in an area with high humidity, it may be sufficient to simply open windows or doors.
6. 6 Monitor the indoor temperature to get a good harvest. For indoor lemon trees, the optimum temperature is 21 ° C during the day and 13 ° C at night. Due to falling below 13 ° C, the tree will not die, however, in such conditions, it can go into a state of dormancy and stop growing.

Part 3 of 3: Picking Lemons

1. 1 Pollinate the lemon tree with a paint brush. There are no insects in the room that could carry the pollen of the lemon tree, so you need to pollinate it yourself so that the fruits grow on it. Brush the paint brush over the stamens and anthers - the pollen-covered buds in the center of the flowers. After that, transfer the collected pollen to the pistil - onion, located in the depths of the flower.
   • Repeat this every day to make sure to pollinate the plant. For most lemon trees, after successful pollination, it takes 6-9 months before harvesting.
   • The lemon tree can bear fruit even without pollination, but it will be larger with pollination.
2. 2 Thin out large clusters of fruit. After clusters of small lemons appear on the tree, remove 2/3 of the fruit so that large lemons grow from the remaining 1/3. Carefully trim off any excess lemons with a pair of garden shears.
   • Too much fruit can drain the tree and stop growing.
   • Many lemon trees shed ripe fruit on their own. Wait a few months before picking off individual lemons.
3. 3 Use your thumb to test the ripeness of the fruit. When the lemons are old, press down on the rind with your thumb. If the fruits are not hard, but soft and pliable to the touch, they can be torn off.
   • Ripe lemons can be left on the tree for a while, and they will not overripe.
   • Usually, once ripe, lemons stop growing. Ripe fruits are bright yellow.
4. 4 Use a pair of garden shears to cut the lemons from the tree. Take a garden shears and cut the stems that attach the fruit to the branches. If you don't have a pair of clippers, you can gently cut off the lemons.
   • Pry off or prune lemons carefully to avoid damaging the tree.
5. 5 Store lemons for 1–2 months in a kitchen cabinet or refrigerator. Once you collect the lemons, you can store them for 2-4 weeks on a shelf or 1-2 months in the refrigerator. Do not cut lemons until you are ready to use them, as sliced ​​lemon will only last 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
   • If you want to preserve the lemons for longer, squeeze the juice out and keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for 4-6 months.
6. 6 Trim the roots of the plant if it stops bearing fruit. A lemon tree must have strong roots for normal, controlled growth, but it may stop producing fruit if the roots become too attached to the pot. In this case, remove the tree from the pot and use a sharp knife to trim the roots 1.3–2.5 centimeters around the root ball.
   • When doing this, keep the roots moist and spray them with water from a spray bottle.
   • Transplant the tree to another pot and trim off about a third of the leaves to compensate for the shortened roots.

Tips

• If you live in a warm enough climate, you can take the plant pot outside or transplant the tree outdoors at any time.

What do you need

• Plastic pot
• Sour potting soil
• Water
• Nitrogen-rich fertilizer
• Humidifier
• Paint brush
• Gardening scissors
• Plant lamp (if needed)