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Schisandra chinensis - growing a miracle plant
Any garden can decorate beautiful plant – lemongrass chinese. cultivation Schisandra chinensis is a great pleasure for amateur gardeners. Schisandra chinensis is a liana that adorns the garden from spring to late autumn.
In spring, it pleases the hosts with a lush color of snow-white fragrant flowers, in summer the ripening brushes of berries delight the eye, and in autumn it flares up with a scarlet fire of ripe berries, tinted with lemon-yellow foliage. You just need to plant its seedlings, make a support and do not forget to take care of lemongrass - feed and water. And, believe me, you will be rewarded for your work and care - lemongrass will become a real decoration of your garden, heal your illnesses and add vitality.
Planting Chinese lemongrass
In growing lemongrass, it is very important to choose the right place for it.
Place for lemongrass
He needs to identify a warm place that is well sheltered from the cold wind. It will be very good if you grow Chinese lemongrass near any building.
IN middle lane In Russia, lemongrass is best planted on the side facing west, and in the south - on the east side, so that the plant is partially in the shade. This vine can still be placed along the fence or put it on an arch or gazebo.
Landing time
Very interesting plant lemongrass chinese. cultivation it is best to start in the spring. Optimal timing landings - the last days of April - the first days of May, and in the south - October.
To make it beautiful, you need to plant at least 3 plants 1 meter apart. If you want to plant a plant near the house, then you need to retreat at least 1 m from the wall so that drops from the roof do not fall on the roots.
How to plant lemongrass seedlings
For planting a vine, a hole needs to be dug about 40 cm deep, with a diameter of 60 cm. The bottom of the hole needs to be laid out with crushed stone, expanded clay or broken brick, in a word, make drainage.
Then, humus, compost, turf ground are added in equal proportions to wood ash and superphosphate (about 200 g). It is advisable to plant seedlings of 2-3 years of age, as they are the most viable and it is easiest to grow Chinese magnolia vine from them. They have a strong root system (with a small height of about 15cm).
The root neck should not be below ground level. When the plant is planted, it must be generously watered, and the hole should be covered with humus or peat.
Caring for Chinese Lemongrass
Lianas quickly and easily take root. It's easy to take care of them. In the first year, it is necessary to shade from hot sunlight. And throughout the entire growing time, lemongrass needs to be loosened, weeds removed, sprayed in dry weather.
So that the moisture from under the plant does not quickly evaporate, the ground around the bush must be covered with a layer of humus. This will also serve as a good top dressing for the seedling.
Growing Chinese magnolia vine: top dressing
In the third year of life lemongrass chinese requires supplements. cultivation it is generally accompanied in principle by the use different types top dressing. From this, its leaves will have a luxurious and elegant look.
Spring top dressing lemongrass
Feeding starts in April. Around the stem, you need to scatter about 30 grams of saltpeter and mulch with leaf compost. In summer, the liana should be fed monthly with organic fertilizers (with a solution of mullein or chicken manure diluted in proportions (1:10 and 1:20). In spring, lianas that are already bearing fruit should be fed with nitrophos (5gm2), when the liana fades, you need to add a solution of mullein or bird droppings (liters 7-10 per plant), it is good to add compost to the ground every 3 years.
Autumn top dressing
In autumn, when leaves fall from the Chinese lemongrass, about 100 g of wood ash and 20 g of superphosphate should be added under each vine to a depth of 10 cm.
Growing Schisandra chinensis: watering
Since lemongrass is Chinese tropical plant, then growing it in our climate is not complete without spraying on hot days. Most of all, spraying is necessary for young vines.
Adult plants in dry weather need to be watered, while about 6 buckets of water should be poured under one liana. case, the plant is better illuminated, due to which the size of the berries increases and the brush becomes larger. Lemongrass growing without support does not bear fruit.
The trellis is installed in the year of planting or the next year. You need to tie up throughout the year; for the winter, shoots from the trellis cannot be removed.
pruning
Three year old lemongrass chinese need to be cut. From now on cultivation it will be accompanied by constant pruning, since at this time the rapid development of the aerial part of the plant begins. At ground level, all shoots must be removed, leaving 4-5.
On adult plants after 15 years of age, low-fruiting branches are cut out, replacing them with young shoots. Pruning is best done in the fall, after the leaves have fallen. IN last resort, if the bush is very thick, pruning can be done in the first half of summer.
But, in any case, not in winter and not in spring. At this time, the Chinese magnolia vine is actively sap flowing and the vines may dry out, which will bring the work of growing magnolia vine to naught. Every year in the spring, you need to remove the root shoots below ground level.
When pruning, you must first cut off dry, small and broken branches that thicken the crown. You also need to timely shorten the overgrown side shoots, leaving no more than 10 buds. Young three-year-old plants need to be covered.
To do this, you can use fallen leaves and spruce branches, you can, like grapes, cover with earth. Mature plants have high frost resistance, so they do not need to be covered.
Lemongrass cleaning
The plant will begin to bloom and bear fruit only after 5, and maybe 6 years, that is, when about 3 years pass after transferring it to the main place of growth. And his peak yield begins in the next 3 years. When the fruits turn bright red and become transparent and soft lemongrass chinese ready to collect and cultivation on this stage practically ends. Harvesting is done in clusters along with the stalks.
The stalks are used as a flavoring additive to tea in dried and crushed form. The entire crop of lemongrass can be harvested at one time. This technique will help with the acceleration of cleaning.
Under the bush you need to spread the canopy, pull the branch and hit it with the edge of your palm and shake it. From this manipulation, the berries will crumble. Schisandra berries must be processed immediately, in extreme cases, the next day, otherwise the berries will ferment and become moldy.
The berries must be handled very carefully, without crushing the seeds, to avoid a bitter aftertaste.
Storage and beneficial properties of Chinese magnolia vine
Schisandra berries are used in dried form. Drying is carried out for 3 to 4 days. Optimum temperature for drying 60 degrees C. If the fruits are dried correctly, they will acquire a dark red color and will retain their healing properties within 2 years. Schisandra chinensis can be grown for medicine, which is prepared from stems and leaves.
To do this, seedlings are planted in three steps. Every year in the garden. The greens are cut in a year, after another year we cut off the second bed, we cut the third bed again in a year. After three years, the greens will grow on the first bed.
The greens collected for tea are dried in the shade for several days. Lemongrass tea helps restore strength after prolonged mental and physical exertion. It is useful for hypotensive patients, as it increases blood pressure and can serve as a coffee substitute.
The invigorating effect lasts for 7-8 hours, so it is better to drink lemongrass tea in the morning. lemongrass chinese. cultivation it will give you great aesthetic pleasure and give your site a unique charm.
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Description
Lemongrass belongs to the magnolia family, and in our latitudes only one cultivated species is grown - Chinese magnolia vine. Lemongrass is a woody deciduous vine 2-8 m long, winding along a support. The leaves are dark green on long pink-red stalks.
The flowers are monoecious, white with a pleasant smell. male flowers with white stamens, female - with greenish queens and multiple carpels.
The number of female and male flowers varies from year to year and depends on weather conditions, humidity and fertilizers. It grows wild in the Far East, Sakhalin, Kuril Islands predominantly in mixed, coniferous-deciduous and deciduous forests.
Likes moderately moist soils.
Does not tolerate sandy soils and wetlands. Schizandra's drought resistance is low, it especially suffers from drought in 1-2 year old growth. Schisandra loves light and sun, but at a young age it can also grow in shady places, but if there is a shadow in an adult, do not expect fruits from lemongrass. Lemongrass is quite cold hardy.
reproduction
Lemongrass is propagated by seeds, dropping, root shoots, dividing the bush. Lemongrass seeds must be prostratified before sowing. The collected berries, which ripen, as a rule, in August-September, are poured with honey and kept for a month.
Then the seeds are separated from the pulp, washed, placed in roasted coarse sand and kept at room temperature and sufficient humidity for another month, after which they are kept until spring at a temperature of 0 to +4 degrees Celsius. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the seeds of lemongrass are moist all the time. Sow the seeds of lemongrass in the ground to a depth of 1-1.5 cm and cover with a film.
Seedlings appear in mid-May. Planted at 1-2 summer age in semi-shady places. In the first half of summer, you need to water every day, then after 2-3 days, depending on the weather. Seedlings at 2-3 years of age are planted on permanent place.
Brings for 4-5 years. When magnolia vine is propagated by green cuttings, rooting is weak. Reproduction by dropping is done in the spring, before bud break. Young shoots are bent down, fixed with pegs and sprinkled with earth. The top is left free.
By autumn, well-developed roots form. Such escapes are separated from mother plant a year after instillation in spring or autumn and planted in a permanent place. At the same time, be sure to water and mulch the hole.
When dividing the rhizome of lemongrass, the separated plant is transplanted in early spring, preferably with a clod of earth.
tillage
Lemongrass bears fruit well when planted in separate areas with support in the form of a trellis 2.5 - 3 m high. The earth before planting should be deeply dug up to a depth of 25-30 cm. Fertilize the earth with manure or compost, preferably EM-Compost
Landing
The root system of lemongrass is fibrous. On average, it is located at a depth of 40 cm, therefore seat it is necessary to prepare for it in a special way. It is necessary to dig a trench 70 cm deep, fill the bottom with gravel with sand in a layer of 15 cm in the form of drainage.
Fill the rest of the trench with a nutrient mixture, which consists of 50% rotted leaves, 10% river sand, 20% rotted manure, 20% good sod land. Lemongrass is planted in April from each other at a distance of 60 cm. Growing it in our conditions has its own characteristics.
First of all, you need to protect the roots from drying out and overheating.
Therefore, on the south side, at a distance of 0.5 m from the plant, it is necessary to put a shield up to a meter high from any material: plywood, fabric, cardboard, and mulch the soil surface.
The roots of small shoots are sometimes smeared with a solution of clay and mullein. This will keep them from drying out. Water well after planting.
Lemongrass care
In the first 3 years, you need to get as many stems as possible and bring them to a support. Loosen the soil regularly and destroy weeds, not forgetting that the root system of lemongrass is close to the surface.
Sometimes gardeners complain that lemongrass grows wildly, gives abundant shoots, but does not bear fruit. This phenomenon happens if lemongrass is shaded by trees - neighbors. He needs to shade the root from overheating, but leave the top in the sun.
Trimming and shaping
From a young magnolia vine, 1-3 main well-developed shoots are selected and tied vertically on a trellis. Pruning is done in autumn or early spring, before bud break. At the same time, old creepers are removed, as well as weak and dry ones.
In addition, annual shoots are shortened over the 12-15th well-developed bud.
Harvest
The fruits are harvested after full ripening in baskets or boxes and immediately air-dried, scattering in a thin layer. After drying, they are cleaned from the stalks. Juice is squeezed out of fresh fruits, but only in such a way as not to damage the seeds, otherwise the juice will have a tart-burning taste.
Juice is used to make syrups, fruit drinks, marmalade, etc.
Application and value
Lemongrass used in food and as a medicine. Its fruits contain 3-5% sugars, 6-8% acids, vitamin C, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, copper, manganese, nickel, titanium, molybdenum, silver, zinc. products, dried fruits, from shoots and leaves - tonic tea. Seeds, roots, leaves, lemongrass bark contain a very valuable substance schisandoin, which stimulates nervous system, improves appetite, increases mental and physical activity, relieves fatigue. Subject to the rules, every gardener can acquire lemongrass.
Its berries are called fruits of 5 tastes. Indeed, its berries cannot be compared with anything either in terms of the value of the substances contained in them, or in terms of healing properties. In this connection, we advise: grow lemongrass for health.
Lemongrass berries in sugar
Ripe berries are thoroughly washed, removed from the stalks, mixed with sugar in a ratio of 1: 2, and then placed in glass jars, choose the capacity to taste: 0.25; 0.5; 1L and close with lids.
Lemongrass juice with sugar
The berries are washed with boiled water and the juice is squeezed out. Then, in an enamel bowl, it is mixed with sugar in a ratio of 1:2, heated over low heat until the sugar dissolves, poured into glass jars, covered with lids and stored in a cool place.
Used for making fruit drinks and drinking with tea.
Lemongrass juice natural
Ripe berries are washed with water, juice is squeezed through gauze, poured into jars, pasteurized for 10-15 minutes and closed with lids. Used with tea.
Dried berries, shoots, leaves
For drying, bunches of lemongrass berries are laid out in boxes with air-permeable walls, placed in a ventilated room for natural thermal drying.
At night, the boxes must be brought into the house. They are also dried in the oven at a temperature of 60 degrees. for 3-4 days.
Dry lemongrass berries take on a dark red color and the skin becomes wrinkled. Leaves and young shoots are harvested in August, finely cut and dried, stirring occasionally, under a canopy, well-ventilated area, well protected from direct sunlight. It is necessary to collect non-simultaneously and not more than 20% of the total amount of the plant. The dry mixture is good to brew in the form of tea.
Read on the topic:
Why grow lemongrass?
Thanks to high content in Chinese lemongrass schizadrin, apple and ascorbic acid, as well as essential oils and many other useful elements, not only the fruits and leaves of lemongrass are valued, but the bark and seeds. The birthplace of this culture is considered Far East. But over the years, the plant has spread to many countries.
And now there is a fairly large variety of cultivated forms and varieties of lemongrass. This miracle plant has a wide range of applications. Schisandra chinensis is used in the preparation of teas and drinks.
It is also applied in Food Industry as an additive to sweets. In growing it, the main thing is proper fit and complete care.
How to choose planting material
The most suitable for planting are seedlings with an age of 2-3 years ( see photo). Despite the fact that their vines may be short, the root system will already be well developed. Lemongrass roots should not be dry.
It is desirable that they are recently dug up and with a clod of earth. Seeds are the same as planting material, are more often used for planting and growing crops in nurseries. But it is quite possible to grow a plant from seeds on your site.
However, they need more careful care. The video will tell about some secrets of growing.
How to plant a plant on the site
If you plan to plant Chinese lemongrass on your site, be sure to choose the right site. Picking up right place With suitable composition soil, growing lemongrass will deliver the most successful results. When choosing suitable place it should be remembered that Chinese lemongrass loves warm sunny areas and does not tolerate drafts and cold winds. Ideally, if you have a place to plant on the west or east side of the outbuildings. Keep in mind that in the rain, water from the roof should not water the plant. Therefore, it is recommended to plant lemongrass from the walls, stepping back about 1.5-2 m.
What soil is favorable for the plant
First of all, Chinese magnolia vine needs to create conditions that are as close to natural as possible. Preference should be given to flat areas with fertile soil.
Planting lemongrass in loose soils with a light (or medium) composition and good drainage will bring excellent results. Your Chinese magnolia vine will thrive in such areas if the care is appropriate. The soil should be moderately and evenly moist. Favorable predecessors for Schisandra chinensis on the site are tilled crops and vegetables.
When and how to plant
The best time when planting a liana plant can be carried out: October - for the southern regions and April and early May - for the rest of the regions. To begin with, a hole is dug out in the planned area for 15-20 days, the depth of which should be about 40 cm (no more) , and the diameter is from 40 cm to 60 cm. A layer of drainage should be laid out at the bottom of the pit, and then a mixture consisting of:
- 1 part of sod land; 1 hour of humus; 1 hour of compost.
When planting, do not deepen the root neck of the vine. It is better to place it at the same level with the surface of the earth. Plants should be placed at a distance of approximately 1-1.5 m from each other. If planting will be carried out in rows, then row spacing is recommended to be 2.5-3 m.
Sowing seeds
Schisandra chinensis seeds can be prepared independently from ripe fruits - berries. The photo shows what the seedlings look like. Before sowing, they need to undergo preparation in the form of soaking in water.
To do this, use water room temperature, and the seeds in it can withstand about 7-10 days. The selection of low-quality seedlings can be carried out after two days - they will float and be on the surface of the water. The next stage of pre-sowing preparation is stratification.
For this procedure, you will need pre-disinfected sand, into which seeds are mixed at the rate of: for 1 volume of seedlings - 3 volumes of sand.
Tree care room lemon from the stone at home
The mixture is poured into special wooden containers, which are placed in a room where temperature regime constantly kept from 18 to 20 degrees.
Care for sanded seeds consists in regular moistening - 1 r. at 2 days. This stage of preparation should take at least 1 month.
The next step is snow stratification. The seeds of culture in the sand are covered with a layer of snow and kept in this state for about a month.
If there is no way to get snow, then you can put the containers for a longer period (from 2 to 2.5 months) in the basement. Seeds are planted in the garden by hand. To do this, grooves are formed in the ground with a depth of about 1.5 cm.
From above, the seedlings must be sprinkled with greenhouse soil, slightly moistened. Then the beds are mulched using peat. If the planting was carried out in this way, then the Chinese lemongrass is grown before transplanting to a permanent place for 1.5-2 years.
How to care
Lemongrass Chinese, in general, is not capricious and not whimsical. Basic care for him consists of:
- waterings, which are carried out more often during the growing season. As a rule, one plant needs about 6-7 buckets of water; additional spraying in dry and dry weather; mulching - to retain moisture in the soil; weeding; pruning, which is recommended to be done every year in the first half of March in order to increase the yield every year plants.
A mandatory item, which also includes care, is top dressing. The first top dressing with saltpeter should be introduced from the third year of the "life" of the vine.
During the summer seasons, solutions of organic fertilizers should be applied, approximately 1 r. at 2.5-3 weeks. Schisandra chinensis may first bloom and bear fruit when it is about 5-6 years old. Top dressing during this period for the plant is very important.
The best are: nitrophoska, potassium sulphate and organic matter. In principle, neither planting nor caring for Chinese magnolia vine is not too difficult. And, knowing how useful its fruits are, you should definitely try to grow it yourself.
indoor lemon
Lemon (Citrus limon) is one of the species of evergreen trees from the genus Citrus (Citrus) of the Rutaceae family (Rutacea). At the beginning of the 11th century, lemon was brought to the Mediterranean countries from Southeast Asia, where it has been grown since then as cultivated plant. The original wild species is no longer found in nature.
Bred lemon like fruit plant and as decorative. Heat-loving lemon in areas with frosty winters is grown as a tub plant. From the end of spring, the tree can grow on outdoors, and in the fall it is transferred to the house. At home, many different varieties of lemon are grown, they are able to bloom and bear fruit.
The medicinal properties of lemon fruits have long been known. The skin of the fruit contains essential oil The pulp is rich in vitamins. The tree itself, even if it does not bear fruit, is also very useful for maintaining a healthy microclimate in the house. The plant releases phytoncides - volatile substances that can strengthen the immune system, have a beneficial effect on the emotional state of a person.
Lemon at home grows up to 1.5 m high. Its stem is erect, branched, woody as it grows. Young shoots are painted bright green, and the old ones are covered with thin brown bark. The crown is formed by pruning.
Lemon leaves are fragrant, oval-pointed, green, glossy, shiny. Some varieties have small spines in the leaf axils.
Lemon can bloom at any time of the year, most of the flowers are in spring. At the same time, buds, flowers and fruits can be seen on the plant. The flowers are small, white or cream, solitary or collected in small racemes. They need to be pollinated to form fruits. Lemon fruits ripen slowly, about six months.
Lighting. Indoor lemon is a light-loving plant, prefers diffused light. On the windowsills of the southern windows, they grow beautifully at any time of the year, except for hot sunny days.
How to care for a lemon at home in a pot
In summer, trees are best taken out into the open air. If this is not possible, then on hot sunny days you need to move the pot with a lemon tree deeper into the room.
All citrus fruits are sensitive to changes in light, so you should not turn the pot or move it from place to place. When lighting changes, flowers and ovaries fall.
In winter, lemons can be additionally illuminated so that the daylight hours last 10-12 hours. With a cool content (air temperature 7-14 degrees Celsius), you can not illuminate. The thing is, when it's cold, citrus plants fall asleep. They do not grow and do not require good lighting.
Temperature. The most important thing to know when buying indoor lemon- These plants do not tolerate sudden temperature fluctuations. A window open in winter can cause all leaves to fall off; you can also not transfer a tree to warm house before freezing. It is best to move tubs of lemon trees into rooms while it is still warm and the nights are not cold.
If it gets colder in the fall and there is a possibility of frost, then the lemons need to be moved to a cool place, for example, to the veranda, and only after a few days to the house.
In the spring, when it's time for bud development and flowering, best temperature for lemons - +14..18°C. If the room is too hot, the buds and ovaries crumble.
Lemons can be taken out into the open air when the outside temperature is not lower than + 12 ° C. Pots with lemons should not be exposed directly to the sun, at first they must be kept in the shade so as not to cause leaf burns.
In autumn, lemons should be brought indoors when the outside temperature drops to 10-12°C. If the plant is not very large, then at first it is transferred only for the night, and during the day it is returned to the open air. It is difficult to move a large tub, so such lemons are transferred earlier, when it is still warm, or they are moved to the veranda, and only after a week or two - to the house.
In winter, lemons are best kept at 14-16°C. At normal room temperature, plants should be sprayed frequently.
Humidity. Lemon prefers moist air. If the room is too dry, then the leaves fall off the lemons. To increase the humidity of the air, it is recommended to spray the leaves warm water, use humidifiers or put the pot in a tray with wet expanded clay or pebbles.
Watering.
Lemon is a moisture-loving plant, it needs regular and plentiful watering in spring and summer. In winter, they water less, rarely in a cool room, and in warm room- as the earthen coma dries up. The soil in the pot should not dry out completely, because of this the leaves turn yellow and fall off.
Waterlogging of the soil, especially in cold rooms, is also dangerous - the roots rot from stagnant water in the substrate, and the plant may die. To prevent this from happening, the pot must have good drainage.
Watered with settled tepid water (2-3 ° C above room temperature). It is useful to water with rain or melt water.
Fertilizer. During active growth, from March to October, the plant is fed every 10-14 days liquid fertilizers, alternating mineral top dressing with organic. In winter, if the plant is kept in a cold room, it is not worth feeding. If kept in a slightly cool room, fertilize with a small portion once a month.
In the open air, humus is used for fertilizer, bird droppings and slurry dissolved in water.
Transfer. Young plants should be transplanted annually in early spring before flowering. Transplanted by transshipment. If you did not have time in the spring before the buds appear, you can transplant in the fall. In adult specimens, it is enough only to change upper layer land, and careful transshipment into a larger pot is carried out every 3-4 years.
During transshipment, the earth lump is not destroyed, the seedling is placed in a new dish, adding fresh earth. The fact is that the thin roots of a lemon are covered with special fungi (mycorrhiza), which help the plant absorb nutrients from the soil. For good growth and normal development, you need to take into account this feature of the roots of the lemon and in no case shake off the roots and do not wash them. A transplant with cleaning of the roots is done only if they have rotted in an attempt to save the plant.
A new pot is always chosen only a little more than the old one, since with an excess of land undeveloped by the roots, the plant may die from waterlogging of the soil. Lemons will not bloom in too large pots.
Under large trees, wooden or plastic tubs with large holes in the bottom are used. Be sure to pour a layer of expanded clay into the pot to ensure the flow of excess water.
The soil. Lemons are planted in loose soil, composed of soddy, humus, hardwood, peat and sand (2: 1: 1: 1: 1). You can use a ready-made earthen mix for citrus plants. The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic
crown formation. Lemon branches well. While the plant is young, it is periodically rotated so that the crown grows evenly in all directions. If buds appear or fruits are tied, you cannot turn, otherwise they will fall off. It is better to make a turn not by 180 °, but by a small one, by 30 degrees, then after a while turn again.
The crown of a lemon is best formed in the form of a tree with a low trunk, about 20 cm before branching. The main shoot is pruned with secateurs to stimulate the appearance of lateral buds. The following year, the side branches are shortened and, if necessary, the lower ones. The branches on which the fruits are tied grow poorly and often dry out. When removing a lemon, it is best to cut the twig into 2-3 leaves.
Pollination. The flowers must be pollinated in order to bear fruit. The easiest way is to take a small brush and transfer pollen from one flower to another.
Growing fruits. The fruits ripen for a long time, the time depends on the variety. IN room conditions 7-9 months. The tree cannot be rotated, be sure to protect it from temperature extremes. Lemon leaves not only absorb carbon dioxide from the air, but also serve as a kind of "storage" of nutrients. For the formation and normal development of one fruit, it is necessary that there are 12-15 healthy leaves.
reproduction. Lemons are propagated by grafting onto seedlings of various citrus fruits, as well as by cuttings taken from varietal lemons.
To get seeds, you just need to buy a ripe lemon and take seeds from it. The seeds germinate well. Such a lemon will not inherit the properties of the mother plant and will not bear fruit. But it grows more actively, adapts better to new conditions, and is more resistant to diseases. To get fruits, a stalk from a fruiting lemon is grafted onto such a lemon.
It is much easier to grow a lemon from a cutting.
It is taken from friends or can be ordered online.
Cuttings are cut 8-12 cm long. Each cutting should have 3-5 buds. The lower cut is made strictly under the kidney, and the upper cut is 0.5 cm above it. The cutting angle is 45°. The bottom sheet is removed, the remaining leaf blades are not shortened by half.
The stalk is immersed for several hours in a root formation accelerator (heteroauxin, for example). The lower cut is sprinkled with crushed charcoal. Rooted in coarse sand or sand halfway with the ground. Cuttings are planted at a right angle to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. The temperature for rooting should be at least 18 ° C. Cuttings are periodically sprayed. After a few weeks, the cuttings take root.
Lemon care and cultivation at home
Lemon can be grown at home if you know how to care for it. To understand how to care for a lemon at home, you do not need special knowledge, it is enough to understand the characteristics of watering, reproduction, fertilizer and climate requirements when growing a lemon.
How to care for lemon at home
Watering a lemon at home
For proper care of homemade lemon, after the lemon has started boring, it is necessary to water it with special fertilizer, as well as any organic fertilizer. While the lemon sprout is still young, you should limit it from direct sunlight so as not to burn the leaves.
In the cold period of time, you should water the lemon once a week, and then not too plentifully - so that only the outer layer turns out to be wet.
How to care for lemon at home?
In the warm season, it is important to maintain high humidity near the plant, in addition, wipe the lemon leaves with a damp soft cloth. If you have central heating, for care during this period, you need to put a bowl of water near the lemon - to moisturize.
reproduction homemade lemon- features of care
Cuttings are considered the best and easiest way to propagate lemons. For this, the Meyer variety is perfect.
Naturally, you can grow almost any variety of lemon by cuttings, but many varieties of lemon grown in this way will bear fruit poorly and are most often affected by the disease. Reproduction of the Meyer lemon variety is best done by green cuttings. It should be noted that the cuttings of this variety do not suffer from such a disease as chlorosis, they grow well, and in 2-3 years they will bear fruit abundantly.
How to care for a lemon - homemade lemon fertilizer
The leaves of the lemon tree should be regularly wiped with a damp, soft cloth or cotton swab. The plant also needs regular feeding. So, twice a month, you should water the lemon with phosphate fertilizers, and once a year with organic fertilizers. Do not forget to repot your lemon tree regularly as well. After all, the roots of the lemon will grow and they will become crowded in a pot. The soil when caring for a lemon should be loose, be sure to contain sand. Due to a lack of nutrients or watering, a homemade lemon can drop leaves. And in this case, you will not see juicy lemons, so to feed the fruits of a lemon, you need juice from these very leaves.
Suitable climate for growing and caring for homemade lemon
Your lemon should suit the climate of your room. The air of the room where the capricious plant is located should be with a temperature of at least 25 degrees. The water should be about the same. Indeed, from cold water and air, the lemon will begin to wither and drive, and all your efforts to care for the lemon will go down the drain. Make sure that your plant is not in direct sunlight and drafts. This will quickly destroy him.
The consequences of improper care of homemade lemon
It is necessary to remember all these rules for caring for a lemon, because knowing how to care for a homemade lemon, you can grow a large fruit-bearing tree. It is also worth listing the possible consequences of improper care of the lemon tree. Various diseases appear, expressed in different ways: the leaves turn yellow and fall off, the branches of the tree dry up.
Possible negative consequences improper care:
- Depletion of the tree in winter, when too high temperature indoors and in low light.
- Overwatering, using too cold water for irrigation.
- Violation of the acid-base balance of the soil.
When will lemon fruits with proper care
Lemon is a very whimsical plant, and therefore do not forget to fertilize and feed it regularly. Grocery stores sell a huge amount of citrus dressings. As a result, with proper care and respect for the lemon, in 7-8 years you will get juicy and healthy fruits, which, moreover, will be grown by you with your own hands.
Growing lemon at home is not only pleasant, but also very interesting process. After all, you can observe its development from seeds to juicy lemons, with proper care of the lemon. Moreover, lemon Tree blooms very beautifully.
Video: Lemon care
In order to successfully master the agricultural technology of growing lemon and other citrus crops in greenhouse conditions, and even more so in office and residential premises, you need to understand that representatives of citrus fruit crops were formed in a humid and hot climate, therefore, for their successful growth, development and fruiting, they require the same or close with the specified conditions.
With the distribution of citrus fruits to different subtropical regions, they gradually adapted to the harsh environmental conditions.
Citrus fruit crops are equally demanding on heat, light and moisture. For example, it has been established that illumination affects the phases of development of a tall plant, the rate of fruit ripening, and the intensity of their color.
Citrus fruits are very sensitive to frost, especially lemon. For example, in the Caucasus, when grown in open ground conditions, a lemon withstands frosts in the range of almost minus 5-6 ° C, an orange - minus 7-8 ° C. Some varieties of Kinkama mandarin are the most hardy under these conditions, sometimes they can withstand up to minus 9 ° C, but at the same time, young, insufficiently lignified shoots also shed their leaves.
For the normal passage of all life processes, citrus crops need the following amount of active temperatures: for mandarin - 4200 ° C, lemon -4200 ° C, orange - 4500 ° C.
For this reason, for various kinds citrus fruits, it is necessary to create such agricultural technology that would meet the requirements of the cultivated crop. Particular attention should be paid to providing plants with a large supply of nutrients during the period of relative winter dormancy, and irrigation during the period of intensive growth.
To ensure high annual yields, leaf fall and weakening of plants, as well as damage to them during the most important winter period for citrus fruits, should not be allowed.
Agrotechnics for growing lemon in the room
We believe that for a beginner amateur who wants to master the agricultural technique of growing citrus fruits indoors, one should start with a lemon. This representative of citrus fruits develops better in a pot culture (in many zones), in addition, there are a number of varieties specially created for growing lemons indoors. Note that in no case should you try to grow fruits on plants grown from seeds, since such plants are young in stages and even with proper care, they can bloom and give first fruits no earlier than after 12 - 15 and even , 18 years. In order to successfully and efficiently grow lemons, plants of vegetative origin must be used for planting, that is, grown by rooting cuttings (cut from fruiting plants), layering or grafted.
So, if you have a lemon or orange seedling growing in a pot on your window, you first graft it with a bud (graft) or live, taken from a fruit-bearing lemon, grow a cultivated seedling from it and only then organize proper care for it and try to get fruits.
Lemon, like all other representatives of citrus fruits, belongs to the type of remontant plants that are able to bloom and bear fruit all year round.
On a plant that has entered fruiting, there can be simultaneously ripe fruits, ovaries of various sizes and flowers. Lemon blooms especially massively in spring (March-April), as well as in autumn (October-November). Lemon fruits ripen within 8-9 months. With proper care of indoor lemon trees (watering, fertilizing, lighting, etc.), plants can produce up to 50-60 fruits already in the 3-5th year. Although lemon and evergreen, yet the leaves on it periodically fall off.
Bulk dropping lemon leaves
Leaves on indoor plants live for three years. To replace the fallen ones, new, young ones grow. If the leaves on the plant fall off en masse at the same time, this should alert the owner (what is wrong with the plant). The complete loss of lemon leaves will cause the plant to fail to produce next year.
Here, along the way, it is necessary to warn amateurs from the trouble that inexperienced central growers can get into when buying plants in the markets from random people. Often in the market you can meet a Georgian who sells a small lemon tree, even with small fruits. Such plants should not be bought. The fact is that lemon is a low-wintering plant. When grown in open field, in the Crimea, in the Caucasus, in Central Asia seedlings are grown on seedlings of trifoliata (three-leafed lemon) to increase the resistance of the lemon tree to the low temperatures that occur there in winter. Trees grown on trifolate rootstocks for cultivation in closed ground unsuitable, because with the onset of autumn they shed their leaves. Therefore, it is not worth buying such plants and trying to grow them as an indoor crop.
soil for lemon
In order for lemons to grow and bear fruit successfully, it is necessary to take care of the composition of the soil in advance, which needs to be filled in a flowerpot or pot. When preparing the soil mixture, two parts of soddy land are taken, one part of hardwood, humus and pure river sand.
Lemon Tree
All these components mix well and fill the vessel when the plants are planted.
A small lemon tree should not be planted in a large container, this negatively affects its growth, since a small root system cannot master the entire earth and it can turn sour. It is better to transfer the tree from a small vessel to a larger one as it grows. Fruiting plants are transplanted once every 2 - 3 years with the replacement of part of the earth mixture.
Top dressing lemon
Indoor lemons during their cultivation are periodically fed with organic and mineral fertilizers. From organic it is better to use fresh mullein, one part of which (in fermented form) is diluted in 7-8 parts of water. You can also use bird droppings, which are diluted in a ratio of 1:15. For fertilizing with mineral fertilizers (nitrogen, potassium and trace elements), they use special packages that are sold in flower shops.
Shaping and pruning a lemon tree
When growing lemons indoors, it is important to form a beautiful, strong, well-branched crown.
When a lemon seedling (obtained by rooting a cutting) takes root well and forms a plant 25–28 cm high from the ground, it is formed by pruning and pinching.
At a seedling of a given height, pinch the top (remove the top two leaves). So pinching will stop growth in height. After some time, several lateral buds will sprout on the trunk, which form one vertical and 3-4 lateral shoots (when there are more of them, the extra ones are removed to the ring). This will be the skeletal branches of the crown and the neutral conductor. When these branches reach a length of 25 - 30 cm, it is worth removing the top on them to stop growth and over time, on these 3 - 4 lower (skeletal) branches, on which lateral buds awaken to growth, shoots are formed, that is, they are laid branches of the second order. To form branches of the third and higher orders of branching, new shoots should be treated similarly. When branches of the third, fourth orders of branching form in the crown of a grown lemon tree, such a plant will be able to bloom and set fruits. With the entry of a tree into fruiting, its vegetative growth slows down, and fruiting increases. During this period, caring for the lemon crown consists in cutting out the extra branches (not needed) to form the crown into a ring, and those that grow in the middle of the crown and thicken it, remove from the crown or pinch.
Watering
In order for a grown plant to grow normally and bear fruit, it should be looked after. It is especially important to water moderately, preferably with river or rain water. water from water supply network it is necessary to defend in an open container for 1-2 days. It should be remembered that excessive soil moisture in the vessel where the lemon grows is not desirable. The soil should be moderately moist. When the leaves on the plant begin to resemble a shuttle, this indicates that the air in the room is dry. Such a plant should be sprayed with water at room temperature at least once a day.
Illumination in winter
As noted above, citrus plants were created in a warm and humid climate and in conditions where night is always equal to day. Therefore, plants grown indoors are quite demanding on light. This is especially noticeable in autumn and winter, when the night is still longer than a day. In order to create favorable conditions for lemon for normal life, plants grown indoors must be illuminated (with 75 W electric lamps) with a reflector in October 5 hours, in November 7, December - 8, January - 7, February - 8, March - 5 Without additional lighting, plants can shed their leaves, which will negatively affect their fruiting. Here are the main (far from complete) requirements that should be addressed Special attention when growing lemons in living quarters or offices.
Lemon is a subtropical climate tree that can be perfectly grown at home. How to plant a lemon and will it bear fruit at home?
How to plant a lemon tree
Seeds or cuttings can be used as planting material. To get a seed for planting, you need to choose the most ripe fruit without flaws in the store.
As for cuttings, you can ask for a process from someone you know or buy it for money in a store or market.
It should be understood that it is easier to grow a lemon tree from a seed than from a seedling. But at the same time, when planting seeds, the genetic material is unlikely to be completely transferred, but the seedling will retain all parental characteristics.
A tree grown from a cutting will bear fruit in 4-5 years, but if a lemon has grown from a stone, then this period is doubled.
In order to grow a lemon tree from a seed, you need to get seeds from several fruits. The bones must be ripe and correct form.
Land for planting should contain one part peat and one part flower soil. And of course there must be a drainage layer.
Seeds should be placed at a depth of 1 cm. After planting, the ground must be kept moist.
After two weeks, small plants will hatch, and the most viable ones must be selected from them. Then cover these sprouts with jars. Banks need to be removed daily for air intake and watering.
After the lemon releases a second pair of leaves, you can transplant it into a separate pot. The next transplant should be done when the plant reaches a height of 20 cm.
If the tree is grown from a cutting, then first of all it is necessary to choose the right seedling. The branch should be at least 10 cm long and about 0.5 cm thick. If the cutting is harvested independently, then you need to choose a branch with three buds and at least a couple of leaves.
For the appearance of roots, you need to place the process in water for three days. Then you can plant the cutting in the soil, consisting of sand and humus to a depth of 3 cm. It is necessary to spray the leaves daily with water, and keep the soil moist. After a month, the rooted tree can be transplanted into a pot.
How to care for homemade lemon
The soil in which the lemon tree grows must be very fertile and rich in humus. For this, a special flower mixture is sold in stores. There should be drainage at the bottom of the pot so that the roots of the plant do not begin to rot from excess moisture.
It is necessary to water the lemon twice in seven days. If the soil remains wet after three days, then it must be changed, otherwise the plant will die due to overflow. To prevent this from happening, it is better to use clay pots for planting.
At home, it is better to determine a permanent and fairly bright place for the lemon and not rearrange it in any case. Lemon does not tolerate permutation from one place to another very well.
For the correct formation of the crown, the tree needs to be turned a little bit towards the sunny side every day.
Every year, the lemon needs to be transplanted into a pot a couple of centimeters larger in diameter. At the same time, the root earthen ball is very carefully transferred to a new container, and the rest of the space is filled with fresh soil.
When the pot becomes very large, about 10 liters, instead of transplanting, only the top layer can be changed. This must be done every six months. It is also necessary to feed the plant with fertilizers.
The lemon tree does not tolerate drafts. It loves spraying. During heating season spray lemon every day.
To form a beautiful crown in spring at a height of 20 cm, the young shoot must be cut so that the tree releases side branches. The next year, you also need to shorten the lower branches from the sides.
After the permanent branches are up to the sixth level, the crown will take on a beautiful and well-groomed appearance. Subsequently, young shoots will need to be pinched or cut off.
If the lemon bloomed in the first year, then all the flowers should be cut off, since the plant is still quite weak and may die, having spent all its strength on fruit ripening.
With normal development, a lemon tree should bloom in a few years, when there will be 10-15 leaves per ovary. If too many ovaries form, some of them need to be removed.
Some varieties of homemade lemons bear fruit regularly, for example, Pavlovsky.
A pair of such house trees will provide a family with citrus fruits all year round.
There are few pests of the lemon tree. One of them is the spider mite. The first symptom of its appearance will be the appearance of dry leaves. At the same time, the lemon should have enough light and no stagnant water is observed in the soil.
But the problem of the appearance of a tick can be easily solved UV lamp. Under its rays, ticks die in a couple of minutes.
Also, the reasons for the drying of the tree can be acclimatization and the lack of important trace elements.
A lemon tree requires a lot of attention and effort when growing, but if you properly care for it and follow the recommendations, it will not only create comfort at home, but will also delight you with fruits rich in vitamins.
In Russia, indoor citrus growing dates back almost three hundred years, because lemons were brought to the country under Peter I. And now we have many lovers who grow this evergreen fruit-bearing plant in a room or on an insulated loggia in pots or tubs.
perennial lemon Tree blooms quite profusely, but its flowers, as a rule, are not conspicuous, since during this period they are usually completely covered with leaves. But you instantly feel that the air of the room is filled with a fabulous aroma. And even if you enter a room with a large set indoor plants, then in this case, the hard, leathery, shiny leaves of the lemon tree immediately attract attention, even if it has not yet begun to bloom. And even if this plant is "wild", i.e. not grafted, it is still unusually decorative, because it has beautiful emerald shiny leaves.
And it is no coincidence, apparently, in countries where citrus crops are grown, the bride is decorated for a wedding with a large wreath of flowering branches of lemon or orange. By the way, if blooming apple orchards we see from afar - for three or four hundred meters, then the fragrance of a flowering grove of lemons, presumably, spreads for many kilometers.
It should be recognized that growing lemons at home is not easy. Firstly, for this it is desirable to have a sufficient spacious room with good lighting. Secondly, homemade lemon requires more attention than ordinary indoor flowers. But at the same time, it has many advantages compared to them: it is more hardy and durable; the whole plant smells pleasant, releasing volatile essential oils that ozonize the surrounding air.
In room conditions, the oldest trees reach a height of 1.5 m, although in large rooms with huge bright windows, lemons grow to 3 m or more.
Growing lemon fruits is a rather long and painstaking process, so you need to be patient in advance to wait until the lemon tree finally gains strength and blooms, and the flowers form good size fruit.
When growing homemade lemon it is imperative to take into account its biological and varietal characteristics, know the agrotechnical methods of cultivation, methods of its reproduction and measures to protect against numerous pests and diseases.
We hope that after reading this article, the number of people growing this magnificent plant at home will increase significantly. Having started a lemonarium at home, in a few years you will be able to treat your family and friends with your own grown lemon fruits. After all, a normally formed five-seven-year-old lemon tree can give an amateur citrus grower from 15 to 50 fruits per year (depending on the variety).
Lemon is small tree or shrub with strong, usually thorny branches. At the tops of its young shoots, the color is purple-violet. Leaves are oval, oblong, toothed; have many glands containing essential oil. Their change on the plant occurs gradually (as they age): the leaf lives for about 2-3 years. Lemon flowers are bisexual, arranged singly, in pairs or in small racemes, they are large (4-5 cm in diameter). The bud grows and develops for about five weeks, the flower blooms for at least 7-9 weeks. The period of growth and development of the fetus from the setting (falling of the flower petals) to the beginning of maturation in room conditions during the spring flowering of the plant can last up to 230 days. During the summer period (optimum temperature and better lighting) this period is reduced to 180-200 days. If in the first year a young, recently grafted tree gives flowers, they should be cut off (better when they are still in buds) so that the plant does not waste its strength and saves them for further normal development. With secondary flowering, the buds are no longer removed; most often, the tree itself decides how much it can “feed” fruits, and how many “extra” flowers it needs to discard.
It is recommended to allow flowering and fruiting of a lemon if it has at least 20 full-fledged leaves.
Fruits on a lemon are formed both with pollination of flowers and without pollination - parthenocarpic (in this case, seeds are not formed in fruits). Lemon fruits are oval or egg-shaped. Their skin, when ripe, acquires a light yellow color and a strong lemon smell. Their flesh is usually greenish, divided into 9-14 slices, very juicy and sour. Seeds of irregular ovoid shape, white, covered with a parchment-like shell.
There is a close relationship between the number of fruits and the number of leaves on a tree. It has been established that for the normal growth and development of each lemon fruit in the crown of a tree there must be at least 9-10 mature (physiologically active) leaves.
When growing lemons, care for the plant should be such that leaves do not fall off it. Most often this happens in the winter. The state of lemon trees can be judged by the degree of their foliage: the more healthy leaves on a tree, the better it grows and bears fruit. Without leaves, the plant will not be able to bear fruit: if, under adverse conditions, a lemon loses many leaves, then next year it will not form fruits. That's why the main task in winter - save the leaf apparatus of the tree.
The full ripening of lemons is fully evidenced by their characteristic intensely golden peel, the color of which is given by carotenoids - sources of vitamin A. After full ripening, the fruits, as a rule, do not fall off, continue to grow next year. But, increasing in size, they at the same time worsen their qualities (the peel thickens greatly, the flesh dries up and becomes flabby, the juice becomes less acidic).
Under normal conditions, a lemon grows, blooms and bears fruit throughout the year, so the same plant can have ripe fruits, young ovaries, flowers and buds at the same time. The period necessary for the ripening of fruits, and it begins from the moment they are set, largely depends on the period of flowering and setting. The ripening of fruits during the flowering of lemon in the summer months occurs 1-2 months faster than in the spring. The time from setting to fruit ripening can vary widely (7-14 months). Experienced amateur flower growers know how to regulate the timing of lemon flowering, skillfully applying various techniques, for example, temporary drying of a tree. So, a dried (up to the initial degree of wilting of the leaves) tree stops growth and flowering and enters into a forced rest, in which craftsmen can keep it for some time. If after that they give abundant watering, then the lemon begins vigorous growth and abundant flowering.
It is very important when growing a lemon in a tub culture to achieve its dwarfism, especially since the lemon tends to form very powerful, long (not branching only at the top) branches, so it will need to be cut regularly: without this, the shoots make the crown very voluminous. According to experts, it is advisable to prune all strong tree growths after 5-6 leaves, which makes the crown more compact, mechanically strong and productive. Systematic care is also required for the roots (it is carried out, as a rule, during transplantation), as they ensure the vital activity of the plant. With abnormal development of the root system, the growth of the lemon is inhibited, the color of the leaves changes, etc.
Lifespan indoor lemon under favorable conditions can be quite large. For example, I saw in the city of Pushkin a remarkable almost three-meter 30-year-old tree, it grows in a greenhouse and is, one might say, in its heyday. Several hundred fruits hang on it at the same time.
As a rule, diseases and pests play a significant role in reducing the longevity of plants. If the owners treat their pet lemon with care, as a family member, then under favorable conditions, the life expectancy of the tree may well be 35-45 years.
Being a southern plant, the lemon tree is sure to give a good harvest of fruits at room conditions, if it is provided good care and all the conditions necessary for normal life. But I’ll immediately notice: he makes quite high demands on heat, moisture and light. The optimum temperature for the growth of leaves and shoots of lemon is about 17°C, and for the development of fruits 21-22°C. Very high air temperatures are harmful to lemon, the plant reacts especially negatively if the temperature rises sharply while low relative humidity air. This happens in the spring months and early summer - this is caused by a sharp warming on the street. A similar phenomenon can lead to the fall of flowers and ovaries, and a strong temperature drop in the autumn and winter months - and foliage.
Soil temperature should also be close to air temperature; especially harmful is the sharp lag of soil temperature from air temperature. A similar thing happens when a tub of lemon, standing long time in summer and even autumn in the open air, when it gets cold, they immediately bring it into a warm living room. Sometimes he reacts to this by dropping foliage.
Lemon is sensitive to fluctuations in indoor air humidity. It reacts negatively to its deficiency, which is most dangerous (especially at high temperatures) during flowering and fruit set. This causes shedding of flowers and ovaries. Some experts believe that the higher the humidity, the longer the lemon leaves live.
Lemon is a short daylight plant; he is quite reconciled with the lack of sunlight. With a long daylight hours, its growth intensifies, and fruiting is delayed. most favorable for indoor cultivation are considered windows on the south and east sides. On the south side in summer it receives a lot of light, but it should be shaded with a gauze curtain from direct sunlight (this is especially important during the midday hours). Some experts consider the eastern side to be universal: its morning Sun rays, although bright, but not so scorching, and such lighting is enough for plants.
In order not to grow a one-sided tree, it is recommended to turn the box with the plant at a small angle every fortnight. Although, due to this procedure, the growth of shoots and leaves is somewhat inhibited (the lemon is very sensitive to changes in lighting and rearrangement from place to place), but the plant is formed in the correct shape. Other experts advise making turns of about 10 ° every 10 days: then it will take a year for the plant to complete a rotation. It should also be borne in mind that the lemon is sensitive to a sharp change in lighting: with a decrease in its intensity, the size of new leaves increases.
During the winter period, the lemon will not interfere with daylight (5-6 hours) with a fluorescent lamp (or a 100-150 W incandescent bulb), which is placed at a height of 60-80 cm above the plant.
The period from October to March is the most difficult for plants; due to non-compliance with the conditions of detention during this period, they often die. In winter, with battery heating, the air in the room is dry, so it is better to move the plants away from the heaters (sometimes the batteries are covered with a damp cloth); you can spray the leaf surface with a spray gun. However, it must be remembered that excessive spraying of the leaf surface, especially the Meyer variety, can contribute to the development of fungal diseases. It also does not hurt to keep water on the surface of the soil in a pot (or nearby) in a wide bowl for evaporation. In summer, it is advisable to wash the leaves in the shower at least once every 1-2 weeks or gently wipe them with a damp cloth so that they are clean and breathe deeply.
A lemon tree has been grown in the same soil for several years, so a properly selected substrate for it, as well as fertilizing with fertilizer mixtures, are of great importance for its normal life. We will talk about this later.
Alexander Lazarev,
candidate of biological sciences,
Senior Researcher, All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Pushkin
Winter is just around the corner already. And winter is a special time in the life of plants. During this period, they go into rest mode to endure adverse conditions. Indoor plants also need to be prepared for the onset of cold weather, in winter they need special care, even though they are in a warm apartment. About how to do it right take care of indoor lemon in winter we will tell you in this article.
Watering
In winter, the irrigation regime will be different from the summer. The number of waterings in winter should be reduced to once a week, it is best to water in the evening. Frequent watering is fraught with acidification of the earth in a pot, and, consequently, further diseases of the lemon tree. Water slowly, gradually, allowing the water to soak well into the soil. Water for irrigation must be at room temperature, you can even heat it up a little, up to about 30-35 degrees.
In winter, it is imperative to monitor soil moisture, warm batteries can dry out an earthen ball very quickly. But the plant should not be flooded either.
And also winter is an ideal time for watering lemon with melt water, since such water is considered the best for this purpose. Melt the required amount of snow, let the resulting water warm to room temperature and water your lemon tree with it. Melt water is much softer than tap water, it will not saline the soil, which means it will have a beneficial effect on the condition of your lemon.
Air humidity
In winter, due to the beginning of the heating season, the air in the apartment becomes dry, its humidity decreases. This can adversely affect the health of your lemon tree. in winter implies that dry air should be humidified, for this you can use containers with water. Place them indoors, preferably next to radiators, so that the water evaporates faster. You can also use special devices for humidifying the air.
Be sure to spray the crown
Spray your tree weekly with water from a spray bottle or wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. The water must be warm for this.
Several times a month arrange for him " water procedures»: wash the plant with a shower in the bathroom. Such a procedure will saturate the plant with moisture, wash dust from the leaves and help get rid of possible insects.
There are several more ways moisten the lemon tree in winter. One of these ways to support optimal humidity plants - purchase a special stand with pebbles. It is necessary to place in this stand, pour water into it so that the bottom of the pot does not sink into the water.
Light mode
The lemon tree is quite sensitive to the amount sunlight, especially in winter. At this time, you need to be very careful to ensure that your plant receives a sufficient amount of light. It should be remembered that the higher the temperature in the room where it is contained, the more sunlight it needs.
Do not place under the sun for a long time, the tree may get sunburn. It is also best not to place the tree next to the window, because it can blow cold air from it, and lemons do not like drafts. The location of the pot next to the radiators is also not best idea, from elevated temperature and dry air, the plant will quickly dry out.
It looks very nice on the window, but this arrangement is fraught with sunburn and hypothermia
In case the lighting in your apartment is not enough, you need to additionally highlight. winter implies that, for normal health, citrus fruits need 12 hours of daylight, but in winter it is much shorter. With a lack of light, the plant begins to shed its leaves, its condition is generally depressed, in the worst case, the tree may die. This is where supplementary lighting comes to the rescue - extending daylight hours with the help of lamps.
Now in stores you can find a wide variety of lamps: fluorescent, sodium, metal halide and LED. In almost each of these groups, you can find phytolamps, the spectrum of which is most optimal for plants.
Be sure to pay attention to the power of the lamp, it is measured in watts. The more watts a given lamp has, the greater the flux of light, and therefore the greater the efficiency of the lamp. For illumination, one or three lamps with a power of 40 watts will suffice.
The use of phytolamps will help the plant survive the lack of sunlight without consequences.
At what height should the lamp be placed? For more effective illumination, the lamp should be located as close as possible to the lemon. But it is very important not to place it too close to the plant, because the plant will be too warm. You can find out the optimal height for a phytolamp by placing your hand under it. If the hand feels too much heat, you should raise the lamp higher. In general, the recommended lamp height is 15-20 cm.
Pruning and feeding
In general, pruning a lemon in winter is not much needed, especially if your plant hibernates in cool conditions. Trim only dead branches and leaves. This procedure will generally improve the condition of the lemon tree.
Feeding in winter may not be needed.
wintering lemon
There is another wintering option for your lemon - you can enter it into a winter state of rest, natural for all plants. This method is also called "cold wintering". This method is especially suitable for novice citrus growers, as a dormant lemon requires minimal attention.
Before wintering, you need to carry out some preparatory activities. About a couple of months before the onset of cold weather, move the tree to the room in which you are going to leave it for the winter. Before doing this, do not forget to wipe it well to get rid of dust and possible insects.
Where to put for the time of cold weather? For this, a glazed loggia or veranda is perfect. Most optimal conditions for the room where you are going to place the plant for the winter - soft diffused light and a constant temperature of about 7-10C. With a combination of such conditions, it will be able to maintain normal life, but will not evaporate excess moisture. But it is worth lowering the temperature gradually, by several degrees over 10-14 days. If you move abruptly from warm room in cold weather, the leaves from the plant may fall off.
And also lemons can hibernate in total darkness, but on condition that the temperature in this place will be maintained at + 3-5 degrees. During cold wintering, the temperature should not be allowed to fall below 0 degrees, this temperature is detrimental to lemons and can cause massive leaf fall. You also need to avoid raising the temperature in the daytime to 15 degrees, such overheating can also cause massive leaf fall.
A well-wintered one will definitely shoot new shoots in the spring
Although your lemon tree is dormant, it still needs to be watered occasionally. The plant needs to be watered only when the soil in its pot becomes dry (when trying to compress the earth into a lump, it should crumble).
In the spring, with the onset of heat, it can be taken out of dormancy, but this should be done gradually.
It is impossible to bring from cold to heat without first heating the soil in a pot. It is necessary to increase the temperature and the amount of light gradually, over several days, in order to avoid leaf fall due to temperature differences.
That's all the advice that will help the lemon tree to endure the winter period normally. If they are observed, your green pet will again delight you with flowering in the spring, and subsequently with delicious fruits.
Indoor lemon is one of the most spectacular and beautiful ornamental plants. Delighting its owners with bright foliage and fragrant flowers, this citrus, however, belongs to the group of very capricious ones. Care must be taken properly. At the slightest violation of technology, the tree will not only not bloom and bear fruit, but may even shed its leaves and die. In order for the plant to develop well and have a lush crown, it should be properly watered and fertilized.
What do you need to know?
Further in the article, we will deal in detail with how a plant such as indoor lemon is cared for at home. Flowering and fruiting of this citrus fruit is possible only if:
- right choice places;
- use of suitable soil;
- regular watering and top dressing;
- periodic pruning.
Bloom
The main decorative value of the lemon is its dense leaves of rich dark green color. The star-shaped flowers of this citrus, white with yellow stamens, are quite showy. However, they grow in the depths of the crown, in the axils of the leaves, and are practically invisible from the outside. Therefore, lemon cannot be attributed to the group of flowering houseplants. But although the flowers of this citrus are not its main decoration, they smell very pleasant. Moreover, the aroma spreads literally throughout the room.
The abundant appearance of buds is possible only if the correct care for a plant such as indoor lemon is carried out at home. This citrus fruit does not bloom most often precisely because of the lack of nutrients in the soil and irregular watering. Also, the lack of buds and fruits can be affected by a lack of sunlight.
How to choose a variety?
In the wild, indoor lemon, which is really difficult to care for at home, grows in hot India. As a cultural plant, this plant has been cultivated for a very long time, including in Russia. Lemons were brought to our country back in the time of Peter the Great. Over the years of cultivation, many varieties of this citrus fruit have been bred, productive and unpretentious. But of course, not all varieties are suitable for growing in confined spaces. The most popular varieties among indoor plant lovers are:
- Pavlovsky. Such lemons, under favorable conditions, can even reach a height of up to 2 meters. The advantages of this variety include, first of all, the fact that it reproduces very easily. cultivation and care at home for which - the procedures, in comparison with other varieties, are relatively simple, well suited not too experienced florist. Its fruits are very fragrant and fragile. The variety does not like bright sunlight too much.
- Meyer. This variety is good for early fruiting and unpretentiousness. It differs from most other varieties in more acidic fruits. Also, indoor Meyer lemon, which is cared for at home in much the same way as for any other varieties, is compact. This variety grows very low.
- Novogruzinsky. This lemon is easy to make produce all year round. Its fruits do not have seeds and smell very good.
How to choose a place?
The peculiarities of the lemon, among other things, include the fact that he really does not like a change of scenery. Therefore, the place for it must be chosen carefully. Most varieties prefer good lighting. But it does not tolerate direct sunlight.
They put a lemon, cultivation and care at home for which will be successful only if the right place is chosen, most often on the east window. Bright, but rather diffused morning lighting is enough for this plant to develop well.
It is allowed to put lemons on the south window. However, in this case, be sure to take care of shading. Direct sunlight will definitely cause burns in the plant. In addition, the lemon will react to an excess of lighting with the appearance a large number small whitish leaves. Thus, the citrus will simply try to reduce the area of contact with UV rays and lose its effectiveness.
Choosing a place for a lemon should also take into account that the pot is not cooled by a draft. This is especially true in the cold season. If the temperature of the soil in the pot is below the ambient temperature, the plant will shed its leaves.
How to propagate by cuttings?
This is the most easy way get some new lemons at home. Cut cuttings from an adult plant in early spring. The branch should be mature, about 4-5 mm thick. The lower leaves are removed from the cutting. It is best to plant a twig in a greenhouse made from an ordinary plastic bottle.
A 2 liter container is perfect. The top of the bottle is cut off, and several holes are made in its bottom to drain water. Next, a layer of steamed sand is poured onto the bottom. A nutrient soil with an acidity of 6.5-7 pH is laid on top. The substrate for lemon can be bought at the store or made by hand. In the latter case, take:
- leaf ground - 1 hour;
- humus - 1 hour;
- sod land - 2 hours;
- sand - 1 hour
All components should be thoroughly mixed and placed in a bottle.
The end of the cut cutting is sprinkled with wood ash, powdered with a heteroauxin stimulant and immersed in the ground by 2-3 cm. Next, the plant must be thoroughly watered, and the bottle should be covered from above plastic wrap. In the future, it is not recommended to moisten the soil in the container until the plant is rooted. The roots of the twigs are released in about a month.
When using cuttings as planting material, in the future it will be easiest to care for such citrus fruits as indoor lemons at home. Reproduction using this technology allows you to quickly get a lush, healthy, fruit-bearing adult plant.
The use of seeds
Planting material with this method of cultivation should be chosen as carefully as possible. From the fruit of an even shape, you need to get the largest seed. It should be planted immediately. In this case, you can use an ordinary plastic cup with drainage holes made in it as a container. Put some sand on the bottom. The soil in this case is used the same as under the cuttings.
It is best to plant several seeds at once in different cups, and then choose the strongest plant for growing. The seeds are buried in the ground by 2-3 cm. Immediately after planting, watering is performed. The selected lemon will need to be transferred to a larger container at the age of 3-5 months. Transshipment should be done as carefully as possible. If the lemon roots are damaged, it will shed its leaves.
How to water?
Moisture is what room lemon loves very much. Care at home for him, as for all citrus fruits, is, among other things, in frequent watering. In summer, the soil under the plant is moistened once a day - two. In winter, the lemon is watered once a week. With a lack of moisture, the leaves of this plant change color to yellow-brown.
If this happens, in no case should you pour a lemon with a large amount of water at once. Otherwise, his root system will die. You can correct the situation in such a situation by slightly moistening the soil under the plant and spraying it abundantly. It will also be useful to wrap the stem with a damp cloth.
How to fertilize?
You should also feed the lemon quite often. In the summer, once a month, the plant is watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It is best to do this at night. It is also useful to water the lemon with a solution once a month. The best organic fertilizer for this citrus fruit is ordinary cow dung.
Can also be purchased from the shop complex top dressing containing nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. With this remedy, the lemon is fed twice a month. Very useful for this decorative culture is also wood ash containing a huge amount of trace elements.
Lemon care at home in terms of top dressing can also be carried out using purchased formulations designed specifically for citrus fruits. Sometimes houseplant lovers also replace the topsoil in a lemon pot with pond mud, which contains many beneficial substances. In winter, if the plant bears fruit, it should be fed with complex fertilizer or organic matter once a month.
crown formation
Periodic pruning is also something that indoor lemons require without fail. Home care for this plant in terms of crown formation should be periodic. Otherwise, it may happen that the tree will not bear fruit. For the first time, pruning is done immediately after the lemon reaches a height of 20-30 cm. At this time, the top is carefully removed from it so that 3-4 buds remain on the trunk.
Of these, about a year later, shoots of the first level are formed. After they reach a length of 20-30 cm, they are also pinched. Further, shoots of the second, third, etc. levels will begin to form on the branches. Each new "wave" should be pinched in such a way that it is 5 cm shorter than the previous one. That is, the branches of the second level should have a length of 15-25 cm, the third - 10-20 cm, etc. Of course, you need to remove diseased shoots growing inside the bush, etc.
Pests
Thus, the lemon should be watered and fertilized on time. It is also necessary to engage in the formation of its crown. What other difficulties await the florist who cares for such a plant as indoor lemon at home? Diseases afflict this unfortunately often. Therefore, the lemon may have to be treated from time to time.
Trees of this variety can be affected by both fungi and microorganisms or insect pests. Most often, indoor flower lovers have to deal with scale insects, mealybugs and aphids that infect lemons. All these types of pests are engaged in sucking the juice from the leaves. You can fight them with soapy water or tobacco infusion (50-60 g per liter). Sometimes scale insects, aphids and mites are expelled from plants with the help of a chlorophos solution (30 g per 10 l).
Diseases
Gommosis is also one of the problems that many ornamental plant lovers face when growing indoor lemons. Home care for this citrus includes, among other things, a periodic inspection of the leaves and stem. In a plant that has become ill with gommosis, cracks appear in the lower part of the stem, from which gum begins to stand out. A tree is treated with garden pitch or clay. Cracks are pre-disinfected with a solution blue vitriol 3%. Then the wounds are simply carefully covered with pitch or clay.
This is how home care is carried out for such a plant as indoor lemon. The photos on the page clearly display the beauty of these citrus fruits. If you grow your lemon according to the rules described in the article, you will grow the same spectacular fragrant tree with bright green leaves and a lush crown.
