Indoor lemon - growing rules. Indoor lemon - the subtleties of growing at home

You bought a young lemon tree in the hope all year round harvest fragrant fruits for tea parties and strengthen immunity.

And it really will give a lot of fruit if you know how to care for a lemon: water it, feed it, replant it, etc. We will learn all the intricacies of caring for home-grown lemon trees, including crown formation and fruit picking.

Lemon care consists in regular watering, sufficient lighting, fertilizing, observing temperature regime and air humidity. It is equally important to know how to transplant a homemade lemon.

Having decided to grow a lemon tree at home, familiarize yourself with the intricacies of care:

Watering a lemon

How to water a lemon? In the cold season, from October until spring, we moderately water the tree once a week, using warm water. In the spring and summer months, as well as in September, we spill the soil well with warm water once a day. Periodically loosen upper layer earth.

The main thing in watering a lemon is to prevent stagnation of water in the soil, leading to rotting of the roots, and not to overdry the earthen ball: this is fraught with twisting of the leaf and falling leaves and lemons.

lighting for lemon

How to care for homemade lemon in terms of lighting? Lemons don't need long daylight hours if you want more fruit than leaves. The tree bears fruit well in bright diffused light: it is better to keep it on windows facing east. If the window is south, in the summer we must protect the plant from direct sunlight.

In order for the crown to grow evenly, 2 times a month we turn the lemon tree in the direction of the sun. And we do not allow low lighting: in partial shade and shade, the leaf grows slowly, and the fruits turn out to be too sour.

Temperature regime

Caring for a homemade lemon involves maintaining a certain air temperature.

• While the lemon grows and gains green mass, or blooms, we keep it in a room where 17-20 degrees of heat is observed.
• When the fruits appear and ripen, you need a temperature a couple of degrees higher.
• In winter, during the dormant period, the temperature is not higher than 14 degrees, or 18 ° C, if the plant is not “sleeping” yet - in this case, we provide it with a 12-hour daylight hours with the help of fitolamps.

Do not keep the lemon in a hot room and do not allow sudden temperature changes.

IN summertime you can take the tree outside - the main thing is to have time to bring it home before evening (if cool weather is expected).

Humidity level for lemon

How to water a lemon, we figured out: we will find out what level of air humidity is suitable for growing it. He needs a fairly high humidity, especially during the hot season - in summer or during the heating season.

When it's hot, we spray the tree every day and give it a warm shower once a week.

To increase the humidity level, place a wide-mouth jar filled with water near the lemon pot so that it evaporates, or put the pot in a tray, placing moisture-evaporating material in it.

The third option: turn on a household air humidifier next to the plant.

Top dressing lemon

indoor lemon needs regular feeding: in summer - every week, in winter - every month (if there are fruits).

What to feed a lemon? Mineral and organic fertilizers, watering the plant 2 hours before the procedure so as not to burn the roots.

• Fertilizer with minerals. For top dressing, you will need a ready-made product such as a “citrus mixture”, in which the proportions N: P: K are 14:16:18. Dilute it in water according to the attached instructions and water the soil.
• organic fertilizer. We make an infusion by mixing 1 part of water and 1 part of mullein (horse manure) and, after waiting 7 days, dilute it with water: mullein infusion - 1 to 15, horse balls infusion - 1 to 10.

Twice a year we water the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate - to enrich and disinfect the soil.

Lemon transplant

Young lemon plants in a pot, which we will learn today, need to be transplanted 1 and 2 years after planting.

In the spring we buy soil for citrus fruits or make it ourselves from humus (1 part), earth from under deciduous trees (4 parts), calcined sand (1 part) and wood ash(1 tablespoon).

We simply transfer the plant, gently shaking off part old earth, in another pot with soil. The diameter of the new pot should be 4 cm larger than the diameter of the previous one.

Subsequently, we transplant the plant every two years, when the growing season begins. When transplanting, do not forget to put drainage (expanded clay + charcoal or a layer of sand) with a layer of 2 cm. Thanks to transshipment, you do not have to think about how to root a lemon. The main thing is not to transplant while the lemon is blooming or bearing fruit.

crown formation

As the lemon grows, the crown should be cut off - in the spring, on a low trunk of about 18 cm, before the green mass begins to grow. We cut off the shoots, leaving 5 leaves, so that by the beginning of fruiting the tree has branched.

A tree with a well-formed crown blooms in the second or third year.

Lemon blossom on windowsill and harvest

While the lemon is blooming, you can not leave all the flowers on the plant:

• At the first flowering, we cut off half of the flowers and leave no more than 4 fruits from the formed ovaries.
• At the second flowering, only 6 fruits are left.
• At the third flowering, we leave 8 fruits, etc.

Regulation of flowering is necessary to maintain a strong and healthy lemon tree: extra inflorescences will quickly deplete it. Each ovary should have at least 10 developed leaves.

Flowers do not need pollination and bloom for about 2 months.

Fruiting of lemons is possible up to 4 times a year: it depends on the variety. The development of the fetus and the beginning of maturation takes about 6-8 weeks. The peel of fully ripe lemons acquires a rich golden hue: it means it's time to harvest.

If you tighten it with the collection, the skin will become thicker, the slices will dry out and the juice will lose its characteristic acidity.

Now you know how to care for a lemon at home so that it grows strong and healthy, and gives a lot of fruit. Follow all the rules for keeping a room lemon, and it will delight you with beautiful flowering and abundant fruiting all year round.

Lemon (Citrus limon) - 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 outdoors, and in autumn it is transferred to the house. Many are grown at home different varieties lemon, 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. In summer, trees are best taken out on 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 fact is that when it's cool, citrus plants fall asleep. They do not grow and do not require good lighting.

Temperature. The most important thing to know when buying a room lemon is that these plants do not tolerate sudden temperature fluctuations. open in winter the window leaf can cause all leaves to fall off, you can also not transfer the 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. With normal room temperature plants need to 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 with 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 with liquid fertilizers, alternating mineral and organic fertilizers. 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 the top layer of the earth, 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 big trees use wooden or plastic tubs with large holes in the bottom. 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 ready-made earth 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 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 one is 0.5 cm above it. Cutting angle - 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(Citrus limon) belongs to the Rutacea family and unites dozens of varieties of evergreen citrus trees. small size. These beautiful plants with a well-leafy crown, they are quite abundant in fruiting. The leaves of the lemon tree are very dense, shiny, dark green in color and have an ovoid-shaped plate with serrated edges. Some varieties of lemon are perfectly adapted for growing at home. Care lemon tree simple enough. Photo indoor varieties lemons and rules home care behind this miniature tree you will find later in this article.

Many lovers of indoor plants have long appreciated the decorative qualities of a lemon, as well as the opportunity to annually harvest tasty, juicy and healthy fruits. Indoor lemon can be used to form a floristic composition of bushy and treelike plants in home interior. Together with a lemon, miniature trees such as Benjamin's ficus, Marginata dracaena, Crassula Money tree, Zamioculcas Dollar tree, bonsai sheffler, myrtle with a lush crown, home yucca will look interesting.

One of the most popular indoor lemon tree varieties in our country is Pavlovsky (Citrus Limon Pavlovsky), Panderose (Ponderosa), Meyer (or Chinese). Usually Pavlovian lemons grow to a height of 1.5-2 meters, have a rounded crown shape with oblong shiny leaves. They begin to bear fruit already at 3-4 years. The rough peel of the ripened fruit has a light green color. In a panderose lemon, the first fruiting season at home can begin as early as the second year. The variety is famous not only for the delicate, pleasant-tasting pulp of the fruit, but also abundant flowering. Large cream-colored flowers are collected in beautiful inflorescences.

IN last years Meyer lemon (Citrus Limon Mejer) holds the palm in terms of popularity of growing at home. A miniature tree reaches a height of 1.2-1.5 meters. By pruning and pinching young shoots, you can give a very interesting, original shape crown of this lemon tree. This variety of indoor lemon is valued for beautiful flowers white color with a unique delicate aroma. Fragrant flowers bloom, usually at the end of the winter period, 2-6 pieces per inflorescence or one per shoot. But the most important distinguishing feature Meyer lemon - very juicy, sweet fruits with yellowish-orange flesh. The round fruits are protected by a thin skin and change color during ripening from green to bright yellow or light orange. This miniature lemon tree is often used to form an original phytodesign indoors or for landscaping. winter gardens. Against the background of these compact trees with a lush crown, such popular flowering houseplants as the phalaenopsis orchid or dendrobium, flower Male happiness (anthurium) or Female happiness (spathiphyllum), Thompson's clerodendrum, New Guinean balsam, home gerbera, miniature saintpaulia violets, geraniums will look interesting with lush large flowers, tuberous begonia, Persian cyclamen.

♦ WHAT IS IMPORTANT!

Location and lighting.

Indoor lemon refers to a light-loving plant. The plant will feel comfortable on the windowsill of a window facing the east or west side of the room. You can place a pot with a tree and next to the south window on a stand, but in this case it is necessary to shade window glass to direct Sun rays did not damage the foliage (yellow spots from burns begin to appear on the leaf blade). If possible, take the lemon tree outdoors when the temperature does not drop below 12°C. At home, try to ventilate the air more often, but keep the plant away from drafts. When there are short periods of sunlight during the day, be sure to put phyto or other high-quality plants next to the pot. fluorescent lamps. The daily lighting period for indoor lemon is 12-14 hours.

Temperature regime.

The comfortable temperature for a lemon tree in spring and summer is 16-24°C. Sudden temperature changes during the day can worsen the decorative value of the plant - lemon leaves begin to curl and turn yellow at the edges.

In order for the budding period to come on time and the lemon fruits to ripen completely, it is advisable to organize the day before " cold wintering". In winter, try to keep the temperature in the range of 14-17°C.

Air humidity.

The best option is moderate humidity. Protect the lemon from dry air during heating season and in the summer heat. Try to spray the plant more often with warm settled water (3 times a day with dry indoor air). You can put a pot with a tree on a pallet with wet pebbles, and place a container of water next to the pot.

Watering.

Water the indoor lemon with warm boiled or settled water for several days. late autumn and in winter it is necessary to water the plant very moderately, when the topsoil dries completely. But it is also impossible to overdry the earthen ball, as the leaves will begin to turn yellow and crumble. In spring and summer, you can water the plant abundantly, but without overflowing. Pour out all the water flowing into the pan. With constant waterlogging of the earthy coma, the roots begin to rot.

Earth mix and top dressing.

To plant a lemon, you can use a purchased substrate for citrus fruits or make an earthen mixture yourself: soddy soil, leafy soil, humus, peat and coarse sand (proportion - 2: 1: 1: 1: 1).

In winter, you do not need to feed the lemon (weak solution complex fertilizer once a month) if the room is slightly cool. If the room is cold, then fertilizing during wintering is not necessary at all. In spring, summer and until mid-autumn, apply liquid fertilizers once every two weeks, alternating organic top dressing with mineral.

Transfer.

For transplanting, it is best to choose a burnt clay pot with a hole in the bottom. A young plant is transplanted every year, and an adult lemon - once every 3 years, annually changing the topsoil. A 2 cm drainage layer of expanded clay is poured at the bottom of the pot, and a layer of sand is placed on top. A new pot for transplanting should be 5-6 cm in diameter wider than the previous one. Do not bury the root neck of the tree in the substrate.

Pruning.

Reproduction.

Lemon can be propagated by seeds, cuttings, layering, by grafting (a cutting from a fruiting plant can be grafted onto a three-year-old stock grown from seed).

At home, propagation by cuttings is most often used. From a fruit-bearing indoor lemon, a shoot 3-4 mm thick, ripened since last year, is cut with a sharp knife. In a container with wet sand, we deepen the stalk a few centimeters. Roots will begin to appear at high humidity and temperatures of 21-24°C.

Some indoor plant lovers have adapted to grow on the windowsill citrus trees. Lemon is especially popular. Growing a lemon at home will not take much effort from the owner.

Lemon cultivation can be done at home

Lemongrass is native to southern countries with a warm and humid climate. Therefore, the main task of the grower is to provide similar microclimatic conditions in the house or apartment.

Why is lemon grown at home?

There are several advantages to growing a lemon crop at home. The main one is the fragrant healthy fruits that the plant produces annually. In addition, placing a lemon on the windowsill can become an interior decoration.

You can grow a lemon at home in a pot or tub. The pot is more suitable for dwarf plant varieties, the tub is useful if grown a big tree from bone. With enough heat, moisture and light, a room lemon can reach one and a half meters in height and produce up to 150 fruits per season. It is very difficult to achieve such results, but taking into account all the features of care, this can still be done.

Another advantage of growing lemon is beautiful appearance tree. It has a dense and evergreen crown. During the flowering period, the plant throws out beautiful flowers. Often they are covered with mighty green leaves. The only exception is Ponderosa lemon, whose branches are thin and resemble a sprawling bush. Despite the external weakness, the branches can withstand up to 50 fruits. This decorative tree can be grown on the windowsill, because it does not take up much space.

A lemon bush can produce up to 50 fruits

General features of growing lemon at home

Lemon is a thermophilic tree. The lack of heat affects the fact that the plant grows poorly, gets sick or dies. If you decide to put the pot on the window, then you must:

1. Choose south or east. The plant should receive a lot of sunlight.
2. On sunny days, the tree is placed in the shade, and on cloudy days, it is illuminated with fluorescent lamps.
3. In summer, take the plant to the balcony or loggia. There it receives more oxygen and solar energy. And only by the fall it is brought to its original place. In winter, you should monitor the temperature indicator, which should not fall below 10 degrees.

Special attention is the quality of the soil and the pot. The fact is that lemons have an individual nutrition system. They get water not through ordinary hairs on the roots, but through fungi in the soil. Connection home plant with fungal mycelium is sensitive to external factors. It is easy to break it with a lack of oxygen, improper watering and sudden changes in temperature.

Before you grow a lemon tree, you should take care of suitable soil. Plant lemons in loose soil types with a neutral pH. It is best to plant citrus in ready ground purchased from a specialized store. If indoor lemon is placed in a self-made substrate, it is important to take into account the proportions of humus, soddy soil and sand. Soil with meadow turf, leafy soil, humus and sand is also popular.

Mistakes in care lead to the fact that the lemon tree at home dies from dryness or excess moisture, bad conditions content or pests.

Lemon prefers the sunny side of the room

Planting a lemon

For small plants, a clay pot is suitable, for large ones it is better to use wooden tub, which is considered the best option to accommodate citrus fruits. natural material better passes oxygen to the roots of the lemon. Before you place planting material into the pot, it should be inspected for damage. The landing process itself is simple:

1. The root neck is buried 5 cm deep.
2. The container is filled with soil almost to the very top. It is better if there is a space of 1–1.5 cm between the edge of the pot and the soil.
3. After planting, the seedling is sprayed with water and watered with a solution of potassium permanganate.

The planted tree is left on the windowsill. A young plant needs a lot of light and heat. On hot days, it is better to create partial shade, which will save you from burns. You should not change the place for the pot, the lemon does not like moving. Occasionally, you can turn the tree with darkened leaves towards the sun for even heat.

Lemon seedlings after planting are sprayed with water

Growing a lemon from a seed

If you decide to germinate a varietal lemon from a seed, you should know the features of its cultivation. This process takes much longer than planting seedlings. To find out how long it takes for the germination of grains, you need to take into account the following features:

1. The sprout breaks out of the ground 2 weeks after planting. Sometimes it takes more time (up to one month).
2. Citrus germs require greenhouse conditions, so the pot with the stone is covered with a trimmed plastic bottle or tight plastic wrap. Inside such a cap, the humidity is many times greater than in open space, and the transparency of the bottle allows you to get ascending shoots. sunlight. In a homemade greenhouse, watering should not be abused. The soil already gives moisture to the allotted space of the greenhouse, so it should only be sprayed.
3. When a small stalk has broken through, it is accustomed to room conditions, removing the greenhouse cap for 1-2 hours a day.
4. Transplanting into a large pot occurs only when 4 leaves appear on the sprout.

Growing lemon in a greenhouse is also suitable for mature seedlings. At proper organization climatic conditions, you can do without it. It is also not worth rushing to feed.

Until the citrus root system is fully formed, any external additives will be perceived by the tree as poison. It is best to feed in spring or summer, but not earlier than three months from planting.

Growing a lemon from seed will take quite a long time.

watering lemon

Growing a lemon at home is not an easy task, often a lemon does not survive even a few months. And one of the reasons for this is improper watering. Provide proper care at home, it is necessary for the plant to grow healthy and strong. How to properly water

1. Provide moderate watering with settled water 1 time per day. You can water it twice a day (it is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil).
2. Water lemon 2 times a week in winter.
3. Drain accumulated water in the pan immediately after watering. The roots of the plant can rot from excess moisture.
4. Spray lemon leaves daily with warm water. It is especially important to do this in winter, when the air becomes dry from the operation of heating systems.

Experienced growers advise beginners to find a balance of moisture: avoid overflows and lack of moisture. With its shortage, the leaves of any kind of lemon begin to turn yellow. If timely watering is not done, microiza and the plant die. If yellowed leaves are detected, the lemon should be sprayed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

We must not forget about the benefits warm shower. Like everything standing still in the home, the lemon is covered with a layer of dust and dirt. It should be washed off, because dust interferes with the process of photosynthesis. Bathing plants spend no more than 1 time per month.

Remove dust from lemon leaves regularly.

lemon fertilizer

Recommendations on how to care for a lemon also apply to plant nutrition. Citrus fruits are sensitive to fertilizers. The preparations must be constantly changed, because when using one fertilizer, the pH of the soil can change to an acidic or alkaline side. In such soil, the lemon does not ripen, grows for a long time, gets sick and dies. To avoid this, you should:

1. Choose for fertilizer only mineral compositions.
2. Fertilize from March to October with a frequency of 2-3 weeks. For young plants, it is enough to carry out the procedure once every one and a half months.
3. Combine top dressing with watering in the summer.
4. In spring and autumn, feed the plant only after watering. Fertilizer is applied at least 2 hours after soil moistening.
5. In winter, fertilize once.

Unlike complex mineral fertilizers, not all organic matter is suitable for lemon. The most effective is a weak solution of manure with water (1/6) and an extract from wood ash. A special infusion of birch and quinoa leaves is popular.

Some citrus growers face the problem of flowering. When flowers do not appear among the ripening leaves on the crown, this indicates poor feeding. Why does the plant react this way? The fact is that the lemon does not have enough strength for the fruit. And changing the fertilizer will help him cope with this problem.

From quinoa you can prepare an infusion for fertilizing lemon

The Importance of Pruning

The need for pruning is caused by decorative and sanitary features. Its shape and scheme most often depend on the purpose of growing a tree. small ornamental plants sprawling large branches are not needed, so they are cut as much as possible, making the crown compact. For citrus fruits that bear fruit, the rule of balancing branches and shoots applies. The most common method of such pruning is pinching.

It begins after the lemon has reached the age of one year, with preliminary pruning of the main shoot. It is best to leave 30 cm in length. This is necessary so that the lateral buds on the tree begin to germinate.

Only after the lemon gets stronger and gives new branches, they should be pinched. There are 3-4 leaves on each branch. This pruning method allows the tree to grow strong, able to hold and allow them to fully mature.

It is important to prune old dried branches. Lemon spends his strength on them, but it will not work to revive them. Therefore, it is better to rid the lemon of excess load. Also amenable to pruning are those shoots that grow inside the crown. They most often prevent neighboring branches from developing and receiving enough sunlight.

Enjoying a ripe lemon fruit grown on your own balcony or windowsill will only work if the flowers are shaped correctly. Weak immature plants can be thrown out in the second year of life. a large number of flowers. You can't leave them. The structure of the tree cannot withstand a heavy load, and the lemon will die, giving all its strength to the fruits. To grow a large crop, you should:

1. In the second year of a lemon's life, leave 2 flowers on the entire tree or completely remove the inflorescences.
2. During flowering, carefully monitor the health of the tree, protect it from drafts and perform all the features of caring for it.
3. Know the rule for forming inflorescences - 1 fruit should have 10 leaves. All other ties are removed.

Lemon harvest can be expected 4-5 years after planting

Do not expect high fertility rates from a houseplant. The tree grows and develops very slowly. Any human error can delay flowering. You should constantly monitor the condition of the lemon and feed, cut and water it in a timely manner.

Some citrus growers get first good fruit within 4–5 years. Their number rarely exceeds 5-8 pieces. big harvest will have to wait longer. The tree reaches its maturity only by 8–10 years, and at home, the lemon lives up to 40–45 years.

Transplant Features

Some citrus owners are faced with the problem of the rapid death of the plant. If its cause depends on watering and fertilizing, then the tree suffers from an improperly selected pot. Too much capacity causes root rot. It is better to use pots commensurate with the root of the plant and replant the tree only when it becomes crowded. It is best to increase the space gradually, controlling the growth of the roots of the tree.

We must not forget about the proper access of oxygen to the roots. It is better to install the pot on a pallet with a gap so that air penetrates into the soil. A lining of stones or wood should be installed under the bottom of the pot.

After transplantation, the citrus is returned to the same place where it stood before. Any change of environment is bad for the health of the plant. It can get sick and even die. If you want to turn the tree with its shaded side towards the sun, then you should change the angle by no more than 10 degrees. Only in this way will the lemon grow strong and healthy.

evergreen perennial indoor lemon belongs to the rue family, a genus of citrus fruits. Its homeland is considered to be India, the foothills of the Himalayas. At home on the windowsill, growing it is not difficult and very exciting. With proper care, the bush will be able to bear fruit, its fruits are as tasty as those grown under the southern sun.

Types of indoor lemons

Domesticated citrus attracts with shiny emerald leaves and bright yellow fruits. Indoor lemon - description:

• the plant is considered undersized, the oldest specimens can reach a height of 1.5 m;
• shrub has thorny branches;
• leaves are leathery, elongated, oval, toothed, contain essential oil;
• several times a year, the plant forms small white rosettes (4-5 cm in diameter) with many stamens and a delicate aroma that cleanses the room of unpleasant odors;
• the bud develops for 5 weeks, blooms for 50 days;
• bears fruit home citrus from one to four times a year, depending on the variety, the fruit development period is 200-230 days;
• the fruit has a light yellow color and a noticeable lemon smell, the pulp is juicy and sour;
• with normal development, the culture bears fruit all year round - ovaries, buds, flowers and fruits can simultaneously develop on the bush.

Indoor lemons - varieties:

Growing indoor lemon

It is easier to grow a room lemon from a stone. To place the bush, it is better to choose southern or eastern window sills with good lighting. Lemon is a heat-loving houseplant, optimum temperature for him + 15-22 ° С. Planting is carried out in a depth of 1-2 cm with a distance of 5 cm in small pots with drainage from expanded clay or charcoal. Contain sowing in a bright place, it germinates after 2 weeks. After the appearance of sprouts, a strong one is chosen, covered with a jar. After a pair of true leaves sprout, the specimen is planted in a 10-centimeter pot.

Soil for indoor lemon

fertile soil for indoor lemons should be slightly acidic or neutral (6-7 pH), aerated. For self cooking you need to make a mixture of meadow turf, leafy soil, coarse sand, humus in a ratio (2: 2: 1: 1). You can use store-bought citrus soil mixed in equal proportions with peat. Then the composition will be light and breathable.

Propagation of indoor lemons

For indoor lemon, cuttings are a popular propagation method. For sprouts in spring, shoots are taken 10 cm in size with 3-4 buds and 2-3 leaves. The twig is treated with a stimulant for the development of roots and placed in water for 3 days. Suitable soil for cultivation is humus, coarse sand and flower land in equal shares. The cuttings are added dropwise by 3 cm, the leaves are moistened daily, the substrate should not have stagnant water. Rooting occurs after 30-45 days, then the cutting can be planted in another pot.

Indoor lemon - home care

Taking care of indoor lemon is a troublesome business. He loves good lighting, compliance with the temperature and irrigation regime. For leaf growth, it needs a minimum of +17°C, during fruit development the temperature must be increased to +22°C. Caring for a room lemon involves organizing good lighting. Direct sunlight should fall on the bush 2 hours a day. So that the tree does not develop one-sided, every 10 days it must be rotated 10 ° around its axis. In winter, with a short daylight hours, organize lighting with lamps.

Pruning indoor lemons

• in the first year of life, the plant shoots 30 cm;
• for the second season in spring, it is necessary to cut it with secateurs, leaving a height of 20 cm, while the tree will begin to produce lateral buds;
• the lower shoots must be cut off, leaving the top 3 - they will make up the skeleton of the culture;
• the next year, they do the same with the side branches - they are shortened to stimulate the development of daughter shoots, then a few upper shoots are left;
• indoor lemon acquires beautiful view in the presence of trunks up to 5-6 branching levels;
• in the future, it is enough to pinch fast-growing shoots or remove them.

How to feed indoor lemon?

Citrus at home needs to be fed. Trees begin to feed when they reach 2-3 summer age. For fertilizer, complex mineral compositions are used in the spring-summer period twice a month. From mid-autumn, feeding is carried out once every 6 weeks. Two hours before fertilizing, it is important to pour the substrate in a pot with clean water.

From organic matter, a lemon tree prefers an extract of wood ash, an infusion of birch (half a can of leaves is poured with water and kept for 2-3 days), fresh manure diluted 5-6 times. organic fertilizer for indoor lemon, it is introduced at the same frequency as the mineral supplement. If there is an intensive growth of green mass to the detriment of the fruits, nitrogen must be removed from top dressing and a phosphorus component added;

Watering indoor lemon

Before caring for a lemon at room conditions, it is important to study the rules for moisturizing it. From May to September, homemade citrus needs moderate watering every other day, in winter it is reduced to once a week. The tree is moistened with non-cold water, settled for 5 hours. Pour it over the entire surface of the pot. The plant loves spraying with heated boiled water, especially in winter if heating systems are working around. For citrus, "wet" air around the crown is more important than excess moisture in the soil.

Diseases of lemons at room conditions

Why do indoor lemon leaves turn yellow?

Often improper care leads to the disease of indoor lemons, the leaves of the plant turn yellow. There are several reasons:

1. Nutrient deficiencies. Calcium is responsible for the root system, phosphorus helps in the formation of delicious fruits, nitrogen affects the healthy color of the foliage, and potassium contributes to its normal absorption. Timely application of fertilizers with such elements will help prevent yellowing of the foliage.
2. Lack of lighting. An indoor lemon needs a 12-hour day, if it is shorter, backlighting with a fluorescent lamp will help.
3. Excess light, direct sunlight causes burns on the leaves. The tree must be moved to a shaded area.
4. Lack of moisture causes the tips of the leaves to turn yellow. It is necessary to carry out daily spraying of the plant with a spray bottle. It is useful to keep water in a flat bowl next to the pot for evaporation. In the summer, once a week, the plant is advised to rinse in the shower.
5. Sudden changes in temperature, drafts, the proximity of heaters can also lead to yellowing of the foliage. Then you need to get rid of such adverse factors.

Why do indoor lemon leaves fall?

Unfavorable conditions for keeping the bush lead to the fact that it begins to shed its leaves. Often this happens in the autumn-winter period. The more healthy leaves on a tree, the better it grows and bears fruit, by their number they judge the state of the bush. In some cases, the plant recovers on its own, but it is important to eliminate the cause of the unpleasant phenomenon. If a room lemon dropped its leaves, what to do:

• with a lack of moisture, you should spray the plant more often and not allow the soil to dry out;
• if the plant has little light, use additional lamps;
• exclude hypothermia of the roots, water the bush only with warm water;
• if a cramped pot - the bush must be transplanted into a container bigger size(by 2-4 cm);
• make sure that there is no excess moisture in the soil, leading to rotting of the roots;
• inspect the tree for pests, if they are found - treat.

Indoor lemon diseases - sticky leaves

In some cases, the foliage on the shoots becomes sticky - as if it had been sprinkled with syrup, crystals may even form. The disease is caused by a scale insect that has settled on a tree. With untimely treatment, a sooty fungus starts in a sticky liquid, which appears on the branches, trunks and leaves as dark spots, without treatment the plant dies.

To eliminate plaque, the foliage is wiped with a solution of transformer oil (6 ml per 1 liter of water). After 5-7 days, the treatment is repeated. The solution removes the sticky coating and kills the young scale insect. You can use another way to treat lemon - houseplant care in the form of spraying with carbofox or tobacco solution also helps a lot. Processing is carried out 2-3 times with an interval of 7 days.

Indoor lemon pests

Citrus fruits can also be damaged by typical pests. To grow an indoor lemon, you need to know how to take off the fight:

1. In their presence, the leaves fall off, the branches dry, the plant dies. Pests are cleaned with a brush, the leaves are washed with soapy emulsion (2 tbsp. L of liquid agent per 1 liter of water), garlic water(7-8 crushed heads are infused in a bucket of water for a day).
2. It is located at the bottom of the sheet, gradually envelops the entire culture. In case of damage, it is necessary to spray the tree with the Aktelik solution, repeat 3 times with an interval of 10 days.
3. It feeds on greens, leads to drying of leaves and cracking of fruits. The plant must be inspected and manually disposed of its larvae.
4. Aphid. It eats the tops of the shoots. The plant should be sprayed three times (every 10 days) with Aktelik solution. Nearby you can put a pot of geraniums. Sprinkling with garlic water will also help.
5. Thrips. They look like small black dots, they can fly, they spread viruses. For destruction, the bush is washed in the shower, treated with a soapy emulsion.
6. Whiteflies. The larvae are located at the bottom of the leaves. The bush is sprayed at least 5 times every three days.