How to grow lemons from seeds at home. How to grow a lemon tree from a seed

Under natural conditions, lemon trees grow in the tropical zone and reach a height of two to six meters. This is perennial evergreen. When growing lemon trees in standard city houses and apartments, these plants reach a smaller height, but if the plant is not shaped, it can become very elongated. from seeds at home does not cancel his love for consistently warm temperatures, high humidity, and he also requires care.

How can you grow it yourself at home and how will it differ from a citrus varietal plant from a cutting?

plant lemon Tree at home, you can use cuttings or seeds. It should be borne in mind that varietal plants retain their properties only when vegetative reproduction, that is, propagation by cuttings. From seeds, you will get a citrus plant that will not bear fruit at home.

Lemon tree from cuttings

When planting a lemon tree, take a cutting about 8-10 cm long, on which a couple of leaves and several live buds are left. Before placing the cutting in the ground, it is advisable to treat its base with a root formation stimulator, for example Kornevin, after which it is planted in the soil to a depth of 3-4 centimeters and covered with a jar or bag. Until the cuttings have roots, it will need to be sprayed with water daily and the soil in which it takes root well moistened. Rooting occurs about a month and a half after planting. It should be borne in mind that only some cuttings take root - this is to some extent a matter of luck. Then the plant can be transplanted into a permanent pot.

Lemon, despite its tropical origin, is very popular in our country. Its fruits are actively used in cooking, medicine and cosmetology.

Lemon, despite its tropical origin, is very popular in our country.

Many lovers of this fruit are interested in how to grow a lemon from a seed so that it not only becomes a decoration for the room, but also bears fruit.

Is it possible to grow lemon at home?

Lemon successfully takes root in an apartment if the rules of care are followed.

Lemon is an evergreen hybrid shrub, a representative of the citrus genus, the rue family. The fruits of this plant have a similar name. They have a rounded oblong shape. Their color can be bright yellow or greenish. Lemon is native to Southeast Asia, Spain and Italy.

The subtropical climate is the most favorable environment for the growth of shrubs. But if you create the appropriate conditions for a lemon, you can get its fruits in 4–5 years even in an ordinary apartment.

Video: briefly about the features of growing a citrus tree at home

Required tools and materials

To plant a lemon, you will need:

pot small size with drainage hole;
crushed charcoal or expanded clay;
biostimulator Epin-Eustra or Zircon;
fluorescent lamps;
polyethylene film;
foil;
tweezers.

Step-by-step instructions for growing lemons from seeds

Lemons grown using this method are more resistant to negative factors than citrus fruits obtained by cuttings.

Preparing the seeds

Preparing lemon seeds using a biostimulant solution

To get seeds for planting, two lemons will be enough. But please note Special attention on the quality of the fruit. They must be ripe, without damage or deformation.

Rinse lemons under running water and cut into two halves. Select the largest seeds.

In order for the root system of the future plant to develop well, the seeds must be treated with biological stimulants before planting. The preparations Zircon or Epin-Extra are suitable for this. Add one drop of biostimulator to 250 ml of water and place the seeds in the solution for 12 hours. You can do this overnight and start planting in the morning. After this procedure, the immunity of the bones will increase, they will be easier to tolerate dry air or lack of lighting.

How to plant a plant

Shallow containers will be required for planting. You can buy ready-made pots or make them yourself from scrap materials. Suitable for this purpose plastic cups 5–6 cm high. You can also cut the bottles to the required size. Don't forget to make holes for drainage in your homemade pots.

Before you start sowing, you need to prepare the soil. Lemons prefer loose, nutritious, slightly acidic or neutral soil with a high phosphorus content. A mixture for planting citrus fruits is available in any flower shop. But you can prepare the soil yourself:

Mix humus, turf soil and peat in equal parts. It is allowed to use ordinary soil from the garden.
To make the soil loose enough, it is recommended to sift it through a sieve with a mesh size of 2–4 mm, then mix thoroughly.

Simply place the seed in a pot and slightly moisten the soil

The most suitable period for planting is the end of January or the beginning of February. And the process itself is performed in the following sequence of actions:

Place a 1.5 cm thick layer of drainage on the bottom of the container. Crushed coal or expanded clay is suitable for this.
Then fill the pot with soil and moisten it a little.
Make holes 2–3 cm deep and place the seeds in them. Use several seeds at once. This will allow the strongest ones to germinate.
Planted seeds need light watering. Excessive amounts of moisture can cause root death. The soil only needs to be sprayed twice a week.

Important! If the seeds are placed deeper than 3 cm in the soil, they may rot, and if planted shallowly, they will die from drying out.

The temperature level in the room where the pots are located should not fall below 18 °C, otherwise the seeds will not germinate. If the room is cool, cover the containers with film. But not hermetically sealed; the seeds need access to air. Place the pots in the warmest place in the room. Leave them there until shoots emerge.

Video: master class on planting lemon seeds

Plant care

When the shoots sprout, they need to create the appropriate conditions. Lemon is a capricious plant. In order for it to fully develop, you need to strictly follow all the recommendations.

Transfer

Lemon transplantation must be timely

Select the strongest sprouts and move them to a pot bigger size. It should be 5 cm larger than the container in which the seeds were planted. To determine the most viable seedlings, focus on the following criteria:

Inspect the crown of the sprout. It should be quite dense. This parameter corresponds to shoots on which the buds are located at a minimum distance from each other.
Do not choose a seedling with a lot of needles.
A good shoot has strong leaves that do not fall off at the slightest wind fluctuation. The more there are on the sprout, the better.

Important! If you find seedlings with thin shoots and few leaves, you can remove them immediately.

Do not hesitate to replant, otherwise the roots of the sprouts will begin to branch and become tangled with each other. Also keep in mind that you should not take a pot that is too large. Some do this, believing that in this case there will be no need for a transplant for a long time. It's a delusion.

The lemon root system develops on surface layers soil. Its growth occurs in the horizontal direction. If you use an overly large container, the roots will come into contact with the side walls of the pot and follow their contour. And the deep layers of the soil will remain untouched and will begin to sour. As a result, the lemon will begin to hurt, and if the situation is not corrected, it may die.

The most suitable time for transplantation is February or June. The process itself is performed in the following sequence:

Fill the bottom of the pot with 2 cm of drainage, then fill it with soil. The distance between the soil surface and the edge of the container should be 1 cm.
Make a hole in the center, place the plant and cover it with soil. Replant the lemon together with the earthen ball.
Lightly compact the soil by tapping the sides of the pot. Do not press down the soil from above.

During the first year, the lemon is replanted 2 times. Then this period needs to be increased. Plants up to three years moved to new containers every 12 months. Adult lemons are replanted after three years. Each time, a pot is selected that is 5–6 cm larger in diameter than the previous one.

Video: instructions for transplanting a lemon

Crown formation

Shaping will allow you to get a three-dimensional tree

You need to start this procedure from the first months. Do not allow the seedling to become stick-like as it develops. Using tweezers, pinch the top of the lemon. You need to achieve lateral branching. Leave 2-3 leaves on the branches and remove the top part.

For uniform development of the crown, the lemon must be periodically rotated, but no more than 10°. Also remove branches that grow vertically and inward.

If the lemon begins to bloom in the first year, cut off all the buds. Some people ignore this rule. But otherwise, the seedling will spend all its energy on flowering. Then it becomes unviable and begins to fade.

Important! A lemon should bloom after there are 15 or more leaves per flower.

Lighting and humidity

Low humidity and good light are important for lemon

Lemon requires good lighting Therefore, it is important to follow the following recommendations:

Place the lemon on the windowsill on the west or east side. But the sprouts should not be exposed to direct sun rays– this will lead to their death.
From October to March, organize additional lighting using fluorescent lamps. To get a more pronounced effect, build a foil reflector for them.
Do not use incandescent lamps; they are not powerful enough.
Provide the plant with additional light - 2 hours in the morning and 3 in the evening.

Lemons do not tolerate dry air well. Its humidity level should be 40–50%. Do not use spraying; this procedure will not give the desired result when grown indoors. It’s better to fence off the plant on the windowsill plastic film or place a humidifier near it.

Temperature

In warm weather, lemon should be kept at a temperature of +18°C..+23°C. With the onset of winter, when the plant goes into a dormant state, this indicator should be reduced to +10 °C. In such conditions, the development of lemon occurs more intensively. At low temperatures, fruit seeds are laid.

In the summer, it will be beneficial for lemon to stay in the fresh air. Take it outside, where the plant can better absorb carbon dioxide. The temperature in summer should not rise above +30 °C.

Watering

You can water the lemon with filtered water.

The features of this process can be reduced to the following aspects:

For irrigation, you cannot use artesian or well water– it contains a high concentration of salts, which increase the level of alkali in the soil.
Tap water will not work either for the following reason: high content chlorine. This substance has a poisonous effect on citrus fruits, including lemon.
Use only filtered water. Before watering, add nitric acid to it at the rate of 3 ml of the substance per 10 liters of liquid. As a result, the water will become softer.
Nitric acid can be replaced with oxalic acid (1 teaspoon) or acetic acid (3 tablespoons).
There are no clear instructions regarding the amount of watering. Focus on the degree of soil moisture. Place your finger into the soil. If the soil is dry at the depth of the phalanx, the plant needs to be watered.
Do not use cold water. Its temperature level should be at least +5 °C.
Do not allow water to remain in the tray.

Important! Lemon does not tolerate large amounts of moisture.

Top dressing

There is no need to feed lemon sprouts for the first two months after their appearance. Next, start fertilizing every two weeks.

Prepare a mixture of mullein and water. Mix the components in a ratio of 1:10. Apply fertilizer at the rate of 70 ml of solution per 1 liter of soil. With the onset of the cold period, feeding is stopped until next spring.

Stimulation of fruiting

This method will help stimulate the formation of fruit buds:

Prepare copper wire.
Pull the two main branches and the lemon trunk so that the wire is pressed slightly into the bark.
The plant is slightly deformed as a result of this procedure, but this should not cause concern. The number of buds will increase.

Possible diseases and pests

Lemon is susceptible to fungus and gommosis

Lemon can be affected by mites, aphids and scale insects. These pests feed on its greens and juice, which leads to deformation of the stems and drying out of the leaves. Inspect the bush daily, so you can notice the problem in a timely manner and eliminate it. When you find pests, take a soft toothbrush or a cotton swab, soak it in a soap solution and remove the insects.

If not proper care the lemon begins to suffer from gommosis or sooty fungus. In the first case, the bark is affected, then the branches dry out. If sooty fungus is present, a gray coating forms on the leaves, after which they curl.

To get rid of gommosis, remove plaque from the damaged areas, then treat them with 1% Bordeaux mixture. Next, apply garden varnish and disinfect copper sulfate.

A 1% Bordeaux mixture will also help cure lemons affected by sooty fungus. Treat the affected areas and remove diseased leaves.

Important! Do not place the lemon near other plants, this will help reduce the likelihood of infection.

To get the first fruits, you need to care for the lemon for several years. But the plant will begin to benefit long before this time. Its leaves secrete phytoncides - substances that prevent the development of pathogenic fungi and bacteria. In addition, home-grown lemons are hardier than store-bought ones. You will be able to select the strongest specimens for planting and receive unpretentious plants, maximally adapted for indoor conditions.

Your goal is to grow a homemade lemon so that it becomes interesting element interior and even hope to enjoy the vitamin fruits from the lemon tree.

Where to begin? If there is no desire or opportunity to purchase a citrus tree, then the easiest way is to grow a lemon from a seed.

Today we will discuss in detail how to grow lemons at home, how to care for home citrus fruits and what needs to be done so that indoor lemons begin to bear fruit.

Citrus cultivation

Lemon is native to subtropical forests, where it grows wild. For many centuries, people tried to spread it throughout the lands of Europe. The twentieth century was marked by the experiments of geneticists. Scientists have done a good job of breeding varieties that bear fruit well in northern latitudes and in indoor conditions.

Today you won’t surprise anyone with homemade lemon. Thanks to the efforts of professional breeders and amateur gardeners, indoor lemons have appeared in many home greenhouses and simply on window sills. Citrus houseplants they always look amazing in the interior, but they delight us not only with their excellent appearance, but also edible fruits.

The citrus tree is an evergreen, moisture-loving, shade-tolerant, short-day plant. It begins to grow actively in the room in February-March, and stops in November. Lemon propagates in the following ways:

Seeds - a familiar seed taken from a fruit.
Vegetatively - cuttings, grafting, layering.

Lemon from the seed: where to start?

Only freshly collected seeds are used. They are selected from ripe fruits that do not show signs of disease. Purely theoretically this is true, but lemons come to us from supermarkets and bazaars.

Such fruits certainly cannot be called freshly picked. What should I do? Dried seeds that have been left for a month at room temperature significantly lose their germination capacity, but still germinate.

To grow lemons at home one hundred percent, you need to stock up not with one or two seeds, but with a much larger quantity. Out of a dozen seeds there will definitely be several sprouts.

Don't be afraid to grow many seedlings at once. It is not a fact that all your lemons from seeds at home will survive to bear fruit. Some will die due to disease, others will suffer when you vaccinate them.

We begin to grow homemade lemon from seeds as follows:

We buy special soil or prepare the soil ourselves from river sand, turf soil, and humus.
Place the prepared soil mixture into separate small pots or cups.
We plant the seeds in moist soil to a depth of 3 cm.
Cover the top with film to create a better microclimate.
We are waiting for the sprouts to appear in about 3 weeks.
If 2 shoots grow from one lemon seed, one (which is weaker) should be removed.

Citrus cultivation in a similar way- the simplest and most reliable option at home. Many flower growers have decorative lemons at home, many have waited for them to bear fruit. It should be noted that homemade tangerines are grown in a similar way.

Citrus plants obtained from seeds adapt to room conditions better, they turn out to be more hardy and viable compared to cuttings or grafted ones. Fully fruit-bearing cultivated seedlings grow from the seeds. Their only drawback is that they begin to bear fruit late.

Caring for lemon seedlings

Sprouting a lemon from a seed is not difficult; caring for it will be more problematic. When the seedlings appear, the film is gradually removed, accustoming them to the conditions of the room.

Regular care for homemade lemon implies that it:

Water moderately, avoiding waterlogging, so as not to cause root rot. In hot weather, watering is carried out 3 times a week, in winter it is reduced to 2 times.
Wipe citrus leaves from dust every week and regularly spray them with water.
Keeping it near the battery requires additional air humidification.
Rotate the lemon gradually by 2 cm per month around its axis so that there is no sudden change in the light regime for the leaves.
Indoor lemons are replanted every year in the spring into a larger pot. You cannot immediately plant a plant in a pot that is not the right size.
Good growth is achieved by fertilizing with complex fertilizers “Zdraven”, “Ideal” or special fertilizers for citrus fruits with the addition of microelements zinc, boron, manganese - once every 2 weeks.

To prevent a lemon from turning into a wild, dense tree from a seed, the crown must be constantly shaped. The central shoot is cut off at a distance of 20 cm from the ground. Branches of the second order appear, which are pinched when they reach 18 cm. The process is carried out until shoots of the fourth order appear. Flower buds are laid on them, and fruiting begins.

Indoor lemon - pests and diseases

Lemons grown at home are most often affected by scale insects, spider mite, aphids, worms. All these pests feed on the sap of the plant, causing the leaves to dry out and the shoots to bend.

To prevent pests from destroying the lemon tree, the following general control measures should be taken:

Remove pests from the stem with a soft toothbrush and from the leaves with cotton swabs pre-moistened soap solution anabasine sulfate.
Wash the solution off the plant every other day. Repeat treatment every other week.
With a large number of pests, treat the tree with infusion of celandine, tobacco, onion peel or Actellik, Ditox, Fitoverm preparations. It is necessary to use preparations for the destruction of pests very carefully, as these are the strongest pesticides.

The most common diseases of indoor citrus fruits are soot fungus, gommosis. Why are they dangerous for homemade lemon? The soot fungus covers the leaves with a dark gray bloom, disrupting the normal nutrition of plants. Gommosis forms a gum that flows from damage to the bark, causing the leaves and branches to dry out.

Diseases indoor lemon are removed:

Cleaning the sore spot, treating it with copper sulfate.
Covering with “RanNet” (garden putty paste).
Wipe with a wet cloth (if there is fungus).
Control of insect pests that attack bark and leaves.
Feeding with complex fertilizers to maintain the viability of the tree.

For a novice gardener, advice on how to deal with homemade lemon diseases will seem incomprehensible, but there is nothing complicated here. In all specialized stores you will find the proposed preparations, and on the packages there are detailed instructions. If you have specific questions on how to grow a lemon from a stone, how to care for it, feel free to ask them on the flower growers forums. They will definitely help you!

Cutting lemons for quick fruiting

Why do you need cuttings? Lemons grown using this method begin to bear fruit faster. The only negative is that the future tree should get used to the changed living conditions.

If you already have some experience in floriculture, then it will not be difficult to grow a fruit-bearing lemon by cuttings:

The best time to sprout roots from cuttings is March-April. Cuttings are taken only from fruiting lemons.
The landing box is prepared in advance. Make small holes in it. For drainage, washed expanded clay, brick fragments or crushed stone are used. Then river sand 1.5 cm is poured in layers, nutrient mixture 6 cm, finished with sand 2 cm.
Cuttings are harvested from last year's growth. Make an oblique cut and cover it with warm wax or garden varnish. The branches are divided into several parts with 4 buds on each.
Before planting in the ground, the lower parts of the cuttings are immersed for a day in a heteroauxin solution. Sprinkled wood ash, planted in prepared soil at a distance of 15 cm one at a time, leaving 2 buds on the surface.
Press the earth tightly around them and spray warm water. Create a mini-greenhouse by covering it with film. For better rooting, a little heating from below is necessary.
The temperature around the cuttings is maintained at about 25°C. If it is lower, the leaves fall off, their condition worsens, the rooting time doubles, and the survival rate decreases.
During the first 2 weeks, the leaves are sprayed with water 4 times a day, then reduced to two. The film is periodically lifted and the greenhouse is ventilated. If all conditions are met, after a month the lemon will grow a good root system.
Rooted cuttings are transplanted one at a time into clay pots using a drainage layer and nutrient soil. To increase branching, pinch out the central root.
Having installed the plant in a new container, carefully sprinkle the soil onto the roots, pressing it with your hand. Water in several stages with warm water so that the soil settles.
Spray the leaves and place them in a shaded place for 2 weeks. After that, young trees are gradually accustomed to light.

Over time, you will begin to do many processes for caring for citrus fruits on an intuitive level, experience will tell. Growing indoor lemons at home is an interesting and exciting pastime. For many, this becomes a hobby for many years, maybe this is your new hobby?

Lemon is evergreen tree with fleshy and glossy leaves, on which the fruit is located on the branches of the bush. At the same time, the branch has a large number of pores that secrete phytoncides and essential oils- This is the well-known wonderful aroma of lemon. You can grow a lemon from a seed at home into a small tree, which can be up to 3 meters tall. In this article we will look at how to plant a lemon tree from a seed at home?

How to plant a lemon from the seed?

Before you grow lemon at home, you need to choose the right seeds for planting and prepare the soil. We choose a ripe, even, beautiful fruit. From it we get the largest and best seeds. And we plant in a wet state, it is not necessary to dry, otherwise they will sprout for a long time or will not germinate at all.

Seeds for the rapid formation and germination of good roots in the future can be treated with some kind of biostimulant before planting. Why make a solution, taking into account the instructions for the preparation - and soak the seeds overnight.

For sowing it is necessary prepare good soil and containers. For seedlings, pots can be purchased at the store, or you can use cups of sour cream or yogurt for this; you can also cut off plastic eggplants. You need to put drainage at the bottom and make holes.

It is necessary to plant a large number of lemon seeds– several dozen at a time. Since not everyone will sprout, and you will also have the opportunity to select the best ones for subsequent cultivation and, finally, not everyone can tolerate the grafting.

Then you need prepare fertile and loose soil. Lemons can be planted without problems in purchased soil. citrus plants or make it yourself. Mix the leaf soil, humus in equal quantities and add sand and peat for ease. We moisten the soil and plant the seeds in pots. Seeds should be planted at a depth of approximately 2 cm.

For germination lemon seed the temperature must be at least 19C. In order to create Better conditions For lemons to develop and germinate, cover them with cut plastic eggplants. Or simply cover the cups with seeds with polyethylene and place them in warm room.

Seeds should not be poured after sowing, as they can become moldy and suffocate. It is advisable not to water at all, but only spray the soil with a spray bottle. Water only when the soil begins to crack. And during the emergence of seedlings, it is also necessary to observe a low watering regime, so that the roots do not rot.

How to grow lemon at home?

Sprouts appear in different ways. Until four leaves form, seedlings should be kept in mini-greenhouses. We gradually accustom the seedlings to room air– We spray them more often. Then we move the pot to a bright place, but without direct sunlight, otherwise the young plant will die. But remember that you need to water the seedlings only after the earth has dried.

Lemon: Growing and caring for at home

In the first months, a small lemon does not need to be fed. In summer and spring, it is necessary to water with bio-fertilizer.
Use water room temperature and settled. Thawed and rainwater- only warm.
Dry and hot climate, wind, air cooling and drafts, exposure to direct sunlight - all these factors lead to loss of foliage and death of the bush.
remember, that moody lemon tree. It likes constant humidity and temperature. Abrupt changes in care and climate will immediately worsen the well-being of the tree.
The crown begins to form in the first year. Cut off all weak, inward-growing, deformed branches.
In autumn, watering is completely reduced; only after the soil has dried, the lump of earth is moistened. Be sure to make sure that the water does not begin to stagnate and that the excess flows out freely. In autumn, feed once a month.

Lemon growing and care at home in pots

When 2-3 true leaves appear on the plant, then the strongest ones are selected, and transplanted into pots. It is best to choose clay pots for this plant. The depth and diameter are increased taking into account the growth of the bush. A couple of hours before transplanting, the container must be soaked in water. Be sure to lay a drainage layer on the bottom.

We pour the same soil as we did when planting the seeds. After transplantation again cover the seedlings with half a bottle or jar. We remove it only after the seedling has completely taken root. At the same time, new leaves begin to form.

How to select the best seedlings for transplantation?

Here are the basic rules to pay attention to:

We look for the presence of needles. It's best when there are few of them.
Determining crown density. You need to look at the distance on the seedling between the buds - choose the ones with the smallest ones.
All thin and weak shoots with bad leaves must be discarded immediately.
Leaf quality. They do not fall off when touched, hold on tightly, there should be a lot of them.

Growing problems and care rules

Growing lemons at home requires special care. If you follow all the rules, you can get a fruit-bearing and flowering bush:

It is necessary to create a humid microclimate in the room. To do this, spray the bush more often.
The plant additionally requires additional lighting, especially in early autumn and spring.
From February to September the bush grows more actively - therefore, at this time it is necessary to feed the plant with biofertilizers, alternately with mineral ones. You only need to feed liquid fertilizers.
For young tree required frequent transfers. The bush must be replanted with a lump of earth. New containers are chosen to be 6-8 cm larger. Young plants are replanted once a year, adult bushes need to be replanted once every 3-4 years. Preferably in June.
When the lemon at home begins to bloom in the first year, you need to pick all the flowers - don’t regret it. The tree will spend all its energy on flowers and then wither. The plant can be allowed to bloom if there are at least 20 leaves on the bush.
For proper formation of the bush, it is necessary to turn the pot a quarter once a week. Subsequently, a well-formed trunk will influence the quality of the fruit.
In order to actively grow side shoots and the tree was more magnificent, the top of the head needed to be pinched. It is advisable to do this in the first year of growth.

Will a plant grown from a seed begin to bear fruit?

Full-fledged fruit plants can grow from the seeds, however, they begin to bear fruit late. Seedlings grown from seeds are characterized by increased adaptability to home conditions. These bushes are much hardier, unlike cuttings.

In order for the lemon to begin to bear its first fruits earlier, this plant can be grafted onto other citrus fruits. For example: grapefruit, tangerine. best time for this the beginning of summer.

Also very important factor there will be crown formation. As already described above, in the first year the crown is pinched - or rather, if the bush reaches a height of more than 25 cm. Then second-order branches begin to grow, they need to be pinched when they grow 20 cm. Then the process must be repeated until fourth-order branches are formed.

Varieties of indoor lemon

You can grow many varieties at home - these are Maikopsky, Pavlovsky, Genoa, Eureka, Novogruzinsky, Meyer. The most productive is Maikop. And the Eureka and Genoa varieties are small plants that can even grow on a windowsill.

Meyer variety

This variety appeared in our country in 1930. It became widespread in European countries because it gave big harvests V open ground. It is a natural hybrid of orange and lemon.

Pavlova lemon

This variety is a folk selection. He was bred in the village of Pavlovo more than a century ago. The variety is quite unpretentious, perfectly adapted to growing at home.

The Pavlovsk variety can grow up to 2 meters. It produces 25-45 fruits per year. It begins to bear fruit around the fourth year.

Variety Yubileiny

Decorative, productive, unpretentious variety. It can grow up to 1.7 m. It blooms quite profusely - due to the abundance of flowers it resembles a white ball. Fruits weighing 0.5 grams with yellow and thick skin. It begins to bear fruit in the second year of life. Adapts perfectly to different conditions, grows quickly and is shade-tolerant.

Chinese variety

This is a small bush, usually about a meter. It begins to bear fruit early - in the second or third year. Is different high yield. The fruits are early ripening, blooms early, blooms on young and old shoots.

It tolerates heat well, however, during dormancy it requires leaf moisture and coolness. Does not tolerate shade very well - must be grown on southwestern and southern windowsills.

Variety Novogruzinsky

Begins to bear fruit at 4-5 years. Tall bush up to 3 meters. During good care can produce up to 220 fruits annually. The fruits are seedless, have a thin crust, and are quite aromatic.

Maykop variety

This species is quite popular for growing at home because it is very productive and unpretentious. The weight of lemons is approximately 110-150 grams. Tolerates cold well. Branches without thorns. Bushes aged 35 years produce approximately 750 fruits annually.

Variety Genoa

This variety is thornless and grows within 1-3 meters. Fruits begin to bear at 4-5 years. Typically produces approximately 60 fruits annually. On an adult bush there are up to 120 pieces. The fruits are small, up to 110-140 g. Characterized by very good taste qualities.

Diseases and pests

The main diseases of all citrus fruits at home are gommosis and sooty fungus. The leaves from the fungus begin to become covered with a gray coating, and their nutrition is disrupted. And during homosis, gum forms in areas of damage to the bark - the leaves and branches gradually dry out.

Actions for illnesses:

We clean the site of the disease or the bark - treat it with copper sulfate.
We treat with garden varnish or RanNet.
Wipe the leaves with a damp cloth.
We feed with fertilizers.

How and in what dosage to use pest control or plant treatment products can always be read on the package of each drug. They can be found in every specialty store. large quantities.

Growing in a greenhouse

As mentioned before, lemon loves:

Constant temperature all year round;
Good breathing of the root system;
Diffuse and strong light.

All these conditions can best be observed in the following conditions: winter garden, greenhouse or conservatory, on a balcony or loggia with glazing.

Growing lemons or other citrus fruits in greenhouse conditions has certain features. You can plant lemons directly in the ground or put them in pots. In order to grow lemons in the ground, the greenhouse must be heated.

Requirements for the greenhouse where lemon will be grown:

A lot of diffused lighting is needed. In the autumn-winter period, additional lighting should be used, and in summer and spring, on the contrary, it should be darkened from direct sunlight.
An indispensable condition is that even in very severe frosts the temperature should not be less than +5C.
Do not forget that lemons do not tolerate stagnant air in the room quite well, during high humidity the greenhouse must be ventilated.

At home, the most suitable location for growing and planting lemons is an insulated and glazed loggia or balcony. In another, the care and cultivation of this plant is exactly the same as indicated in this article.

Planting a lemon tree at home is not as difficult as waiting for its fruits. On average, a lemon begins to bear fruit in its eighth year. If you start growing this tree at home, then you should give it proper care and it is advisable to get grafted in order to get a fruit rich in vitamins as quickly as possible.

In most cases, the lemon tree is not used to produce fruit, but for exoticism in the apartment. As you know, leaves citrus tree(in our case lemon) have a useful ability. They secrete phytoncides - substances that prevent reproduction various types bacteria. It has a pleasant aroma and refreshes the room well. The big advantage of the lemon tree is its evergreen state.

Lemon can be grown from a seed or grafted. Let's look at how to properly grow a lemon from a seed step by step. So let's get started.

For initial stage For growing lemon, a small pot is suitable, but under one condition, it must have a hole at the bottom. Place about two centimeters of drainage at the bottom of the pot. Then we fill it with earth. Land can be purchased in special stores, but not ordinary soil, but special soil for citrus fruits.

If you want to prepare the soil yourself, then you will need a mixture of loose soil: half humus and half turf. You can also add a little coal or peat. This will not harm your future tree.

After you have prepared a place for planting, you can go to the store or market to buy a suitable lemon. When choosing, you need to pay attention to the color and ripeness of the citrus fruit. It should be yellow and ripe. The fruit must be whole, without defects.
We cut the purchased lemon and take out the largest seeds, it is better to take a couple. The bones need to be moist and fresh fruit. Dry will not work, they lose their properties over time.

We moisten the soil in the pot with a little water and place the seed in it about 1-1.5 centimeters deep. The room temperature should be at least 18°C. If the temperature is lower, then you should cover the pot with film and place it in a warmer place. For lemon tree seedlings, the amount of light is irrelevant.

You cannot water the lemon, as the young roots will begin to rot due to too much moisture. It just needs to be sprayed every 2-3 days. Well, if suddenly the soil is very dry, then quite a bit of water will not hurt. The main thing is not to overfill.

When we planted a seed, it remains to wait for the sprouts to appear. This will take approximately 2-3 weeks, provided that the temperature in the apartment is not lower than 18°C. If you covered the pot with film, you can remove it after the second pair of leaves appears.

Once the sprout has appeared, you should move it to a bright place, but not in strong sun, otherwise your sprout may burn. Now you need to observe the watering regime. Make sure that the soil does not dry out and is not very wet. Water with water at room temperature.

There is no need to feed lemon in the first 2-3 months. In spring and summer, you can add fertilizer once every two weeks. Overdo it with fertilizers, as well as Not worth it with water. Lemon is quite capricious and improper care will lead to the death of the sprouts.

In autumn and winter, you need to water the lemon less often: as soon as upper layer the earth dried up. Fertilizing should be done more than once a month.

Lemon transplant

Young lemons should be replanted no more than twice a year, and mature plant once every 3-4 years. Due to lack of space in your pot, growth may be stunted as the lemon's roots become tangled over time. With each transplant, you need to take a pot a little larger than the previous one. When replanting, handle the roots carefully so as not to damage them.

As you have already seen, planting a lemon tree at home is not very difficult, but you don’t have to stop and plant a couple more unusual fruits or plants. With proper care and compliance with all the rules, a small exotic corner will appear in your home.

You can also watch the video: How to grow a lemon from a seed at home.

Planting a lemon seed