How to grow lemons from seeds at home. How to grow a lemon from a seed easily and simply

The question of how to grow lemons is most often asked by those who first decided to engage in this process. If you grow at least one tree yourself, then you will already know perfectly well all the features of this process. Growing a lemon requires some effort, but it is fully compensated by the result of your labor. After all, the beneficial properties of this plant are difficult to overestimate. To help the novice gardener, we decided to collect all the recommendations together and provide the most complete information. You will find here everything you need for proper cultivation and plant care.

Why lemon?

Before we begin to answer the question of how to grow a lemon, I would like to talk about what makes this plant so attractive, and why all these manipulations need to be done. Of course, this plant is attractive from an aesthetic point of view. Lemon is a miniature tree that grows in a pot in your home. But this is not its main value. Indoor lemon has many useful properties. It will not only fill the air in the room with a pleasant aroma, it will enrich it with useful substances. Phytoncides and essential oils, which are released during the growth of lemons, have a positive effect on human health. Therefore, you should not think long about whether to start the process. Of course it's worth it. Now let's get down to business.

Choosing a landing method

First, we need to decide how the lemon will be grown. Two methods are used:

seminal,
cuttings.

In order to grow a lemon from a seed, we, of course, need the seeds of the fruit. To do this, you need to purchase the fruit itself. It doesn't matter where you buy it. The main thing is that it is ripe, whole, and has a beautiful color. Make sure there are no damage, dents or spots on the peel. In general, we need the perfect fruit. Otherwise, you may receive a seed with an already established infection. And this will certainly affect the quality of the sprouts.

Having bought a lemon, you need to immediately begin the planting process. The fact is that the seeds cannot be allowed to dry out. We cut the lemon, take out the seeds and, without allowing them to dry, immediately place them in the soil prepared in advance. There are some more tips experienced gardeners. To speed up the process of sprouts pecking, you need to “do a little magic” with the seed. To do this, take a knife and carefully remove the top dense layer of the seed, leaving only the inner embryo. Here you need to act very carefully, since any injury to the embryo will lead to the fact that the sprout will never appear. Also, some experts recommend briefly placing the bones in a container with a stimulator. It is enough to keep them there for 3-4 hours.

If you decide to use the cutting method, then for this you will need mature plant. We cut off a young shoot and place it in a container with water. It is important that the shoot has at least three buds. It is good to add a growth stimulator to the water. When the cutting sprouts tiny roots, it can be safely planted in the ground.

Requirements for soil and pot

Seedlings indoor lemons turn into trees over time, which can have different heights. It depends on the variety. If one variety grows on average three to four meters in height, then another can stretch up to ten meters. The choice of pot depends on this. But don’t think about it right away. After all, if you plant a lemon immediately in a huge pot, this will have a detrimental effect on the development of its roots. First, just select a small container. It could even be plastic bottle. It is enough just to cut off the top, make several holes in it for water drainage and place it on a stand.

You can use both pots and wooden boxes. It is recommended to plant several seeds or cuttings at once in large boxes. Just make sure that there is a distance of at least twenty centimeters between the planting material. This is necessary for the proper development of lemon roots.

There is nothing difficult in choosing soil for homemade lemon. Being very unpretentious in this regard, it only requires that the soil not be dry. A drainage layer should be placed at the bottom of the planting container. For this it is acceptable to use suitable material such as pebbles, pieces of clay chips, sand, expanded clay, polystyrene foam, etc. It is very useful to cover the drainage layer with peat or moss a couple of centimeters. This will improve the soil nutritional environment. For soil, it is best to take equal parts of turf, sand and humus. You can add ash. But you can also take any soil that is sold in the store for indoor plants. Lemon takes root well in any soil, as long as it is not dry.

Planting seeds

The process of growing lemon from a seed begins directly with planting the seeds in the soil. The whole procedure is quite simple:

we moisten the soil in the container we have chosen for planting;
make small holes about two centimeters deep;
place two or three bones in the hole;
fill the hole with soil and compact it a little;
we irrigate the entire surface of the soil with water using a sprinkler;
cover the container with oilcloth or film to create a greenhouse effect;
we place the box in a place where the temperature will remain around eighteen degrees;
There are no problems with lighting, since the lemon does not yet require it;
until the first shoots appear, you need to constantly irrigate the soil and ventilate the container, briefly lifting the film;
there is no need to fill the pot with water, as excess moisture will lead to rotting of the sprouts;
if several sprouts have sprouted in one hole, you need to select the highest quality one and carefully remove the rest.

Planting cuttings

If you plant cuttings, then the manipulations boil down to the following:

As soon as the cutting has roots, albeit small ones, it needs to be placed in a prepared container.
It is necessary to ensure that the cutting is planted deep enough, and only a couple of buds remain on the surface.
It is important to pay attention to how to water the lemon at this time, because the cutting needs moisture, and it still has nothing special to drink, so watering should be plentiful.
Create temperature regime from eighteen to twenty degrees Celsius, because lemon loves warm rooms.
In about a couple of months the plant will be strong enough to begin active growth and development.

Caring for sprouts

When growing lemon in a pot, you need to pay attention to where the container will be placed. The development and growth of the plant depends on this. Lemon does not tolerate cold and drafts. As soon as you notice the first shoots, you need to change the care of the plant. First you need to remove the film, it is no longer needed. Watering should be done regularly, every three to four days. Now the sprouts need sunlight, so the pot must be periodically placed on the windowsill, where there is enough light. To ensure that the plant has a beautiful shape and develops evenly, turn it in a circle about once a month by a couple of centimeters. Do not twist too much, this can cause the plant to become “scared” and it will stop producing leaves altogether.

To water the lemon you should not use plain water, but collected after rain or snow. Be sure to warm it up comfortable temperature premises. Moreover, the container with water must be left alone for a sufficient time for all harmful additives to settle. It is not recommended to water the lemon tap water, since a huge amount of impurities leads to the death of sprouts.

As dust appears on the leaves, care must be taken to remove it with a soft, damp cloth or sponge.

Fertilize and replant

When talking about how to grow lemons, one cannot fail to mention fertilizer. This is a very important process that helps the plant strengthen and develop. For proper development of sprouts, you need to feed them twice a month. There are many different fertilizer options available now, and many of them will work just fine. Make sure that the packaging contains the composition of the drug, which would indicate the presence of boron, manganese and zinc. These are exactly the substances that lemon needs.

No less important is the procedure for replanting a slightly grown plant to a new location. The ideal time for this process is the beginning of spring. Choose a lemon pot larger diameter than the previous one. You will need to do this transplant at least four times during the first year. Then there will be no need to replant so often. This will need to be done as the plant requires. As soon as you notice that the lemon's roots have grown all the way to the drainage, and you can see their tips outside the pot, then the plant is showing you that it is cramped. Replant carefully without damaging the roots. To do this, do not remove all the soil, but leave a lump of old soil. This will protect the plant from damage and also help it adapt to its new environment.

Tree care

The above information is not all that the plant needs to provide proper care. Lemon pruning is also an important procedure necessary for the formation of the crown. After all, no one wants to see an ugly bush in a pot in the house. You need to do this as soon as the plant trunk becomes strong enough, stretches upward, and branches appear on it. As soon as this happens, you need to immediately cut off the central shoot, leaving a stump of about twenty centimeters. Second order branches will begin to grow. When they reach a length of about eighteen centimeters, they are pinched. Everything repeats itself again. And so on until you grow branches of the fourth order. It is on them that buds, flowers and fruits will form. If you do not prune, your plant will grow overgrown with excess foliage, which will waste extra energy.

Caring for a lemon during the flowering period comes down to not allowing it to produce too many buds. You need to immediately remove half of them to prevent the plant from weakening. The same should be done with the ovary. By the way, lemon will begin to bear fruit no earlier than five years from the moment the seed is planted. So you will need patience. But in order to guarantee the result in the form of fruits, we recommend grafting a lemon. This should be done at a time when the plant trunk has become stronger and has reached a centimeter in diameter. For this purpose, you will need a lemon cutting that is already bearing fruit. You can borrow it from friends, or you can buy it in a specialized store. Next follow the instructions:

Cut off one branch that extends from the main trunk, leaving two centimeters at the base.
Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the reserved stump into two pieces.
Sharpen the cutting and insert it into the split branch.
Treat the cut areas with garden varnish and insulate, completely covering the stump.
Everything is also cut off from the cuttings, leaving about three buds. Also treat the cut part with garden varnish and cover the entire scion with a bag to create a greenhouse effect.
When you see the first sprouts, remove the bag.

Such a plant usually begins to bear fruit after three years. When the first flowering occurs, you need to leave only two flowers, which are pollinated artificially, transferring pollen from one bud to another. Next, the plant will have as many fruits as there are ovaries.

Features of cultivation

Indoor lemon loves proper care, and you need to monitor not only watering and fertilization, but also light, temperature and humidity in the room:

As for light, the plant prefers bright light, but there should be no direct hits sunlight. It needs to be dissipated. The east side of the house is ideal for lemon.
In the room where the lemon stands, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of about nineteen degrees Celsius at the time of flowering, twenty-one during fruiting and seventeen in the winter when the plant is resting.
Since lemon comes from tropical countries, it needs a humid climate. It is enough to spray the plant three times a month, and also place a humidifier nearby. A container with water and pebbles can serve this purpose.

There is a lot of information on how to grow lemons. But there is nothing complicated or impossible about it. You just need to follow the recommendations. There are also a few special tips that we want to share with you:

At the end of the autumn season, you need to start accustoming the lemon to low temperatures. To do this, you need to gradually lower the temperature, reaching fifteen degrees. At the same time, increase the amount of light so that the plant does not drop its leaves.
To prevent the lemon from freezing in winter, being in a cool room, the pot with the plant can be wrapped with insulation. This will protect the root system.
Periodically it is necessary to loosen the soil in the pot where the lemon grows. This makes it easier for air to penetrate to the roots.
Starting from the end of spring and throughout the summer, we recommend taking the plant outside, but not placing it in direct sunlight.

We hope all this information will help you in the question of how to grow a lemon on a windowsill and how to care for it. Warmth, moisture and sun are what this wonderful plant loves. Don't forget about this and you will succeed.

Any effort put into growing and caring for lemons will reward you with beautiful, aromatic fruits collected from the tree. And an additional reward will be the envy of your neighbors and friends who will see this tropical miracle in your home.

Lemon is a subtropical plant. It grows where there is a lot of warmth and moisture, which should accompany it all year. Lemon trees die when the ambient temperature drops to minus 4 degrees. Lemons are also light-loving. It should be remembered that direct sunlight when grown indoors depresses the plant and sometimes causes the leaves to fall off. In nature, lemon leaves do not fall at the same time. These are not only organs of photosynthesis, but also a kind of pantry useful substances. When growing, there is a direct connection between their quantity, intensity of development and productivity.

Growing lemon at home

Lemons grow at home with a certain frequency. New growth starts when the young foliage has finally matured. The first wave of growth lasts from late March to June. The second begins after a short period of rest from mid-June to early August, and the third - approximately from the second ten days of September to the last days of October. From November to early March, lemons are dormant. Over the course of a year, trees grow 15–20 cm.

Often the apical bud dries out and falls off during the dormant period, while the young leaves develop quite quickly. Each time growth stops, the young shoots ripen. The next growth begins after they get stronger. The upper buds germinate first and develop better than the lower ones, that is, vertical shoots are more active in growth, unlike horizontal ones. On vertical ones, fruits very rarely set, so the crown must be formed. How correctly it is formed depends on the start of fruiting.

It all starts with a seedling

You cannot buy lemon seedlings brought from the south. They are mostly grafted onto trifoliates, which go dormant in the winter. Such seedlings in indoor conditions shed their leaves and die.

Even if the grafting is carried out on lemons at home, southern seedlings in the north do not feel well. The leaves of such scions are formed based on excessive southern illumination. If these conditions change abruptly, plants are simply unable to function normally.

It is best to purchase them from a local hobbyist who has experience growing lemons at home and can advise if necessary. The seedling should grow in a proportionate pot and have three to four mature leaves.

You cannot buy seedlings for growing with an exposed root system. The fact is that it does not have thin fibers for absorbing nutrients and moisture from the soil. The mycorrhizal fungus lives on the smooth tips of relatively thick roots. If the root system is left exposed for even a short time, the mycorrhiza quickly dries out and the seedling dies soon after planting.

Formation and cultivation of the crown

When young shoots grow from under the adult leaves, begin to form a crown. Each branch is shortened to five to six leaves, and then, when it becomes large, the leaves are wide, dark green, hard, and a branch with two leaves is cut off with scissors or pruning shears. Subsequently, two or three new shoots will grow on the left part, which will need to be shortened again. A beautiful tree can be formed within two years.

Lemons should be allowed to bloom and bear fruit at home when they are three to four years old. In this case, you should not leave excessive ovary. The fruits will form and ripen, but will the young plant survive them? It can hurt for a long time or die.

Ten mature leaves can ensure the full development of one fruit under room conditions. Guided by this norm, excess flowers are removed. This is best done when they are still in bud stage.

Tree care and further cultivation

Determine a place where the lemon will always stand at home. The seedling must acclimatize to living conditions for one to two months. After this, it should be transplanted into a capacious pot with a hole in the bottom.

The root system of the plant is superficial, so the soil in the container must be drained. To do this, place a piece of broken ceramic over the hole, and then pour charcoal in a layer of 4–5 cm (it also reduces the acidity of the soil). If there is no coal, you can use expanded clay. The drainage is sprinkled with a nutritious earthen mixture consisting of soil from under deciduous trees (except oak) and sand (3:1). You can add three tablespoons of ash and a glass of loose humus to the mixture.

Earth

The best soil for growing indoor plants is from molehills. The soil that moles dig to build their homes is very nutritious, fluffy, and thoroughly cleared of insects. If you transplant a tree into such soil, you can do without fertilizing. Note that the acidity of the soil is very important for lemons. They develop best at a pH of 5.5–7.5. Increased or decreased acidity causes a deficiency of microelements even with regular fertilization, because most substances are transformed into a form inaccessible to plants.

When the pot with soil is prepared, the plant is removed from the old flowerpot. Any citrus fruits are replanted with a clod of earth so as not to disturb the sensitive roots. This transfer is called a complete transshipment. It is important not to cover the root collar (the junction of the root with the trunk) with a layer of soil thicker than 1 cm, otherwise it will begin to rot.

Transplanting and watering

After transplanting, water the lemon at home room temperature, in which crystals of sodium permanganate are dissolved. In the future, it is replanted only if the roots completely entwine the earthen ball in the pot. You can notice this by the roots that come out through the drainage hole.

They are also replanted when the tree stops growing, underdeveloped branches appear, and leaves turn yellow. The best time to replant is in February. Here the question arises: why can’t a seedling be planted immediately in a pot of impressive size, so as not to have to do this every year? Yes, because the root system of a small tree covers a correspondingly small volume of earthen coma, and the rest - the “idle” earth - turns sour.

The pot with the seedling is wrapped in a layer of cotton wool, batting or foam rubber and aluminum foil. This method of growing the root system is like being in a thermos: it will not be cold in winter, and hot in summer.

Lighting

For better illumination of plants in winter, on the side opposite to the window, it is advisable to install a screen made of aluminum foil. If there is heating under the window, then it is better to cover it so that warm air did not get on the leaves.

Lemon at home cannot be moved from place to place and turned in different directions. This can lead to leaf fall and seedling death.

Watering and spraying lemons at home

It is better to water the tree with rain or melt water. However, you often have to take it from the tap, which contains disinfectants. In order not to harm the plant, water for irrigation should be settled.

Well water often contains mineral salts, most often lime. With constant watering, the soil becomes so saturated with “ill-wishers” that it becomes alkaline, and the plant loses its ability to absorb iron, manganese, zinc and further cultivation becomes difficult. Lemon leaves become pale and covered with spots. If the tree is not replanted, it will disappear completely. Softens hard water by simply boiling or lemon (0.5 g per 1 l), nitrogen, acetic acid(4 drops per 1 l).

At any time of the year, it is important to spray lemon daily at home. This should be done especially in winter, when the air is too dry. This event helps to reduce the evaporation of moisture from the leaves and thereby facilitates the vital activity of the roots and cultivation occurs more intensively.

How and what to feed when growing

The first time lemon is fed at home is 30 days after transplantation. In winter - once a month, and in spring-summer - once a week. It is advisable to regularly change the set of nutrients. Dry chemical fertilizers are not recommended because they contain chlorine compounds, sulfur and fluoride substances, which adversely affect mycorrhiza.

Available fertilizers are used tea leaves, coffee grounds (they are scattered over the surface and mixed with soil), water in which meat and fish were washed. Once a month, water with ash solution (1 tablespoon per liter of water).

It is good to feed the plant with a decoction of unsalted fish. To do this, take 200 g of waste after cleaning, boil it in 2 liters of water for 30–40 minutes, cool, filter and dilute (1:1) with boiled water.

The main and effective fertilizer is manure. But how to use it in a city apartment? Firstly, you don’t need so much of it, and secondly, dried manure is practically odorless. You can use chicken manure, cow and horse manure.

Growing using a life-giving solution: a liter jar is filled with manure (1:1), tightly closed and left to ferment for 3-4 weeks. Citrus fruits are treated with this “infusion” twice a month. The ratio for horse manure is 1:8, mullein is 1:10, and chicken manure is 1:25. It would be useful to remind you that it is important to adhere to this dosage, since lower concentrations are ineffective, and higher concentrations are harmful and can burn the plant.

To avoid pests

Finally, about the sorrows that can befall owners when growing indoor lemons. They arise with the appearance of pests, and most often they are introduced along with new indoor plant or flower bouquet. In summer, pests enter the room through an open window, so it must be covered with a thick mesh.

You can prevent the appearance of unwanted guests if organic fertilizers Before use, pour boiling water over it, and warm or steam the soil well when replanting.

Pests settle and thrive on plants that are kept in a room where the air is too dry, or on a windowsill where all year round positive temperature. Do not allow plants to become dense or dusty on leaves and branches. Prevention of pests will be a strong shower that will wash the crown and leaves from all sides.

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 propagation, that is, propagation by cuttings. From the seeds you will get citrus, which 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 approximately a month to 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. Next, the plant can be transplanted into a permanent pot.

Everyone knows lemon - this evergreen perennial is a guest from the subtropics, which has taken root quite comfortably in our houses and apartments. The homeland of lemon is Southeast Asia; more than a thousand years ago, these fruits were brought from India, and over time they found popularity in Africa and America. This deservedly popular citrus can take up residence in your home. You will learn how to grow a lemon from a seed at home in this article.

This citrus tree gives color several times a year. Home-grown lemon fruits have a thinner rind and a more intense aroma than those grown in open ground. To grow a lemon from a seed, you will need to create a comfortable conditions: high-quality ventilation, lighting, periodic fertilizing with fertilizers, individual approach according to the time of year.

One of the main stages is the selection of quality seeds - this is the key to the future harvest. For planting material Seeds from purchased ripe lemons are quite suitable. Sow many seeds at once so that you can select the strongest shoots later.

What kind of plant is lemon?

Lemon is considered an evergreen bush and belongs to the Rutaceae family. Lemon leaves and twigs in large quantities have glandular cells with pores that secrete phytoncides and essential oils - this fills the house with a wonderful aroma and improves health.

Lemon looks interesting - it's a tree small sizes, although it all depends on the variety - there are trees even three meters long. Lemon has fleshy, glossy, dark green leaves and small spines on the trunk. Lemon blooms beautifully - the flowers are red-pink on the outside and white on the inside. Lemons used to be exotic, but today they are no longer so rare, even in our apartments with a far from tropical climate.

Lemon tree - care rules and growing problems

Growing lemons at home requires special care. If you follow all the rules, you can get flowering and fruiting plants.

Lemon requires additional lighting - especially in early spring and in autumn.
You need to create a humid climate in the room. To do this, spray the plant more often. Give him a shower, wash the leaves - lemons are tropical inhabitants and love high humidity.
Important for a young lemon frequent transfers. We prepare the ground as for the first planting. Plants must be replanted with a clod of earth. A new pot is taken 5-7 cm larger. Young plants - once a year, an adult plant can be replanted once every 2-3 years. The best time in summer is June, and in winter we replant in February.
In the period from February to September, lemon grows more actively - so you need to feed the bushes with biofertilizers at this time, alternating with mineral ones. We only feed liquid fertilizers. Don't forget the rule: less is better than more.
We form plants correctly. To make the tree more magnificent and grow actively side shoots- pinch the top of the head. It is better to do this in the first year of growth.
For proper crown formation, you should turn the pot a quarter every week. In the future, a well-formed trunk will affect the quality of the fruit.
If the lemon at home began to bloom in the first year, then you need to pick off all the flowers - do not regret it. The lemon will spend all its energy on flowers and then wither. Lemon can be allowed to bloom when the plant has at least 15 leaves per flower!

Growing lemon indoors. What should the soil be like?

Ordinary soil from the garden or purchased is not very suitable for lemon to grow and develop, so it is advisable to create the necessary mixture yourself.

For ideal growth and development of 4 cups of soil (100 g each), it is recommended to use the following ingredients in appropriate proportions:

2 tablespoons of ash;
6 tablespoons of leaf humus and manure;
mix with 200 grams of sand.

The resulting mixture is diluted with water and placed in a pot prepared for lemon. It is important to compact the soil so that air voids do not form in the root area.

After about six months, when the lemon has grown a little, it is transplanted into a larger container. It is advisable to prepare the soil composition in the same proportion as the previous one. You can, of course, buy land in a store, but it is sold at high content alkalis. It is preferable to grow lemon from seeds at home in neutral soil.

If there is no other way out, you can neutralize the alkalinity of the soil by adding to the soil citric acid, but the main thing is not to overdo it (use a solution of water with 2-3 drops of acid for irrigation).

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.

Let's start growing homemade lemon from the seed 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 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.

Growing Lemon

The time for sprouts to appear depends on the temperature in the apartment. This usually takes from 2 weeks to 1 month. As soon as 4 or more leaves appear on the sprout, you can remove the film if you made a greenhouse and place the pot with sprouts in a well-lit place. It is important that young leaves are not exposed to direct sun rays, otherwise the young sprout will die. Monitor the watering schedule. Water the soil as it dries out. The water must first settle and be at room temperature. For watering it is recommended to use and rainwater, but make sure that the water is not cold.

You should not feed lemon sprouts in the first months. In spring and summer, you can add a little fertilizer every 14 days. But only a little, proceed from the fact that it is better to feed less than to overfeed. Remember, the lemon tree is very demanding and capricious. The slightest disturbances in care and changes in environment will have a very unfavorable effect on the tree. Excessive sun, strong winds and drafts can cause your plant to lose its leaves. Failure to comply with the temperature regime is also undesirable for the sprout.

With the arrival of autumn, watering is carried out as little as possible. The reference point is the state of the top layer of the earth. Feeding is necessary only once every 30 days.

It is worth starting to form the crown on time; this must be done already in the first year of the young seedling’s life. All weak, inward growing and deformed branches should be removed.

As soon as the seedlings sprout, you should select the strongest ones and transplant them into a larger pot.

In order to choose the right seedlings for transplanting, you should pay attention to the following criteria:

crown. We need to look at its density. To determine this, pay attention to the distances that pass between the buds on the lemon seedling - they should be minimal.
needles. Their number on the trunk should be minimal.
leaves. The more there are, the better. It’s good if they are strong and do not fall off from the slightest breeze.

All seedlings that are weakened, have thin shoots and insufficient leaves must be discarded immediately.

Care during the fruiting period of lemon

Fruiting lemon requires special care at home:

High-quality and additional lighting. This plant requires bright but diffused light. IN winter time every year, lemons are illuminated with LED or fluorescent lamps.
High air humidity, which can be achieved using electric humidifiers.
Regular lemon transplantation - at least once a year. End of February – beginning of March – best time to carry out this procedure at home. To replant, you need to take a container 2-3 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. Lemon is planted in a nutrient mixture of leafy, humus soil with the addition of rotted leaves in equal proportions. You can also use ordinary garden soil if you add horse manure to it in a ratio of 1:3.
Regular application of fertilizers even for transplanted specimens. Plant nutrition at home is carried out from February to September. The fertilizers in which the soil is rich are enough for lemons only for a few months. Optimal nutrition for this plant at home also consists of all the necessary microelements that are included in complex fertilizers.

This fertilizer is applied in liquid form, first diluted with water. 1 gram of substance is consumed per liter of water. When using a weakly concentrated fertilizer, the risk of burning the roots of the lemon plant is reduced.

Many gardeners alternate mineral fertilizing of lemon with preparations containing organic components.

Lemons can bloom at home already in the first year of life. It is recommended to remove all flower buds. Flowering takes all the strength and energy from the plant, as a result of which it can simply wither. Only a few flowers are allowed per lemon plant.

Only after a few years can you see the results of the effort and time spent. The lemon tree will fully bloom and begin to bear fruit. A home-grown lemon tree differs from a purchased specimen in its tolerance to indoor growing conditions. In the future, such a plant will require the same care as, for example, geranium or ficus.

DATES FOR THE BEGINNING OF FRUITING OF LEMON PLANTS GROWN BY VARIOUS METHOD

We are often convinced that it is extremely easy to make plants grown from seeds bear fruit. That regardless of whether you are the owner of a grafted plant grown from a cutting or a tree seed, you will still receive your first harvest no later than four years later. You are being deceived.

Firstly, the date of entry into fruiting of citrus fruits grown different ways, are different.
Secondly, the mere presence of a tree at home does not mean that it will bloom at all. It requires proper care, attention, the creation of optimal conditions for fruiting, fertilizing, lighting, temperature conditions, microclimate and much, much more.

The timing of the onset of fruiting for various lemons is as follows:

trees from seeds bloom in 8-10 years;
citrus fruits obtained by cuttings from earlier flowering tree will bear the first fruits in 3-4 years;
plants grafted with layering from a fruit-bearing tree can bloom the very next year after grafting;
all these terms become irrelevant if the cutting for rooting or grafting is taken from an adult plant that has never previously bear fruit.

The result of growing lemon

Growing lemon for the purpose of obtaining good harvest, the process is long, but not difficult if you follow all the rules described in our instructions. Take care and fertilize your tree, and it will thank you with excellent fruits.

Before you start growing lemon at home, you need to pay attention to the fact that the growing season speed, yield and appearance completely depend on the chosen lemon variety. There are many of them: from original to hybrid, attracting attention with their variegated colors and decorativeness.

You can grow lemon in a pot at home. However, it will take some effort

In an apartment, lemons grow best on a windowsill, where there is enough brightness but no scorching sun. They don't like polluted air with a lot of carbon dioxide. Caring for lemons at home is not difficult, but it requires care.

Sufficient air humidity, regular spraying with settled or structured water.
Long sunny days, controlled by artificial lighting.
Regular fractional watering, preferably situational: if the soil has not yet dried out, which happens in winter, then postpone watering until the next day.
Properly selected soil. Too light soil with a lot of peat is not suitable, but black soil is heavy for lemon.
Propagation by cuttings is best done in spring, when the length of sunny days increases.
Recommendations from experienced gardeners relate to adding a crown to a lemon tree, the density of which determines its fruiting and productivity, as well as cutting off thorns.

Varieties convenient for home cultivation

In order to grow a lemon tree from a seed at home, you can familiarize yourself with the most unpretentious representatives of this type of plant.

Growing Pavlovsky lemon variety at home is not difficult. He is popular thanks to taste qualities ripe fruits. Its foliage is dark green. The amount of harvest directly depends on it: the thicker, the more harvest will. On an adult tree over 3 years old, flowers can bloom and fruits ripen at the same time.
At home, lemon bears fruit for 3–4 years, is one of the most productive, the foliage is less dense, light green.
“Novogruzinsky” is slightly taller than other lemongrass, grows up to two meters, the first harvest after 4 years, but is notable for the fact that there are practically no seeds in it.
“Lisbon” is one of the most unpretentious, there are a lot of thorns and they need to be removed, the foliage is dense, but if grown and cared for correctly, it can bear fruit twice a year.

One of ourselves unpretentious varieties lemons for home grown is "Lisbon"

Should be fertilized regularly indoor lemon, but only after the soil has exhausted its nutritional capabilities.

Suitable soil for lemon tree

The earth should be of medium density. At the beginning of gardening practice, it is better to use a ready-made purchased mixture. For lemon at home, a special mixture “For Citrus” or “Lemon” is suitable.
How to properly mix the soil yourself: 2 parts turf, 1 part leaf soil, 1 part horse manure, 1 part sand.
Adjust the amount of mixture according to the size of the pot.

Required components for self-made soil:

You can buy turf in a store. It consists of rotted grass, tree leaves, small sawdust, some moss and peat. It is a light soil if it does not contain clay. Rich in useful microelements, especially important when growing lemons in greenhouse conditions.
Leaf soil is labor-intensive to prepare; for this it is better to purchase it ready-made. Composition of rotted leaves fruit trees, linden and maple will provide indoor lemon with thermal insulation of the root system and prevent moisture stagnation.
Horse or cow manure. The product is easy to buy in online stores. It is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium, without which lemon will grow poorly and not bear fruit at home.
Sand is used as drainage and is also a natural silica chemical composition, provides the soil with looseness and prevents it from clumping into lumps through which water cannot seep.

Sand is used as drainage. Gives the soil looseness and prevents it from becoming clods.

The best example of it is root, it will help germinate the seeds and make growing lemons an easier task.

The seeds must first be washed in warm water, put them in a ceramic container and completely fill them with biostimulant. Leave in a warm place for an hour or two. Take them out and dry them, after which they need to be planted within the same day. A higher percentage of seed germination is observed in a small greenhouse placed on a window.

How to Plant Lemon Seeds

After the seeds are “awakened”, they can be planted in special peat pots, or ordinary plastic ones for seedlings, having first placed a layer of drainage on their bottom - pebbles or special expanded clay.
The layer of soil covering the seed should be no thicker than two centimeters. The soil needs to be moistened, but not made into a “porridge”; for this it will be enough to irrigate it from a sprayer. For these purposes, you can prepare a decoction (not strong) of nettle or calendula.
Lemon embryos will develop faster if they are provided with greenhouse conditions on the windowsill. To do this, you need to put a bag on each individual glass. It must be hermetically sealed upper layer earth from contact with air, you can spray it from the inside with water for a better effect.

It is advisable to water once every two days. Monitoring condensation on the inner surface package, if it begins to dry out, then you can carry out drip irrigation. Considering the type of plant chosen, the absence of temperature differences, type of soil and lighting, it depends on how long it will take until the first shoots appear.

Grown in favorable conditions new plants will develop greater resistance to unfavorable factors. That is why most gardeners prefer the method of home cultivation from seeds to growing by cuttings.

Conditions for seedlings

The temperature is not lower than 18–20 °C without drafts.
Water in small portions, only when necessary. You can alternate with herbal infusions that have disinfectant properties.
Germinated seedlings are gradually accustomed to room temperature.

There are some other recommendations that make growing lemons in a greenhouse easier. If the seeds are planted in the cold season and the temperature in the place where they are grown is low, you can use heat reflective film, which is sold in gardening stores. It will better protect not only from the cold, but also in bright sunshine, if the seedlings standing on the windowsill were not removed in time.

When lemons with well-developed branches appear among the greenhouse seedlings, they can be transplanted into a permanent pot. Its diameter should not exceed 15 cm, otherwise the lemon will grow for a long time. Before growing a lemon tree, it is important to ensure that its location is inaccessible to pets.

Need to give it to him permanent place on the windowsill and do not move until the tree gets used to the new care, different from the greenhouse one. Timely feeding will help to grow lemon at home.

Methods of feeding at home

Horse or cow manure. Feeding using this method is carried out once every 6 months. You can do it additionally at the beginning of flowering or if ripening fruits appear on the lemon. Lemon fertilized with biological products grows faster and resists diseases better.
Wood ash mixed with used ground coffee powder, sprinkled under a lemon sprout. The mixture will perform two functions at once: it will drive away insects if they appear and disinfect the soil. Ash will help prevent old leaves and buds from falling off.
An excellent material for stimulating the growth of mature trees is water from an aquarium. Preference is given to liquid in which the fish have been for no more than a week, otherwise the soil may smell like silt.
Watering with lemons and adding bone meal will be perceived as a biostimulant. In proportion no more than 1 teaspoon per glass of water. Water once a month.

It is important to remember that fertilizers obtained from the processing of waste products can both improve the cultivation of lemon at home in a pot, and destroy the plant if used frequently. It is necessary to observe measures when breeding and alternate the type of feeding.

After the first ovary has appeared, you need to be patient, because the lemon ripens slowly. A period of lighting longer than 10 hours a day helps fruits to ripen. For this you can use table lamp, even a 25 W light bulb will do.

A lemon is ripe when its peel has become characteristic yellow color or the color suggested by the variety, this process will take at least 6-7 months.