Growing lemons in containers at our home, a small evergreen with beautiful flowers and amazing aroma give you an amazing experience. Basic Steps for growing lemon in containers you should provide a suitable environment to grow in a limited space. Fresh lemons are a great source of vitamin C.
Scientific Name for lemons: Citrus Limon
Common Name: Lemons, fresh lime.
Family: Lemons belong to the family of Rutaceae.
Lemons in Indian Languages
English: Lemon.
Telugu: Nimmakaya/Nimma Pandu.
Tamil: ElumichamPazham.
Malayalam: Cherunaranga/Naranga.
Kannada: Nimbe.
Hindi: Neembu.
Punjabi: Nimbha/Galgal.
Gujarati: Limbu.
Marathi: Limbu/Kagadi Limbu.
Bengali: Lebur/Kagi-Nebu.
Konkani: Nimboovo.
Oriya: Lembu.
Tulu: Limbae.
Kashmiri: Nyomb.
Best Varieties for Growing Lemons In Containers
To grow the lemon trees in containers, they should grow in a limited space to a limited height. So, a dwarf variety of lemon trees are the best option. Dwarf-type lemon trees can be grown in containers.
Dwarf Varieties of Lemon that Are The Best For Containers
Meyer Improved Dwarf: This dwarf variety lemon grows to 6 to 10 feet in height. A transplanted/ grafted Meyer lemon tree grows can be harvested in 2 years and seeds grown trees take 6 to 7 years to harvest. These plants are cold tolerant.
Lisbon Dwarf: This dwarf variety lemon tree grows to 6 to 8 feet in height. The harvesting period of this plant is 4 to 5 years.
Ponderosa Dwarf: Ponderosa dwarf lemons are small thorny trees that grow to a height of 4 to 5 feet. The harvesting period 2 to 3 years, when planted by grafting/transplantation. When from seeds it takes 5 to 6 years of harvesting. These plants are cold sensitive.
Dwarf Eureka: This variety grows well in containers, to grow up to 8 to 10 feet in containers.
Steps for Growing Lemons In Containers
Growing Steps Of Lemon.
Growing lemons in containers are the same as growing lemons in the ground. Growing lemon trees from seed can take more than 5 years to produce fruit. So, growing from seeds is not recommendable. It is best to buy a healthy lemon plant of 3 years age, so they start blooming and fruiting early.
Best Containers For Growing Lemons In Containers
The containers you select should have a good drainage system.
The container you select should be 25% bigger than the plant root ball.
Clay pots are the best choice as they are highly penetrable and evaporates the water easily without water loggings.
Lemon trees should be re-potted every couple of years. Select the container based on the size of the plant. Select the container larger than the previous one.
For growing lemon trees from the seeds, containers should be minimum of 12 inches deep and 24 inches wide.
Place a saucer with few pebbles or small stones and water under the container after, this maintains good humidity levels around the plant.
Suitable Soil for Growing Lemons In Containers
Soil should fertile and slightly acidic.
The soil pH levels should be 5.5 to 7.0.
Potting mix with peat moss works best if you want a soil-less planting medium.
Mixing the potting mix with sand will promote the draining of water.
Potting mix can be mixed with organic compost for the growth of the plant.
You can get a good quality organic mix, which should be slight.
Cover the bottom of the containers with a filter net and place a thin layer of gravel over the net cover to avoid dripping of water and soil. This procedure protects the roots from root rot and saves roots from drowning.
Seasons For Growing Lemons In Containers
Container-grown lemon trees can be planted around the year by taking necessary caring steps.
Lemon trees can be planted in the summer, there should monitor of plant from time to time.
The best season to grow lemon trees in containers from a seedling is at the end of the winter and early spring.
Lemon trees from seeds can be grown at any season.
Temperature For Growing Lemons In Containers
The ideal temperature to grow Lemon trees in containers is 10°C to 30°C degrees
When the temperature falls below 2°C, place the container in indoor or greenhouses or cover up them cloches or plastic covers.
Growing Lemons In Containers From Seeds
Get the seeds from organic seeds, as non-organic lemon seeds won’t germinate.
Mix the potting mix with natural fertilizers and organic compost.
Cut the organic lemons and sow them before they get dried. Sow the seed ½ inch deep in the container.
Cover the seed with the soil, water gently with a sprayer.
Now cover the container with a plastic cover and seal the edges. And make some holes in the plastic cover for air circulation and ventilation.
Now place the container in a warm and sunny location. Water the plant depending on the moisture in the soil.
Lemon seeds take a couple of weeks to sprout. Once they sprout, take off the plastic cover.
You should take complete care of plants keeping the soil moist, with 8 to 9 hours of sunlight with good proportions of organic fertilizers like vegetable or fruit or tea composts.
Protect your young lemon tree from pests and insects.
When the lemon plant grew bigger size you should repot the plant into a larger container.
Growing Lemons In Containers by Transplantation
Select the right container depending on the root size of the transplanting lemon tree.
Purchase a healthy, beautiful lemon with dark green leaves of age two to three years.
Fill the 3 cm of soil at the bottom of the container.
Remove the roots and soil from a nursery pot, keeping the root ball intact.
Now place the root ball in the new container and fill the potting mix. Cover the cover with soil completely, without getting exposed to the sun.
Now place a stake for support and tie tree.
Press the soil around the root ball and water the plant.
Add the fertilizers regularly plants for good growth of the plant.
Water Requirements For Growing Lemons In Containers
Lemon trees should be watered regularly, leaves will fall off if not watered regularly.
Overwatering also causes the dropping of leaves and root rot.
Check the moisture levels of the soil before watering. On hot and windy days, you should water the plants more frequently.
Sunlight For Growing Lemons In Containers
Lemons tree in a container need full sun.
They need around 8 to 9 hours of sunlight.
Lemon trees grown indoor should be provided with a good amount of light.
Best Spot For Growing Lemons In Containers
Lime Growing In Pot.
Lemon trees in containers grow well outdoors in regions where temperatures will be above 18° to 45 °c.
Place container in warm and wind-free located in your balcony, terrace, or window shelves.
You even grow lemon trees indoors, in any climate. But you should place trees in sunlight during warm seasons.
Protect the plants, any sudden changes in climate that can spoil the leaves, fruits, and flowers of the tree.
In winter you should protect your plants at night by covering them or moving them indoors, and in the daytime, trees should get at least 6 to7 hours outdoors.
Winter Care for Growing Lemons In Containers
Lemon plants are cold-sensitive, so take the best protection plants in winter. Place plants indoors or cover them with cloches.
When the temperature goes below 10°c degrees, place the lemon tree containers in greenhouses or indoors to protect them from frost.
Summer Care For Growing Lemons In Containers
Lemon trees planted in summer need proper care.
They should be watered regularly, and good feed should be given to them.
In dry weather, you should main the moisture levels constantly. Provide 1-inch layer mulch to keep the soil moist.
Newly planted trees have less heat tolerant, you should provide good shade in case of high temperature.
Fertilizers For Growing Lemons In Containers
Lemon trees need more feed to produce more fruits and flowers.
Use controlled-release fertilizer of NPK (12-6-6) for your lemon trees. Granulated fertilizers provide a constant supply of nutrients to the plants.
Commercial organic fertilizer available in markets also works fine for the lemon trees.
At the flowering stage use fertilizers with high potash and low nitrogen. Excess nitrogen levels can reduce the production of flowers.
Citrus Fertilizer can be should they contain iron, manganese, and zinc. Feed your plants with a water-soluble fertilizer once a month during the growing season. Citrus fertilizers are best to use for container-grown lemon trees.
You should start to feed the tree, when seeds germinate, use ammonium sulfate to make growth faster.
Pollination of Growing Lemon In Containers
Pollination increases the yields of lemon trees.
You can pollinate your trees using soft brushes or cotton swabs to transfer pollinating their trees.
Gently rub the anthers with a brush, brush gathers yellow pollen. Now rub the pollen onto the sticky lobes of the pistil. The pistil is the center stalk that rises in the middle of the flower.
But container-grown plants generally don’t require pollination for production. But some sciences prove that pollination increases production levels.
Read this: Growing Green Beans In Containers.
Pests and Diseases Of Growing Lemons In Containers
Pests that harm the lemon trees in containers are Bugs, Spider Mites, aphids, scales.
To get relieved from these pests, use some natural pesticides or insecticides:
Neem oil: Neem oil is the best natural insecticide for many worms and sucking insects. Mix water with the necessary amount of neem oil. Spray it on the affected areas.
Tobacco or tomato leaves: Tomato leaves and tobacco leaves work as the best insecticide for worms, aphids, and caterpillars. Mixing crushed leaves, tobacco, or tomato leaves in 1 gallon of water and sprayed on affected areas works effectively.
Fungal diseases and bacterial diseases can attack the lemon trees, you can use some natural remedies to cure your plants.
Major Problem For Growing Lemons In Containers
Sucker branches are the major problem that you face in growing lemon trees in containers. Sucker branches grow from the rootstock of the plants. This problem can be based on both seeds grown trees and grafted trees. If you seed any sucker branch at the bottom of the trees, just prune it carefully.
Container-grown lemon trees are weather sensitive. So, you should take more care in case of extreme weather. Extreme weather conditions can cause the fall of the leaves.
Reasons for no fruiting of lemon trees: Flowers on trees produce flowers, lack of flowers means your trees cannot produce fruits.
Reasons for not flowering: Improper cultivation methods, lack of nutrients, improper water, and bad rootstock.
Flower fall on the lemon trees: Flower fall in lemon trees caused due to excess water, low nutrients,s, and low temperatures.
Fruit falls from lemon trees: Fruits fall off the tree due to proper care, excess fruits, low nutrients, overwatering or under watering, and extremely cold weather.
When the containers placed outdoors, it gets more air and sunlight, you should give more water to the trees as there are more chances of soil to dry.
The lemon tree looks glossy and in dark, rich green when it gets a good amount of water, light, and feed.
Harvesting of Lemons Growing Lemons In Containers
The harvesting period of lemon trees depends upon the variety of lemon trees and the weather conditions.
Fruits should be plucked only after ripening, Fruit gets heavy, soft, and turns yellow when they are ripened.
Use shears to pick the lemons, usually when the fruits get ready they can pick with finger easily.
Storing After Growing Lemons In Containers
Lemons stay fresh for more than a week at room temperature.
Lemon stays fresh for more than a month when packed in the airtight and stored door of the refrigerator.
Fresh lemon juice can be refrigerated for more than a year.
Tips for Growing Lemons In Containers
Lemon trees grown in containers need more humidity. So, place your container over a pebble tray for a constant supply of humidity.
Pinching: Pinching the branches will increase the growth of plants. A pinch of the stems where they reach 5 inches long.
Pruning: Lemon trees should be pruned in the months of February and March. Prune the diseased and dead branches only.
Placing lemon tree containers on wheeled ones will make it very easy to move indoors and outside.
In case if you are interested in this: Hydroponic Nutrient Chart.
