A Gardener’s Basic Guide to Lemon Plant Care
The true origin of the lemon plant is unknown, but this plant has been cultivated the world over for millennia. These trees make attractive additions to your yard, and the Meyer lemon plant is commonly featured in interior design as well.
If you are looking to spruce up your yard, home, or simply ensure that you and your family can enjoy fresh lemonade during the hot summer months, you need to prepare to care for your new plant. There are several things you’ll need to take into consideration so that your tree will survive and thrive, providing you with decoration and fresh citrus fruit.
Climate Considerations
Before you start digging a hole for your new lemon tree, there are some things you need to be aware of. Lemon trees can withstand cooler summers than most other citrus plants, but they do not fare well in freezing winters.
If you live in an area that gets below freezing in the winter, you should consider purchasing a Meyer lemon plant and keeping it in a container. Meyer plants are the type you see in many interior design magazines and shows. They’re a miniaturized plant, but the lemons still grow to regular size if properly cared for.
Since these plants are generally kept in containers, as soon as it gets cold (55 degrees ideally), you can transfer it indoors until the weather warms up again. Additionally, if you live in an area with unforgiving amounts of dry, burning heat, you can transfer the plant indoors during the summer time.
Planting
If you will be planting a regular lemon tree outside, choose a location that will allow your plant to get plenty of light. Dig a hole that twice as large as the plant’s root ball. Make sure though that the hole is not any deeper than the plant’s current container. If any amount of the trunk is beneath the earth, the trunk will begin to rot. Adjust the depth as necessary.
Once you remove the new tree from its original container, you should gently straighten out any roots that may have been squished and curled around the pot. If the roots are tight, look for any visibly damaged areas and carefully prune them away.
At this point you can put your tree in the freshly dug hole. Mix some of the removed soil with organic matter/compost and fill the hole back in to about the halfway point. At this point, you should water your tree. When the water drains, fill the hole in the rest of the way.
Caring for Your Lemon Plant
Now that your new tree has been planted, it is important to water it every day for approximately two weeks. This will ensure that your plant has the best chances possible at acclimating to its new home. You will need to fertilize your plant three times a year. These times will vary depending on your climate and when your tree shows new growth. Also make sure that you prune your tree as needed to keep its height between 10 and 20 feet.
If you opted for the indoor/outdoor Meyer variety, your plant will require specialized care. You should try to mist the leaves of your plant daily. When watering, make sure not to overwater; just keep the soil evenly moist. Since the plant may be spending a lot of time indoors, you need to make sure that it still gets 10 hours of sunlight each day as well.
Pruning is a tricky task with Meyer trees. When baby lemons sprout from the branches in bunches of 6, carefully pinch off 3 of the marble-sized lemons. It may seem counter-productive, but this will ensure that the other lemons are able to grow to a normal size. If you don’t, the lemons will survive, but will not be as attractive, nor will they provide any significant amount of juice or flesh.