It is not known for certain where the homeland of lemon is. It is not found in the wild. The first written mentions of him as plant culture, found in India, date back to the 12th century. Since then, this country has been the world leader in lemon production. This exotic fruit glorious healing properties far beyond the subtropical climate in which it is cultivated. How to grow lemon from seed at home? To avoid mistakes and get fruit from a lemon tree in your own apartment, you need to know some rules for caring for this plant.

What is indoor lemon

In open ground conditions of a subtropical climate, you can grow lemon trees 5–8 m high, which ripen fruits up to 9 cm long and up to 6 cm in diameter. The lemon plant (lat. Citrus Limon) belongs to the Citrus genus of the Rutaceae family. Indoor lemon is a low evergreen tree (1.5 m) with a spreading crown. Its leaves are leathery, glossy, and light green in color. The lower part of the leaf blade is matte. Each entire, oblong-ovate leaf is attached to the branch by a petiole and falls off 3 years after formation.

There are pinpoint spaces inside the leaves essential oil. Thanks to this, lemon leaves emit a delicate aroma, and the plant exhibits phytoncidal properties. Flowers 2–3 cm in size (single or paired) are formed in the axils of the leaves and have a delicate scent. The petals of the flower are white on the inside and pinkish on the outside. The fruits of home-grown lemons are smaller than those of lemon trees growing in open ground. Its peel is thinner, but in the fruits home culture all useful ones are saved chemical substances:

Name	Benefit for human body
Organic acids(apple, lemon)	Increase immunity, help reduce cholesterol, cleanse blood vessels, supply the body with energy
	Suppresses negative impact free radicals on the body
Phytoncides	Kills all types of harmful bacteria and fungi
Vitamins	Thiamine: improves metabolism
	Riboflavin: promotes the formation of red blood cells and antibodies
	Ascorbic acid: a powerful antioxidant, regulates redox processes
	Protects against ultraviolet radiation
Flavonoids	Prevents capillary fragility
	Act as natural sorbents of the gastrointestinal tract

Varieties for home cultivation

Breeders have developed many varieties of lemon that can be grown at home. The priorities of new breeding developments are:

• receiving unpretentious varieties culture;
• increase in citrus yield;
• obtaining large fruits;
• reducing the plant's dormant period;
• changes in the taste qualities of fruits and their hybrid forms.

Today, the most popular varieties of lemon among lovers of exotic houseplants are:

• Genoa is a high-yielding variety. It begins to bear fruit at the 4th year of life. The fruits are juicy, with tender pulp and a thin crust.
• Anniversary. Bred by a breeder of Uzbekistan, it is a hybrid of the Novogruzinsky and Tashkent varieties. It has high growth and fruiting rates. Shade-tolerant. The fruits are able to set in conditions of low air humidity.
• Panderosa. Received as a result of crossing lemon and citron. The thick-skinned fruits reach a weight of 200 g. They are characterized by abundant early flowering.
• Meyer. The hybrid grapefruit variety is named after the agricultural researcher Frank Meyer who introduced it. It is a low-growing shrub that bears fruit from the third year of life. The stems are covered with thorns. Has a period of rest. The average fruit weight is 100 g.
• Pavlovsky. The variety, which is considered the most suitable for growing at home, does not cause problems associated with agricultural technology. A lemon tree 1.5 m tall has a spherical crown, developing up to 1 m in diameter. Flowering and fruiting occurs all year round. It has a high survival rate during reproduction. Is different strong aroma leaves. The fruits can weigh up to 500 g.

How to plant a lemon

Growing a lemon from a seed at home is not so difficult if you follow the rules compiled by experienced citrus growers. Small clay pots or plastic cups with holes at the bottom for better air ventilation and protection from stagnation of water in the soil. It is necessary to pour drainage into them with a 2 cm layer of expanded clay, small size pebbles or coarse river sand, then soil mixture.

Earth

There are two types of lemon soil at home. You can purchase ready-made earth mixture for citrus fruits in the store, but it is better to prepare it yourself to be sure of quality ingredients. The soil mixture includes loose garden soil, humus, sand in a ratio of 1:1:1 and 1/3 ash. The substrate must be mixed well, placed in a prepared container, and compacted. Plant the seeds in well-moistened soil to a depth of no more than 2 cm and cover the container with cling film or trimmed plastic bottles to create a humid microclimate.

Growing methods

There are two ways to grow lemons at home: from seeds and by cuttings. Each method has its pros and cons; their effectiveness depends on many factors. The main one is the experience of a citrus grower. Interest in growing exotic crops arises because of the opportunity to obtain fruits that are beneficial to humans. Make it bear fruit lemon Tree can be done in two ways:

• Grow it from a seed or cutting from fruit-bearing domestic lemon varieties.
• Using the method of grafting buds, eyes, and pieces of bark of a fruiting crop to the crown of a citrus tree.

Experienced citrus growers - innovators of folk selection - can grow citrus using the second method. The plant requires careful preparation, dexterity and deep knowledge of the morphology of plant organisms. New agricultural techniques help to obtain fruiting several years earlier than in the case of cultivating indoor citrus varieties. The scion method is used to obtain lemon hybrids with new taste qualities fruits

Lemon from the seed

Growing lemon in room conditions from the seed is the most acceptable method for beginners in cultivating home citrus crops. By adhering to the basic rules described below, you can get a fruit-bearing lemon in 3-8 years, depending on the variety. During this time, a person who has no experience in growing citrus fruits will become more skilled in knowledge of agricultural technology. Growing decorative tree fast. During the second year proper care you can completely form its crown.

How to germinate seeds

Growing a lemon tree from seeds is easy. After preparing the container and soil for planting the crop, you need to properly prepare the fruit seeds for germination:

• Select a large, ripe fruit from the citrus varieties described above. Greenish fruits with immature sprout embryos may not germinate. It is necessary to plant 10–15 seeds at a time, taking into account the fact that not all will grow. The probability of germination will increase if you choose the largest seeds. Weak shoots that appear on the soil surface will need to be removed. From strong seedlings, you need to choose one that is actively growing.
• The seeds, separated from the fruit pulp, are planted immediately. Dried seeds must be soaked for a day before planting. A good germination effect is achieved by soaking the seeds in monosodium glutamate before planting. The likelihood of rapid germination is increased by biostimulants such as Epina-extra.

From a cutting

Growing lemon from cuttings at home is not that difficult. To obtain a healthy seedling from a cutting, you must adhere to the following instructions:

• Best period for planting cuttings - early spring.
• It is necessary to purchase cuttings from a fruit-bearing indoor lemon tree from amateur gardeners.
• The cuttings should be slightly woody, 15 cm long, with three young leaves.
• Treat the lower part of the cutting with any root growth stimulator according to the instructions.
• Plant the cuttings in a pot (container) with soil. Use the same principles of preparing the substrate and pot (container), creating a humid microclimate as when planting seeds.
• It is necessary to protect the seedling from drafts, drying out of the soil and its waterlogging.
• Rooting should occur in a month. The protective dome can be removed after the first leaf appears on the cutting.

Lemon care at home

You can grow a lemon tree at home, provided you follow certain rules for caring for it. In order to grow a healthy lemon with a beautiful crown, two main agricultural techniques are used - pruning and pinching. To make it lush and branching in the right direction, proceed as follows:

• In the first year of a plant's life, it is necessary to create optimal conditions For active growth zero shoot forming a standard - part of the trunk from the root neck to the first branch.
• In the second year of life they begin to form the crown:

1. Pinching is carried out in February-March before the active vegetative period of the plant. It must be done in order for the plant to begin to branch.
2. The crown of the zero shoot is pinched (cut with pruning shears or a sharp knife) at a distance of 10–30 cm, depending on the desired height of the trunk. The lower the standard, the faster the tree will bear fruit and the higher the yield. The sprout should have 5-6 large strong buds and leaves.
3. In the spring, 3–4 strong side shoots are selected, and the rest are removed. This is how shoots of the first order are formed. Sometimes, after pinching a sprout, only one upper bud begins to develop. To form a beautiful crown, it should be removed.
4. When the shoots of the first order reach 15–20 cm, they are pinched. In this case, the uppermost bud should be facing outward of the crown, then the branching will be correctly directed.
5. To get shoots of the next order, it is necessary to pinch the branches of the previous order when they reach a length of 15–20 cm.
6. Next, the crown is formed in a similar way. After pinching the branches of the fifth order, the crown is considered formed.

• In subsequent years (April-May), formative pruning is performed. To do this, remove the fattening shoots that thicken the crown and protrude far beyond its plane.

Lighting

Like any plant, citrus seedlings need light. To healthy plant, a pot with a cutting and a protective dome should be placed, for example, on a south-facing window sill. Optimal air temperature– 22–24 °C. After rooting, the plant must be kept away from direct sunlight. Window sills of western and southwestern windows are suitable for this. It is worth constantly turning the pot towards the light in different directions, but no more than 10 degrees, so that the plant grows evenly.

It is necessary to constantly monitor the temperature and humidity. The lemon tree grows well in a warm, moist environment. To increase humidity, it is necessary to frequently pollinate the plant with water. room temperature from a spray bottle. To grow a strong lemon tree, it needs to be taken out into the open air in the summer. It is better to keep citrus in the shade of a large tree. After November the plant enters a dormant phase, the cold contributes to this. Optimal temperature room air with a lemon tree from November to March – 10 °C.

Watering

The lemon tree should be watered with settled rain (melt) water at room temperature as the soil dries. Dry air is as undesirable as direct sunlight. The crop grown at an air humidity of 60–70% develops better. To increase humidity, you can place a pot with a plant on a tray with wet expanded clay, which can quickly absorb water and gradually release it environment. This technique is especially good for rooms with central heating. Another way to increase the humidity is to mist the plant daily. warm water.

Diseases and pests

• Give the tree a weekly “bath” in a shower with warm water. Dust, dirt and undetected pests can be washed away with water by washing the leaves on both sides.
• Wipe the leaf blades with soapy water once every two weeks.
• Excellent prophylactic against diseases and pests is “Fitosporin” - a non-toxic, odorless product. It is advisable to carry out this treatment of citrus once a month.

To grow a healthy lemon tree, you need to know what problems can be encountered with improper agricultural practices:

Unfortunately, during daily inspection of the plant, it is not always possible to see pest insects due to their very small size. It is necessary to know the symptoms in which plant damage by microorganisms manifests itself and how to combat them:

How to speed up the growth of a lemon

To quickly grow a lemon, you need to annually replant the grown plant into a looser pot (2-3 cm) with updated soil mixture. The root system should be evenly distributed throughout the volume of the pot; the neck of the root should not be deepened too much underground. When the tree becomes an adult (8-10 liter pot), only the top layer of the soil mixture can be renewed annually.

Growth retardation must be avoided citrus plant. To do this, all flowers that appear before 3–5 years of the lemon tree’s life must be plucked off. Flowers are removed from a plant grown from a seed until the age of 8. The exception is the Meyer variety, which can bear fruit in the third year of life. To quickly grow a lemon tree, once a month it is recommended to feed the plant with biofertilizers or complex mineral fertilizers containing sulfur, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and iron.

When does a lemon start to bear fruit at home?

Growing a lemon tree at home is not special labor, but getting full fruits is a more difficult matter. Fruiting largely depends on the planting method, variety and quality use of grafting:

• a lemon tree from seeds begins to bear fruit after 8–9 years;
• a tree grown from a cutting of a fruiting citrus tree will bear fruits in 3–4 years of life;
• Citrus, with grafting of cuttings from a fruit-bearing tree, can bear fruit within a year.

Citrus grown by grafting (budding) begins to bear fruit much faster. To do this, a T-shaped cut is made on the bark of a two- to three-year-old rootstock and a scion (eye, part of a branch with a bud) from a fruit-bearing lemon tree is inserted. The second method of accelerating fruiting is constriction. Branches of 1–2 orders are rigidly ringed in several places with wire without damaging the bark, which stimulates the appearance of flowers. After this, the constrictions are removed.

How much is maturing?

Not all flowers develop into fruits. The bud will open only 40–50 days after appearance. Don't rush and pick off unopened flowers. Flowers with a long, well-developed stigma should be left. Flowers without a pistil are definitely removed. In the first year of fruiting, several flowers may grow that can develop into fruits. You need to leave no more than three, doubling their number every year. To pollinate flowers, you need to touch the middle of each flower with a soft brush, transferring pollen from flower to flower.

You can grow the fruit by creating a lemon tree favorable conditions. The fetus develops from six to 9 months. The ripeness of a fruit can be judged by:

• The size of the fruit. It is necessary to focus on sizes that correspond this variety.
• Peel color. In ripe fruit it is often yellow.
• Shine. Ripe lemons have a glossy peel.
• Weight and elasticity. You need to know the weight of the fruits of this citrus variety. Do not wait until the fruit becomes soft. This is an indication that he is overripe.

Video

In our country, lovers of indoor gardening in the direction of citrus fruits have been growing them for almost three centuries. After all, the first plant was brought by the Russian Tsar Peter the Great. Today many people love indoor lemon, but not everyone knows how to grow lemons at home.

Indoor lemon: temperature, lighting, selection of pot

The indoor lemon tree is a true tropical guest that loves abundant, high-quality light. Direct sunlight will only damage it by scorching the leaves. Therefore, when hot months come, it is necessary to shade the plant standing in a pot on the windowsill. To do this, a window or loggia is covered with tulle or gauze, and in the winter months, opposite it is additionally illuminated with fluorescent lamps. It is best to give him a place in a pot on a western window sill, an eastern window or a south-eastern window in an apartment.

It is important to remember that caring for lemons at home does not involve sudden changes in temperature, so you should definitely not take them out into the warm air.

Such manipulations can cost the fallen leaves of a lemon. The optimal temperature for it is more than 18 degrees Celsius; in the cold season it can be slightly reduced to 14 degrees. If it is above 18 degrees, then the plant must be watered with heated water so that the temperature for the roots and leaves is the same, otherwise the lemon tree at home will shed its leaves. It is best to plant lemons in small pots or boxes. When planting them in boxes, you need to maintain a planting distance of about five centimeters from each other and three centimeters from the walls of the container.

Soil and fertilizers for lemon

To grow it, it is best to purchase a peat mixture and flower soil, which are mixed in half, and a drainage layer is laid on the bottom of the pot. To prevent the soil from quickly depleting, it should be fed. To do this, they begin to use fertilizers from the third or fourth month after planting. In spring, summer and autumn period You can water it with ammonia, diluting about two grams per 1000 grams of water. The gardener can use ammonium nitrate to stimulate growth.

If leaves suddenly begin to fall, then fertilizers without chlorine compounds are used. Once the tree is two years old, you can apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers every 2 weeks.

To prepare a fertilizer mixture, you will need 2 grams of fertilizer per 1000 grams of liquid. This is enough for one tree, do not forget to water it with water first so that the roots of the plant do not get burned. IN winter time the number of feedings is reduced to once every 30 days. Feeding lemon will also help slurry as a fertilizer, for this it is diluted in water in a ratio of one to twenty. You can also activate growing foliage using a solution of potassium permanganate.

Growing a lemon from a seed: how to do it correctly?

Growing a lemon from a seed is a labor-intensive process, but the result is definitely worth it. Selecting fresh, ripe lemons without signs of rotting or disease will help you grow lemons from seeds. What falls into our hands from store shelves, of course, cannot be called freshly picked fruits, so the seeds that will be planted are selected in larger quantities than planting requires.

So, how to grow a lemon tree from a seed? Sprinkle the finished soil into small containers (cups). And we bury the seeds themselves 2-3 centimeters into the soil, after which we cover them plastic bag. After three weeks, the first shoots appear, and the fruits will appear in a decade. After the sprout has rooted, it is time to transplant it into a larger pot, for which the soil should be replaced with a mixture of rotted leaves, turf and humus. Drainage is required at the bottom of the container. We grab it with a lump of earth, lay the regrown roots in rings, then carefully, without tamping, sprinkle it with earth and water it. As the plant grows, turn it once every two weeks.

How to grow a lemon at home so that its crown is beautiful and lush? To do this, pruning is done, which stimulates the active growth of branches. Every year branches of a new level will grow on it, for example, the first shoot, when it reaches a height of 20 centimeters, is pinched off, leaving the buds. Then the branches that will grow from these buds are pruned. It is necessary to leave the buds on them when they reach a height of twenty-five centimeters. The next pruning will be carried out for branches of a different level; we cut them after they have grown ten centimeters. We leave the remaining levels at a height of 5 centimeters.

How to care for indoor lemon?

Caring for homemade lemon is not easy, because the plant is quite capricious. The main thing is to find a balance between the overflow of moisture and the drying out of the soil, because the lemon tree does not like either one or the other. Care consists of watering twice a week and spraying with a spray bottle to maintain high humidity. In winter, when the indoor air is dry, it is necessary to place containers filled with water or special air humidifiers near the tree. To prevent the plant from dropping the fruits that have sprouted from its branches, it is best to water them with water where the lemon connects to the branch.

Remember that lemons do not tolerate changes in temperature, lighting or location. If you nevertheless decide to remove your lemon tree from one place on the windowsill to another, then select it carefully.

You also need to turn it a little every day so that the crown grows evenly, but so that your lemon has time to turn its leaves. If everything is done correctly, you will soon receive its first flowers. In order for the flowers to become ovaries, you need to transfer them from the anther to the stamen using a cotton swab. If so many fruits set that it becomes difficult for the plant, then you can simply remove most of it. The approximate proportion at which the plant produces fruit well: for 1 lemon – ten to fifteen leaves. Such a tree brings the aroma of a subtropical forest into the house, gives the home a pleasant atmosphere, and if you apply love and patience, you will get your first harvest.

The most common types of lemon in our country are:

• “Pavlovsky” is the fruit of Russian breeders. This is the undisputed leader among lemon trees grown indoors. The plant is unpretentious. It is active in growth, reaching two meters with proper care. The crown is compact. The foliage is shiny. The harvest is about forty lemons per year. The fruits have a bright taste and a sweetish aftertaste.

• “Meyer”, its second name is “Chinese”, is a hybrid of lemon and orange. The tree reaches one and a half meters, there are small thorns on the crown. The fruits have thin skin and a bitter-sour taste. They get from him excellent harvests. The speed of fruit ripening differs. Easily tolerates heat and dry air, loves good light. Used in the treatment of diseases.

• “Jubilee” is the fruit of selection by Uzbek breeders. Unpretentious, the tree reaches a height of up to one and a half meters. Has high productivity and flowering. It has large fruits reaching six hundred grams, their skin is thick. Ovaries form easily even under unfavorable conditions.

• "Genoa" is short in stature and has no thorns. The crown of the tree is spreading. The lemons themselves are oval in shape and weigh on average about one hundred grams. The taste is sour, the flesh is juicy. The yield reaches fifty lemons annually.

Lemon is native to tropical India and China. The lemon tree was first cultivated for food and decorative purposes in the subtropical countries of Asia.

To this day, citrus fruits are grown on a large scale there, as well as in Spain and Italy.

In the CIS countries, lemon is grown as a houseplant.

This beautiful tree with a neat crown exudes phytoncides (substances that disinfect the air) that are useful for our apartments and proper cultivation produces aromatic and vitamin-rich fruits.

In our article you will learn all the intricacies of turning a small seed into a fruit-bearing lemon tree.

The best varieties of indoor lemon

• Pavlovsky– characterized by its short stature, the tree tolerates low light levels well and is adapted to life in apartments
• Anniversary– a low (up to 1.5 m) tree, resistant to the dry air of apartments, has a high yield, bears fruit and grows quickly. The fruits have thick skin
• Panderosa- indoor hybrid of lemon and citron. A low and bushy tree forms a beautiful crown. At the age of 2 years it already bears fruit
• Meyer– a hybrid of lemon and orange well adapted to indoor life.

What is better to buy - an adult plant or seedlings

For growing at home, beginning flower lovers can buy already mature plant: There will be fewer problems and hassles with growing.

True, the price of such a lemon will be higher than that of a young seedling. Seedlings can cost from 200 rubles, and an adult plant is about 1000 rubles.

And yet it is much more interesting to grow it yourself from a seedling, watching its growth day after day. Better yet, grow your own tree completely. from the seed.

It’s not easy, but it’s quite possible to get a full-fledged, beautiful and fruit-bearing lemon. Through 5-7 years(with the right approach) you can admire the view of an evergreen tree and drink aromatic tea with your own lemons.

Planting a lemon from a seed

The very first step is to eat a lemon and select a few large seeds. It's better to take 10 or more seeds.

It is advisable to prepare them: for successful germination and root growth, you need to treat the seeds growth stimulator– a solution of sodium humate (it is sold in a botanical store), in which the seeds should be immersed for a day.

Then you can further process the seeds other stimulants– a solution of the drug “Citron” or “Epinas-extra”. This manipulation will allow future young plants to withstand poor light conditions and dry air.

Important! For germination, take fresh whole seeds and immediately plant them in the ground. The success of germination increases several times!

Which container to choose

You can plant the seeds in a pot or in small temporary containers (cassettes or boxes). It is better to take a clay pot for planting seeds, approx. 7 cm in diameter.

Priming for planting consists of:

• 0,5 parts of humus;
• 0,5 part of river coarse sand;
• 2 parts of turf (it can be dug up, for example, in a meadow);
• 1 parts of leaf soil (it can be dug up in a deciduous forest);
• 1/4 part of charcoal.

The soil should turn out loose. But you can do it simpler: go to a botanical store and buy a special soil that states that it is for citrus fruits.

Plant the seeds deep into the prepared soil. 1.5 cm. To prevent rotting, you need to cover the soil with a film or a transparent bag and spray it with water daily from a spray bottle.

Temperature for germination should be approx. +18°С.

Shoots will appear later 3 weeks. After this, you need to move the containers to a bright place, and remove the film after the second pair of leaves appears.

Note! Do not overwater or overcool lemon shoots! Avoid drafts and do not use fertilizers!

Then it is produced selection of seedlings: culling the worst and selecting the strongest, with a stocky trunk, preferably without short needles, but with a large number of leaves, without long thin shoots.

Growing lemon at home

For successful growth, a young lemon needs warmth, light and water. Some specific requirements for citrus fruits should be taken into account.

There is no need to feed lemon in the first months. In spring and summer, for a grown plant, use fertilizers.

In the botanical store they will offer you the necessary ones and tell you in detail how and how much to apply them, plus any fertilizer is always given instructions.

Watering should be regular, but not excessive. You need to water the lemon every day when it’s hot, and on other days when the top of the soil dries out. In summer - 5 times per week, in winter - 2 times per week.

How much water to pour depends on the age of the plant and air temperature. A young seedling will need about a glass of water at a time, and an adult tall tree will need from 0.5 to 1 liter of water.

Main, spray the plant daily, since lemons do not tolerate dry air. In spring, water the plant in the morning, and in autumn and summer - late in the evening.

In summer you can take it out to the balcony or take it to the village. The main thing is that you cannot expose the tree to direct sun. It should be rotated daily to ensure the branches grow evenly.

For wintering, it is advisable to take the tree into a room with a temperature about +15 °C, but not lower than +12 °C. If this is not possible, it is recommended to additionally illuminate the lemon with special lamps.

It is important not to forget to clean the leaves from dust so that the gas exchange process takes place at the proper level.

Crown formation

Lemon does not branch very readily. To create a beautiful and compact crown you will have to work a little.

Aged up to 1 year, and even better, from 3 months, begin to stimulate the growth of lateral branches. It's done like this. During periods of increased growth, the top is pinched off.

Sometimes it gets pinched off repeatedly, since the lemon can stubbornly continue to grow only to the top. As a result, the axillary buds wake up and the lateral branches begin to grow.

The tops of the lateral branches are also pinched off early, when 2-3 sheets. In this way, the crown of the lemon is formed in the future.

It is important to prevent the occurrence "tops"– too long internal branches from the crown. While the “tops” are flexible, they are tied to a stick stuck in the ground so that they take root.

Lemon transplant

When the roots of a young plant begin to entangle the pot, it is replanted. In the first year, transplantation is carried out 2 times. Mature plant can be replanted once every 4 years.

Transplantation is underway in early spring . Move the lemon to a new pot of slightly larger diameter, adding fresh soil.

Do not damage the roots, as citrus fruits contain mycorrhiza– a symbiosis of fungi and roots beneficial to lemon.

The appearance of mycorrhiza on the roots is biological feature citrus fruits. A similar phenomenon is observed in legumes - their nodule bacteria are in symbiosis with the roots.

Because of this, lemons do not tolerate transplantation well. To prevent the plant from being damaged, you need to minimally touch the earthen ball surrounding the root system.

When replanting is not carried out, the soil is simply updated by adding a little fresh soil. Periodically, the soil is loosened to regulate breathing.

Lemon care at home

Lemon is a capricious plant:

• It can be involuntarily sour or pour;
• He does not tolerate temperature changes and drying out;
• Loves the light;
• Doesn't like to move frequently.

Proper feeding plays an important role. Overfeeding, like lack of fertilizer, will not be beneficial.
They start feeding the lemon in the spring.

From February to September, special fertilizers for citrus fruits are regularly applied ( “Lemon”, “For citrus”, “Citrus”, etc.). In winter, the tree is not fertilized.

In preparation for winter and at the end of February reduced by 2 times the usual concentration of applied fertilizer. A sign of excess fertilizer is a dry edge along the edge of the leaves and their rapid fall.

Flowering occurs after a few years. But purchased prepared seedlings can bloom in the first year. For a lemon to bear fruit, it must pass 10-15 years from germination from the seed, but the process can be accelerated. For example, through vaccination.

How to graft a lemon

Graft- This is a procedure that accelerates flowering and fruiting. It is carried out with lemon seeds and simple seedlings.

The rootstock is the plant that will be grafted. The first vaccination is given 2-3 year old tree.

The top cuttings are grafted from other plants(you can even use an orange). The leaves are removed, leaving the axillary buds.

It is best to plant in early spring. There are 2 methods of vaccination:

• Kidney vaccination. Using a special budding knife, carefully cut out a small bud from another plant, being careful not to touch its cut with your hands. Then a T-shaped incision is made on the rootstock, where this bud is inserted. This place is then covered with a bandage. Engraftment will occur within 3 weeks. The part of the shoot that is located above the bud is soon cut off (about 10 cm in height)
• Grafting with cuttings carry out special . Cuttings should have young bark and several buds. They need to be cut at an angle. The bark of the rootstock is split lengthwise and the cut cutting is inserted. This place is then also rewound until the cutting is completely established.

It is better to purchase cuttings from a lemon that has already bear fruit. Then there will be fruits already 3 year.

Also, to speed up fruiting, lemon can be pollinate, transferring pollen artificially from one flower to another.

Propagation of lemon indoors

You can not only graft, but also propagate lemons vegetatively - cuttings.

The simplest of them is to take cuttings from an already fruit-bearing tree and plant them in a new pot.

To do this, a cut is made from an adult lemon under the lower bud near the cutting. The cutting itself should be more than 10 cm and have more 5 leaves.

Lower 2 sheets removed, the cut is powdered with charcoal and the branch is rooted deep into the sand 2 cm. You can plant a future seedling in a greenhouse, greenhouse, under a film, where the temperature reaches at least +20 °С.

They will appear in a month first roots. The rooted cutting now requires the same care as usual young plant.

Pests and diseases of indoor lemon

One of the most common problems is yellowing of leaves.

This may happen:

• From nitrogen deficiency(leaves turn pale green) phosphorus(dull, narrow, yellowish), potassium(the leaf is lighter in the center, and turns brown along the edge);
• From a lack of microelements iron, sulfur, magnesium, zinc, excess calcium (chlorosis);
• From lack or excess of light;
• As a result of defeat phytopathogenic fungi (rust);
• Due to pests: spider mite (yellow dots) and aphids(light sticky spots).

Another problem is young branches turn black. This can happen if the roots are affected, namely:

• They're rotting;
• dried up;
• Frozen;
• Mycorrhiza has died off;
• Happened overfeeding with fertilizers.

Features of growing lemon from seeds at home, you can watch in this video:

When growing citrus, you need to put in the work and knowledge, carefully monitor its condition, and then the plant will delight you with elegant flowers with a delicate aroma, healthy fruits and a spectacular appearance.

The location in the room determines how the tree will develop at home. Therefore, before purchasing a lemon (Citrus limon), you need to think about where to place it. North windows are not suitable, since there is no sun there, and the plant needs sunlight. In the south, it needs to be shaded, especially in summer. West, southwest, east and southeast windows are perfect. And insulated balconies and loggias play the role of mini-greenhouses - ideal for both winter and summer maintenance.

Note! Not all Citrus like bright sunlight. Some varieties (for example, Avlovsky, Lunario) can be placed at a distance of several meters from the window.

Video about growing lemon at home

It must be remembered that lemons react poorly to any movement; they especially cannot tolerate turning pots: they can slow down their growth or shed their leaves. The pot must be returned to its original position after any procedures. And only once every 2 years can you turn the plant around, carefully turning it at a small angle every day. This rotation makes it possible to form the crown more harmoniously without causing damage to the lemon.

Variety matters

If you try to grow a tree taken from an industrial greenhouse at home, then most likely the experience will be unsuccessful. These varieties are not suitable for indoor growing, because the conditions of detention are very different. When growing lemon indoors, varieties should be adapted to the dry microclimate of a city apartment, have a compact size and not be too demanding of sunlight. Only then, with proper care, is there a chance of getting a harvest from homemade citrus.

Photo of homemade lemon

General signs:

• small sizes within 1-1.4 m (in the ground they are much higher);
• the beginning of flowering from the second or third year of life;
• fruit weight from 100 to 250 g;
• number of fruits different varieties ranges from 6 to 25 per year.

Popular indoor varieties and some of their features:

1. Pavlovsky. Medium size, adapted to conditions with moderate light and dry air. The yield is small;
2. Genoa. A dwarf tree with a decorative crown, without thorns. The fruits taste excellent and the peel is sweet. Productivity is good;
3. Lunario. Medium-sized, one of the most unpretentious, produces few fruits and their taste is of low quality;
4. Meyer. A dwarf tree in the form of a bush that needs to be illuminated in winter. The “sweetest” of all varieties, delicious;
5. Villa Franca. It is demanding of light, has many medium-sized leaves and small single flowers;
6. Anniversary. The crown is practically not formed. Does not require air humidification. Has large fruits, high yield;
7. Maikopsky. Medium height, has no thorns. Unpretentious, good harvest.

On the picture homemade lemon Maykop

How to grow a lemon at home so that it blooms, bears fruit and looks healthy? Carry out all the procedures necessary for plants with amendments specifically for lemon - select the soil, fertilize, water, humidify the air.

Soil acidity can range from slightly acidic to neutral. The mixture should be nutritious, but loose. For example, turf (2 parts) and leaf soil (2), humus (1), coarse sand or perlite (1). It is permissible to use purchased land.

Citrus limon is very fond of feeding with organic matter - diluted and infused manure. When using complex mineral fertilizers, the content of phosphorus and potassium should be higher than nitrogen. Ideally, these two types of feeding alternate. The feeding scheme looks like this: water - mineral fertilizers– water – organic matter – water. But many people refuse to use slurry at home because unpleasant odor and quite successfully manage with mineral, organo-mineral fertilizers, and liquid extract of vermicompost.

Water for irrigation must be allowed to settle for several days to remove chlorine and precipitate calcium. If it is very hard, it is better to boil it. The best for irrigation is rain or purchased distilled water, melted snow (ice). The liquid temperature should be no lower than room temperature or 1-3 degrees higher than the room temperature, especially in winter. A slight drying of the top layer is a sign for new watering. In summer this is about once every two or three days, in winter - much less often.

Photo of poured lemon

Different varieties are not equally sensitive to humidity. Some (Pavlovsky, Yubileiny) can easily withstand dry indoor air. But everyone loves wet procedures. You only need to spray with soft water (distilled, rain). Otherwise, over time, a white calcium coating will appear on the leaves. To increase humidity, use pallets with wet expanded clay (pebbles, coconut fiber, etc.) or an air humidifier.

Comfortable temperature for development is 18 - 25 ˚С.

Citrus limon needs light for 12 hours. When kept in winter at temperatures above 14 °C, plants need additional lighting. Otherwise, the imbalance will lead to leaf shedding in some varieties (for example, Meyer). When the winter temperature is less than 12 °C, additional lighting is not needed.

How to grow a lemon so that it does not lose its leaves, has whole year decorative and well-groomed appearance? Regular pruning in the spring is simply necessary for most Citrus limon: 3 buds with leaves are left on each new branch, weak branches are removed. A beautiful crown is gradually formed.

Pictured are lemon trees

The first flowers are cut off and the fruits are not allowed to set, so the young plant does not become depleted. At 3-4 years of life, after self-pollination or artificial pollination of flowers, fruits are set, which can remain on the tree for as long as 2 years. During this time, the fruits can change color - green, yellow, then green again, which turn yellow again. But they must be removed on time. 1 fruit should be per 15 leaves. The plant will not be depleted, but decorative look be preserved.

Healthy citrus fruits have a large number of leaves. A temperature change of 7-9 °C in one direction or another can lead to a sudden drop of leaves. The reason may be moving from a cold to a warm place or vice versa, a sudden change in weather if the plant is taken out into the open air.

If the leaves fall off gradually, the reason must be sought in improper watering or soil quality, which lead to the death of roots, short daylight hours, presence of pests.

The photo shows a lemon tree

Tree change appearance gives an SOS signal in time. To prevent your citrus from dying, you need to find and eliminate all errors in its cultivation as quickly as possible.

Is it possible to propagate lemons at home?

What to do if all the adult Citrus limon you bring disappear, but you really want to have this plant at home? You can try to solve this problem in 2 ways.

Plant fresh seeds in prepared soil and grow a tree. You have to wait for flowering for more than 10 years, or even 25! There is information about fruiting after 7 years, but this is still too long. But don’t be upset, if you are seriously interested in citrus fruits, then a lemon grown from a seed can be used as a rootstock for some cutting of the varietal Citrus limon.

Video about how to grow lemons at home

In spring, the survival rate of cuttings is much higher, but cuttings can also be carried out at other times of the year. The branches are taken with several leaves (buds), treated with a rooting agent and placed in sand or directly in the ground, covered with some transparent covering material, and the temperature is constantly maintained at at least 20˚C. After rooting, they are transplanted into good soil and after a year they begin to form a tree. In the first year, transplantation occurs 2-3 times, and then it is transplanted less frequently (every few years).

It is much easier for young plants grown from cuttings and seeds to adapt to life in your home than for adult lemons grown in other conditions. In addition, watching your pet's full development is interesting and rewarding.

Lemon tree - citrus evergreen perennial, growing in a subtropical climate, and therefore does not tolerate frost well. The lemon tree grows in warm climates all year round; the plant is medium-sized, reaching a height of 8 m in open ground. Meet and dwarf varieties up to 3 m. Thermophilia and relative unpretentiousness allow you to successfully grow lemons at home. A lemon tree at home, with proper care, will bear fruit and can reach large sizes.

Many domesticated, specially grown lemon varieties can bear fruit year-round and have a small crown size. These varieties (the most famous Pavlovsky variety) allow you to regularly obtain a small harvest of lemons at home. And a few plants can completely provide a small family with citrus fruits.

Planting lemon at home.

Lemon trees are propagated in two ways: cuttings or seeds. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

First of all planting material need to get it somewhere. Everything is clear with the seeds - we go to the store and buy the first fruit we like. As with growing avocados at home, the lemon fruit must be ripe, i.e. uniform yellow color. Almost all lemon fruits contain seeds. You need to take cuttings somewhere: ask a friend who already has a homemade lemon, you can buy a seedling in a store, or, if you are lucky enough to meet one while traveling, cut a branch of a lemon growing in the open ground.

A lemon planted at home from seed is stronger on its own. It grows more actively, adapts better to new conditions, is more unpretentious to diseases, the plant acquires a beautiful crown, which cannot be said about trees propagated by cuttings. However, it is worth keeping in mind that a lemon grown from seed will have slightly different biological characteristics than its parent tree. Planting from cuttings naturally assumes 100% transfer of the parent's genetic material.

And the most important thing that can influence the choice of how to plant lemons at home is the beginning of fruiting. A tree from a seed will begin to bloom and bear fruit at the age of 8-10 years; the cutting method of propagation reduces this period by half.

Growing a lemon tree from seed.

Choose formed, neat seeds from the lemon fruit. To be sure, sow several pieces from different fruits at once to eliminate unripe specimens. Plant immediately after removing the seeds, in small pots or long boxes at a distance of 5 cm from each other and 3 cm from the walls. The soil should be a mixture of peat and flower earth in a 1:1 ratio, with good drainage.
Dig the seeds to a depth of 1 cm and maintain constant soil moisture, but without overwatering. The optimal temperature for seedlings will be 18-22 degrees Celsius. Lemon sprouts at home usually appear after 2 weeks. Among the hatched lemons, choose the strongest, most powerful, with correct form. Growing should be done by covering the sprout with a jar - to create a microclimate, in a bright place, but without direct sunlight. Once a day, remove the jar for a while to refresh the air around the lemon. After the appearance
pairs of real leaves, plant the specimens you like in separate pots, no more than 10 cm in diameter, provide drainage. Keep the roots and the peat mixture around them intact. To fill the pot, use a mixture of humus and flower soil. In this pot, the lemon should grow to 15-20 cm, then replanting is necessary.

Propagation of lemon by cuttings.

For cuttings, choose branches 4-5 mm thick and about 10 cm long. The cut should be made directly under the bud from below, and above the bud from above. There should be 3-4 formed buds and 2-3 leaves on the cuttings. It is advisable to treat the twig with a root growth stimulator, and then place 1/2 of its length in water for 3 days. To root homemade lemon cuttings, use boxes or pots with a mixture of humus, coarse sand and flower soil in equal parts. Dig the cuttings into a compacted substrate to a depth of 3 cm. The absence of roots at the first stage does not allow getting enough moisture from the soil, so the lemon tree needs daily spraying of the leaves. The soil should be well moistened, without stagnant water. The optimal air temperature for rooting is 20-25 degrees Celsius. Final rooting occurs after 30-45 days. The homemade lemon tree can then be transplanted into a small pot.

Growing conditions and care for homemade lemon.

The soil for growing lemon at home must have a good supply of nutritious minerals and organic substances. A flower mixture sold in stores, or soil from a summer cottage enriched with humus, is quite suitable. Be sure to organize good drainage at the bottom of the pot using expanded clay or charcoal. Stagnation of water in the pot when watering is unacceptable, however, you need to ensure that the entire earthen ball receives moisture, otherwise the plant will begin to lose roots and get sick. Water approximately 2 times a week, allowing the soil to become completely saturated with moisture and then dry out. If the soil overflows and rots, it must be completely replaced. The ideal container for growing lemon is a clay pot. Due to its moisture permeability, it helps balance soil moisture by absorbing and evaporating excess.

Lemon is a light-loving plant; a grown tree needs direct sunlight for about 2 hours a day. Lemon at home does not tolerate moving to a new location well, so it is advisable to determine from the very beginning permanent place for a home tree in a room with windows facing south. You can rotate the pot with lemon to form the correct crown, but gradually, every day at a small angle so that the plant has time to turn the foliage. Every year, as it grows, the homemade lemon needs to be transplanted into a new pot. The new container should be slightly larger than the previous one by 1-2 cm in diameter. The old earthen ball with roots must be removed with the least damage and transferred to a larger pot, and the difference must be filled with new soil. When the pot reaches 8-10 liters in volume, replanting can be replaced with fertilizing, and the top layer of soil can be renewed 2 times a year.

Optimum temperature for growing lemon: 18-27 degrees Celsius. Lemon like everyone else houseplants does not like drafts, especially in winter. Several times a week, it is advisable to spray your homemade lemon with water to maintain comfortable humidity. In winter in heating season daily spraying is required.

To give a lemon an aesthetic appearance at home, you need to form a crown of the type you want. In the first year of life, the tree produces one shoot up to 30 cm high. In the second year, before active growth begins - in the spring, it is necessary to cut off the upper part of the shoot with pruners or a sharp knife, leaving about 20 cm. This stimulates the tree to produce lateral buds. Then you will need to remove the lower buds, leaving the 3 upper ones. From these the skeletal main branches of the crown of the homemade lemon will develop. The next year we perform the same operation with the lateral branches of the second order: we shorten them, stimulating lateral growth and leaving a few upper buds on each. Often, after cutting off the central shoot, the lemon produces only one new sprout from the top, then it is necessary to re-cut the branch along with the top one, and if the length allows, then the second bud from the top. The lemon tree usually acquires beautiful view in the presence of main branches up to the 5-6th level of branching. In the future, to maintain the shape, it is enough to pinch individual rapidly growing shoots, or remove them completely.

With proper care, after a few years, lemon grown at home will begin to bloom. To form ovaries, use a cotton swab to transfer pollen from the anther to the sticky stamen. If a lot of fruit sets, some will need to be removed. Otherwise, the plant may die from exhaustion. For normal development There should be 10-15 leaves per fruit.

A citrus tree will bring a piece of subtropical warmth into the house, the aroma emitted by the leaves will provide a pleasant atmosphere in the room, and if you are patient, you can easily get your own, albeit small, harvest of lemons.

Tell your friends about it.