We usually throw citrus seeds and peels into the trash. Most of us are sure that they will only grow up to be “savages” who, no matter what care they take, will never bloom or bear fruit, and at best, in 20-25 years. Is it really?
Science and life // Illustrations
A lemon tree can be decorated with white fragrant flowers and the fruits are both ripe golden and green. If the ripe fruit is not cut from the branch, its color will return to green. This lemon will turn yellow in 8-10 months.
Any dish for seedlings is suitable, including a ceramic cup, as long as there is drainage and a hole in the bottom for water drainage.
For side shoots to appear, sometimes it is enough to bend the stem of the plant into a wheel shape or bend the top.
Moroccan mandarin grown from seed. The plant is 1.5 years old. The seedling was selected based on the proximity of the buds; later such a plant will bush even without formation.
To speed up the fruiting of the growing plant, the branches are given a horizontal position. Make sure that the crown does not thicken too much; to do this, do not allow branches to grow inside it.
Most buds and fragrant flowers appear on citrus fruits in March - May. In the photo: an orange blossomed. To ensure the ripening of one fruit, the plant must have 15-20 elastic, dense, dark green leaves.
With additional light during the fall and winter months, orange fruits ripen sweet.
Different types citrus fruits are easily distinguished by a number of characteristics, including the shape of leaf petioles, which are equipped with “wings” developed to varying degrees.
After 8-9 months, quite large fruits grow from small ovaries on the tangerine tree.
Under natural conditions - in the countries of Southeast Asia and in the subtropics of Italy and Spain - any citrus trees grown from seeds begin to bear fruit already in the 5-7th year. Therefore, in some states of India, many of them are usually propagated by seeds, and by grafting only when it is important to completely preserve all the varietal characteristics of the plant.
However natural conditions the fertile subtropics and those on our windowsill are completely different. In the first case, they are ideal for the development of citrus fruits, and in the second, they are incomparably tougher.
HOW TO ACCELERATE FRUITING
All citrus trees grown from seeds are original in their own way, especially during flowering, when they are completely covered with white fragrant flowers, although each species is specific and has its own characteristics: oranges have the most beautiful crown with dark leaves, tangerines have bright, appetizing fruits, grapefruits have very large fruits, however, the tree itself is often bulky and is more suitable for winter gardens and offices. The most practical for growing are lemons, which delight you with fruits all year round, usually noticeably larger, brighter and more fragrant than store-bought ones.
Citrus seedlings are capable of producing their first fruits already in the 4th-5th year when using certain techniques. But it all starts with choosing seeds and sowing them.
The largest seeds are selected from any fruit and immediately sown in small pots or cups, always with a drainage hole in the bottom. It is more advisable to pre-treat the seeds with one of the drugs from the group of biological natural stimulants. For example, at night I dip the seeds in a solution of Sakhalin sodium humate (no darker than beer) - subsequently this has a positive effect on the development of the root system, and then for another 8-12 hours - in water to which I add zircon and epin-extra, one drop of the drug per glass of water, this accelerates the development of seedlings, and most importantly, helps them tolerate insufficient lighting and dry air in the room.
It is advisable to sow a dozen or two plants at once, which will be needed in the future to select the best, potentially early-bearing ones. The seeds are placed in loose fertile soil to a depth of 1-2 cm, and when the seedlings grow up, at the age of 3-5 months, they are carefully transplanted, rather, transferred, completely preserving the earthen lump, into a larger container and a handful of vermicompost (compost, processed earthworms), which contributes to the accelerated development of plants.
Growing seedlings are selected according to the following external signs:
Initially stocky crown (this is indicated by minimum distance between the buds on the stems); such plants, even without formation, tend to bush in the future;
Minimum number of short needles (or complete absence thereof) and thin shoots;
Maximum number of leaves that rarely fall off.
Inevitably, quickly becoming bare plants with few leaves and thin elongated shoots are rejected.
It is very important to prevent the single-stem seedling from developing into a rod-shaped seedling. Already in the first months of life, it is necessary to induce its lateral branching. To do this, use a fingernail or tweezers to pinch the tender tip of the growing shoot each time during the next “wave” of growth (citrus fruits do not grow constantly, but in periods, “waves” - no more than 4-5 times a year, with breaks of one to three months). If after this only the tip grows back without side shoots, then it is removed again.
Subsequently, the grown side shoots with two or three leaves are pinched (do this as early as possible), then the branches will grow as short as possible. And subsequently they follow the same principle, trying to give the tree bushiness and proportionality of the crown. From time to time, the pots with plants are turned slightly - but not sharply - no more than a quarter turn.
It is equally important to ensure that individual vertically growing branches (“tops”) do not appear inside the developing crown. When branches appear, until flexibility is lost, they are tilted and tied with a ribbon or twine to a stem or a pencil stuck in the soil.
As the tree grows, they also make sure that the crown does not thicken too much; to do this, they try to prevent branches from growing inside it.
And one more important technique that brings fruiting closer is ringing. It is carried out as follows. The stem or one or two skeletal branches at the very base are tightly tied (“ringed”) with copper wire so that it is slightly pressed into the bark. At this point, an influx very quickly forms and deformation occurs, causing the accumulation of substances inside the plant organism that stimulate the formation of fruit buds. After six months or a year, in order to avoid excessive constriction of the branches and the risk of breaking, the ring is carefully removed, and the operation site is covered with garden varnish or bandaged with a strip of elastic polyethylene.
CITRUS FRUITS HAVE THEIR OWN HABITS
The flowering and fruiting of citrus plants will be brought even closer by the regular inclusion of an artificial “sun” above them in the form of special phytolamps or fluorescent lamps (daylight), humidification of room air using electric humidifiers or fountains and regular - once or twice a year, in February and June - replanting plants in containers that are each time 3 - 5 cm larger than the previous ones. A suitable soil mixture is sifted through a fine-mesh sieve and consisting of equal parts of completely rotted leaves (in finished form it is not difficult to collect it in a park or in a forest under old maples and linden trees), turf soil (it is enough to shake out layers of turf cut in a meadow with good grass) and compost with manure humus. As a last resort, you can use ordinary loose soil from the garden, adding 1/3-1/4 of the volume of horse manure to it.
But even with such regular transplants, the nutrients in fresh soil are only enough for three to five months, while citrus trees need adequate nutrition from the end of February to September. In this case, complex fertilizers come to the rescue, including all the necessary substances with microelements. And it’s better not in the form of dry mixtures, but in liquid form. Fertilize with a solution very diluted with water (no more than 1-2 g of the drug per 1 liter), otherwise the roots of citrus fruits are easy to “burn.”
It is good to alternate fertilizing with mineral water with watering with ready-made, commercially available infusions and organic concentrates.
INSTEAD OF CONCLUSION
Most often, all efforts are rewarded, and after a few years, citrus trees grown from seeds bloom and bear their first fruits. Moreover, plants grown from seeds turn out to be much hardier and more adaptable to indoor conditions than citrus fruits of any variety that can be purchased in the store: they do not require any perfect lighting, neither optimal humidity air. In other words, with more or less good care They feel no worse in the room than an unpretentious geranium or ficus. And all because initially these fruit trees appeared in the house, which became their own.
Having grown fruit-bearing trees from seedlings, you can subsequently propagate the best, promising plants in another simple way - by rooting short cuttings cut from them in a mini-greenhouse - a pot with wet sand under glass jar. Seedlings grown from cuttings bear fruit already in the third year without losing their main advantage - unpretentiousness.
Literature
Dadykin V.V. Citrus garden on your window. - M.: AST-Press Book, 2006.
Dadykin V.V. // Science and Life, 2006, No. 12.
Dadykin V.V. // Science and Life, 2004, No. 12.
Note to the florist
If tap water contains a lot of lime, rotted pine needles collected from under old spruce trees will help save the soil in the pot from alkalization. Add it to the soil mixture when planting (ratio 1:6), but even better, cover the top layer of soil in the pot with such needles.
The lack of macro- and microelements can be easily determined by the appearance of citrus plants. With nitrogen deficiency, growth decreases, leaves turn yellow, especially the lower ones and at the base of the shoots. With phosphorus deficiency, the plant blooms poorly and many flowers fall off. With a deficiency of potassium, the edge of the leaf turns brown, becomes wrinkled and curls down. With iron deficiency, the leaves turn yellow and turn pale. With boron deficiency, the apical growth points die and the ovaries become deformed. With copper deficiency, sticky dark brown spots appear on the fruits.
To reduce water loss, cover the soil in the pot with a circle of thick polyethylene or plastic, after making a slot for the stem. But you can put a layer of sphagnum moss on top - it acts both as a sponge filled with water, and as an additional acidifier, and as a source of nitrogen.
Flowers and young, tender shoots of citrus fruits are a good addition to regular tea leaves; they give the drink a unique aroma and enrich it with vitamins.
Nothing slows down the development of any citrus fruit more than the attack of hordes of pests - spider mites, false scale insects, aphids. Therefore, regularly, twice a month, wash the leaves under a strong stream of shower, and in the summer take the plant outside for treatment with proven means - a solution of FAS tablets (2 tablets per bucket of water), actara (5 g of the drug per bucket of water) or fitoverma (1 teaspoon spoon per 1 liter of water). It is much more effective, simpler and safer for your own health not to spray plants with a spray bottle, but to immerse their crowns for one or two minutes in a bucket with a solution of the listed insecticides.
All small-fruited citrus fruits – high ornamental plants and are ideally suited for landscaping winter gardens, residential premises and growing in bonsai culture. By the way, it is this plant that Buddhists in East Asia use as a traditional decoration for the New Year (a symbol of happiness and prosperity).
Citron, cedrate, cedron (Citrus medica) is the most heat-loving species of the citrus genus. As a rule, it is a small tree or shrub with very large oblong or turban-shaped yellow fruits (up to 20-40 cm in length and 15-25 cm in diameter), with a rough bumpy surface, yellow, fragrant. The peel is very thick (up to 5 cm), the slices are small, with sour or sweetish juice. One of its varieties is fingered citron (C. medica var. sacrodactylis) - called "Buddha's hand". Its fruits have practically no pulp. Grown as an ornamental plant.
Pomeranian (Citrus aurantium) - a tree up to 10 m high, the fruit is almost round, with a thick orange peel with a rough surface, the flesh is very sour. A ripe fruit has a void inside, as a result of which it does not sink in water. Bitter orange is often used as a rootstock for orange and other citrus fruits.
A mutant form is known in culture, called myrtle orange (C. aurantium var. myrtifolia). It adapts perfectly to indoor conditions and is used in bonsai culture due to its compact crown, small internodes (0.5-1 cm) and small dark green leaves (0.8 x 2 cm). The fruits are spherical, orange, 3-4 cm in diameter.
Orange (Citrus sinensis) - tree up to 20 m high. B XV-XVI centuries it was a popular ornamental plant in European courts. It was for its cultivation that special glass rooms began to be built in Europe - greenhouses (from the French orangerie - orange plantation). It was grown in winter gardens and as a tub crop.
Real lime (Citrus aurantifolia) - a tree or shrub up to 4 m high. The peel of the fruit when ripe is thin, green or green-yellow. The pulp is yellow-green, very sour, with a lemon aroma. The fruits ripen six months after flowering. Sensitive to cold. Feels good in indoor culture.
Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) - evergreen tree up to 8 m high with a spreading crown. The fruits ripen 10 months after flowering. Can be grown in subtropical winter gardens in the ground or as a container crop at home.
Pomelo, pompelmousse, sheddock (Citrus grandis) is one of the largest-fruited citrus plants; the fruits can be the size of a small watermelon, up to 30 cm in diameter and weighing more than 1 kg. It is very difficult to grow at home, since the plant takes up a lot of space and needs high air humidity.
Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) - an evergreen tree 12-15 m high. Rarely grown indoors, for the same reasons.
But small-fruited citrus fruits are very popular in home floriculture. The most famous of them are kumquat oval (Fortunell amargarita) and its related species - Japanese kumquat (Fortunella japonica) and Hong Kong (Fortunella hinsii). The diameter of their fruits, as a rule, does not exceed 3 cm.
Which citrus fruit do you prefer? Firstly, it depends on the conditions that you can create for them. It is clear that large plants - oranges, grapefruits, pomelo and others - require greenhouses with a subtropical climate. But even in them, these trees can only be grown for decorative purposes; you still won’t be able to get sweet, ripe fruits. Lemons, limes and other small-fruited citrus fruits are another matter. They are quite suitable for indoor use. Just don’t buy plants brought from the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, as they are intended for growing in open ground. Indoors such plants are winter time they shed leaves, buds, and ovaries and gradually die.
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Or a different type of citrus?
This plant has many different varieties and varieties that can be distinguished by some external characteristics: height, shape and size of fruits, leaf shape and some others.
A simple way to determine whether a lemon belongs to a particular variety is to look at the lemons.
The surest way to determine whether a lemon belongs to the Pavlovsky variety is to have a ripened fruit in your hands.
The fruits of Pavlovsk lemon are distinguished by their large size., the weight of large ones can reach 300-500 grams. Usually their weight ranges from 120 to 150 grams. The shape of a lemon can be very different; the shape variety of fruits in Pavlovsk lemon is quite widely represented. They can be round, oval, round oval or elongated. The surface of the fruit is usually smooth and shiny, sometimes it can be slightly lumpy.
These lemons are highly valued for their subtle citrus aroma and excellent taste. Their skin is not thick, usually 4-5 mm, but it can be even thinner. Therefore, the fruits from Pavlovsk lemon are often eaten directly with the skin.
Productivity of Pavlovsk lemon not the highest - 10-15 fruits per year. Under optimal conditions, it can bear fruit all year round.
Green fruits lemons variety Pavlovsky
But what if there are no fruits on your lemon? Then you will have to determine the varietal identity of the plant based on other characteristics. Need to look at appearance plants. One way to determine if you have Pavlovsky or not, look at its crown and leaves.
You can judge the type of lemon by the leaf, but its shape may differ when the plant is grown in different conditions.
The lemon leaf is beautiful in its commonness and naturalness. Its upper surface is light green, shiny, similar to smooth, well-polished leather, along which dark veins run in clear lines. But the lower surface is matte, deep green, and warm to the touch.
Interestingly, if you examine the leaf in the light, you can see an accumulation of essential oils in the form of specks - accumulations of “lemon richness”. Quite large leaves, 10-15 cm long and 5-8 cm wide, are either round-oval or egg-shaped, oblong and slightly elongated, pointed at both ends.
A distinctive feature of the leaves of all citrus fruits is the presence of winglets - leafy petioles. Most types of lemon do not have such lionfish. The leaf seems simple, but this is only an appearance: the leaf blade is one, not divided into segments, which in complex leaves fall from the petiole separately.
Lemons generally lose leaves on average once every three years. but they fall off not with the petiole, but separately, the petiole later. Most likely, during the course of evolution, all lobes except one disappeared, and the origin of the leaf is complex.
This is what lemon leaves look like:
How to distinguish from orange and other plants?
- Orange leaves are large, dense, leathery, dark green with bright stripes, ovoid or heart-shaped, with the obligatory presence of lionfish (they are either oval or round). It should be noted that orange leaves may turn pale due to a common disease - chlorosis. Often needles grow on the trunk next to the petiole (sometimes up to 10 cm).
- And tangerine leaves are lanceolate-shaped (pointed, elongated), smooth, with wavy edges, lionfish are poorly developed, narrow, long in shape.
- Grapefruit leaves are large, oval - closer to round, without sharp tips, dense, leathery, wings are long (up to 2 cm), similar to halves of drops.
- Kumquat leaves are narrow and elongated, other features are the same as all citrus fruits.
- The smell of almost all plants of this type is close to mint, but in lemon it is sharper, with sourness, “jasmine”, it cannot be confused with any other.
Useful and healing properties
| Chemical composition | Useful and medicinal properties for the body | Possible harm | Contraindications |
| Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) (content 14 times higher than in the fruit). |
| It is quickly broken down in the body, but in case of overdose there may be an allergic reaction in the form of:
Increases blood viscosity. There are practically no contraindications for the use of leaves, thanks to the very useful substances contained in them. What to do with them, how to use them in medicine and cosmetology?Important! Consumption of this plant may cause allergic reaction. Medicinal recipesRecipe for decoction of fresh or dried lemon leaves(has an antipyretic and analgesic effect, used as an antiviral agent when gargling):  It is better to brew this tea in a thermos and not with boiling water, so that vitamin C is not destroyed. Recipe for using grated green leaves(removes headache, nausea, minimizes intoxication and hangover, increases vitality, improves mood):
Lemon leaf tincture recipe(normalizes heart function, strengthens the immune system):
Honey mixture recipe(used for vitamin deficiency):
Cosmetology procedures: A cooled decoction of fresh lemon leaves is an excellent whitening agent for hands, décolleté and face. You can use it to wipe parts of the body by dipping a cotton pad in the decoction, using not only the decoction, but also the greens themselves. How to collect?The best time to harvest lemon leaves is when they become glossy. from those branches that need to be pruned. According to gardeners, the best raw materials for various recipes are leaves from the tops of branches, which should be trimmed with sharp scissors along with the cuttings. How to prepare?You can prepare it in several ways:  Using all the methods for preparing lemon leaves, you can provide your entire family with vitamins all year round. Feel free to use both the fruits and leaves of the lemon. This plant is a gift to humanity, capable of preserving human health and beauty. If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter. |
Proper care.
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What are citrus plants afraid of, mistakes during care, biological features citrus plants.
First of all, it is necessary to take into account the biological characteristics of citrus plants. In winter they need relative rest. From October to February, the temperature in the room should be no more than 12°C
However, this time coincides with the heating season, and high temperatures lead to untimely growth and depletion of plants, which will subsequently affect fruiting.
The critical period is early spring, When warm days suddenly give way to a sharp cold snap. At the same time, the growth that has begun slows down sharply, the leaves become deformed, and the buds and ovaries fall off. To avoid this, it is recommended to maintain the room temperature at 14-16°C.
Sometimes in the summer, gardeners take plants out onto the balcony or even transport them to the dacha, but it is better not to do this, since citrus fruits react painfully to any changes and adapt very slowly to new conditions. Overdrying and excessively moistening the earthen coma is also a very common mistake. In the first case, active roots die, leaves curl and fall off along with flowers and fruits. With excessive watering, the roots rot and the leaves turn yellow.
It is best to pour water into the pan - then the substrate is evenly saturated with moisture and is not washed out nutrients. The most moisture-loving citrus fruit is lemon, the most drought-resistant is orange. Plants are often watered warm water(40°C), which causes the roots to die. You can't go to extremes. When watering cold water The roots dry out and the plants also die. The water temperature should be 2-3°C, and during fruiting 5-10°C above room temperature.
Remember that citrus roots are located in top layer soil, so you need to loosen it carefully and water it often, but in small doses.
For successful cultivation The light regime is also very important. Heavy shading leads to the formation of large, dark green leaves and depleted plants. Direct sunlight causes leaves to turn pale, burn fruits and ovaries, and cause them to drop. Lemon is the most shade-tolerant, orange is light-loving and heat-resistant.
Citrus fruits love diffused sunlight; it is best to place them on a window facing southeast or southwest. And remember: the higher the temperature in the room, the more intense the lighting should be. Dry indoor air causes great suffering to citrus trees - the tips of the leaves dry out, the buds, ovaries and fruits fall off. To avoid this, wash and spray your plants regularly. If the pot is located near the battery, then place a container of water on it, which will saturate the air with moisture as it evaporates.
Domestic citrus plants, soil composition, nutrition, fertilizing, fertilizers.
Citrus fruits, especially lemons, are very demanding when it comes to nutrition. It is no coincidence that in the plant kingdom they are called gluttons. Plants are fed all year round, excluding the period from October to February, when they are given only a weak solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect the soil. The rest of the time, fertilizing is carried out, alternating organic fertilizers with mineral fertilizers, once every 7-10 days. This increases the sugar content of the fruit and reduces its bitterness. Recommended fertilizer mixtures: foscamide, Darina, ideal, agrovit - cor.
Citrus fruits are highly adaptable to soil conditions. They just cannot tolerate very acidic soils and the presence of peat. Usually they make up a mixture of turf and leaf soil, humus, sand (2: 1: 1: 1. Citrus fruits should not be placed in the same room with strong-smelling plants, as they do not like foreign odors. They also do not like smokers: in They may even shed their leaves as a sign of protest.
Transplantation is also a crucial point. The most common mistakes: replanting plants with flowers and fruits, which causes them to fall off, as well as destruction of the earthen clod, severe pruning of the roots. Both deep and shallow landing may be the reason for the lack of fruits. The root collar should be slightly above soil level.
Household citrus plants, winter diseases, how to form a crown.
Citrus fruits cause the most problems for their owners in winter, when they shed their leaves. There can be many reasons for this phenomenon: light starvation, a combination of insufficient illumination with high temperature and low air humidity; the difference in the temperature of the above-ground part and the root system of the plant, when the pot is blown with cold air from the window, and the crown is in favorable room conditions; lack or excess of nutrition. And other problems.
Some beginning citrus growers have no idea about correct formation crowns And this main reason lack of fruiting and loss of decorativeness.
Without human intervention, the plant will not be able to form a crown in a short time. Thanks to pruning, shoots of the 4th and 5th orders of branching develop faster, on which fruits are formed.
The tangerine crown tends to thicken, so frequent thinning is necessary. The orange tree is rapidly growing upward, therefore, it is necessary to limit its growth. Lemon has very little branching, so the plant undergoes heavy pruning to force it to bloom and bear fruit.
One adult plant in our apartment can produce up to 30 fruits annually.
Domestic citrus plants, artificial flower pollination, fruiting, rejuvenation.
Artificial pollination of flowers. When pollinating flowers, pollen is applied with a soft brush to increase fruit set.
In the rooms you observe a large shedding of ovaries. To avoid this, during fruit formation, water the plants more often and spray them with warm water. Don't forget about fruit rationing. The first flowers on young plants must be removed. Only 2-3 fruits are left on a three-year-old plant. In by next years They proceed from the following ratio: one fruit should be fed from 10-15 leaves, and, of course, they take into account the well-being of the plant itself so that the first harvest does not turn out to be its last.
Only if a young and healthy tree has weak fruiting can it be increased. For example, tie the main branches with a tourniquet (this technique will cause the accumulation of plastic substances and the formation of flower buds); Regularly feed the plant with superphosphate. You can grow a seedling and graft it into the crown of a fruit-bearing tree, or graft an eye from the upper part of the plant into its lower part.
If a citrus plant lives with you for a very long time and produces little fruit, it can be rejuvenated. To do this, all large branches are cut into 3-4 eyes, and their branches are cut into a ring. The rejuvenated plant is transplanted into nutritious soil, shortening the roots by one third. That, perhaps, is all the wisdom of caring for citrus fruits.
If you sow citrus plants and do not label each pot, and also sow different seeds in one container, it will be difficult for an inexperienced eye to distinguish a lemon from a tangerine or orange. Also similar to all citrus fruits, but not quite, are kumquat and grapefruit.
There are several ways. Firstly, they suggest sniffing and identifying by smell by tearing off a piece of leaf. The tangerine tree will smell like tangerine, and the lemon sprout will smell like lemon. If we continue to remain ignorant due to our inexperience, then there is a way to distinguish leaves by their petioles. But they are actually different, because... There are no so-called “wings” on the petioles of lemons, but oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits have them.
In the photo: a lemon leaf without lionfish on the petiole.
The petiole lionfish are the largest in grapefruit, in orange they are slightly smaller, and in mandarin orange they are even smaller.
Photo: Tangerine leaf with “winged wings” on the petiole.
This is how you can distinguish four types of citrus fruits by their leaf petioles. But nevertheless, in the future it is recommended to sign the pot, having attached a label, because these are the botanical rules. The kumquat has a peculiar leaf, more elongated and made of many parallel veins, often located. Also, the kumquat often seems to lag behind in growth, because it is sometimes considered a shrub, since its tree is smaller than others in height.
To be continued.
How to distinguish a lemon from an orange by its leaves. Citrus leaves
Citrus plants are difficult to confuse with other plants, due to the features unique to this species, namely the spines in the axils of the leaves. Citron and orange have large thorns, lemons can have thorns or without, but tangerines have no thorns.
The petioles of the leaves of citrus plants are equipped with extensions, “wings,” by which experienced citrus growers determine the type of plant and its age. Citrus seedlings are also distinguished from each other by the shape and size of the “wings”:
- Lemon has no “wings”;
- In mandarin, the “wings” are barely noticeable;
- The orange has medium-sized “wings”;
- Grapefruit's “wings” can be the size of a small leaf.
The color of the leaves of citrus plants depends on the age: light green – young leaves; dark green – leaves older than 2 years.
The average lifespan of citrus plant leaves is 2.5-3 years. Depending on the age, the role of the leaf in the life of the plant changes: young leaves are responsible for respiration, and old leaves accumulate nutrients necessary for the growth of new branches, flowers and fruits. Losing leaves is deadly for lemons because the leaves lose their nutritional supply.
Despite their similar appearance and the popular belief that a lime is simply an unripe lemon, these fruits are very different from each other. Let's figure out what is healthier and what are the differences between these citrus fruits.
History of appearance and where they grow
Although many people think that a lime is an unripe lemon, they are completely different fruits. Both fruits are citrus fruits, but their homeland is different: lemon appeared in China (it is believed that already in the 3rd century the Chinese grew lemon on their own, that is, it was not wild plant), and lime - on the Malacca Peninsula, near Indochina. It is also widely distributed in Mexico and other countries South America, Egypt and India. Lime is credited with more years, so it is more likely that lemon came from lime rather than vice versa.
Both the first fruit and the second love tropical climates, but if lemon is most often found in subtropical zones, then lime lives in the tropics. That is, the probability of their being in the same area is as small as possible. Limes can be grown as cultivated plant and in the subtropics, but it will not bear fruit well in such conditions. In general, under appropriate conditions, it is capable of bearing fruit all year round, while lemon bears fruit once a year.
Lemons are less capricious, which is why growing them at home is still popular. Limes grow at an altitude of more than a thousand kilometers above sea level, so it is not possible to grow them at home.
The beneficial properties of its closest genetic relative, lime, have many similarities. Many people confuse these two citrus fruits; some believe that lime is an unripe lemon. Although this is far from true. There is ongoing debate about which fruit is healthier. Both citrus fruits contain ascorbic acid, belong to the same botanical genus and are used in cooking, but that’s where their similarities end. Let's figure out, looking at the photographs, what their main differences are.
What is the difference between lemon and lime
In addition to size and color, fruits have other distinctive features:
- Lemon is stored in refrigeration chamber two months without loss of quality, and lime for only two weeks.
- Lemon is sour, and lime is even more sour and has a bitter aftertaste.
- Lemon is larger than lime, although some varieties of the latter are as big as lemons.
Lime and lemon are two different fruits
- Lime pulp is green, while lemon pulp is greenish or yellow.
- Limes bear fruit all year round, while lemons bear fruit once a year.
- Vodka is enjoyed with lemon, and drinking tequila is incomplete without lime.
- The homeland of lime is the tropics, and lemon is an inhabitant of the subtropical zone.
- Lime has a more pronounced flavor.
Advice. When choosing citrus fruits, pay attention to the weight; the heavier the fruit, the more juice it contains. The lime peel must be green; the greenish color of the lemon indicates that the fruit is not ripe and will be very sour. The skin of the fruit should be firm.
What unites them
Citrus peels and seeds contain substances that interfere with the development cancer cells and lower cholesterol. Both citrus fruits contain a high dose of vitamin C, so consuming these fruits helps improve immunity.
Both citrus fruits contain a large amount of vitamins.
Vitamin P increases the elasticity of blood vessels. It also contains fruit acids, pectins, micro and macroelements, and B vitamins. Essential oils give them flavor and have phytoncidal properties. However, it cannot be said that they have the same effect on the body.
The healing properties of lemon
The pulp of the fruit contains citric acid, carotene, sugar, pectin and vitamins. In the 16th century, lemons began to be taken on long sea voyages as a remedy for scurvy. Later studies showed that almost half daily dose Vitamin C is found in one lemon. Minerals are richly represented in lemon; not every juice contains such an assortment of substances.
Lemons are consumed to prevent vitamin deficiency or, conversely, hypervitaminosis. For the treatment of gastrointestinal tract, scurvy, atherosclerosis, sore throat and gout. Indications for the use of lemon are disorders of mineral metabolism, arterial hypertension, and urolithiasis. Lemon stimulates digestion and stimulates appetite. The substances contained in lemon help the body absorb Ca and Fe. There is evidence that lemon lowers blood cholesterol levels. A glass of water with lemon juice, drunk in the morning on an empty stomach, helps remove waste and toxins from the body, and also helps fight excess weight.
Lemon is widely used in cooking and cosmetology.
For cosmetic purposes, lemon is used in face masks, to remove freckles and age spots, and to heal small cracks in the skin. They make hair balms, lotions and creams.
Beneficial properties of lime
Lime is used in a similar way to lemon. It is also a storehouse of vitamin C, but lime contains five times more of this vitamin than lemon. Lime contains folic acid, but lemon does not. Folic acid is involved in the development of the circulatory and immune systems; consuming lime is especially important during pregnancy, when the fetus is developing. Lime also helps with toxicosis.
It has a beneficial effect on the excitability of the nervous system, has a calming effect, relieves fatigue and irritability. Fresh Juice Lime with a glass of warm water on an empty stomach helps burn excess fat.
Contraindications
Lemon and lime have restrictions on consumption:
- gastritis;
- pancreatitis;
You should be attentive to contraindications when eating citrus fruits
- gastrointestinal ulcers;
- acute nephritis, colitis, enteritis;
- individual intolerance.
Advice. A cut lemon very quickly loses its beneficial properties, as well as during heat treatment. It is recommended to use fresh citrus fruits.
Use in cooking
Lemon juice is poured over fish (especially fatty types), dressed in salads, and served with barbecue. Lime and lemon are used in making cocktails. Mojito with lime is very popular. Both zest and pulp are used in baked goods. Candied fruits are made from the zest and added to teas in dried form.
Lemon and lime are used both for preparing main dishes and in desserts and drinks
Lime works great with red pepper. It is used everywhere in Asian cuisine. Lemon is used to season food before serving to preserve the citrus flavor, and lime is added at any stage.
To extract the maximum juice from a citrus fruit, roll the fruit on the table, pressing firmly on it. It will become softer and release juice easily. Freeze the juice in the refrigerator, add it to water or mineral water and delight your body with a tasty and healthy drink.
Video So orange or lemon. How we are being scammed.
Chinese lemongrass grows in loamy-sandy soil, which drains well and is rich in minerals. Schisandra does not tolerate swampy soil, grows slowly on heavy and clay soils. A lemongrass vine up to 15 mm thick, if there is no suitable support, will rise only 25 cm in height. Such plants grow slowly and spread out. However, if the vine reaches a support, the shoot develops quickly and grows like a screw - clockwise. Schisandra wood is very strong, but flexible.
How does lemongrass propagate?
In nature, plant reproduction occurs from root shoots. But in the garden it can also be propagated by seeds (stratified) or cuttings, but only green ones, since woody ones do not take root. Seed germination is low, but it can be increased by constantly changing the temperature regime.
How to germinate lemongrass seeds
500 g of seeds are taken and mixed with river sand(1:5), and are moistened so that when squeezed and unclenched in a fist, the lump of sand slowly crumbles. The prepared mixture is placed in some old enamel saucepan with small holes. Approximately 2.5 cm of fine river gravel is poured onto its bottom. The saucepan is covered with a wooden circle covered with nylon mesh with holes. It is kept covered: the first 30 days near the heating radiator, the next 30 days at 2-5° in the cellar, then another 30 days at 13-15°. Then it is visited in the cold for just 48 hours (can be buried in snow), and for the last 10 days the seeds are again kept at 8-10°. By this time, the soil temperature outside should reach 8°. The sand in the saucepan must be periodically loosened and moistened. After such stratification, seed germination will be approximately 85%. However, you should not forget that if there is too much humidity and compacted mass, the seeds suffocate and therefore may lose their germination altogether.
Features of growing lemongrass from seeds.
How to distinguish citric acid from ascorbic acid. Where is citric acid used?
People use citric acid in various fields of your life.
If we consider its necessity for the human body, then
exactly lemon acid participates in the metabolic processes of our body, therefore, it is used as a means to improve energy metabolism (the so-called Krebs cycle)…
But let's return to our acid. It, however, like sodium citrate itself, is actively used by humans as a flavoring additive and preservative for the production of various drinks, including dry and fizzy drinks, confectionery products, store-bought fruit juices, mayonnaise, canned fish and meat, processed cheeses, canned fruits and vegetables.
Citric acid is also actively used in the fat and oil industry - it protects fats, vegetable oils, margarine, and animal fats from the likelihood of rancidity and bitterness. It is also very often added to various cosmetic products - lotions, shampoos, balms, hair fixatives... In all these products it acts as a kind of acidity regulator...
Well, as we see, citric acid is a substance that is actively used in all spheres of human life.
And in fact, until you put 5-6 on one plate different varieties lemon and without a real tasting, it’s quite difficult to imagine that they are divided into varieties.
Moreover, lemons are divided not only into botanical varieties, like apples or pears, but also into commercial ones (depending on the condition of the fruits taken from one tree), like tea leaves.
The first variety of lemons - primafiore (fruits from the first flowers) include small, dark green, very sour, but incredibly fragrant fruits, which are removed from the tree as soon as they reach the size of small chicken egg. Primafiore lemons are rarely exported; they are mainly destined for the domestic market.
The second variety of lemons is called bianchetti, that is, white. These are lemons picked at the moment when they are no longer green, but not yet yellow. Bianchetti is the most sought after lemon variety in Europe; we know them as “thin-skinned”. Almost all lemon fruits of different varieties in the bianchetti stage have an “average” lemon taste and aroma.
And finally, the third stage of lemon ripeness - bastardo - huge thick-skinned lemons, the peel of which splashes with oil, and the pulp has deep flavor shades, depending on the botanical variety. Those varieties of lemons that are served in their natural form (and some are simply eaten as a fruit, for example, Cappucciano lemon) must be fully ripened on the tree - only then their varietal characteristics and advantages will be fully revealed.
But the best way to provide your family with delicious lemons is to have a lemon tree at home.
One of the most common and frequently consumed fruits is lemon. Recently, gardeners have become interested in the possibility of growing lemon tree at home. It turned out that such a citrus tree can be grown not only in southern latitudes with a favorable hot climate, but also throughout the country. The main thing is to graft the lemon correctly.
What is it for?
Gardeners have learned to grow lemons in their gardens. In order to get out of the ordinary lemon seed a seedling has grown; all you have to do is plant it in the ground, water it and wait for the seedlings to emerge. After a certain period of time they will appear, however, there is no guarantee that the shoots will be able to grow into a tree that will bear fruit. You can achieve the desired result only if you correctly graft the lemon onto the branch of another tree.
The process of grafting to a tree itself is the connection of two branches or the transfer of a lemon bud to the main trunk of a dominant plant. With this implantation of a part of one plant into the branches of another, they grow together. All processes for the exchange of minerals and oxygen are carried out simultaneously in both the scion and the rootstock. The grafted branch becomes part of the tree and receives all the necessary components from the donor root system for life and further development in a new place. The grafted lemon branch bears fruit at the same time as the plant chosen as the basis for grafting.
There are several methods for carrying out this procedure.
Deadlines
Lemon should be grafted in spring period, maybe until the end of summer. During the period from April to August, any plants secrete a large amount of sap, which promotes the establishment of a new cutting on the main branch of the rootstock. Depending on the method chosen for lemon grafting, the timing of fusion of shoots (scions) with the main trunk also changes. It usually takes a grafted plant a month to establish itself and become part of it.
Rules
You can plant lemon at home if you choose the right rootstock. A rootstock is a plant that has many general characteristics with lemon. This is a tree onto which a lemon cutting is grafted. It would be desirable for it to be there too citrus plant or a tree belonging to the same family (rutaceae).
For the rootstock, lemon itself, bigaradia (sour orange), sweet orange, tangerine, and grapefruit are used. These plants have a strong root system. This feature allows the scions to supply the grafted plants with nutrients. In scions of this group, calli (a kind of callus) quickly grow at the sites of injury to the tree where grafting was carried out. Calli protect painful areas of an injured tree and promote their rapid healing.
It is best to choose dwarf trees for rootstock. Trees grow very actively, which causes certain difficulties in care. You can make a dwarf rootstock yourself.
Cut the bark a short distance from the roots of the tree in a circle. The removed bark is fixed at the cut site reverse side. Afterwards it is tied to a tree. This procedure significantly slows down the movement of sap along the branches and, accordingly, the growth of the tree cannot be intensive. For supporting slow growth This action should be repeated once every few years. The main rule for the success of the entire event is the presence of a fruit-bearing scion.
If you graft a lemon onto a tree that does not bear fruit or bears little fruit, then the probability of a lack of harvest on the grafted cutting will be very high.
To ensure that the incision heals quickly and efficiently, it is wrapped with a film of polyethylene or other material.
