Lemon Tree- This is an original addition to home decor and fragrant fruits to the table. Growing a lemon from a seed is not difficult; the most important thing is to follow the recommendations and provide the plant with the necessary conditions. Thanks to constant care, you can get the first harvest 4 years after planting. To propagate lemons, they use seeds because this method is the fastest and most effective.

China and India are considered the birthplace of lemon. In indoor conditions, the plant grows up to 3 m tall. The citrus fruit has a green, thin stem that becomes woody over time. The leaves are small, elongated, dark green in color with a glossy surface. Small white inflorescences appear on the plant, which are located in the axils of the leaves. Lemon buds are almost formed all year round, and the period of their active growth begins in the spring.

A month later, buds appear, which bloom after the same period of time. The tree blooms only for a few days. The buds exude a pleasant sweetish aroma. The formation and growth of buds is affected by the ambient temperature, which is why the slightest changes in temperature can cause leaves to fall and flowering. The flowering color depends on the type of tree.

The fruits of the plant have a rich yellow, and at home they can even grow large sizes than store-bought ones - up to 70 grams in weight, and contain seeds inside. The shape of the fruit depends on the species.

The fruits contain a large amount of phytoncides, which are released into the air and have an antimicrobial effect. In addition, the content of vitamins A, B, C, E, some minerals and macroelements has a positive effect on human health. The high content of fiber and pectin in the fruit pulp helps eliminate constipation.

Preparing seeds and soil

To get a healthy fruit-bearing tree, you need to choose the right seeds and prepare the substrate.

For planting, it is ideal to use only seeds from freshly harvested fruits. However, given that some fruits have been on the shelves for a long time, it is necessary to choose the freshest ones. The largest seeds are selected from the fruits. Experienced gardeners recommend preparing not one, but a dozen seeds at once to increase the likelihood of germination.

The main requirements for the substrate are easy permeability of air, water and friability through it. It is important to prepare a substrate with neutral acidity - citrus fruits do not like acidic or alkaline soils.

To prepare the substrate, leaf, garden and turf soils, sand, peat soil, compost and humus are used. Sand should make up a tenth of the total substrate. In order to give the soil nutritional value, it is necessary to add more leafy soil.

Note!

Experts emphasize that ordinary soil from the street is unsuitable for growing lemons.

You can also add vermiculite to the soil - an artificial component that adsorbs water well. Perlite can be added to improve the porosity of the soil, and Dolomite is suitable to reduce acidity.

Algorithm for growing lemon at home from a seed

Growing lemons in our usual home conditions is a labor-intensive and troublesome task, however, it can turn into a pleasant hobby if you follow the recommendations and advice of experienced gardeners.

After the seeds are selected, they must be immediately planted in a container. This can be a glass or a small pot, which should have drainage holes. Experienced specialists It is recommended to treat them with a growth stimulator for better rooting and faster germination. Sodium humate can be chosen as a biological stimulant.

The bones are immersed in the solution overnight, and then for 10 hours in warm water with a drop of Zircon (1 drop per glass of water). These drugs not only accelerate growth, but also help increase resistance to diseases. For planting, a dozen seeds are selected and planted in the prepared substrate to a depth of 2 cm. The top layer of soil is slightly loosened by hand.

Plant 1 seed in each container. Young plants begin to emerge after 3-4 weeks. Several shoots can emerge from one seed, then you should choose the strongest one.

Selection and transplantation of seedlings

Seedlings are selected after 4-5 months, when they have already grown up. Only the best seedlings are selected for transplantation and further cultivation. Experts recommend continuing to grow those young plants that have retained a larger number of leaves that rarely fall off.

Remember!

It is also important that the stem has a minimum number of thin needles; ideally, there should be none at all.

You need to pay attention to the fact that the shoots are massive and not thin. It is important that there is also a small distance between the buds of the stem, as this guarantees a branched and lush crown in the future.

Actions for more active fruiting

In order for a tree to bear fruit, it is necessary to provide it with important organic matter. That is why it is necessary to fertilize the plant during the active growth phase. To stimulate growth, you can add Stimovit, which can be purchased in specialized stores. Only following the rules of care will help stimulate active fruiting.

Tree care

It is careful care and constant maintenance necessary conditions are considered a guarantee of active growth and fruiting of the plant.

Watering

Watering the lemon tree should be moderate. So, in summer time it is necessary to water 3 times a week, and in winter period the number of waterings is reduced to 2 times a week. Do not allow water to stagnate in the pot and the substrate to be constantly wet, as this can lead to rotting of the root system.

Water for irrigation should be used only filtered, as running water is too hard and can harm the lemon. In addition to watering, the leaves of the tree must be wiped or sprayed weekly. warm water. If a pot with a tree is on the windowsill near the radiator in winter, then it is necessary to moisten the lemon more often.

Transfer

For replanting, it is necessary to choose a pot that is not too spacious, so as not to provoke rotting of the root system. A drainage layer of several centimeters is laid on the bottom of the pot. After this, you need to pour a thin layer of thermally treated river sand.

Next, pour soil into the pot, enough so that the root system of the lemon is completely immersed in it. The tree is covered with earth up to its neck. The top layer of the substrate is fluffed up with your hands. After transplantation, water the plant clean water to nourish the roots.

Top dressing

In addition to purchased fertilizers, you can also use traditional methods. So, to replenish the nitrogen balance, you need to grind the quinoa finely and add it to the substrate. Phosphorus and potassium can be obtained from wood ash by adding it to water for irrigation in the amount of 1 teaspoon per liter of water.

Bone glue will help compensate for the lack of phosphorus. To prepare the glue, dilute it with 2 liters of water, boil it and water the plant with the viscous liquid. Coffee grounds or used tea leaves are also used as mineral fertilizers.

Do I need to prune and graft?

In order to enhance fruiting, side shoots are immediately pinched. In order for the plant to have a dense crown, it is necessary to trim the top before the active growth phase, this way lateral growth is activated. In order to prevent thickening of the crown, branches should not be allowed to grow inside the crown.

Experts recommend using the ringing method. To do this, copper wire is wrapped around a trunk with several branches. The wire should stick slightly into the barrel. This promotes deformation and accumulation of substances that stimulate fruiting. After half a year, the ring is removed, and its place is smeared with garden varnish and rewound thin strip polyethylene.

In addition, to obtain a harvest, it is necessary to graft lemon. Grafting can be carried out from the moment when the trunk of a young seedling reaches a diameter of 5 cm.

To do this, you must first moisten the trunk and make a shallow cut in the shape of the letter T at a height of 5 cm from the ground. The size of the vertical line should be 10 mm, and the horizontal line should be 25 mm. The edges formed by a vertical line are carefully folded outward.

On a fruit-bearing tree, a peephole is cut from a branch, capturing thin layer bark. The cut part is inserted into the cut made in advance on the trunk so that it fits tightly. The grafting site is tightly wrapped with special tape, leaving the eye uncovered.

To increase the likelihood, you can graft two kidneys. After the grafted part has taken root, the crown of the young plant is cut 5 cm above the grafting site.

Evgeniy Sedov

When your hands grow from the right place, life is more fun :)

Content

It is not known for certain where the homeland of lemon is. IN wildlife he doesn't meet. The first written mentions of it as a plant crop were found in India and 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 – 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.

Inside the leaves there are pinpoint reservoirs of essential oil. Thanks to this, lemon leaves emit a subtle 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 all the useful chemicals are preserved in the fruits of homegrown crops:

Name	Benefits for the human body
Organic acids (malic, citric)	Increase immunity, help reduce cholesterol, cleanse blood vessels, supply the body with energy
	Suppresses the negative effects of 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:

• obtaining unpretentious varieties of crops;
• 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. Average weight fruit – 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. It has a strong leaf aroma. 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 ones are suitable for planting seeds. clay pots or plastic cups with holes in 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 pebbles or coarse river sand, then a soil mixture.

Earth

There are two types of lemon soil at home. You can purchase a ready-made earthen mixture for citrus fruits in the store, but it is better to prepare it yourself to be sure of quality ingredients. The soil mixture contains 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. cling film or circumcised 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. There are two ways to force a lemon tree to bear fruit:

• 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 in the field of 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 produce lemon hybrids with new fruit tastes.

Lemon from the seed

Growing lemon indoors from a seed is the most suitable way 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. The ornamental tree grows quickly. 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:

• The best period for planting cuttings is 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 the active growth of a zero shoot, forming a trunk - 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. For a healthy plant, a pot with a cutting and a protective dome should be placed, for example, on a south-facing windowsill. The optimal air temperature is 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 at room temperature from a spray bottle. To grow a strong lemon tree, it needs to be taken out in the summer. open air. It is better to keep citrus in the shade big 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 with warm water daily.

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.
• An excellent preventative 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:

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 (pot 8–10 l), you can only update it annually upper layer soil mixtures.

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 particularly difficult, but getting full-fledged 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 favorable conditions for the lemon tree. 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 the sizes corresponding to the given 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.

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

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

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

What kind of plant is lemon?

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

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

Lemon tree - care rules and growing problems

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

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

Growing lemon indoors. What should the soil be like?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lemon from the seed: where to start?

Only freshly collected seeds are used. They are selected from ripe fruits that do not show signs of disease. Purely theoretically this is true, but lemons come to us from supermarkets and bazaars.

Such fruits certainly cannot be called freshly picked. What should I do? Dried seeds that have been left for a month at room temperature significantly lose their germination capacity, but still germinate.

To grow lemons at home one hundred percent, you need to stock up not with one or two seeds, but with a much larger quantity. Out of a dozen seeds there will definitely be several sprouts.

Don't be afraid to grow many seedlings at once. It is not a fact that all your lemons from seeds at home will survive to bear fruit. Some will die due to disease, others will suffer when you vaccinate them.

We begin to grow homemade lemon from seeds as follows:

• We buy special soil or prepare the soil ourselves from river sand, turf soil, and humus.
• Place the prepared soil mixture into separate small pots or cups.
• We plant the seeds in moist soil to a depth of 3 cm.
• Cover the top with film to create a better microclimate.
• We are waiting for the sprouts to appear in about 3 weeks.
• If 2 shoots grow from one lemon seed, one (which is weaker) should be removed.

Citrus plants obtained from seeds adapt to room conditions better, they turn out to be more hardy and viable compared to cuttings or grafted ones. Fully fruit-bearing cultivated seedlings grow from the seeds. Their only drawback is that they begin to bear fruit late.

Growing Lemon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Care during the fruiting period of lemon

Fruiting lemon requires special care at home:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Firstly, the period for citrus fruits grown in different ways to enter fruiting is different.
• Secondly, the mere presence of a tree at home does not mean that it will bloom at all. Proper care, attention, creation of optimal conditions for fruiting, fertilizing, lighting, temperature regime, microclimate and much, much more.

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

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

The result of growing lemon

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

A home garden can not only please the eye with fragrant flowers, but also bear useful fruits. For example, in a pot on the windowsill you can grow a fragrant lemon, or even a tangerine. A citrus tree will become the most useful plant in a home garden. The easiest way is to buy an already sprouted tree at a flower shop, however, it will not bring as much pleasure as one grown with your own hands from a seed.

This is actually very simple to do, and even a novice gardener can cope with this task. It is best to use the seeds of homemade lemons, for example the Miyer variety (it is small in size and frost-resistant), these plants are not watered with all sorts of fertilizers to accelerate growth, and the fruits are not treated with chemicals to extend their shelf life, and the likelihood of growing a healthy tree from homemade lemon seeds is much higher. However, when it is not possible to get seeds from a home plant, store-bought lemons are used.

Procedure

The first thing to do is to carefully separate the seeds from the fruit itself, without damaging their shell, then rinse them under water, removing any remaining fruit. When the seeds are ready, they must be wrapped in wet gauze. It is recommended to use gauze as the material, as it allows enough air to pass through and will not allow the bones to rot. It is advisable to change the gauze every two days. It is best to wet several seeds at once, then the chance of germination will increase. In this form, the seeds will last from three weeks to one and a half months, depending on the speed of germination. As a result, a sprout should appear from the seed, which should be planted in a pot.

It is not necessary to choose a clay pot as a container for the seed. In the first couples it may be half a liter a plastic cup or a mayonnaise bucket. At the bottom and sides of the future pot you need to make several holes for draining excess moisture. The lemon tree is a rather whimsical plant, and it will not grow in ordinary soil, so it is better to take care of this circumstance in advance and purchase special soil for citrus fruits; it can be found in any flower shop. Place drainage at the bottom of the pot. Expanded clay or crushed eggshells can serve as drainage.

If you have problems purchasing specialized soil, you can try growing lemons from seeds in a mixture consisting of:

• four glasses of earth;
• two spoons of ash;
• six tablespoons of humus or manure;
• glasses of river sand.

Video on how to grow a lemon from a seed:

Care

Lemon – light-loving plant, so it is advisable to place it in the sunny part of the room. Experienced flower growers It is not recommended to move the pot with the plant from place to place, but it must be turned a little once a week so that all the leaves are illuminated and the crown does not turn out to be one-sided. The tree needs to be watered once every two days, while sprinkling the leaves with a sprinkler.

You can find a lot of fertilizers for citrus fruits on the shelves in flower shops, and in the first year of life it is advisable to feed the plant to strengthen the root system. As soon as the lemon gets stronger and has 5-6 leaves, it’s time to pinch the tops. It is best to do pinching with tweezers, but in its absence you can do it carefully with your fingernail. Thanks to the timely removal of the tops, the tree will produce lateral branches, which contributes to the formation of a beautiful fluffy crown.

It must be remembered that the side shoots should also be pinched when 3-4 leaves are formed on them.

Many people believe that a tree grown from a seed is not able to grow strong and healthy, and will not bear fruit. In fact, this is a deep misconception. .

Another nice bonus, which citrus fruit lovers receive – freshness and pleasant aroma in the apartment, because the leaves of the plant can increase the humidity in the room and emit a light, unique fragrance.

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Lemon (Citrus limon) is a representative of the Citrus genus, belonging to the Rutov family. The plant, whose homeland is considered to be China, India and the Pacific Islands, is today cultivated in many subtropical countries. And where the climate does not allow, the lemon tree is grown as indoor plant. From a lemon seed you can grow a compact evergreen tree, which will not only decorate the interior, but also delight you with tasty, healthy fruits. And the essential oils and phytoncides secreted by lemon leaves will help fight stress and nervous tension.

In countries with subtropical climates, lemons are grown under open air, and in Central and Eastern Europe The climatic conditions are not suitable for the lemon tree, and here it is cultivated as a houseplant.

In nature, lemon is evergreen shrub. Home-grown lemon is also a small shrub with thorns on the trunk and dense leaves with a dark green, glossy surface.

The result of long-term selection, lasting hundreds of years, was the emergence of many varieties of lemon.

• Pavlovsky. It is highly popular among Russian gardeners. The unpretentious lemon tree grows up to 1.5 m, begins to bear fruit in the third year of life and produces an average of 15 lemons per year.
• Ponderosa (aka Canadian). A low-growing tree, not exceeding 1 m in height. It blooms quite early and bears few fruits - no more than 5 pieces.
• Lunario (aka four-season). A medium-sized plant that produces fruits with mild taste. This variety is cultivated mainly in Egypt.
• Libson. A tree 1.5 m high with powerful spines produces large, fragrant fruits (on average 15 pieces). It blooms for the first time 3 years after planting.
• Maikopsky. It is characterized by ease of care and high yield, grows up to 1.3 m. It is especially popular in the Krasnodar region.
• Corsican (aka Buddha's hand). An exotic variety, the fruits of which are used in cooking mainly for making candied fruits. It reaches a height of 1.5 m and bears about 10 fruits annually.
• Anniversary. The most suitable variety for growing at home, hardy and requiring the least attention. It grows up to 1.5 m in height and bears fruit well. But the fruits have a thick peel and a weakly expressed taste.
• Meyer (aka Chinese dwarf). The variety, bred by crossing lemon and orange, is a low-growing bush no more than 50–70 cm high. But the plant is quite whimsical, often gets sick, and requires additional lighting in autumn and winter.

Meyer lemon is characterized by high yield and produces many fruits of unusual taste, but due to its whimsicality and capriciousness, it is not often grown at home.

Features of care

Indoor lemon does not react well to rearrangements, so it is better to decide right away when choosing a suitable location. After moving to another place, the lemon tree begins to shed its leaves, and if the plant is disturbed during the flowering phase, the harvest may not be expected.

Lighting

The lemon tree loves light, but also tolerates partial shade. The plant is not suitable for southern windows, since with excessive access to light, the growth of the vegetative part is activated, and the flowering and fruit formation phase is inhibited. On the north side, the tree, on the contrary, will not have enough light. As a result, the leaves will grow slower and the fruits will be too sour. Windows facing east or west are best suited for lemon.

To form a symmetrical crown, the flowerpot with the lemon tree needs to be rotated once a week around its axis by about a quarter of a turn.

Temperature

The optimal summer temperature for a lemon tree is from 18 to 20 ° C. In winter, it is recommended to grow the plant at 15–18 ° C. In spring and summer, you can take the citrus tree to the balcony or terrace, but with the onset of autumn coolness, the tree must be moved into the room, since sharp jumps temperatures are destructive for him.

Humidity and watering

The lemon tree loves moist air. It can be sprayed all year round, and it is advisable to place the pot on a tray filled with wet gravel. The plant does not tolerate stagnation of water in the pot, so the optimal watering regime in winter is once a week, and in summer - twice every 7 days, but abundantly.

Priming

Lemon loves nutritious soil with a sufficient content of mineral and organic substances. Suitable for planting:

• ready-made soil for all citrus plants;
• universal soil for indoor flowers;
• soil with humus;
• composition of leaf and turf soil, humus, river sand and charcoal.

The soil should be soft and loose. And so that the water in the pot does not stagnate, you need good drainage from expanded clay and brick pieces at least 2 cm thick.

The soil for growing lemon should be light, well-permeable to moisture and air, with a pH level in the range of 6.6–7.0.

Fertilizer application

Indoor lemons need to be fed constantly. In summer, fertilizers are applied only in liquid form every week, the rest of the time - at least once every 30 days. It is recommended to alternate mineral fertilizers with organic fertilizers. Can be used:

• a weak solution of mullein, bird droppings;
• water with the addition of nettle infusion (infuse for 2 weeks);
• infusion eggshells(only from the fourth year of the plant’s life).

Trimming

A lemon grown from a seed grows quite large, with long branches. The plant takes up a lot of space, and its productivity decreases. To achieve an acceptable crown size, pinching and pruning are carried out.

The first pinching is carried out when the main shoot grows to 20–25 cm. The next pinching is carried out at a height of 15–20 cm from the previous one. Between the two pinches there should be 4 buds, which will give rise to main branches in the future. The shoots of the first row are pinched after 20–30 cm, and when the branches become hard, they are cut 5 cm below the pinching site. The following shoots are pinched so that they are 5 cm shorter than the branches of the previous row. Crown formation is completed on the shoots of the fourth row.

Pruning is usually done in the spring, before flowering begins. The roots of the lemon tree also need to be pruned during replanting, otherwise the root system will stop developing normally and the lemon leaves will become pale.

If necessary, during pruning you need to remove weak shoots and branches growing inside the crown.

Transfer

A young lemon that has recently appeared from a seed should be replanted annually, or better yet, twice a year (in February and June). Lemons older than 5 years are replanted every three years in the spring.

Every new pot should be 3–4 cm larger than the previous one - both the root system and the crown of the lemon tree grow very quickly. When replanting, do not sprinkle the root collar (the junction of the stem with the roots) with soil.

The roots of young lemons are very sensitive and vulnerable and require extremely careful handling when transplanting.

Banding

Banding is a procedure that helps speed up the appearance of fruits. It consists in the following. The base of the trunk with one or two adjacent shoots is wrapped with copper wire so that it is slightly pressed into the bark (but not too much!). As a result, they begin to accumulate in the place of ringing. nutrients, and the formation of fruit buds begins on the lemon. The wire is removed after six months, and the crushed bark is treated with garden varnish and wrapped with elastic tape.

Reproduction

Lemon can be propagated at home in three ways:

1. seeds (seeds);
2. cuttings;
3. layering.

Seeds

Many people believe that lemons grown from seeds do not bear fruit. But this is wrong. With proper care, a plant grown from a seed begins to bear fruit in 5–8 years.

For those who do not know how to plant a lemon from a seed, it is worth saying that even a novice gardener can cope with this simple process. The main task when seed propagation- choose correctly planting material.

Due to the ease of obtaining planting material, the seed method of lemon propagation has become the most common.

The fruits must be of good ripeness, with flat surface and uniform color, without dents, spots on the skin or other damage. Lemon seeds should also be undamaged and large. It is better to take planting material from several fruits, and then select the most viable seeds.

The procedure for growing a lemon from a seed includes several stages.

1. Prepare small long pots with a drainage layer and a soil substrate consisting of flower soil and peat.
2. Immediately after removing the seeds from the fruits, they are treated with a solution of sodium humate - this will speed up germination.
3. The treated seeds are planted in the ground at a distance of 3 cm from the walls of the pot and to a depth of 1.5–2 cm.
4. The containers are covered with polyethylene until the first shoots appear and kept at a temperature of 20 ° C. Lemon seeds germinate for a very long time - from two months to six months.
5. From the sprouts that appear, select the healthiest and strongest ones, cover them glass jars to create the desired microclimate. The containers are placed in a place with sufficient lighting and ventilated every day.
6. When the first leaves appear on the sprouts, they are planted in separate pots.
7. Seedlings are planted in larger containers when their height reaches 20 cm.

You need to plant the seeds in one container at a distance of at least 5 cm from each other, but it is better to take separate small containers (for example, disposable cups) with drainage holes.

Cuttings

When propagated by cuttings, lemon begins to bloom in the third or fourth year.

Propagation by cuttings is carried out in the spring (March-April) and includes several stages.

1. From a well-fruiting plant, cut 10 cm of a fairly hard and at the same time flexible cutting (about 5 mm thick) with 2-3 live buds. An oblique cut is made under the sheet using a sharp knife. The top cut should be 1.5–2 cm above the bud.
2. The cuttings are treated with a root system growth stimulator (Kornevin preparations, heteroauxin, sodium humanate), placed in water or in moist soil to a depth of 2–3 cm.
3. The cutting is covered with polyethylene so that it does not dry out.
4. After the roots appear (on average after 2 weeks), the cuttings are moved to a small pot and kept at a temperature of 20 ° C in a place where there is sufficient access to light. Spraying the cuttings is carried out twice a day.
5. To accustom the plant to room air, the film is opened daily, first for an hour, then gradually the time is increased.
6. After 2 months, when the plant is completely rooted, it is transplanted into a larger pot (diameter 10 cm) with nutritious soil and placed in a permanent place.

If the selected cutting is intended to be placed not in water, but in soil, you need to prepare a container with soil substrate:

• cover the bottom of the container with a drainage layer (clay shards, porous vermoculite, expanded clay);
• cover the drainage with nutrient soil with a layer of 5 cm (you can take equal parts of forest and turf substrate, one-sixth of sand);
• pour a mixture of equal amounts of sand and sphagnum moss on top (can be replaced with high-moor peat).

When planting several cuttings in one container, leave a distance of at least 5 cm between them. Immediately after planting, the cuttings should be sprinkled with warm water and covered with film.

Branches and vaccinations

This method of propagation is quite complex and labor-intensive, and therefore is rarely practiced by amateur gardeners. The plant is often grafted by professionals to get fruit as quickly as possible. Typically, a lemon blooms in the year of grafting, and a year later bears its first fruits.

In general, the vaccination procedure is carried out as follows. A bud is cut from an older lemon that has reached the age of 2–3 years. It is planted in a cut of a younger plant. It is best to plant citrus in May or at the end of August.

Bloom

Depending on the variety, the color of the flowers can be white, pink or red. To get fruits, it is important to properly care for the plant during flowering and follow a number of rules:

1. during the flowering phase, do not move the lemon tree to another place;
2. pollinate the plant yourself (carefully transfer pollen to the stamens with a cotton swab);
3. remove excess flowers in a timely manner.

At the first flowering, you need to remove half of the buds. It is best when there are from 15 to 25 leaves per fruit.

From the moment the ovary appears until the fruit is fully ripe, more than 9 months can pass.

Problems in growing

Lemon grown from seeds is not demanding in terms of living conditions, but is often susceptible to disease and attack by pests. One of the most common problems– yellowing and falling leaves. The reasons for this may be:

1. watering with cold water;
2. excessive watering;
3. insufficient lighting;
4. heat;
5. drafts;
6. change in soil acidity;
7. lack of nutrients.

If yellowing of the leaves is observed in a newly acquired plant, this is a normal phenomenon associated with acclimatization.

Pests

Damage to lemon tree by aphids.

Diseases

• Gommoz. An infectious disease that affects the trunk of a tree. Cracks appear in the bark below, and a dark, sticky liquid begins to seep through the damage. After a while, the lemon fades, and putrefactive spots appear at the damaged areas. You can save a lemon tree by replanting it in a pot with fresh soil. Before planting, you should clean the roots and damaged areas and treat them copper sulfate. It is possible to cure a tree from gommosis in rare cases; more often the plant dies.
• Late blight. It manifests itself in the same way as gommosis. It most often affects young plants, causing an oily brown ring to form on the trunk. For treatment, the affected area must be treated with copper sulfate.
• Root rot. The disease is characterized by damage to the root system, and the lemon begins to shed its leaves for no apparent reason. If you suspect root rot, you need to remove the plant from the pot and inspect it. root system, remove damaged roots, and treat healthy roots with a growth stimulator. After this, the tree needs to be planted again. Lemon care until complete recovery includes minimal watering, providing sufficient lighting, and regularly wiping the leaf blades with a damp cloth.
• Tristeza. A viral disease in which the bark of a tree dies. This disease, unfortunately, cannot be cured.
• Leaf mosaic. Characteristic patterns appear on the leaves of the lemon tree. It is impossible to cure the disease, but with careful care, leaf damage becomes less noticeable.
• Citrus cancer. An untreatable disease characterized by the appearance of dark brown spots on leaf blades. The disease leads to the rapid death of the plant.

Growing a lemon from a seed or cutting is not difficult. But fruiting can be achieved only with proper and regular care of the plant. The lemon tree will be a wonderful decoration for any interior; during the flowering period it will fill the room wonderful aroma. And if you pay enough attention to the plant, the reward will be long-awaited fruits.