How to grow lemon at home - care, pruning, grafting

Growing citrus fruits at home is a fairly simple task, provided that certain rules are followed. The available varieties of these plants are perfectly suited for growing outside the windows of our apartments. Most of them do not differ much in requirements. This article describes in detail how to grow a lemon from a seed at home. Well-groomed citrus trees will delight you with rapid growth and an increase in green mass, and healthy fruits will become their best decoration and showcase.

Choosing a place to grow

To successfully grow lemon at home, you need to know how to choose the right place and soil for the plant. When choosing the location of a pot with indoor lemon, you need to take into account the requirements of this exotic plant.

Lighting

Plants need to have access to as much light as possible. A citrus tree needs 8-12 hours of sunlight to grow healthy and productive. To do this, choose a window on the south or west side of the building.

By growing a tree in this way, you do not need to frequently rotate, move and change positions. The plant has difficulty getting used to the new angle of sunlight, the sudden illumination of the previously shaded other side of the crown. The result may be yellowing of leaves and stunting of growth to adapt to new conditions. Occasionally turning the tree will give you a more even crown, but this procedure is not necessary.

Citrus fruits are harmed by constant movement from indoor spaces to outside. Therefore, moving the tree outside in the morning or in good weather and returning home at night makes no sense.

It's worth knowing! The kitchen is not the best place to grow lemons. Vapors from frying, cooking, and household gas combustion products damage plants.

You can keep lemon on terraces, balconies and in the garden. When choosing this growing method, you need to find a location that is not exposed to direct sunlight. Lemons do not tolerate places with strong solar radiation. The sun can damage the leaves, causing them to turn yellow. The optimal place is in the garden, on the balcony - sunflower or slightly shaded.

Drafts

When growing citrus fruits outside or inside, it is important that they are not placed in drafty or windy areas. In very rainy years, you need to protect them from excess water. Plants in the garden should have good drainage and pots should not be placed directly on the ground.

Temperature

Optimal ambient temperature for citrus fruits.

From October to April, lemons go into a dormant state. It is necessary to gradually lower the temperature; sharp fluctuations can cause yellowing and falling leaves. In winter, lemons are kept indoors, in the brightest place.

A place near a heating radiator is unacceptable; too dry air is harmful to citrus fruits. Lemons can withstand temperatures below 0 degrees for several hours.

A greenhouse or greenhouse is a good place for citrus fruits. In these rooms you can provide them with the most optimal conditions for growth, flowering, and fruiting. The winter garden allows you to maintain a relatively constant temperature and protects from rain and wind. Other heated and ventilated rooms can be used.

Selection and preparation of seeds

This step largely determines how healthy and strong the tree will be. First of all, you should pay attention to the ripeness of the fruit, its integrity, the absence of deformation and signs of disease. Cut the washed lemon in half and remove the seeds. Leave the larger ones for planting.

You need to prepare the bones immediately before starting work.

If they dry out, they will not germinate. It's better to take a few of them, with a reserve. Rinse under running water.

Advice. Treatment with biostimulants increases the chances of success. Planting material is soaked for 12-24 hours in a solution with the addition of Zircon, Epin-Extra (add 1 drop of the drug per 250 ml of water). The procedure helps to increase the immunity of the bones.

Beginners are interested in the question of proper seed germination. And this is not required. The treated achenes are immediately placed in the soil. There are 2 ways to prepare the seeds:

1. After soaking, without drying, they are planted in the prepared substrate. It is important to ensure that they do not dry out.
2. To speed up the process of seed germination, remove the hard shell from the seed with a sharp knife and then transfer it to the ground. But in this matter, caution is needed - there is a high risk of damage to the cotyledon.

What soil is needed for lemon?

The soil for homemade lemon must have good permeability.

The soil should be:

1. very light
2. loose,
3. do not retain water.

Stagnant water in a pot causes citrus roots to rot, so the soil structure should allow water to easily pass through so that excess flows out through the holes in the pot.

The best growing effects are achieved when sufficient soil aeration allows roots to grow easily.

Most of all, lemon loves access to air to the roots and rapid passage of water.

A drainage layer of fine gravel or expanded clay is placed at the bottom of the pot.

Soil acidity for citrus fruits

Citrus soils should have an acidity pH of 5.5-6.5. Measuring the ph of the soil is done with various types of acid meters, ph meters and electronic soil testers.

Ready-made special soils for citrus fruits are sold on the market.

You can easily prepare your own lemon primer using readily available ingredients.

Several soil “recipes”

Recipe No. 1.

• 8 parts black soil,
• 3 parts sand
• 2 parts perlite
• a handful of peat.

Recipe No. 2.

• 5 parts pine bark,
• 1 part perlite
• 1 part humus.

Recipe No. 3.

• 5 parts black soil,
• 2 parts sand
• 2 parts perlite
• 1 part clay.

Recipe No. 4.

• 5 parts black soil,
• 2 parts sand
• 1 part perlite
• 1 part compost soil.

When using chernozem in a mixture, it is best to use soil with a pH of 5.5-6.5. For example, soil is good for palm trees.

When using pine bark, you need to make sure that the pieces are no more than 2 cm in diameter. Finely ground pine bark is a good leavening agent that citrus soil should contain.

Photo. Pine bark and perlite are excellent leavening agents.

The sand added to the ground should be the gray, coarse sand used in construction, not fine beach sand. The sand should be scalded with boiling water or at least rinsed thoroughly before use.

The clay must be dried and finely ground. It is bought in fishing and zoological stores.

Sometimes, to ensure better aeration of the substrate, small pieces of coconut shells are used.

A popular procedure is the addition of special mycorrhiza to the soil, which facilitates the plant's absorption of substances from the soil, which leads to better plant growth.

Planting seeds

The likelihood of lemon seed germination, rapid growth and fruiting of the plant directly depends on the correct composition of the soil, its nutritional value, breathability and moisture capacity.

To germinate lemon seeds you will need the following mixture:

• leaf soil (linden, hazel, maple, elm);
• vermiculite, perlite;
• sand;
• coconut chips\fiber;
• dolomite flour;
• mineral fertilizers (complex);
• drainage and holes at the bottom of the pot are required.

Specialized peat soil (high and low peat) or soil from the plot is not suitable for lemon.

Planting lemon seeds is easy:

• the finished soil mixture is laid out in special containers (drainage, holes in the bottom);
• the soil is moistened;
• lemon seeds are buried 2.5-3 cm;
• to germinate a lemon, cover the top of the seed with a glass cap or film;
• sprouts appear after 2.5-3 weeks;
• weak shoots from 1 sprout are discarded.

Watering

Only by knowing how to properly care for lemons at home can you provide the plant with proper care. Citrus watering and care are very important for growing these plants. Growing is impossible without proper watering.

Adequate, optimal irrigation can be mastered first of all through practice. The requirements of lemons in this regard vary, mainly depending on the species, stage of development and size. The demand for water also depends on the position.

Watering rules

Basic rules on how to water lemon correctly and often:

1. Plants are watered moderately - depending on the ambient temperature and time of year.
2. Plants should never be flooded, they should have sufficient drainage to drain excess water, the substrate should allow moisture to pass through well, and the pots should have holes in the bottom.
3. Remaining water in the pot causes root rot, mold formation, and sometimes complete death of the plant.
4. It is better to dry the plant than to overwater it! Therefore, during the rest period (winter) they water very moderately - once a week in small quantities only so that the soil does not dry out completely.
5. In spring and summer, plants are given a little more water. This is the period of greatest growth and the ambient temperature is higher, causing water to evaporate from the ground more quickly. Water is added only when the soil dries out.
6. Watering is carried out after sunset or early in the morning, when the sun's rays do not yet fall directly on the plant.
7. Do not water with cold water. The water temperature is adjusted to ambient temperature.

What kind of water is used to water lemon?

• Rain or distilled water is better for irrigation.
• Plants collect rainwater from the wild. She is the most suitable.
• Water from deep wells and clean streams is allowed.
• Using chlorinated tap water can lead to a disease - chlorosis and death of lemons.
• Tap water is hard water with calcium. Long-term use of tap water leads to the fact that the basic reaction in the pot is destroyed and the tree becomes alkalized. The solution to the problem is to boil tap water and use it after settling, when calcium precipitates and chlorine evaporates.

Preparing hard water for irrigation

Unfortunately, many are doomed to use tap water.

Natural methods of softening water for watering citrus fruits:

• boiling and cooling before watering;
• settling in an open container to release chlorine;
• adding a few drops of lemon juice to 1 liter of water;
• adding white vinegar (1 teaspoon per 4 liters of water).

Growing lemons from seeds at home

Like all citrus fruits, lemon is a tropical plant. It is demanding of heat, sunlight and a certain soil composition, which is why it is not possible to cultivate it in open ground in our climate. But lemons are successfully grown by home plant lovers to decorate rooms.

Even a non-fruiting lemon tree can decorate your room

Beginning flower growers are often unhappy that homemade lemons do not bear fruit, and even ovaries do not form on grown trees. You have to wait a long time for a positive result, because under normal conditions the first flowering of indoor lemon occurs, at best, 4–7 years after planting.

In fact, with some effort and following the rules, you can get fragrant lemon fruits much earlier.

Rules for growing lemon from seeds at home

First of all, you need to figure out how to choose and plant the seed correctly.

Seed preparation

Most failures with growing citrus fruits from seeds are directly related to errors in preparing the seeds. Many gardeners use seeds that have long been removed from the fruit and dried. From my own experience I will say: such planting material will produce good seedlings, and subsequently almost all of them will grow into strong, healthy trees, but they will probably not bear fruit. Therefore, the seeds must be removed from ripe fresh fruit immediately before planting.

The seeds should be removed from ripe lemons right before planting.

There are two ways to plant seeds:

1. Planting seeds in shells: Remove the seeds from the fruit, carefully wash them in running water, set to room temperature.
2. Immediately, before the planting material has time to dry, place it in a pot with a pre-prepared substrate.
3. The seeds need to be buried into the soil by a maximum of 3 cm. If the depth is greater, the seed may begin to rot under a layer of damp soil or a weak sprout will not break through.

   The lemon seed should be buried no more than 3 cm into the soil.

By the way, you can soak the seeds for several hours in a growth stimulator before planting. This will significantly increase the activity of the seed, and hence the chances of germination. I used this method: first, I soaked the seeds overnight in a solution of Sakhalin sodium humate, bringing it to such a concentration that the color was no darker than beer. And then for another day (8–12 hours) I dipped it in a solution of the Epin-extra composition (1 drop of the substance per 1 glass of water). Instead of this drug, you can use Zircon in the same ratio.

In order for seeds in shells to germinate better, soak them in a growth stimulator

Soil and planting process

Lemon seeds can be planted in shallow and wide containers, small pots or plastic cups. The main thing is to provide drainage holes in the bottom of the container.

The simplest solution is to buy ready-made soil for citrus plants in the store. But you can prepare it yourself. To do this, you need to take equal parts of sand, humus and garden soil and mix them thoroughly. Add a little powdered charcoal to this substrate, this will help subsequently avoid bacterial infections.

Try to sow at the end of winter. This is the most suitable time, because, firstly, the ripening season for most varieties of lemons is beginning, and secondly, daylight hours are increasing, which will have a very good effect on the hatching sprouts.

The landing process is as follows:

1. In prepared containers, make a 2 cm thick drainage layer of vermiculite or fine expanded clay.
2. Place the soil on top, leaving about 1–1.5 cm short of the edge of the container.
3. Plant the seeds in the soil, deepening them to 3 cm.
4. Place a piece of glass or stretch cling film on top of each container to create a greenhouse effect.
5. Place the containers with the crops in a warm, well-lit place without drafts. Heat-loving lemons need a temperature of 22–25 °C for good germination. In any case, it should not fall below 18 °C.

   In order for the lemon to sprout and grow healthy and strong, provide it with light, warmth and humidity.

It is recommended to plant several seeds at once. Some of them may not sprout, but the more planting material, the higher the likelihood that several seeds will germinate, and at least 2-3 of them will become strong, healthy trees.

Plant several seeds at once to guarantee germination

After planting, seedlings do not need watering, since the greenhouse will provide the necessary level of humidity. But once every 2-3 days, remove the film from the containers to ventilate for 15 minutes and spray the soil with a spray bottle.

Video: planting lemon seeds

Transfer

Lemon growing and care involves replanting lemons grown in containers. It is important to know when and how to transplant a lemon.

The best time to transplant a lemon is in spring, when growth begins again. Replanting should not be done every year. Plants whose pots have become too small need to be transplanted into new ones. Only young, intensively developing plants need a new, larger pot every year.

Most older citrus trees cannot tolerate being replanted in new soil every year. Many lemons react to transplantation by limiting flowering, so the procedure should be carried out according to certain rules:

1. In the first years, the plants are transplanted annually into large pots. It is important not to overdo it with a container that is too large.
2. Large trees are replanted every 2-3 years when the root has too little space in the container.
3. After transplantation, the plant should be watered sparingly for 2 weeks. The soil should always be slightly moist, but not wet.
4. After 6-8 weeks you can apply the first dose of fertilizer. Soils available on the market, including those recommended for citrus fruits, contain a basic dose of fertilizer, so fertilizing immediately after transplanting is not required.

Lemon tree diseases

Experts believe that the reasons for the poor health of citrus are improper care of the plant, lack of light and minerals. Diseases are also caused by harmful insects, viruses and fungi.

To prevent this from happening, you need to monitor the condition of your indoor pet, strengthen the immune system, follow a watering schedule and fertilizing. It is believed that it is easiest to eliminate diseases from lemons that constantly live indoors.

Fruit ripening

How many hours of sunshine do lemons need? Trees grown at home should be kept in a place exposed to sunlight for at least 5 hours. The best growing effects are achieved when the trees receive 8 hours of full sun per day.

In our country it is often not possible to create optimal conditions that would satisfy our plants. Sometimes the summer season is not as sunny as expected.

The sun makes lemons ripen.

In addition to heating, it is necessary to ensure an adequate daily temperature range:

• during the day - sun and warmth,
• at night - cool.

Lemons require the least amount of light and are the least demanding of all citrus plants in this regard. Therefore, they are suitable for growing in regions where summers are typically colder.

Seed selection

Select fresh lemons and cut in half. From all the extracted seeds, we select the healthiest ones without any damage. It should be borne in mind that most of the seeds will not germinate, so about 20 seeds are harvested.

To speed up germination, experts give a number of tips on how to plant lemons. To do this, you need to free the seeds from the hard crust and place them in a stimulating solution for 10-12 hours.

The result will be stronger immunity of future seedlings and a high ability to tolerate adverse conditions.

Trimming

Another care procedure is pruning homemade lemons. Before you begin the procedure, it’s worth understanding why and how to trim a lemon.

Why is pruning needed?

Lemons that are not regularly pruned can lose their leaves, grow too sideways, become too large, and sometimes bloom and bear fruit less well.

Pruning is necessary for lemons that grow excessively to the sides. Dry or dead shoots are removed; shoots that are too long are shortened. This stimulates the growth of new shoots and gives the plants a compact crown shape.

Young, soft shoots can be broken off with your fingernails. This leads to better tillering of the plant. At the same time it leads to the absence or delay of flowering, but after a while the plant blooms more profusely and becomes densely branched.

When to prune a lemon?

Pruning is performed 1-2 times a year:

• in spring, in March, when the trees begin to grow;
• if necessary, in August - then the plant will still produce new shoots before the rest period.

The shoots are cut just above the leaf bud pointing outward so that new shoots also grow in that direction.

The cutting area should be smooth so that the edges of the wound do not crack. Prune the branches using sharp, clean pruning shears. The wound is lubricated with a special ointment (from a garden store) to prevent diseases from developing.

Fertilizing

Two months after germination, the lemon seedling begins to be fed. The nutritional composition must be added every two weeks until November.

During the cold period, feeding stops. Ash will help preserve the strength of lemon during the winter season. It will be enough to feed the soil with it twice.

Plant Formation

By trimming the shoots, you can shape the lemon into a suitable shape.

There are 3 main styles of shaping citrus fruits:

1. free (bush);
2. arrangement of branches on a trellis or near a wall (especially popular in countries with subtropical climates, where citrus trees grow in the ground);
3. formation of a “tree” with a compact, loose crown – spherical, bonsai, etc.

Formation should begin with a young plant to avoid heavy pruning later.

Thanks to pruning, the plant is given the desired shape. Growing a lemon tree on a long trunk is not difficult. The young plant should be supported by tying the main shoot to a peg and pointing it vertically upward.

All existing and later appearing lateral branches are removed. When the main sprout reaches the appropriate height, its young, still soft tip is torn off. This will stimulate the growth of side shoots at the top of the stem. Due to repeated pruning of side shoots, a dense, well-branched crown is formed over time.

Citrus plants grow easily because they tolerate even heavy pruning. The shape with a spherical crown is a real work of art. On sale, such trees (depending on the variety) are more expensive due to their attractive appearance.

In the future, you need to shorten the shoots and systematically trim those that thicken the crown. If this is not done, the plant will lose its normal appearance and will be more difficult to reproduce later.

The shape of the tree may change due to the loading of the branches with large ripe fruits. The branches bend down under the weight of the fruit; you can help the plant by supporting it.

Decorative properties of lemon bush

The home tree has a very decorative appearance. Formative pruning is allowed for the crown. A lush bush can be turned into a sophisticated green ball.

Tangerine tree - care at home

The lemon bush is especially beautiful when snow-white flowers bloom on it. Each flower has elongated petals and smells pleasant, after which lemons appear on the branches.

Additional Information! The lemon plant will decorate a variety of interiors, both classic and high-tech style.

Lemon tree in the interior

Fertilizer

Lemons need to be fertilized systematically so that the plants grow healthy, bloom, and bear fruit. The roots of lemons grown in containers have a limited amount of soil from which they draw nutrients and microelements; frequent soil replacement is pointless and inconvenient.

It is impossible to successfully grow lemons in a pot without fertilizer, so it is important to know how to feed lemons at home. During watering, the soil in the pot is systematically washed and becomes poorer, so it should be supplemented with fertilizers so that the plants do not starve.

What fertilizer is best for homemade lemon?

These plants are heavy nitrogen users, especially larger trees during periods of strong growth. Therefore, fertilizers must contain a higher proportion of nitrogen compared to the other two main ingredients - phosphorus and potassium.

The N:P:K composition should have a ratio of 2:1:1 or at least 1:1:1 plus trace elements - iron, zinc, manganese.

There are several ready-made liquid lemon fertilizers on the market. In addition, slow-release mineral granules and organic fertilizers are used.

Main mineral components of fertilizers

How and when to fertilize?

As citrus trees age, they need more fertilizer. It is better not to fertilize young lemons or apply smaller doses.

They begin to add nutrients when the plants wake up from winter rest and begin to grow, usually in March.

Then, depending on the type of fertilizer, the appropriate dose is applied throughout the growing season until the beginning of autumn.

Liquid fertilizer for citrus fruits

These are quite commonly used fertilizers. Before use, you need to dilute the concentrate in soft water in accordance with the instructions. Liquid fertilizers are applied under the lemon weekly. It’s worth using your intuition so as not to overload the plants.

Manufacturers of citrus liquid fertilizers include:

• Pokon,
• Agricola (Agrecol),
• Substral,
• Florovit.

Fertilizers in granules

This is also a popular way to apply fertilizer – especially slow-release fertilizer. Advantages of this fertilizer:

1. Rare use - 2-3 times a year.
2. The slow release of minerals prevents overfertilization even with deep watering.

The required amount of granules is scattered under the lemon trunk on the ground, then mixed with the top layer of soil.

Each watering releases nutrients that are absorbed by the plant's roots. Osmocote is a popular granular slow-release fertilizer also used for citrus fruits.

If the soil pH is too high, magnesium sulfate can be used.

Organic fertilizers

When growing lemons organically, you can use a diluted liquid infusion (preferably from young nettles), compost, organic osmocote, vermicompost.

Most fertilizers do not cause root burns, soil salinization, or general overfertilization. They are an excellent source of microelements - boron, zinc, copper, molybdenum.

Manure is one of the best organic fertilizers for growing citrus fruits.

Foliar feeding

In addition to traditional fertilizer, foliar feeding can be used - spraying with diluted liquid fertilizer.

The leaves very quickly absorb minerals from the drops of solution that settle on them. Foliar feeding is good if symptoms of deficiency of certain elements are detected on the leaves. This procedure can be carried out several times during the growing season.

Attention! Spraying is not carried out on sunny days or when the leaves of the plant are heated by the sun. It is better to do treatments in the evening or early in the morning.

Liquid fertilizer for foliar feeding should be used in low concentration, as recommended in the instructions, or even more diluted so as not to burn the leaves.

Plants are often sprayed with iron preparations because iron deficiency leads to chlorosis of lemon leaves.

Symptoms of Excess Fertilizer

Lemons that are over-fertilized grow just as poorly as lemons that are deficient in fertilizer. Excess minerals cause soil salinity, which is harmful to trees, especially lemon species such as Poncirus trifoliata.

The main symptoms of overfertilizing lemons are:

1. yellowing, curling and falling of old, lower leaves;
2. darkening of leaves - the appearance of brown spots;
3. instead of white, the roots become brown or black - burning of the roots;
4. sudden growth stop.

Improper fertilization of lemons causes great damage.

If such symptoms are observed, you need to rinse the soil several times or replace it with a new one, removing damaged roots and leaves.

The plant must have at least a month's break in the application of nutrients to allow the root system and leaves to recover.

Diseases and pests

Despite the fact that homemade lemon grows on the windowsill, it is not immune from diseases. Harmful insects can easily be acquired through contaminated soil or due to improper (insufficient) care.

1. Chlorosis. The leaves turn yellow, while the veins remain green. The reason is that the plant is cramped, the soil is acidified or there is not enough nutrition (iron).
2. Root rot. The reason is improper watering, getting wet and sudden cooling of the roots. The infection is spreading rapidly.
3. Late blight. A fungal infection occurs against the background of waterlogging of the soil and air. The leaf blade is covered with oily round spots. This is a gray/brown rot that spreads to buds and fruits.
4. Gommoz. The reason is cold and drafts. A gum forms, destroying the above-ground part, and the tree dries out. Microcracks are cleaned and treated with disinfectant garden putty.
5. Tristeza is a viral infection, as a result the trunk gradually dies, the veins of the leaf blade swell and turn white, the fruits become smaller, and the plant dies.
6. Leaf mosaic is a viral infection of green mass. Light streaks and stripes appear on the leaf plate, then the leaves fall off. Difficult to treat.
7. Citrus cancer. Infection with a dangerous virus occurs through leaf stomata or microcracks and damage. The entire aerial part is affected by brown spot tumors.

To prevent diseases and pests, a weekly careful inspection of branches and leaves is required. It is especially important to inspect the underside of the leaf - the favorite places of spider mites , scale insects , aphids and other insects.

It is important to periodically wash the leaves and stems with a solution of green soap with the addition of any insecticide. When pests appear, repeated treatment with Aktara is required.

In conclusion, I would like to note that indoor conditions will not be ideal for citrus fruits. And yet, answering the question whether it is possible to grow a lemon from a seed, we will answer in the affirmative: “Of course, it is possible.” This is a fun, albeit time-consuming activity. The result is important - a healthy ornamental tree, and if you are lucky, also with exotic miracle fruits.

Reproduction

If there is enough free space, you can propagate lemons in your home, greenhouse, or greenhouse. Propagating lemons allows you to watch the plants grow, which is fun, and saves money.

There are 2 ways to propagate lemons:

1. generative (from seeds);
2. vegetative (cuttings).

Seeds

Growing lemons from seeds is suitable for those who have a lot of patience. Whether a lemon grown from a seed will bear fruit depends on many factors. The best sowing time is spring.

Work progress:

1. After removing the seed from the pulp, without allowing it to dry completely, it is sown in small pots or in a flat dish (for example, a bowl) filled with special soil consisting of peat soil and sand. You can lightly cut the seeds before planting to speed up germination.
2. Then it is necessary to moisten the soil by spraying and place it in a room where constant humidity is maintained, a temperature of about 24 ° C, and plenty of light. The dish can be covered with glass or transparent film.
3. The room must be ventilated frequently to prevent fungal diseases.
4. You need to regularly check the surface moisture and, if necessary, spray it with a spray bottle. Plants germinate in 3-5 weeks.
5. When the seedlings produce their first true leaf, they are transplanted into a separate pot. Over time, they grow into large, vigorously growing plants. However, these plants begin to bear fruit late, sometimes only after 15 years.

Vegetatively propagated lemons bloom and bear fruit after 2-3 years, because the seedlings were taken from a plant that has already passed its teenage period.

Cuttings

You can successfully propagate lemons from cuttings.

Preparation of the cutting:

1. The stalk is cut. The best for rooting are cuttings with a heel, that is, from side shoots torn from the stem. The collected shoots must be annual, not lignified.
2. A piece of shoot 10-20 cm long should be cut diagonally just below the node (the place from which the leaves grow).
3. Remove the lowest leaves.
4. Dip the tip into the rooting agent and place it in the prepared hole in a special substrate for seedlings.
5. Watered.

The substrate should preferably consist of perlite and sand. Make a frame over the pot and cover it with a plastic bag so that the seedlings have enough moisture. The container with the cuttings is placed in a warm place with a temperature of + 25 +28 °C (not lower than 20 °C).

A sign that citrus seedlings have begun to grow is the appearance of new shoots or leaves. The young plant should be ventilated and prepared for external conditions. The best time for planting is early spring, but many species can be propagated until autumn.

Caring for young seedlings

The first shoots hatch 2-4 weeks after planting. If 2 shoots appear, one of them is removed.

A common mistake many gardeners make is the desire to immediately open the greenhouse with the emerging sprout. The plant should be accustomed to the surrounding atmosphere gradually. Open the shelter every day and increase the duration of the seedling's stay in the open air.

Do not fertilize, water moderately.

After the seedling has 2 true leaves, they begin to transplant it along with a lump of earth into a larger container. The composition of the soil is the same as when sowing.

Transplanting young seedlings

The temperature is the same – 18-25°C; in winter it can be reduced to 14°C. Additional lighting required. Insufficient lighting leads to leaf fall and delayed fruiting.

Grafting lemons

Grafting is another vegetative method of propagating citrus fruits.

Why is vaccination needed?

There are several purposes for vaccination.

1. The most important thing is that the grafted plant will begin flowering and fruiting within a year or after several years. An ungrafted plant can produce its first fruit after 15 years. In other words, if you want to get a small citrus fruit tree without waiting a long time, it should be grafted.
2. Effect of grafting on tree size. By grafting seedlings, different tree sizes and vigor can be obtained. The rootstock we graft onto can cause the tree to be larger or smaller in size than the tree from which the cuttings were taken.
3. Lemon grafting affects the size and quality of the fruit.
4. Some citrus fruits that are susceptible to disease when grafted onto disease-resistant rootstocks are more resistant and therefore bear more fruit and live longer. A good example is that lemons growing “on their own roots” are sensitive to gommosis, while those grafted, for example, onto bitter orange, are quite resistant to this disease and grow quite healthy.
5. Several species on one tree. Grafting can be fun and an experiment. It is possible to create multi-species citrus trees. Several species can be implanted onto a rootstock, resulting in a tree with different fruits.

Technique and methods

All of the above methods are used at home to graft potted lemons. Anyone can make them if they have the right tools. It is important to use healthy cuttings for grafting.

Vaccination methods:

• budding;
• diagonal method;
• "V" method.

How to graft a lemon grown from a seed? The work procedure is described in the video:

When to get vaccinated?

It is better to plant lemons in the spring, when the plant begins to grow quickly after winter dormancy. But this is also possible throughout the growing season until the beginning of autumn.

Growing lemon at home

Lemon is a southern culture, capricious, loves an abundance of sunlight and warmth. Like most citrus fruits, it grows mainly in the subtropics of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, the Mediterranean countries and Southeast Asia. And residents of more northern regions can only dream of growing fragrant, bright fruits in their gardens. Fortunately, solving this problem is not that difficult these days. Varieties of lemons have been developed specifically for cultivation in greenhouses and heated greenhouses. They can be successfully grown indoors.

Photo gallery: indoor lemon varieties

Pavlovsky is a variety of folk selection, most suitable for growing indoors: unpretentious, grows and bears fruit well even on north-western windows, tolerates shade and dry air

Lemon Lunario is a low (1–1.5 m) tree with numerous small thorns; the variety is unpretentious in care, aromatic fruits have high taste qualities

The Ponderosa variety is a natural hybrid of lemon and citron; resistant to high temperatures and drought, characterized by tall growth (1.5–1.8 m) and a dense spreading crown

Lemon variety Jubilee is shade-tolerant, easily adapts to environmental conditions, grows and develops quickly; 100% fruit set is observed even with low air humidity and lack of moisture in the soil

The Meyer (Chinese) variety is the result of natural hybridization of lemon and orange; Among other varieties, it stands out for its early flowering (March - April), abundant fruiting and early ripening of fruits

Of course, you will have to make some efforts, be patient and gain the appropriate knowledge. After all, a lemon requires the creation of comfortable conditions and on its own, without satisfying its immediate needs, it will not grow. But the result of efforts and labors will be a holiday tree, blooming fragrantly and beautifully, surprising and delighting with its fruits.

Attempts to grow an indoor tree, not supported by knowledge and thoughtful care, are doomed to failure! And, on the contrary, homemade lemons respond gratefully to proper care with good flowering and fruiting.

V.V. Dadykin, agronomist, Moscow

Magazine "Gardens of Russia", No. 1, January 2011.

Indoor lemon can bloom and bear fruit from one to four times a year, filling the surrounding space with a delicate aroma and pleasing the eye with delicate white flowers.

Lemon blossom on the windowsill and harvest

While the lemon is blooming, you cannot leave all the flowers on the plant:

• At the first flowering, we pick off half of the flowers and leave no more than 4 fruits from the formed ovaries.
• For the second flowering we leave only 6.
• During the third flowering, we leave 8 ovaries, etc.

Regulating flowering is necessary to maintain a strong and healthy lemon tree: excess inflorescences will quickly deplete it. Each ovary should have at least 10 developed leaves.

The flowers do not require pollination and bloom for about 2 months. Lemons can bear fruit up to 4 times a year: it depends on the variety.

It takes about 6-8 weeks for the fruit to develop and begin to ripen. The peel of fully ripened lemons acquires a rich golden hue: when the rapid process of preparation for a state of dormancy is underway, the lemon can be poured with strong brewed tea. Do this no more than 3 times every 7 days.

In winter, at low temperatures, the lemon is dormant. It does not require any feeding during this period.

What happens during growth

The further you go, the more moisture you need. After a week, you can gradually open the greenhouse slightly for ventilation and hardening. At the same time, the lemon leaves will begin to darken - this is the process of chlorophyll formation. If the leaves are not curled and shiny, then everything is going well. At this stage, the leaves are already beginning to exude a characteristic aroma.

At the stage of two true leaves, each specimen is carefully picked and placed in separate pots. It is important not to damage the roots. At this point, the plants are not yet able to survive with injuries to the root system; they die.

Tree growth is a long process. It will take a year for a lemon to grow to 30 cm During this period, the leaves may begin to turn yellow, and you will have to deal with pests - aphids, scale insects, spider mites.

To prevent insects from damaging the foliage, it is necessary to inspect the lemon “plantations” daily in order to notice parasites in time. They are often hidden on the back of the leaf.

To prevent the lemon from stretching upward with the main shoot, its top is pinched. Next, the growth of side shoots begins and the crown forms a beautiful, lush one. Usually the branches are allowed to grow up to 18 - 20 cm, then the tops are cut off again so that shoots of the second and third order develop.

All these events are carried out in the first year of the seedling’s life. If a miracle happens and the lemon blooms in the first year of its life, the flowers cannot be left on the branches. This leads to the death of the plant, since all its vital reserves are used to form the bud. This is another beginner mistake that you need to be aware of in advance.

Preparing a soil mixture for citrus plants

The soil for citrus plants should be light, loose and highly nutritious. Soil from a vegetable garden or garden is not suitable, as it becomes dense when wet.

Lychee from seed at home - growing and care

Popular recipes for soil mixtures that can be prepared at home:

• Mix humus, leaf soil and turf in equal proportions. After this, add river sand (10% of the total mass) and 150 g of superphosphate in granules. Mix the resulting mixture thoroughly.
• Sod, manure, leaf soil, sand and charcoal (2:1:3:1.5:0.5).
• Turf and leaf soil, manure, river sand. For seedlings - 2:1:1:1, for adults - 3:1:1:1.

If possible, it is better to buy special soil for citrus plants.

Advice! Perlite and vermiculite should be added to the purchased substrate; they will make the soil more airy. This will allow the root system to develop faster.