There is a category of flower growers who like exotic plants. They try to either purchase such a pet or raise it themselves. It is most often found in houses on window sills. He is valued for his evergreen disposition, ability to year-round flowering and as a result fruiting. But in order to achieve ripening of the fruits, you need to know how to care for a foreign guest.
To plant a green pet in your home, you need to decide on the type:
- Pavlovsky - is not afraid of the shadow, for this he long years gardeners appreciate it. After planting, it begins to produce flowers only in the 3rd year. Begins to bloom in March-April and October. Within 12 months, the tree can produce up to 15 fruits. They have a thin skin, pleasant taste and weight (on average 400 g). The plant can grow up to 2 m in height.
- Ponderosa is a low-growing bush, not exceeding 1 m, does not require special care, but does not give a large number of berries - up to 5 pieces in total. It is not distinguished by its large size - up to 300 g. It begins to bloom only in the 4th year, but all flowers are removed. Only during subsequent flowering can you leave up to 6 inflorescences. It has a thick skin (1 cm) and sweet and sour taste, but contains many seeds inside the fruit.
- Meyer - dwarf variety, reaches 0.5-1 m. The inflorescences are thrown out already 1-2 years after planting. Like the bush itself, the fruits are not bulky - up to 200 g. The taste of the fruit is inconspicuous. During the period it brings up to 12-15 sundrop berries, which ripen quickly (in 9 months). Of the minuses - in winter time requires additional lighting, often gets sick and is quite capricious in care. The fruits can boast round shape and thin peel structure.
- Lucario is very common in European countries. The most unpretentious of all varieties. It bears fruit well with small lemons (150-180 g) - up to 16 pieces. Taste qualities are no different.
- Lisbon - characterized by thorns on the branches. It tolerates sunlight well and is tolerant of heat. Produces berries in the 3rd year in the amount of 16 fruits. Valued for its excellent taste.
Varieties such as Genoa and Kursk are also distinguished excellent taste, Maidansky (endowed high yield), Novogruzinsky, Eureka and Villafronca. All types have proven themselves only with positive aspects, but they very rarely appear on sale.
The most necessary thing for a plant is light. A good location is the south-eastern window sills. During the midday hours, it is recommended to shade the bush; it is possible to acquire burns on the leaves. In winter, it is necessary to illuminate with phytolamps to increase the length of the day to 12 hours.
Lemon loves Fresh air, but sensitive to drafts. Therefore, they should be avoided. In order for the branches to develop evenly, the bush should be turned towards the light 1-2 times every 4 weeks. If you do not saturate the lemon with light, its leaves will stop growing quickly. Also, lack of lighting will affect taste qualities fruits will become sour. In spring, you need to maintain a certain temperature regime. At this time, the tree is actively growing, developing and producing buds.
The following points should be followed to normalize the temperature:
- When flowering, the optimal air temperature is +18 C. If you exceed the threshold, then all the inflorescences will dry out and fall off.
- In spring, you should reduce the heat to +12 C by placing the flowerpot on a loggia, glazed balcony or open garden plot. Such conditions will have a good effect on crown growth.
- In winter, temperatures from +15 to +18 C and additional lighting are good.
- In summer, to ripen the fruits, you need to slightly increase the heat in the room to +21+22 C.
It is imperative to monitor the temperature increase to +25 C and the humidity decrease. In this case, the plant may die. Lemon loves moisture. On dry days, it must be sprayed 2-3 times a day with soft, settled water. Humidity should be maintained at 60-70% and +18 C - maximum ideal conditions for growth.
Watering is very important for lemons - under no circumstances should you let the soil dry out. Irrigation requires melt water, but river or rain water is also suitable. In the absence of such nutrient liquid, tap water is usually used. It must be boiled, cooled and slightly acidified. This process will soften it.
It is necessary to water the flowerpot evenly around the entire perimeter, distributing the moisture. It is not recommended to pour water directly under the root!
The watering process should be carried out either early in the morning or when the sun sets below the horizon. This is necessary so that less moisture loss occurs. Abundant watering should begin in March. IN summer months It is more advisable to water up to 3 times a week, making sure that the soil does not dry out. If you dry out the soil, the plant will respond with yellow leaves and their death. In autumn, water replenishment is gradually reduced. In winter, irrigation is not needed too often - only once a week. Especially if the battery is located far from the flowerpot with the bush, then watering is minimal; if the heat source is close, then as needed.
Lemon responds well to feeding. But only adult plants (after reaching 3-4 years) need a mineral supplement. For young shrubs such stimulation of development is not needed.
It is recommended to feed from March to mid-autumn - once every 21 days. It is imperative to alternate with organic ones. IN summer period feed along with watering, and in winter you need to allow the moisture to be absorbed - after 2-3 hours.
There are some tricks that can be used when fertilizing:
- For big harvest– water is replaced with tincture of egg shells.
- In case of normal growth and development, you should not resort to any additional feeding.
- During the growing season, it is recommended to fertilize with superphosphate twice.
- Ammonium nitrate is used to increase growth.
- For full development, fertilizing “Citrus mixture” is applied. It successfully combines all the microelements necessary for the growth of a green pet.
It is necessary for the plant to form beautiful crown, and also improve the harvest. When a young plant reaches 25 cm in height, its top needs to be pinched (removed). This promotes the formation of lateral branches, which produce fruit.
The transplant is performed annually up to 3 years. It is produced in such a way as not to damage the roots of the plant. But for better growth, transshipment is used, while removing part of the soil layer. Afterwards, the shrub is replanted no more than once every 2-3 years at the beginning of spring, but before flowering and fruit formation.
Features of transplantation:
- You should choose a container for planting that is no more than 15 cm in diameter, approximately 30-50% larger than the previous pot. A conical flowerpot is ideal.
- During the replanting process, the soil around the trunk is well moistened so that it can be carefully pulled out of the flowerpot. After the lump of earth is removed, you need to carefully examine the outer roots. If they are damaged, you need to cut them with sharp scissors or a blade.
- It is recommended to install a broken cutting from a ceramic pot at the very bottom of the flowerpot, on the drainage hole, so that the soil does not clog the hole. Afterwards, drainage is placed, on which a layer of soil is placed on top to the middle of the pot.
- The substrate should be nutritious, airy, loose, neutral acidity. Optimal composition It is more advisable to mix leaves and turf soil (4 parts each), 1 part sand and manure, and also add 1 tbsp. wood ash.
- After filling the pot with soil, place it in the middle root system lemon and tightly covered with the remaining soil, so that there are no empty cavities.
Thus, replanting is carried out using the transshipment method, without shaking off the soil from the roots and without injuring the plants.
In order to exclude uninvited guests on lemon stems, it should be washed regularly with room-settled water. The bush can also be affected by diseases:
- Fungal diseases (late blight, root rot, mold, sooty fungus) - in most cases, the affected area or roots are cut off, disinfected and sprayed with chemical insecticides, e.g. copper sulfate, Bordeaux mixture.
- Infectious diseases cannot always be cured. For example, Malchenko - the shoots dry out, affecting all the stems. With Gammosis, cracks are observed in the bark, from which the sap of the bush flows.
- Viral diseases (xylopsorosis, citrus canker, leaf mosaic, triteza) cannot be treated. It is more advisable to remove the flowerpot with the affected pet from healthy specimens and burn it.
The main pests for lemon are: aphids, scale insects, whiteflies, spider mites and thrips. When insects are first discovered, they must be removed immediately. Afterwards you need to wash the stems and leaves with soapy water. It is recommended to carry out cold ablutions of the bush 2 times a week.
If the actions do not lead to eliminating the problem, then you need to treat the crown and branches chemicals aimed at pest control.
Thus, in order for the plant to grow healthy and bear fruit abundantly, it is recommended to monitor its condition, not to overwater and shade it during the midday hours. The main thing is to feed in time and notice emerging problems. Then the bush will delight you not only with excellent development, but also with delicious fruits.
More information can be found in the video:
Lemon(Citrus limon) belongs to the Rutacea family and unites dozens of evergreen varieties citrus trees small size. These beautiful plants with a well-leafed crown are quite different abundant fruiting. The leaves of the lemon tree are very dense, shiny, dark green They have an ovoid plate with jagged edges. Some lemon varieties are perfectly adapted for growing at home. Caring for a lemon tree is quite simple. Photo indoor varieties lemon and rules home care behind this miniature tree you will find later in this article.
Many lovers of indoor plants have long appreciated decorative qualities lemon, as well as the opportunity to annually receive a harvest of tasty, juicy and healthy fruits. Indoor lemon can be used to form a floral composition of bushy and tree-like plants in the home interior. These would look interesting together with lemon: miniature trees such as Ficus Benjamin, Dracaena Marginata, Crassula Money Tree, Zamioculcas Dollar Tree, Schefflera in the form of a bonsai, myrtle with a lush crown, home yucca.
Some of the most popular indoor varieties of lemon trees in our country include Pavlovsky (Citrus Limon Pavlovsky), Ponderosa, Meyer (or Chinese). Typically, Pavlovsk lemons grow up to 1.5-2 meters in height, have a rounded crown with oblong shiny leaves. They begin to bear fruit already in 3-4 years. The rough skin of the ripe fruit is light green in color. For panderosa lemon, the first fruiting season at home can begin in the second year. The variety is famous not only for its delicate, pleasant-tasting fruit pulp, but also for its abundant flowering. Large cream-colored flowers are collected in beautiful inflorescences.
IN last years The leader in the popularity of growing at home is held by the Meyer lemon (Citrus Limon Mejer). The miniature tree reaches a height of 1.2-1.5 meters. By pruning and pinching young shoots, you can give a very interesting, original shape to the crown of this lemon tree. This variety of indoor lemon is valued for beautiful flowers white with a unique delicate aroma. Fragrant flowers usually bloom at the end winter period 2-6 pieces per inflorescence or one per shoot. But the most important thing distinctive feature Meyer lemons are very juicy, sweet fruits with yellowish-orange flesh. The round fruits are protected by a thin skin and change color as they ripen from green to bright yellow or light orange. This miniature lemon tree is often used to form an original phytodesign indoors or for landscaping winter gardens. Against the background of these compact trees with a lush crown, such popular flowering indoor plants as the phalaenopsis or dendrobium orchid, the flower Male happiness (anthurium) or Female happiness (spathiphyllum), Thompson's clerodendrum, New Guinea balsam, home gerbera, miniature Saintpaulia violets, geranium will look interesting with lush large flowers, tuberous begonia, Persian cyclamen.
♦ WHAT IS IMPORTANT!
Location and lighting.
Indoor lemon is a light-loving plant. The plant will feel comfortable on the windowsill of a window facing the east or west side of the room. You can place a pot with a tree next to the south window on a stand, but in this case it is necessary to shade window glass so that direct sunlight does not damage the foliage (on leaf blade are starting to appear yellow spots from burns). If possible, move your lemon tree outdoors when the temperature does not drop below 12°C. At home, try to ventilate the air more often, but keep the plant away from drafts. When will they come short periods sunlight during the day, be sure to place phyto- or other high-quality plants next to the pot fluorescent lamps. The daily lighting period for indoor lemon is 12-14 hours.
Temperature conditions.
Comfortable temperature for a lemon tree in spring and summer is 16-24°C. Sudden changes in temperature during the day can worsen the decorative value of the plant - lemon leaves begin to curl and turn yellow at the edges.
In order for the budding period to occur on time and the lemon fruits to ripen completely, it is advisable to organize a “cold wintering” the day before. In winter, try to keep the temperature in the range of 14-17°C.
Air humidity.
The best option is moderate humidity. Protect the lemon from dry air during heating season and in the summer heat. Try to spray the plant with warm, settled water more often (3 times a day in dry indoor air). You can place the pot with the tree on a tray with wet pebbles, and place a container of water next to the pot.
Watering.
Water indoor lemons with warm boiled water or water that has stood for several days. Late autumn and in winter you need to water the plant very moderately, when it dries out completely upper layer soil. But it is also impossible to overdry the earthen ball, as the leaves will begin to turn yellow and crumble. In spring and summer, you can water the plant abundantly, but without overflowing. Pour out any water that flows into the pan. With constant waterlogging earthen coma The roots begin to rot.
Earth mixture and fertilizing.
To plant lemons, you can use a purchased substrate for citrus fruits or make an earth mixture yourself: turf soil, leaf soil, humus, peat and coarse sand (proportion - 2:1:1:1:1).
There is no need to feed lemon in winter (weak solution complex fertilizer Once a month) if the room is slightly cool. If the room is cold, then there is no need to apply fertilizers during wintering at all. In spring, summer and until mid-autumn, apply liquid fertilizers once every two weeks, alternating organic fertilizers with minerals.
Transfer.
For replanting, it is best to choose a baked clay pot with a hole in the bottom. Young plant replanted every year, and an adult lemon - once every 3 years, changing the top layer of soil annually. A 2 cm drainage layer of expanded clay is poured onto the bottom of the pot, and a layer of sand is placed on top. New pot for transplantation it should be 5-6 cm in diameter wider than the previous one. Don't bury it root collar trees into the substrate.
Trimming.
Reproduction.
Lemon can be propagated by seeds, cuttings, layering, or grafting (a cutting from a fruiting plant can be grafted onto a three-year-old rootstock grown from a seed).
At home, propagation by cuttings is most often used. From a fruit-bearing indoor lemon, use a sharp knife to cut off a shoot 3-4 mm thick, ripened since last year. We bury the cuttings a few centimeters into a container with damp sand. Roots will begin to appear when high humidity air and temperature 21-24°C.
Lemons grown indoors will definitely delight you juicy fruits, when the time comes. In the meantime, they will grow for 3-4 years and delight you with green foliage. And they are already beneficial; lemon leaves, ripe, dense and dark green, already release volatile substances into the air - phytoncides, which are known to be present, for example, in garlic and .
The phytoncides contained in the leaves of the lemon tree have the same properties; they clean the air and disinfect it, killing the simplest pathogens. A lemon leaf makes a sound even if you don’t tear it, but just smell it pleasant aroma. There is simply a cloud of phytoncides around the plant, so keeping a lemon tree will be useful in any living room and especially in a children’s room. But we are waiting for the first lemon blossom.
After we have already become acquainted with the conditions for keeping lemons in room conditions And now it’s time to find out how lemons bloom. Fruit trees in the garden they bloom once a year and only in the spring, but citrus fruits bloom and bear fruit throughout the year. If the tree has already been formed for 3-4 years and already has 4th order branches, flowering should be expected.
Particular attention should be paid to lemon seedlings grown from cuttings. On such plants, flowers may appear directly on the cuttings or on first-order branches. This is very bad and the owner’s desire and joy from the fact that the lemon bloomed so quickly to look at the fruits may be overshadowed. The fact is that a plant that shows flowers at this age will quickly become exhausted and stop growing. This often leads to the complete death of the lemon seedling. Therefore, with such abnormal flowering, the buds must be removed immediately after detection, without even allowing them to form.
Mass flowering homemade lemon begins in March or April and a second time in September-October. Lemon blossoms last about a month, snow-white large flowers decorate the tree and emit a pleasant aroma similar to the aroma blooming jasmine. The lemon flower has five petals and can reach 4cm in diameter, with numerous yellow stamens surrounding a long, powerful pistil with a stigma at the end. If the pistil is not developed it will be a barren flower. Many varieties indoor lemons self-pollinating, but some require artificial pollination to produce an ovary.
Caring for lemons during the flowering period
During the flowering period of lemons, the optimal temperature in the room should be 16-18 degrees. During this period, compliance temperature regime It is especially important if the room is cold or hot, the flowers may fall off. A lack or excess of moisture in the soil, even watering, can cause flowers to fall off. cold water may cause flowers to fall off.
Of course, the tree can shed some of the flowers after the petals fall, and even part of the ovary when it reaches the size of a hazelnut, and this will have a positive effect on the growth and development of the remaining fruits. In addition to spontaneous regulation of the load, it is necessary to control the amount of ovary on the lemon and not allow it to be overloaded. Especially if the lemon blooms for the first time at the age of three or four.
A large number of lemon ovaries can please you, but the tree will suffer greatly, may become depressed and even disappear. Therefore, you should not overload it, especially in the first year of fruiting. When a lemon tree becomes mature, it can produce up to 30-40 fruits indoors. Moreover, at the same time there will still be ripe lemons on it and flowers will appear for the new harvest.
In the meantime, we need to observe the ratio of the green mass of the lemon in the house and the number of flowers. To prevent the tree from becoming depleted, you need to leave one flower per 1.5-2.0 dozen mature leaves. Tear off the rest at the bud stage. The later the flowers are picked, the more nutrients they will take away from the remaining flowers and later the ovaries. But the supply of nutrients is limited by the size of the pot with soil.
To top up nutrients in the soil, twice a week starting in April, that is, from the moment of flowering until September, lightly fertilize the lemon, alternating fertilizing mineral fertilizers with organic fertilizers.
In Russia, indoor citrus growing goes back almost three hundred years, because lemons were brought into the country under Peter I. And now we have many amateurs growing this evergreen fruit-bearing plant in a room or on an insulated loggia in pots or tubs.
Perennial lemon Tree It blooms quite profusely, but its flowers, as a rule, are not striking, since during this period they are usually completely covered with leaves. But you instantly feel that the air in the room is filled with a fabulous aroma. And even if you enter a room with a large selection of indoor plants, even in this case, the hard, leathery, shiny leaves of the lemon tree immediately attract attention, even if it has not yet begun to bloom. And even if this plant is “wild”, i.e. not grafted, it is still extremely decorative, because it has beautiful emerald shiny leaves.
And it is no coincidence, apparently, that in countries where citrus crops are grown, the bride at her wedding is decorated with a large wreath of flowering branches of lemon or orange. By the way, if blooming apple orchards we see from afar - three or four hundred meters away, the fragrance of a blooming lemon grove, presumably, spreads for many kilometers.
It must be admitted that growing lemons at home is not easy. Firstly, for this it is desirable to have a sufficiently spacious room with good lighting. Secondly, homemade lemon requires more attention than usual indoor flowers. But at the same time, it has many advantages over them: it is more hardy and durable; the whole plant smells pleasant, releasing volatile essential oils that ozone the surrounding air.
In indoor conditions, the oldest trees reach a height of 1.5 m, although in large rooms with huge light windows, lemons grow up to 3 m or more.
Growing lemon fruits is a rather long and painstaking process, so you need to be patient in advance to wait until the lemon tree finally gains strength and blooms, and the flowers form good-sized fruits.
When growing homemade lemon it is imperative to take into account its biological and varietal characteristics, know agrotechnical cultivation techniques, methods of its propagation and measures to protect against numerous pests and diseases.
We hope that after reading this article the number of people growing this magnificent plant at home will increase significantly. Having started a lemon garden at home, in a few years you will be able to treat your family and friends with your own grown lemon fruit. After all, a normally formed five to seven year old lemon tree can give an amateur citrus grower from 15 to 50 fruits in a year (depending on the variety).
Lemon is small tree or a shrub with strong, usually thorny, branches. The tops of its young shoots are purple-violet in color. The leaves are oval, oblong, toothed; have many glands containing essential oil. Their replacement on the plant occurs gradually (as they age): the leaf lives for about 2-3 years. Lemon flowers are bisexual, arranged singly, in pairs or in small racemes, they are large (4-5 cm in diameter). The bud grows and develops for about five weeks, the flower blooms for at least 7-9 weeks. The period of growth and development of the fruit from setting (falling of flower petals) to the beginning of ripening in room conditions under spring bloom plants can last up to 230 days. In summer (optimal temperature and better lighting) this period is reduced to 180-200 days. If in the first year a young, recently grafted tree produces flowers, you should cut them off (preferably when they are still in buds) so that the plant does not waste its energy and preserves them for later normal development. During secondary flowering, the buds are no longer removed; Most often, the tree itself decides how much fruit it can “feed” and how many “extra” flowers it needs to shed.
It is recommended to allow lemon to flower and bear fruit if it has at least 20 full leaves.
Fruits on lemons are formed both with pollination of flowers and without pollination - parthenocarpicly (in this case, seeds are not formed in the fruits). Lemon fruits are oval or ovoid in shape. When ripening, their skin acquires light yellow color and a strong lemon smell. Their pulp is usually greenish, divided into 9-14 segments, very juicy and sour. The seeds are irregularly ovoid, white, covered with a parchment-like shell.
There is a close relationship between the number of fruits and the number of leaves on the tree. It has been established that for normal growth and development of each lemon fruit, there must be at least 9-10 mature (physiologically active) leaves in the crown of the tree.
When growing lemons, care for the plant should be such that the leaves do not fall off. Most often this happens in winter. The condition of lemon trees can be judged by the degree of their foliage: the more healthy leaves a tree has, the better it grows and bears fruit. Without leaves, the plant will not be able to bear fruit: if not favorable conditions If a lemon loses a lot of leaves, then next year it will not form fruit. Therefore, the main task in winter is to preserve the leaf apparatus of the tree.
The complete ripening of lemons is fully indicated by their characteristic intensely golden peel, the color of which is given by carotenoids - sources of vitamin A. After full ripening, the fruits, as a rule, do not fall off and continue to grow in next year. But, increasing in size, they at the same time deteriorate their qualities (the peel becomes very thick, the pulp dries out and becomes flabby, the juice becomes less sour).
Under normal conditions, lemon grows, blooms and bears fruit throughout the year, so the same plant can simultaneously bear mature fruits, young ovaries, flowers and buds. The period required for fruit ripening, which begins from the moment of fruit set, largely depends on the period of flowering and setting. Fruit ripening when lemon blossoms in the summer months occurs 1-2 months faster than in the spring. The time from fruit set to fruit ripening can vary widely (7-14 months). Experienced amateur flower growers know how to regulate the timing of lemon flowering, skillfully using various techniques, for example, temporarily drying the tree. So, dried (up to initial degree leaves wilt), the tree stops growing and flowering and enters forced dormancy, in which craftsmen can keep it for some time. If after this they give abundant watering, then the lemon begins vigorous growth and abundant flowering.
When growing lemon in a tub, it is very important to achieve dwarfism, especially since lemon tends to form very powerful, long (not branching only at the top) branches, so it will need to be trimmed regularly: without this, the shoots make the crown very voluminous. According to experts, it is advisable to prune all strong growths of a tree after 5-6 leaves, which makes the crown more compact, mechanically strong and productive. Systematic care is also required for the roots (this is usually carried out during transplantation), since they ensure the vital activity of the plant. If the root system develops abnormally, lemon growth is inhibited, the color of the leaves changes, etc.
Lifespan indoor lemon under favorable conditions it can be quite large. For example, in the city of Pushkin I saw a wonderful almost three-meter 30-year-old tree, it grows in a greenhouse and is, one might say, in its heyday. Several hundred fruits hang on it at the same time.
Diseases and pests usually play a significant role in reducing the longevity of plants. If the owners treat their pet lemon with care, like a member of the family, then under favorable conditions the life expectancy of the tree can easily be 35-45 years.
Being a southern plant, the lemon tree will definitely produce a good harvest of fruits in indoor conditions if it is provided good care and all the conditions necessary for normal life. But I’ll note right away: it makes quite high demands on heat, moisture and light. Optimal temperature for the growth of leaves and shoots of lemon is about 17°C, and for the development of fruits 21...22°C. Very high air temperatures are harmful to lemon; the plant reacts especially negatively if the temperature rises sharply at the same time as low relative humidity air. This happens in the spring months and early summer - this is caused by sudden warming outside. Such a phenomenon can lead to the fall of flowers and ovaries, and a strong temperature drop in the autumn and winter months - and foliage.
The soil temperature should also be close to the air temperature; A sharp lag in soil temperature and air temperature is especially harmful. This happens when a tub of lemon standing long time in summer and even in autumn outdoors, when it gets cold, they immediately bring it into a warm place living room. Sometimes he reacts to this by dropping leaves.
Lemon is sensitive to fluctuations in indoor air humidity. He reacts negatively to its deficiency, which is most dangerous (especially when high temperature) during flowering and fruit set. This causes flowers and ovaries to fall off. Some experts believe: the higher the air humidity, the longer the lemon leaves live.
Lemon is a short-day plant; he is quite tolerant of the lack of sunlight. With a long daylight hours its growth is enhanced, and fruiting is delayed. Most favorable for indoor growing Windows on the south and east sides are considered. On south side in summer it receives a lot of light, but it should be shaded with a gauze curtain from direct sun rays(this is especially important during the midday hours). Some experts consider the eastern side to be universal: its morning sun rays, although bright, are not so scorching, and plants have enough of this lighting.
To prevent a one-sided tree from growing, it is recommended to turn the box with the plant every half month. small angle. Although due to this procedure the growth of shoots and leaves is somewhat inhibited (lemon is very sensitive to changes in lighting and moving from place to place), the plant is formed correct form. Other experts advise making turns of approximately 10° every 10 days: then it will take a year for the plant to complete a full rotation. It should also be borne in mind that lemon is sensitive to sudden changes in lighting: as its intensity decreases, the size of new leaves increases.
During the winter period, the lemon will benefit from daylight illumination (5-6 hours) with a lamp daylight(or an incandescent light bulb 100-150 W), which is placed at a height of 60-80 cm above the plant.
The period from October to March is the most difficult for plants; due to non-compliance with maintenance conditions during this period, they often die. In winter, with radiator heating, the air in the room is dry, so it is better to move the plants away from heating devices (sometimes the radiators are covered with damp cloth); You can spray the leaf surface with a spray bottle. However, we must remember that excessive spraying of the leaf surface, especially of the Meyer variety, can contribute to the development of fungal diseases. It also doesn’t hurt to keep water on the surface of the soil in a pot (or nearby) in a wide bowl for evaporation. In summer, it is advisable to wash the leaves at least once every 1-2 weeks in the shower or gently wipe with a damp cloth so that they are clean and breathe “deeply”.
The lemon tree is grown in the same soil for several years, so great importance for its normal functioning, they have a properly selected substrate for it, as well as feeding with fertilizer mixtures. We'll talk about this later.
Alexander Lazarev,
candidate of biological sciences,
senior researcher at the All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Pushkin
The scientific name of the plant is Citrus limon, it is a plant of the Rutaceae family, genus Citrus.
Where does lemon grow?
The homeland of lemons is Asia: China, India and the islands Pacific Ocean, from where it was brought to the Middle East in the 12th century, North Africa and Europe (Spain, Italy). Lemons are not found in the wild most likely it is a spontaneous natural hybrid.
People have appreciated the beauty of lemon trees and its fragrant fruits, so they are grown as a crop in many countries with subtropical climates.
Photo
Indoor plant
In conditions temperate climate how to grow lemon indoor plant. This is a low (up to 1.5-2 m) evergreen tree with a lush crown, in the depths of which fragrant flowers and then fruits are hidden. But for an indoor lemon to become a source of pride, you need to be able to grow it.
There are several ways to propagate lemons: from seeds, from cuttings, by grafting, by layering.
The plant is more hardy and unpretentious, but it will begin to bloom and bear fruit only after 8-10 years. Not very difficult. But the most convenient and reliable is to purchase an already grafted small tree.
Shoots (sprouts)
Young lemon shoots appear several times a year. These are thin soft twigs of light green color with leaf buds. They appear from dormant lateral buds if the tree has been pruned, or at the ends of intact stems.
To form a beautiful low tree, The lemon sprout is pinched or cut with pruning shears, to stimulate the growth of new side branches. Over time, when the lemon acquires the desired shape, unnecessary shoots are simply removed.
Important! Pinching shoots, in addition to purely aesthetic purposes, also promotes earlier flowering.
Leaves
Young leaves quickly mature and become dense, bright green, with clearly visible veins. An adult leaf of a lemon tree has the shape of an oval, pointed at the end, and can be up to 15 cm in length and up to 8 cm in width.
The outer part of the leaf is shiny, glossy, the bottom of the leaf is matte and slightly lighter. The leaves grow alternately, live for 2-3 years, after which they age and fall off, being replaced by new ones.
REFERENCE! It is quite simple to distinguish a real lemon from other citrus fruits and from hybrids: its leaves do not have stipules, and if the leaf is damaged, a distinct lemon smell will appear.
lemon stem
Annual shoots are green and smooth, but then become woody and turn light brown or gray shade, become hard and often prickly, with thin sharp spines. On old branches the bark is red-violet, covered with shallow cracks.
If the lemon is formed correctly, straight trunk, however, if the central sprout is damaged, any side branch can become the main trunk.
Bloom
Ornamental lemon tree can bloom in different time years, and sometimes even all year round: on healthy strong plant at the same time you can see buds, flowers, ovaries and ripening fruits! White or cream flowers are 4-5 cm in diameter, with five petals around pale yellow stamens and a powerful pistil, located in the leaf axils singly or in clusters. After 4-5 weeks, the bud opens and blooms for 7-9 weeks, emitting a strong aroma.
Lemon ovary
Flowers can self-pollinate, but to be safe, they are pollinated artificially by transferring pollen to the sticky stigma of the pistil. When the petals fall you can see ovaries - dark green seals at the bottom of the pistil. They grow quickly, become unsmooth and look like real lemons.
Remember: too many fruits deplete the plant; it is better to remove unnecessary ovaries immediately. The optimal number of fruits on a tree is one per 15-20 leaves.
Fruit
They ripen within 6-9 months, and some varieties (for example, Lunaria) can ripen longer, up to 19 months. Ripe lemon fruits do not fall off on their own, but there is no point in not picking them: they will become thick-skinned and lose their taste and smell.
According to strict classification, Lemon fruits are multi-locular berries of light or bright yellow color. The weight of the fruit depends on the chosen variety: it can be from 50-70 g to a kilogram (Kiev large-fruited).
Seeds
Inside the fruit there may be lemon seeds - white or yellow-green ovoid seeds with a single embryo, light green inside.
Homemade lemons have thinner peels and usually have fewer seeds than store-bought lemons. In some varieties (Novogruzinsky) the fruits are completely seedless.
Lemon Tree- one of the domestic long-livers: it can grow and bear fruit for 30-35 years, and sometimes even up to 45!
In addition to the usual ones, there are exotic varieties with fruits of unusual shape: for example, Lunario, blooming on the new moon and having elongated pointed fruits, or an absolutely amazing variety Buddha's hand, the fruits of which resemble a hand with outstretched fingers, but are inedible.
Home care
Despite such a variety of varieties, caring for lemon trees is the same: most of them are photophilous, love warmth, but do not tolerate direct sunlight, which causes burns on the leaves. Lemon is a plant that should be watered abundantly, but not very often, so that the soil has time to dry completely.
Important! You should not expose the tree to sudden changes in temperature: if in summer it stands on the balcony, bring it into the house in advance, without waiting for a significant cold snap.
Useful video
More details about lemon tree, as well as the features of its cultivation, you can find out in the video below:
Homemade lemon- a bright, friendly plant with fragrant flowers will remind you of summer and the subtropics, creating warmth and comfort in your home. And if you do everything right, you will certainly taste the lemons you grew yourself!