Lemon from seeds at home. How to grow a lemon tree from a seed. What soil composition is suitable for a lemon tree?

To many fans indoor floriculture They would like to grow lemons in an apartment, but the task seems difficult to them; doubts arise: will the fruits grow and whether they will be edible.

Having learned all the intricacies of how a young lemon from a seed, grown at home, gradually forms into a full-fledged fruit tree with a wonderful aroma and healthy, tasty fruits, some gardeners may well decide to grow citrus.

Other overseas fruits also sprout from the seed.

Preparing for the growing process and sowing lemon seeds

You need to make sure that you have all the necessary supplies at the time of landing:

1. It is best if the bones are placed in small ceramic pots purchased at the store. Environmentally friendly, breathable material will allow the seeds, and later young shoots, to feel comfortable. You can use other suitable containers.
2. You should purchase it from horticulture departments or make your own soil for planting and prepare material for the drainage layer.
3. Now you can look in the market or ask friends who grow lemon trees for large and healthy specimens of the fruit.
4. For the planned landing the most the right time- end of winter. The gradually increasing length of day will have a beneficial effect on the development of trees.

Lemons are cut so that the seeds are not damaged, they are taken out and a few of the largest, regularly shaped ones are selected. Without waiting for them to dry, place them in moistened soil at a shallow depth and spray them with a spray bottle. warm water. Spraying rather than watering will help prevent seed rotting.

The pots or bowls are covered with glass or film on top and placed in a bright place with a temperature of 22-24 degrees.

If the room where the planted lemons are located is below 18 0 C, the seeds will harden, become moldy and will not sprout. At favorable conditions in 2-3 weeks the first shoots will appear.

Home care for lemon sprouts from seeds

Growing lemons at home in a pot does not require much trouble:

Before picking, the soil is periodically moistened with warm, settled water; fertilizers are not used. When 3-4 leaves are formed, the seedlings are prepared for picking.

Picking seedlings and further growth of lemon in a pot

If possible, it is best to continue growing lemons in appropriately sized clay pots. A few hours before planting, they are soaked in water, then the bottom is covered with a layer of drainage, and nutrient soil the same composition that was used for planting.

They carry out a kind of breeding work to select the best seedlings, paying attention to the following criteria:

Selected specimens are planted in pots, watered a little to compact the soil in the root zone, and placed on an eastern or western windowsill.

Before next transplant after a year, the plants are watered and fertilized with mineral and organic nutrient mixtures, alternating them.

Do not forget to spray the crown daily, the tree needs high humidity air.

In the first year of a young tree’s life, when it reaches a height of approximately 20 cm, the formation of the crown begins.

Proceed as follows:

The impatience of a gardener waiting for the first harvest is understandable, but experienced lemon growers advise plucking off the emerging flowers so as not to overload the root system of the young plant. Shoots growing inside the crown are also removed.

How to grow lemon from cuttings at home?

This method of growing is simpler and will allow you to wait for the harvest faster than when planting seeds; moreover, the yield of such trees is higher. It is better to do cuttings in the last winter or first spring days.

Cuttings are taken from a domestic fruit-bearing tree that is at least 7-10 years old. On branches of the 4th or 5th order, slightly lignified shoots are looked for, and cuttings about 15 cm long, no more, are cut from them under the bud.

The upper cut of the cutting is made above the bud and removed lower leaves, removing 2-3 leaves and 3-4 buds, leaving the top leaf whole, the rest cut to 1/3 of the length.

The lower cut of the cuttings is lowered into clean water or solution of a root formation stimulator and incubate for 3 days. Then placed in flowerpots with a nutrient mixture consisting of flower soil, humus, coarse sand, to a depth of 3 cm. Cover with film, creating a greenhouse effect.

Growing lemon from cuttings at home involves spraying it with warm water several times a day. The cuttings do not have a root system; they need to be provided with moisture by spraying and maintaining soil moisture.

The temperature must be maintained at the optimal level for planting, from 23 to 25 degrees. Direct rays of the sun can damage future trees; southern window sills are not suitable for them.

Picking rooted lemon cuttings

If proper care has been carried out, in a month and a half the cuttings will develop root system, they can be transplanted into separate pots.

Some experienced flower growers they prefer to prepare the soil for planting lemons themselves, mixing:

The composition is mixed, moistened, and poured into pots. The mixture is compacted a little, a hole is made, and the cutting is placed in it.

Water with warm water to compact the soil, being careful not to overwater. Every 10 days, the plant is turned, exposing different sides to the sun, so that development is uniform.

Caring for lemons at home

Lemons - plants have a long day, in early spring, when the days are still short, they need artificial supplementary lighting.

Young seedlings are replanted 1-2 times a year, than older plant, the less often the transplants should be so that the roots are not damaged and the symbiosis of the roots with mycorrhiza, a fungal substance necessary for citrus trees, is not disrupted. When the mycorrhiza dies, the young branches of the plant begin to turn black.

To ensure that growing lemons on a windowsill does not bring disappointment, you need to carefully monitor the watering schedule and the quality of the water used. Do not over-moisten the soil or allow it to dry out.

With mandatory fertilizing, which begins in the spring, it works main principle– it’s better to underfeed, lemons react hard to. It is recommended to use special fertilizer mixtures: “Citrus”, “Lemon”, and others like that.

The changing color of the leaves, indicating a lack of one of the following, should not escape the attention of the gardener. nutrients. Having discovered the problem in time, they take action by feeding the tree with the missing substance.

Visual instructions for growing lemon at home

This video will tell you in detail about the features of planting and caring for lemon trees at home:

Everyone sometimes wants to show off the yellow fruit they grew at home. But how to grow a lemon from a seed so that it also produces fruit, and not just grows wood? It is very easy if you follow the correct agricultural techniques.

In general, propagation of lemons by cuttings is used much more often. However, they can also be grown from seeds. Healthy seedlings are easy to obtain by following a few simple rules citrus agricultural technology.

Lemons, like all citrus fruits, quickly lose their viability. We take seeds from well-ripened fruits. We extract the seeds from them. Immediately after this, we sow them in a pre-prepared planting substrate. At long-term storage The outer shell of the seed begins to dry out and become covered with cracks. This is why germination rate decreases very quickly to almost zero. Therefore, we sow the seeds the faster, the better, while they are still moist from the pulp of the fruit.

Video about growing lemon from seed

The soil is prepared from two parts of peat, one part of leaf soil and one part of sand. Mix thoroughly, loosen, moderately moisten. Future shoots grow from one end of the grain, and roots from the other. It is important not to confuse their sides, so the seed is planted horizontally in the soil. We lay them on the ground, cover them with one and a half centimeters of soil, moisten them, and cover them so that the soil does not dry out.

Over the next four to five weeks, we monitor the crops and prevent either drying out or waterlogging. In a little more than a month, the seeds will begin to hatch. Small lemon sprouts come to the surface. Water them carefully, trying not to wash them away. upper layer soil. After the fifth or sixth leaf appears, we pick up the seedlings. Before this period, it is undesirable to touch the root system of the sprouts.

The reason is that citrus fruits have one powerful deep root. While the sprout is small, the root is also small and weak. If you disturb it before 5-6 leaves are formed, you may lose our lemon seedling.

The photo shows a small lemon

During transplantation, we trim the root, stimulating its branching. Sometimes it is convenient to do this even before transplantation; for this, the vertical root of seedlings growing in a box is cut off without removing them from the ground. This operation is done as follows: we bury a sharp knife horizontally 10 centimeters into the soil and run it under the sprouts. After this, to disinfect the damaged roots, we spill the plantings with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, that is, potassium permanganate. This operation causes less damage to the delicate root system of lemon trees, while stimulating its branching and the formation of lateral roots.

Preparing the soil for planting lemons

So, a young lemon grown from a seed is ready for planting. We dive the seedling immediately on permanent place. For the next year or two it will grow in the pot that we designate for it. Answering the question of how to plant a lemon from a seed, we note that, first of all, you need a very high-quality, properly prepared substrate.

The photo shows the soil for planting lemon

• one or two parts of leaf humus from under birch or linden trees;
• one part of manure humus;
• one part of meadow land, preferably from meadows where clover or alfalfa grows, such land is enriched with nitrogen;
• one part of calcined gray (not yellow) river sand;
• half of the wood ash, but not coniferous wood.

Lemon is very sensitive to the presence of petroleum products in the soil. You can check your soil for cleanliness from them in the following way: we dilute a handful of soil in a bucket of water. If no oily rainbow coating appears on the surface, then the substrate is clean.

The soil is poured into a steel enamel bucket, filled with a liter of water, and put on fire. Close the lid and wait 30-40 minutes until the mixture is well steamed. After this operation, let the soil cool and dry.

Now you can fertilize the soil before planting lemon seedlings. It is best to use organic complexes containing humic acids or effective microorganisms. This will bring your sterilized soil back to its natural ecological balance. Next, we water it with a solution of complex microfertilizers containing iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc. We fertilize with nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus fertilizers.

Later, when mature trees are transplanted, the composition of the substrate changes slightly. If the above mixture, due to its lightness, is recommended for young plants, then for older plants it is typical to add loam, lake silt, peat, and an increase in the proportion of sand.

• 2 hours of leaf humus;
• 4 hours of manure humus;
• 2 hours of high-moor peat;
• 1 tsp river sand.

For trees from 4 to 8 years old, the following composition is suitable

• 4 parts meadow chernozem;
• 2 hours of leaf humus;
• 2 parts lake or river silt;
• 1 tsp river sand.

For older lemons, over ten years old optimal composition soil next

• 6 parts meadow chernozem;
• 2 hours of leaf humus;
• 2 hours of high-moor peat;
• 4 parts lake silt;
• 1 tsp sand;
• 0.5 tsp hardwood ash.

So, we grew a seedling from a seed. The vertical root has been trimmed and is now ready to be planted in its main location. Cover the bottom of the pot with a 1.5-3 centimeter layer of expanded clay. Pour a layer of substrate on top in the form of a mound. Dust the lemon roots with ash and spread them over the mound. Then we begin to cover it evenly with soil. Periodically, lightly compact the soil with a small stick; it is best to use a sushi stick for this purpose. This must be done to prevent the formation of air voids at the roots of the tree. We fill up to the level of the root collar, that is, to the place where the roots go into the trunk.

Bury the root collar and the lower part of the bark will rot, it will begin to burst, secrete resin, and will most likely develop gommosis, a fungal disease of citrus fruits. A young seedling may even die from this.

It is very important! Root collar cannot be buried.

Next, we monitor the growth of the lemon. In a year or two, the root system will completely fill the space of the pot. We check this as follows - turn the pot over and knock it on a hard surface. The lump should fall out of the pot easily. The bottom of the soil should be well entwined with roots. This means we transplant it into a larger container, but not too spacious. 3-4 centimeters larger in diameter.

Photo of a tree homemade lemon

Most often, plants suffer from:

• insufficient or incorrect feeding;
• excessive dryness of apartment air;
• dust;
• non-compliance with temperature conditions.

Water the lemons often, but do not allow the soil to become waterlogged. Feed once every two weeks with small portions of complex fertilizers. Spray the leaves weekly with a spray bottle, and sometimes clean the leaves of dust with a damp sponge (if the room is heavily polluted with dust). Give your tree a monthly shower. Observe temperature regime. In winter, lemons should be cooler and drier than in summer. This means that you need less watering and fertilizing. Here's everything in brief that you need to know about the normal care of a lemon tree grown from a seed. Next, we’ll talk about propagating lemons using cuttings.

Photo of watered lemon

Let's take a closer look at some important aspects cuttings, so that the question “how to grow a lemon from a cutting” no longer causes difficulties.

Here are a few points to consider:

1. The main thing is that we take cuttings from a tree that has already bear fruit.
2. Take a cutting from a healthy, vertical branch.
3. Too young (still flattened in shape) or already lignified (should bend normally) is not suitable.
4. The best time for cuttings is April.
5. We use branches from last year's autumn growth.

We cut off the cuttings by 2-3 buds, leaving only two or three top leaves. We put it in a solution with a root formation stimulator: heteroauxin, root, epin. We plant the cuttings, burying them halfway, in an equal mixture of light soil and calcined sand. Cover the top with a centimeter layer of sand to prevent rotting of the lower part. Cover it all with a glass jar or glass. This will prevent the evaporation of moisture from the cuttings, which is detrimental to them until they have acquired a root system. We protect our future lemons from direct sunlight. We cover them with matte paper. Or we put it on the northeast or east windows. Pour water two to three degrees above room temperature. After two or three weeks, roots will begin to form. A sign of this is the appearance of new leaves. After another two weeks we can plant our seedlings. As you can see, cutting a lemon is a fairly simple operation.

Photo of lemon

Timing of the beginning of fruiting of lemon plants grown in various ways

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 date of entry into fruiting of citrus fruits grown different ways, are different.
• Secondly, the mere presence of a tree at home does not mean that it will bloom at all. It requires proper care, attention, the creation of optimal conditions for fruiting, fertilizing, lighting, temperature conditions, 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.

Video about how to grow a lemon from a seed

If a lemon blooms and bears fruit at least once, it will do so every year with proper care.

It is also worth knowing that our sour citruses can delay their flowering if you overdo it with fertilizing and care. Especially it concerns nitrogen fertilizers. Trying to provide the plant ideal conditions, we are doing him a disservice. The lemon rushes upward, without thinking about the bookmark at all fruit buds. After all, our green pet’s plans do not include supplying us with a harvest.

The need to grow yellow fruits arises when the tree feels some threat to its comfort. Such threats activate the mechanisms of leaving offspring, that is, crops. What we prevent by pampering our lemons. Such excessive care, as well as insufficient attention to the plant, leads to a shift in the timing of fruiting. To stimulate fruiting indoor citrus All that is required is: regular watering with fertilizing during the active growing season, a dormant period, a lot of sun, room humidity.

It is also sometimes recommended to ring the trunk - remove a layer of bark 1 centimeter wide in a circle perpendicular to the soil and graft it reverse side to the place of the cut. There is a technique for wrapping branches with wire or similar tying, like a trunk. Please note that these methods are auxiliary, and sometimes their effectiveness is controversial.

Growing lemons from seeds at home will not only help decorate the room, but also save money on buying a full-fledged plant. For successful germination, you need to know how to choose seeds, the composition of the soil for lemon, germination conditions, and when to make the first pick.

How to germinate a lemon seed?

So, is it possible to grow a lemon from a seed? Will it bear fruit? Any plant can be grown from seeds. The main thing is to choose the right seed. If you need a fruit-bearing tree, choose varietal seeds. Fruit-bearing varieties include next lemons: Pavlovsky, Yubileiny, Imperial, Meyer. You can also go the simple route. Plant a seed from a fruit bought in a store in the ground. In this case, fruits will have to wait up to 15 years. The varietal plant begins to bear fruit already in the fifth year of its life.

Preparatory stage. Purchased seeds must be soaked for a day in an epin solution. This stimulates germination. Lemon seeds can be taken from a ripe fruit. In this case, experts recommend not to dry out the seed, but to immediately plant it in the ground before the juice dries up on it.

Soil for lemon. To germinate seeds, buy specialized soil for citrus fruits. Many specialized forums recommend taking soil for seedlings. There's little in it nutrients, which will not harm young plants.

Sowing pot. You can easily grow a lemon from a seed in a regular plastic cup by first making a drainage hole. It is recommended to plant one plant in one cup.

Germination conditions. Important condition- this is a temperature within +19...+21 degrees and moisture, and therefore the cups with planted seeds must be placed in a greenhouse. It could be polyethylene film, but it is better and more convenient to use the top of a plastic bottle.

Watering. You need to ensure that the soil in the greenhouse remains moist. It is recommended to water when the soil dries out by 0.5 cm. As soon as the seed sprouts, the soil should not be allowed to dry out, otherwise the seedlings will die.

Landing dates. Lemon seeds sprout very quickly. Already 14 days after planting, you can enjoy the first shoots. But young shoots need a large number of light, and therefore it is recommended to plant in late March-early April. You can grow lemon from seed in winter, but only if you have artificial lighting for the seedlings for 12 hours every day. This could be a fluorescent lamp. Otherwise, the seedlings will stretch out and their leaves will turn yellow.

How to plant? Lemon seeds are planted in moist and loose soil, about 1 cm deep. In this case, the soil cannot be compacted. After planting, another watering and the container is covered with film or placed in a greenhouse.

It is not recommended to germinate lemon seeds in water. Subsequently, the sprout does not survive in the soil. When planting, its root system is very difficult to position correctly in the ground, which negatively affects the health of the plant.

The lemon seed has sprouted. What to do next?

So, the lemon seed has sprouted. What to do next? Experts note that up to 3 sprouts will appear from one lemon seed. In most cases, one of them will be larger than the others. It is recommended to leave it and delete the rest. However, when good care All shoots grow, and therefore whether or not to break off weak shoots is at the discretion of the grower.

Air humidity. If lemon seeds sprouted in a greenhouse, then the seedlings need to be gradually accustomed to the air humidity in the apartment. To do this, the greenhouse is ventilated 2 times a day. Every day increasing the duration of ventilation. The greenhouse is completely removed when the seedlings are about two weeks old. However, after removing the greenhouse, it is necessary to carefully monitor the turgor of the leaves of the young plant. If the leaves have drooped, it is necessary to increase the air humidity. To do this, spray and place a container next to the pot into which water is poured. It is recommended to cover the seedlings with film, but not completely, but partially, while leaving a hole for constant air circulation.

Watering. Lemon harvests need to be watered after the soil surface has dried 1 cm. If the soil is very dry, you need to water it generously. In this case, the entire lump is soaked, then watering is normalized.

Lighting. The lighting is very important factor in the full development of lemon from the seed. It is recommended to place young sprouts on the windows of an apartment or house with south side, but with mandatory shading. Otherwise, direct sunlight will simply burn the plant. If a lemon seed has sprouted in winter, the sprouts are provided with artificial lighting for 12 hours using fluorescent lamp. With a lack of light, the seedlings turn yellow and develop slowly.

When to replant lemon seedlings?

The first transplant or picking is carried out when the seedlings produce the third true leaf. To do this, take cups of 50-70 ml or 100 ml (it all depends on the size of the seedlings). The seedlings are carefully removed along with the soil. It is very important to leave soil around the root system young flower. At the same time, without violating the integrity earthen coma pinching the roots. The main root is cut with a sharp knife to 1/3 of its length. If this is not done, the main root will continue to grow, twisting into rings at the bottom of the pot.

You can pinch the roots as follows: insert a knife into the cup where the young shoots grow, directly into the soil to a depth of about 8 cm, and use it there. This will make it easier to replant the plant. In this case, the lateral roots are not injured and the integrity of the earthen coma around the shoot is not violated.

The soil for transplanting lemons is chosen special for citrus fruits. The first feeding can be done 1 month after picking. All citrus fruits grow in stages. Stages rapid growth are replaced by a complete stop of growth. That is why novice gardeners should not worry about their lemons if they suddenly stop growing after intensive growth of green mass.

Citrus trees are quite expensive, e.g. lemon tree about 45 cm high will cost 2.5 thousand rubles. Therefore, many people prefer to grow lemons themselves, especially since the seeds are easily accessible and can be bought at any supermarket. You can also purchase fairly inexpensive seeds of varietal lemons (and other citrus fruits, such as tangerines and oranges).

For those who decided to try their luck with a seed from a purchased lemon - this article.

Young lemon shoots, 1 month old.

Step 1. The right lemon

You don’t even need to be a professional to understand that the fruit must be mature, high-quality, environmentally friendly and, highly desirable, freshly harvested. If it is still possible to find lemons in supermarkets that meet the first three parameters, then what about freshness? It is clear that on the shelves there are imported lemons that have been sitting for some time. It's OK. You just shouldn’t take rotten, dried fruits or delay planting after purchase. If you bought a beautiful lemon, immediately remove the seeds from it and start planting.

Step 2. Germination and planting

You can do without germination by immediately sowing the seeds in the ground, for example, according to the scheme described below.

The easiest way to grow homemade lemon from a seed:

1. Buy soil for citrus fruits and prepare small containers (plastic cups are possible), at the rate of 1 seed - 1 container.
2. Fill the containers with soil, plant the seeds in the soil to a depth of 3 cm. Water.
3. Cover with film. Put in warm place. You don’t have to be overzealous here; standard room temperature 18-22° C. is ideal for lemon.
4. Ventilate regularly and moisten if necessary. You shouldn't pour it, it's better to spray it.
5. After three weeks, sprouts will appear.

Such sowing in the ground has its disadvantages: it is not visible which seed has sprouted, some of the pots will remain “out of use”.

Another variant

Fill the seedling boxes with soil, plant the seeds 1 cm deep, maintaining a distance of 5 cm between them. In this case, seedlings can be expected after 2 weeks. Waiting for a pair of real leaves the best seedlings are planted in separate pots 10 cm in diameter. Now the plants can be placed in a permanent place - such a pot will be enough for plants up to 15-20 cm in height.

Which window should I place young plants on?

A south window would be a mistake; lemons do not like direct scorching sun, they need bright but diffused light. The best option– east or west window. Or still a south window - but with shading.

What do young seedlings look like?

Recommendation: it is advisable to grow several seedlings at once, because if you are inexperienced in growing citrus fruits, time will pass From seed to fruit, a lot of troubles can happen to the tree. Diseases, errors in care, and finally, an error in grafting and the plant will die. It would be nice to have a “spare”.

Two sprouts may appear from one seed; in this case, the weaker shoot should be removed.

Step 3. Shoots and further care

Care is not difficult, lemons can really be considered unpretentious indoor plants; it is enough to learn a number of simple rules.

Lemons love:

1. Moderate watering. On average, we can say that in summer you should water 3 times a week, in winter - 2 times. But you should focus on your conditions - you may have to water more often or less often. It is better to spray young shoots, watering only when the soil becomes dry. Overfilling is worse than underfilling, so don't overdo it.
2. Breathable, water- and air-permeable soil.
3. Regular spraying, possibly a shower. It is important that dust does not accumulate on the leaves. Air humidity is especially important if the plant is located near a battery. Do not neglect this aspect of care - it is not only about humidity, but also about preventing attacks by pests or diseases.
4. Turn the lemon towards the light gradually, by 20-30 degrees, and not all 180.
5. Pot size. A large pot of lemon is not recommended, the maximum for adult plants is 10 liters; it should be replanted as often as possible, but according to need and depending on the growth rate of the tree itself - as a rule, this is done once a year in the spring.
6. Fertilizers for citrus plants with a high content of manganese, boron, zinc. Feeding is desirable quite often - once every 2 weeks during the entire period of active growth (from February to September).

But! Overfeeding a plant is more harmful than underfeeding; remember that nutrition is important for the formation of fruits. Young plants (up to 3-4 months) and plants immediately after transplanting into fresh soil (within 1-1.5 months) are not fed.

Why do lemons die or grow poorly?

This often happens to inexperienced gardeners; you can even hear that lemons are capricious plants. But this is not so, the reasons for the death are quite simple:

1. The air is too dry! Apartment air is really too dry for these plants - don’t be lazy to spray.
2. Temperature changes, drafts, changes in humidity - lemons are quite sensitive to changes in conditions.
3. Overflow. Once again, lemons do not like soil that is too wet! Be sure to wait until it dries between waterings.
4. Poor drainage. Drainage is necessary for almost all indoor plants, so we did not dwell on this issue in detail, but we receive letters that clearly indicate that this point is often neglected. Pay attention to drainage - the soil should be loose, well permeable, and excess water from the pot should drain well - this applies even to very young plants planted, for example, in plastic cups.
5. Wrong choice of seedlings. You should not take weak seedlings with long internodes - such plants will be of no use. If you want to receive more plants– it’s better to sow more seed, about twice as much.

Lemon tree at the age of 1 year.

Learn more about fertilizing

If you don’t have time to bother with fertilizing, then they will do complex fertilizer like “Zdraven”, “Ideal” - almost every company produces a special fertilizer for citrus fruits. But it’s better to alternate feedings using:

1. Organic (you can alternate it with complex mineral fertilizer, using, for example, the following scheme: the first ten days of the month are minerals, the second ten days are organics, etc.).
2. Fertilizer can be used as a source of microelements (zinc, iron, boron, etc.) wood ash, iron sulfate, manganese. All these means are used according to standard schemes(for example, you can read about fertilizing), applying fertilizers both at the root and by spraying the leaves.

Substrate for planting

In a sense, it’s easier for city residents - they have ready-made substrates at hand. However, you can prepare the mixture yourself, remembering the following rules:

1. The mixture should allow air to pass through perfectly.
2. The mixture should allow moisture to pass through perfectly.
3. It should be nutritious, lemons are “gluttonous” plants.
4. They prefer neutral acidity, although they are tolerant of slight deviations (acceptable pH level is from 5 to 8).

There are a lot of recipes for mixtures, for example:

1. Purchased land plus peat in equal proportions.
2. Turf soil, humus, sawdust, sand - in equal proportions.

Pests and diseases

Lemons are attacked, and quite often, by the following pests:

1. Shield.
2. Spider mite.
3. Chervets.

Despite the fact that they look different, the symptoms of the lesion are approximately the same. The leaves of the plant dry out, the shoots become bent, growth slows down, and the plant gradually dies.

The following remedies can be used at home:

1. Wash with soapy water, just make sure that soap solution didn’t get on the soil, it alkalizes the soil, plants don’t like it.
2. In the evening, you can carefully soap the places where “bandits” accumulate and wrap the plant in cellophane - in the morning, be sure to remove and wash these places, soap makes cellular respiration difficult, if you leave the plant in a soapy state, the leaves will simply fall off. Of course, the guillotine the best remedy from dandruff,” but it is still advisable to rid the plant of pests without losing foliage.
3. From chemicals Fitoverm is good at home. It is odorless and easy to use, although it cannot be said that it will help in one go. It is likely that the treatment will have to be carried out several times at weekly intervals.

Citrus diseases:

1. Sooty fungus.
2. Gommoz.

Shaping and pinching

They are getting started already in the first year of life, this is very important for future fruiting. Weak branches growing inward with deformations are removed. Pinch the branches, leaving 3-4 leaves on them.

The picture below shows a diagram of lemon pruning.

Harvest and fruiting

Lemon trees like houseplants very popular, in particular, because they are remontant, that is, they bear fruit all year round.

But be prepared that plants grown at home from seeds will bloom and produce a harvest, at the earliest - in 8 years! In addition, plants from stones do not retain 100% of the characteristics of the variety, which means that they can lose in fruit size, yield, and taste qualities. A plant grown from a cutting will produce a harvest in 4-5 years on average.

Propagation of lemons by cuttings - this method allows you to achieve fruiting faster. Plants from cuttings bear fruit in 4-5 years. The only “but” is that for this you need to have a high-quality lemon tree on hand that has already produced fruit, or go to a special nursery and purchase a cutting.

Grafting is the fastest, although it requires practice, method - in this case, active fruiting is only 2-3 years old. Seedlings aged from six months to three years are vaccinated - this best time for scion survival. Thus, it is possible to obtain fruits from seedlings grown from seeds in record time - in 2.5 - 3 years.

It happens that lemons bloom very early - such flowers should be removed, no matter how much you want to get golden fruits. But why risk the death of the plant? Fruiting requires strength, a well-formed crown and a sufficient amount of green mass; if there are less than 15 leaves per flower, the flowers can be safely picked off. As a rule, flowers are removed before the plant is 3, or preferably 4, years old.

Lemon varieties

There are a lot of them, and many varieties can be grown in room conditions. Differences between varieties are usually in the yield and quality of the fruit. The most famous varieties(descriptions and harvest dates apply to trees grown from seedlings):

1. Pavlovsky– a classic, a very old variety, perfectly adapted to rooms, tolerates dry air and low light relatively well, which is inevitable in an apartment. The plant is large, up to 2 m tall, produces fruits in the 4th year, yields up to 40 fruits per year.
2. Eureka– a relatively short lemon. Productivity is average, blooms early, in the third year, fruits average weight, delicious, very common in open ground in Europe.
3. Meyer- a hybrid of lemon and orange. Very popular as potted plant. The fruits are larger and sweeter than lemons. Very productive, bears fruit for 4 years (we are talking about a tree grown from seeds).
4. Novogruzinsky– a large tree, fruits for 4-5 years, tasty and aromatic, without seeds. Productivity is high (up to 200 per year).
5. Maykop- is different increased productivity, up to 300 fruits per year, quite large fruits, the variety is unpretentious.
6. Genoa- another low variety, up to 3 meters (in rooms up to 1 meter), fruits - in the fifth year, up to 50 fruits per year, the fruits are small but tasty, blooms profusely.

Meyer lemon blossoms.

Video consultation - how to get results?

Lemons are not difficult to grow from seeds, but it is not always possible to get fruit from such plants. What is the reason? Response to video.

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 gives color 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. For planting material Seeds from purchased ripe lemons are quite suitable. Sow many seeds at once so that you can select the strongest shoots later.

How to plant a lemon from a seed?

Step by step process:

1. At home, remove the seeds from ripe large citrus fruits and select the largest ones.
   Most often, the seeds are sown immediately, but some gardeners recommend pre-treating them with a solution of sodium gummate. The solution is diluted with water according to the attached instructions, the seeds are immersed for 24 hours.
2. Drainage (small pebbles, charcoal or expanded clay) is first poured into the bottom of pots or special containers, and soil is poured on top. Soil for indoor lemon A should consist of equal parts of peat and soil for flowers. You can purchase ready-made soil mixture for citrus plants. Lemons feel great in chernozem mixed with leaf humus (1:1), you can also add sand there.
3. The seeds are buried approximately 1 cm, the distance between them should be at least 5 cm, and from the sides of the container - at least 3 cm.
4. To maintain the temperature required at home, the soil must always be moistened, but not oversaturated with water. Ideal temperature for seedlings it is +18..23ºC.
5. After about 10-14 days, the first sprouts from the seed appear. Already from the very beginning, stronger specimens are visible; they are selected for further growing.
6. To indoor lemon began to grow, showed the world its first full-fledged leaves, it is necessary to create an appropriate microclimate for it. To do this, the sprouted sprouts are covered glass jars, and then put it in a well-lit place, but direct sunlight should be avoided.
   
7. Ventilation should be daily. The jars are removed from the sprouts for 15-20 minutes.
8. When full-fledged leaves appear (two or three pieces), it’s time to replant the indoor lemon into separate containers. The pot for the sprout should be no more than 10 cm in diameter. Drainage at the bottom of the pot with nutrient soil mixture – required condition.

Here the young seedling from the seed should grow to about 17-20 cm, after which it is transplanted. The volume of the new pot should be larger than the previous one.

Indoor lemon - home care

This tree loves bright, but diffused light, so that in summer the scorching rays of the sun do not harm the leaves, it needs to be shaded. Here, as with watering, you need to stick to the golden mean, since with a lack of light, the fruits will be sour and the foliage will be sluggish and sparse.

The optimal temperature for flowering and fruit formation (set) is approximately +17..20°C.

Indoor lemon does not like being moved from place to place, but staying on outdoors(for example, on the balcony) it still won’t hurt him. Keep a close eye on the weather forecast, as sudden changes in temperature can harm the plant (it will lose its leaves). Wintering should take place in cool home conditions, a temperature of +15..18°C will be sufficient.

How to care for lemon in terms of watering? Like all citrus crops, it loves moisture. In summer, it is necessary to provide the perennial with abundant watering; twice a week is enough. In winter, one watering per week is enough. Overfilling should be avoided. In this case, the water must be boiled, at room temperature or well settled. This plant does not tolerate chlorine, which is rich in tap water- take this factor into account.

Photo of indoor lemon at home:

Citrus fruits require frequent irrigation of the crown with moisture. This is especially true in summer, and in winter (with constantly running batteries or heaters) spraying becomes simply necessary. Sometimes you can give the plant a warm shower - this good prevention from the appearance of ticks, scale insects. To further increase the humidity, the lemon pot can be placed on a tray of wet expanded clay (or charcoal, gravel).

Fertilizer for indoor lemon is a must harmonious development, fruiting. Compared to other domestic perennials, this citrus needs to be fed more often than its green counterparts. In summer, fertilizers are introduced weekly (with water for irrigation), in winter - once a month will be enough.

Mineral fertilizers are more effective, but organic fertilizers contain all the important microelements, have a beneficial effect on the soil structure, and activate the vital activity of all important microorganisms. If you combine minerals with organic matter, then such a union will provide the best nutrition for this citrus at home.

During the activation of shoot growth (in spring), it is appropriate to introduce potassium and nitrogen fertilizers, and when flowers appear, phosphorus fertilizers. Carefully study the information on the fertilizer packaging - compliance with the dosage is very important, since you will subsequently use these lemons. With the onset of the so-called “rest period” (autumn-winter time), the dose and frequency of fertilizing is reduced to once a month.

Transplanting a lemon into a new pot, pruning, crown formation

Every year, preferably in the spring (the beginning of the growing season), a lemon is transplanted. Replanting must be carried out carefully so that the root system of the perennial is not disturbed. The transshipment method is most preferable for this case. Only young specimens are replanted annually when they reach 3 years of age (certain varieties - 5 years), replanting is done every 2 or 3 years. It is highly not recommended to carry out this process during flowering or fruiting - the plant may shed inflorescences with fruits.

Do not forget that high-quality drainage at the bottom of the container is a prerequisite for citrus crops. The size of the pot is also important, because if the container is too small, the plant will not have enough soil or nutrients. Too much big pot It won’t work either - the soil will turn sour and the root system will rot.

Lemon pot - size (diameter):

• small bushes up to 2 years old - approximately 20 cm;
• plants 3-4 years old – 30 cm;
• young trees 5-6 years old – 35 cm;
• citrus over 7 years old - 45 cm.

It is desirable that the pot be made of clay, but wood, glass, and plastic are also acceptable, the main thing is that the container has drainage holes.

It’s also better to give the crown shape and remove excess branches in the spring (April), before it starts active growth shoots. When the crown is first formed, the trunk of the bush is cut to a length of 25-30 cm.
The strongest buds remain on the sides (these are shoots of the first order), from which skeletal branches will later grow. Usually there are three or four of them, make sure that they are evenly spaced, as the beauty of the future crown depends on this. Each subsequent order of shoots must be pinched 5 cm shorter than the previous one.

In most citrus fruits, the ovary is observed on branches of the 4th and 5th order; these branches grow in the second or third year of life. On branches of the first order, fruits are not set at all, and on branches of the 2nd and 3rd order - only individual varieties(for example, Meyer).

Meyer lemon

The number of flowers also needs to be controlled so that the vitality of the plant is not depleted. In order for the tree to develop harmoniously, at about the 3rd year of life you need to start removing half of the inflorescences (the harvest will be smaller, but the fruits will be larger), and leave 3 or 4 pieces from the ovaries. For the same purposes, after a year you can leave 5 or 6 citrus fruits, and for the future do not leave more than 7 or 9.

Growing branches can be carefully, without excessive enthusiasm, trimmed by eye so that the crown has a visually attractive shape. It should be borne in mind that short pruning provokes the growth of new powerful shoots, and long pruning promotes the formation of fruit buds.

The skeleton of a tree is considered formed after the young shoots of branches grow and become woody. A properly formed crown gives all leaves the required amount of light and air.

How to pinch a lemon? If it actively branches and forms shoots, then excess fragments must be removed as soon as they appear. In those shoots that are left to develop, the tops are pinched after the appearance of the 6th leaf.

Diseases of indoor lemon

Often, diseases appear due to non-compliance with the rules of care: underwatering leads to drying out of the tree; if there is oversaturation with moisture, the root system rots and the leaves turn yellow.

If the foliage becomes covered with yellow spots, and then turns pale and dries out, then the lemon most likely lacks iron.

If the tips of the leaves dry out and they themselves seem to rust, this indicates a lack of phosphorus.

A lack of potassium leads to wrinkling of the leaves, and with a deficiency of manganese, the ovaries disappear altogether.

Proper, timely fertilization of the plant is an ideal prevention of the negative manifestations described above.

It’s not enough to know how to grow a lemon; you need to know how to protect it in a timely manner. Weakened plants are the first to fall into the risk zone; they are the ones who are most often exposed to disease. Proper care- This is the basis for keeping lemon at home. If the tree is sick, then the affected leaves, flowers, fruits, and branches must be removed immediately. If a pest is detected, then you need to immediately carry out a defensive “attack”, but after individual species After processing, the lemon will no longer be eaten.

The drug “Fitosporin” shows good results. It suppresses a wide range of citrus pathogens. It is also good because it is odorless and does not contain toxic compounds. It is diluted with water when watering and irrigates plants. This drug is very good for preventing diseases.

When communicating with friends with similar interests, you can often hear complaints: “the indoor lemon has dropped its leaves, what should I do?” The main reasons for this reaction are insufficient lighting, over or under watering, depleted soil, excessive dryness air, heat or extreme cold. For reference, we list the most common diseases of domestic citrus fruits and provide a brief recommendation for eliminating the cause:

1. Scab or wart - has a fungal origin, appears on young shoots and leaves: pale yellow spots first appear, which later become grayish warts. The growths grow, cover the shoots, which subsequently die. Scab also affects fruits: bright yellow spots appear on them, which then turn red and darken. All affected parts of the plant must be cut off and destroyed, and the trunk and crown should be treated generously with 1% Bordeaux mixture (a mixture of copper sulfate and lime milk).
2. Anthracnose is the most common fungal reason why indoor lemon leaves turn yellow at home. With this disease, the tree loses buds and the fruits appear brown spots, branches die. All affected shoots and fruits must be removed, and the plant itself must be treated with the above-described drug “Fitosporin” or Bordeaux mixture.
3. Sooty fungus is a consequence of pest infestation - mealybugs or scale insects. Active preventive actions – the right way protect the tree from such consequences.
4. Gommosis - manifested by the appearance of dark red spots on the trunk and branches; at the affected areas, the bark cracks, and a sticky liquid (gum) is released from the crack, which subsequently hardens. There are many reasons for this disease: improper deepening of seedlings, “dirty” soil, mechanical “injuries” to the plant, improper care for indoor lemon. Treatment is to determine the root cause of the disease, as well as radical cutting out of the affected areas using a sharp knife. Damage should be treated with a 3% solution of copper sulfate and then covered with garden pitch.

This citrus perennial needs to be inspected regularly to notice the disease at its very beginning. As you know, any disease is easier to cure at the initial stage. You need to inspect not only the trunk or foliage, but also the root system of the tree and the soil.

Lemon in the apartment - benefit or harm

Of course, the benefits from it are much greater than possible harm. Everyone knows the healing, protective human body properties of this citrus. Vitamins, flavonoids, biological active substances successfully suppress viruses and create a powerful shield against pathogenic bacteria.

Eating this yellow citrus strengthens the immune system, normalizes hormonal levels, improves vision, and stimulates the gastrointestinal tract. Lemon mobilizes internal resources body, helps with sore throats and colds. It is widely used in cosmetology: masks for the face (whitening, healing, cleansing) and hair (growth stimulator). Even just green Tree(indoor lemon from a seed, grown at home) saturates the air with phytoncides, lifts your mood, and makes breathing easier.

Contraindications for use may be individual intolerance, peptic ulcer of the stomach, duodenum, chronic gastritis, pancreatitis. In everything you need to know moderation, since eating lemon in large quantities will not lead to anything good.

Considering all of the above, now you know how to grow a lemon from a seed at home. Despite the abundance of information, this process does not require special knowledge or skills. It is necessary to understand and take into account the basic criteria - rules of maintenance and care, proper pruning, timely prevention of diseases.