home / Decor and design/ Is it possible to grow a tree from a lemon seed? What to do if a lemon drops its leaves? Caring for a lemon in a pot

Is it possible to grow a tree from a lemon seed? What to do if a lemon drops its leaves? Caring for a lemon in a pot

There are two ways to plant a lemon in order to subsequently get a healthy, beautiful and fruit-bearing tree. You can sow seeds (seeds, or you can plant cuttings. Which is easier and what results you can get - the answers are in the article.

If you are concerned about the question of how to properly plant a lemon at home and still achieve fruiting, then pay due attention to the preliminary preparation.

Soil preparation. To plant a lemon, you need to take river sand and calcine it in the oven to destroy pathogenic bacteria. Then mix it in equal proportions with the citrus substrate. Moisten the resulting mixture. If river sand was not available, you can use any loose soil, for example, a mixture of humus and leaf turf.

Video about growing lemon at home

Selection of capacity. Pots made of any material are suitable for planting lemons, but ceramic ones are preferable. There is better air exchange in them, so the risk of stagnation is less. You need to choose a spacious pot for planting. Before laying the soil, it must be doused with boiling water or soaked in water for several hours.

Drainage. Lemons need drainage to prevent the soil from becoming sour from excessive moisture. Therefore, it is worth laying a layer of pebbles or pebbles at the bottom of the pot, they will not allow the water to stagnate. But remember that large and sharp stones can cause irreparable damage to the thin roots of citrus. The diameter of drainage stones should not exceed three centimeters.

The photo shows pots for planting lemons

It is better to give preference to the seeds from the largest and juicy fruits. Lemons grown and ripened in artificial conditions, may not ascend. Or, after a while, it won’t bear fruit. They cannot be stored because they quickly lose their germination capacity.

So, let's start landing:

Sow fresh lemon seeds into a pot with damp soil.
We periodically moisten the soil, while avoiding the accumulation of water, otherwise the seed will rot.
Soon the seeds will hatch and small plants will appear.
It would be wiser to plant several seeds so that after 2-3 months you can select the strongest ones from the resulting sprouts or plant them in different containers and get a lemon garden at home.
When replanting, try not to touch the earthen ball on the roots.
To provide the seedlings with normal conditions, place the pots closer to the south or west side, but make sure that sunlight was scattered, direct rays can destroy the plant.

Photo of lemon from seed

There is an opinion, and its validity has been proven by many experienced gardeners, that lemon from the seed does not bear fruit. To do this, the resulting tree, when it grows up and its trunk reaches a thickness of 1 cm, must be grafted from a plant that has already produced fruit. At home, grafting is successfully carried out using the budding method, that is, using a bud eye with a small piece of bark, to increase the chance of double budding.

Planting lemon cuttings

Planting by cuttings is one of the most common and effective ways. By selecting cuttings from trees that are known to be healthy and bearing fruit, you will know exactly what you will get in the end.

Last year's shoots no longer than 8-10 cm with well-developed leaves are used.

Plant the cutting in a pot and cover it glass jar. Place on the windowsill and spray periodically warm water, moistening the soil. All! All you have to do is wait a little, and your cutting will take root.

Video about planting lemon

When the upper buds appear, begin to gradually accustom the seedling to the microclimate of the room, removing the jar for a short time. During the week, increase the seedling's exposure to the air without the jar, so that by the end of the week it will be completely removed. If heating devices or central heating are located close to the tree, you can fence it off from them with a piece of plywood or cardboard.

Very capricious plant lemon, planting and caring for it require not only knowledge and experience, but also dedicated work. He needs special conditions, temperature changes, drafts and overheating are contraindicated for him. But all the hard work of a diligent gardener will be rewarded when a well-groomed lemon bears its first fruit.

Many gardeners dream of growing a fragrant lemon on the windowsill to please their household. delicious tea with the addition of citrus. At first glance, the task seems difficult, because a tree planted at home often takes root with difficulty and rarely bears fruit. To succeed, you need to know how to plant a lemon according to all the rules. Only then, after a few years, the first ovary will appear on it.

Description of the plant

The birthplace of this evergreen perennial plant is considered South Asia. From there it was brought to India, China and many islands in ancient times Pacific Ocean. Today, lemon is successfully grown in different countries for mass harvesting of fruits, and exotic lovers are happy to grow it from seed at home.

Planted at home lemon Tree reaches a height of about 2 meters. Multiple branches with dense leathery green leaves form a spreading crown. Young shoots are covered with dark green bark with a reddish tint.

If citrus is sprouted from a seed, the first fruits are observed no earlier than 8 years after planting. When citrus is planted using grafting or cuttings, the harvest appears 2 years earlier.

The beautiful tree exudes a delicate lemon aroma and looks great, so it is often grown at home not only for fruit production, but also for interior decoration.

Where to begin

Growing a lemon from a seed is something everyone can do. You need to put in a minimum of effort and strictly follow the planting recommendations. The first step is to prepare the seeds. The main mistake due to which seeds do not germinate is that they are placed in the ground when they have time to dry out. This cannot be done.

Need to take a mature one large fruit, cut and remove the seeds.
Rinse under running water and select the most powerful seeds.
To make it easier to peck the sprouts, it is advisable to soak the seeds for a day in a special growth stimulator, which can be bought at a flower shop.

While the seeds are being prepared for planting, you should start selecting nutritious soil and suitable pot. Lemon seeds do well in small clay pots. A two-centimeter layer of drainage is required to be poured onto the bottom of the container. This can be expanded clay or small fragments of brick - the main thing is that they allow excess moisture to pass through well, otherwise the roots of the young sprout will begin to rot and die.

Land for planting citrus fruits is easy to purchase in the store, but many people prefer to prepare a nutritious mixture at home. To do this you need to take ordinary soil from the garden, sand, humus and mix them in equal proportions. It is useful to add a few spoons to the prepared mixture. charcoal. It prevents the development of pathogenic bacteria in the soil.

Planting seeds

When preparatory work finished, you can start planting. It is recommended to plant 3-4 seeds in one pot in order to subsequently select the strongest shoots. The soil in the container must be moistened with settled water. Deepen the lemon seeds 2 cm into the soil and sprinkle with soil.

In order for citrus planting to be successful, it is advisable to carry out the procedure in late February. In this case, the growth of young plants will be promoted by the spring sun and increased daylight hours.

Lemons love warmth, so it is impossible to grow them at home without following temperature regime. Successful cultivation requires maintaining an air temperature of 20-25 degrees.
For creating greenhouse effect The pot is covered with film and placed in a sunny place.
The first shoots hatch after 18-21 days. During this time, the film must be periodically lifted for ventilation.
It is recommended to water only if the soil dries out with a small amount of warm water.

Tender shoots grow quickly. When they have formed 2 pairs of leaves, the film must be removed and a separate pot prepared for each plant.

Transfer

The transplant must be done in the same nutritious soil, which was prepared earlier. Try to select the healthiest sprouts.

When choosing, pay attention:

on the leaves - they should be strong and not fall off at the slightest touch;
on the crown - it is desirable that there is a small distance between the buds;
for shoots - it is required that they have few thorns, as this is a sign of a “wild” plant.

Subsequent transplants of a young lemon tree should be carried out as the crown and roots grow. Young seedlings are replanted once a year, in June, but for mature plants it is enough to carry out the procedure once every few years. Carefully remove the tree from the pot along with the earthen lump, so as not to damage the delicate roots, and place it in a container bigger size.

Care

Growing lemon requires bright light, especially in the off-season. During this period, it is advisable to purchase an LED phytolamp for illumination and turn it on in the evenings and on cloudy days.

The room where citrus grows should be warm and humid. Wash the leaves of the plant with water more often and spray it with a watering can. But root system It is not recommended to overfill. The tree is sensitive to root rot and immediately withers away from it. IN winter time Watering should be halved and carried out when the top layer of soil dries well.

It is important to correctly form the crown of the plant. For lush green mass in the first year of life, you need to carefully pinch the top of the lemon tree. To keep the trunk straight and the crown round and neat, you need to turn the pot with the plant 30 degrees clockwise every 7 days.

Sometimes a lemon blooms in the first or second year. Despite the beauty of the buds, they must be mercilessly torn off. Flowering exhausts the tree too much. It does not have enough strength for further development, and it may die. Flowers can be left only when there are 15 green leaves for each bud.

Feeding

At first, growing lemon does not require fertilizing. The soil prepared for planting contains all the necessary substances for growth and development. 3-4 months after transplantation, the grown shoots begin to be fed with organic and mineral fertilizers. It is advisable to buy from a flower shop already ready-made mixtures and use according to instructions.

If for some reason this is not possible, you can use tea leaves for feeding. They should be used to sprinkle the top layer of soil in the pot before watering. Egg shells are well suited for fertilizing. It needs to be crushed, combined with starch one to one and sprinkled with the mixture on the ground before each watering.

Diseases

With insufficient care, lemons growing at home begin to wither. When this happens, its leaves turn yellow, wither and fall off. To prevent this, adjust watering and provide citrus good lighting.

Yellow spots on the leaves indicate a lack of iron.
Drying tips indicate a lack of phosphorus.
Wrinkling and falling leaves indicate a deficiency of manganese and potassium.

You can help the plant timely cleaning spoiled shoots and a properly selected mineral complex.

To prevent pests and diseases of lemon at home, it is recommended to use Fitosporin. The drug is diluted with water, following the instructions, and the root system of the plant is irrigated.

Now you know how to plant a lemon and grow a miniature tree from the seed. Main - correct landing, careful care, and then you will quickly be able to enjoy the fruits of the first harvest collected at home.

Before you start growing lemon at home, you need to pay attention to the fact that the speed of vegetation, yield and appearance completely depend on the chosen lemon variety. There are many of them: from original to hybrid, attracting attention with their variegated colors and decorativeness.

You can grow lemon in a pot at home. However, it will take some effort

In an apartment, lemons grow best on a windowsill, where there is enough brightness but no scorching sun. They don't like dirty air with a lot of carbon dioxide. Caring for lemons at home is not difficult, but it requires care.

Sufficient air humidity, regular spraying with settled or structured water.
Long sunny days, controlled by artificial lighting.
Regular fractional watering, preferably situational: if the soil has not yet dried out, which happens in winter, then postpone watering until the next day.
Properly selected soil. Too light soil with a lot of peat is not suitable, but black soil is heavy for lemon.
Propagation by cuttings is best done in spring time when the length of the sunny day increases.
Recommendations experienced gardeners relate to giving a crown to a lemon tree, the density of which determines its fruiting and productivity, as well as cutting off the thorns.

Varieties convenient for home cultivation

In order to grow a lemon tree from a seed at home, you can familiarize yourself with the most unpretentious representatives of this plant species.

Growing Pavlovsky lemon variety at home is not difficult. He is popular thanks to taste qualities ripe fruits. Its foliage is dark green. The amount of harvest directly depends on it: the thicker it is, the more harvest there will be. On an adult tree over 3 years old, flowers can bloom and fruits ripen at the same time.
At home, lemon bears fruit for 3–4 years, is one of the most productive, the foliage is less dense, light green.
“Novogruzinsky” is slightly taller than other lemongrass, grows up to two meters, the first harvest after 4 years, but is notable for the fact that there are practically no seeds in it.
“Lisbon” is one of the most unpretentious, there are a lot of thorns and they need to be removed, the foliage is dense, but if grown and cared for correctly, it can bear fruit twice a year.

One of ourselves unpretentious varieties lemons for home growing is "Lisbon"

You should regularly fertilize your indoor lemon, but only after the soil has exhausted its nutritional capabilities.

Suitable soil for lemon tree

The earth should be of medium density. At the beginning of gardening practice, it is better to use a ready-made purchased mixture. For the lemon suitable for home special mixture“For citrus” or “Lemon”.
How to properly mix the soil yourself: 2 parts turf, 1 part leaf soil, 1 part horse manure, 1 part sand.
Adjust the amount of mixture according to the size of the pot.

Required components for self-made soil:

You can buy turf in a store. It consists of rotted grass, tree leaves, small sawdust, some moss and peat. It is a light soil if it does not contain clay. Rich useful microelements, is especially important when growing lemons in greenhouse conditions.
Leaf soil is labor-intensive to prepare; for this it is better to purchase it ready-made. Composition of rotted leaves fruit trees, linden and maple will provide indoor lemon with thermal insulation of the root system and prevent moisture stagnation.
Horse or cow dung. The product is easy to buy in online stores. It is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium, without which lemon will grow poorly and not bear fruit at home.
Sand is used as drainage and is also a natural silica chemical composition, provides the soil with looseness and prevents it from clumping into lumps through which water cannot seep.

Sand is used as drainage. Gives the soil looseness and prevents it from becoming clods.

The best example of it is root, it will help germinate the seeds and make growing lemons an easier task.

The seeds must first be washed in warm water, put them in a ceramic container and completely fill them with biostimulant. Leave in a warm place for an hour or two. Take them out and dry them, after which they need to be planted within the same day. A higher percentage of seed germination is observed in a small greenhouse placed on the window.

How to Plant Lemon Seeds

After the seeds are “awakened”, they can be planted in special peat pots, or ordinary plastic ones for seedlings, having previously placed a layer of drainage on their bottom - pebbles or special expanded clay.
The layer of soil covering the seed should be no thicker than two centimeters. The soil needs to be moistened, but not made into a “porridge”; for this it will be enough to irrigate it from a sprayer. For these purposes, you can prepare a decoction (not strong) of nettle or calendula.
Lemon embryos will develop faster if they are created greenhouse conditions on the windowsill. To do this, you need to put a bag on each individual glass. It should hermetically protect the top layer of earth from contact with air; you can spray it from the inside with water for a better effect.

It is advisable to water once every two days. Monitoring condensation on the inner surface package, if it begins to dry out, then you can carry out drip irrigation. Considering the type of plant chosen, the absence of temperature differences, type of soil and lighting, it depends on how long it will take until the first shoots appear.

Grown in favorable conditions new plants will develop greater resistance to unfavorable factors. That is why most gardeners prefer the method of home cultivation from seeds to growing by cuttings.

Conditions for seedlings

The temperature is not lower than 18–20 °C without drafts.
Water in small portions, only when necessary. You can alternate with herbal infusions that have disinfectant properties.
Germinated seedlings are gradually accustomed to room temperature.

There are some other recommendations that make growing lemons in a greenhouse easier. If the seeds are planted in the cold season and in the place where they are grown low temperature, you can use heat-reflecting film, which is sold in gardening stores. It will better protect not only from the cold, but also in bright sunshine, if the seedlings standing on the windowsill were not removed in time.

When lemons with well-developed branches appear among the greenhouse seedlings, they can be transplanted into a permanent pot. Its diameter should not exceed 15 cm, otherwise the lemon will grow for a long time. Before growing a lemon tree, it is important to ensure that its location is inaccessible to pets.

You need to give it a permanent place on the windowsill and not move it until the tree gets used to the new care, which is different from the greenhouse care. Timely feeding will help to grow lemon at home.

Methods of feeding at home

Horse or cow manure. Feeding using this method is carried out once every 6 months. You can do it additionally at the beginning of flowering or if ripening fruits appear on the lemon. Lemon fertilized with biological products grows faster and resists diseases better.
Wood ash mixed with used ground coffee powder, sprinkled under a lemon sprout. The mixture will perform two functions at once: it will drive away insects if they appear and disinfect the soil. Ash will help prevent old leaves and buds from falling off.
An excellent material for stimulating the growth of mature trees is water from an aquarium. Preference is given to liquid in which the fish have been for no more than a week, otherwise the soil may smell like silt.
Watering with stirring bone meal lemons will be perceived as a biostimulant. In proportion no more than 1 teaspoon per glass of water. Water once a month.

It is important to remember that fertilizers obtained from the processing of waste products can both improve the cultivation of lemon at home in a pot, and destroy the plant if used frequently. It is necessary to observe measures when breeding and alternate the type of feeding.

After the first ovary has appeared, you need to be patient, because the lemon ripens slowly. A period of lighting longer than 10 hours a day helps fruits to ripen. To do this, you can use a table lamp; even a 25 W light bulb will do.

A lemon is ripe when its peel has become characteristic yellow color or the color suggested by the variety, this process will take at least 6-7 months.

It is possible to cultivate lemons in open ground conditions only in southern regions. But lovers of indoor plants can take up growing it at home. Don’t expect that you will taste juicy lemons next season - your home tree will begin to bear fruit in at least 5 years.

But even without bright fruits on the branches, the plant smells very beautiful and pleasant, which is what makes growing them attractive to many gardeners.

Seeds or cuttings: which planting material to choose for growing?

There are 2 methods for growing lemons at home - from a seed or cutting. Seed propagation will ultimately produce a healthier, powerful tree, but it will begin to bear fruit only after 7-8 years. Having purchased plant seedlings, you will see fruits on the branches within 3-5 years. Planting lemons with seeds is a more common method. The quality of the fruit will depend on heredity and living conditions.

Seeds for planting lemon- fruit seeds. So, for seed material let's go to the nearest grocery store. Choose a large yellow lemon. Set aside damaged fruits - we need quality lemons. At home, cut the fruit, take out 2-3 of the largest seeds - this way you can choose those seedlings that have taken root better. Since dry seeds lose their viability, seeds freshly extracted from lemons are suitable for planting.

Have you decided to grow lemon from cuttings? Either buy young seedlings at the market or borrow from friends. Annual cuttings are taken from a healthy fruit-bearing tree. The “correct” seed material has at least 3 leaves at total length the stem is 8-12 cm long. Pay attention to the cuts - the lower one is made under the first bud or directly through it, and the upper one goes diagonally above the last bud. It will be difficult for non-specialists in the field of floriculture to choose a high-quality cutting - it will seem normal in appearance, but in practice it will turn out that the plant is constantly sick.

Preparing the land for planting lemon

Whatever method of growing lemons you choose, plant during the period from April to June– the house is already warm, and the plant will be provided with optimal conditions for growth.

Do not buy a large pot for your future “pet” - for the first year, a small clay container up to 10 cm in diameter will do. There must be a hole at the bottom of the pot to drain excess moisture.

Cover the bottom of the container with expanded clay or small pebbles(1.5-2 cm) for better drainage. Then fill in the soil. To plant lemon seeds regular will do soil, which is sold in every flower shop. Eat soil mixtures, designed specifically for citrus fruits - you can try this option. Do you want to do everything yourself? Fertile soil for growing lemons can be obtained this way: half of the turf soil is mixed with half of humus.

for growing lemon from seed

But for rooting cuttings, it is better to prepare the soil in another way - a layer of moss (1 cm) is placed on the drainage layer and filled fertile land, and then 4-5 cm of sand. In such a nutrient mixture, the young seedling immediately begins to receive the necessary nutrients for growth. nutrients.

Planting lemons with seeds and cuttings

Once the place for growing lemon has been prepared, you can begin planting the plant.

Deepen the fruit seed by 1-1.5 cm, sprinkling the hole with soil. After planting, lightly moisten the soil and place the pot in a warm place. If it’s cold at home, be sure to cover the top of the pot with film. An abundance of sunlight is not required for seedlings to emerge. Lightly spray the soil every 3-4 days. The seeds should sprout after 30-40 days. After sprouts appear on the surface of the earth, the film can be removed. It is not recommended to pick seedlings. As they develop, they form a long tap root - it needs to be trimmed without digging up the plant. To do this, arm yourself with a sharp knife and insert it into the ground at a distance of 7-20 cm from the sprout at a slight angle to the soil surface. Trim the root in a circular motion. The operation can be repeated several times.

With the rooting of the seedling on permanent place You won't have to mess around either. Before planting the cutting, it is recommended to soak it for 12 hours in a solution of a root former (for example, heteroauxin). Root the seedlings in a pot covered with a jar on top to create a greenhouse effect. After planting, spray the branch with water. It takes 1-1.5 months for the cuttings to root. During this period, the plant needs good lighting, regular moisture and warmth. A sign of “successful” rooting is the formation of new roots and leaves on the shoot. Now you can transfer the plant to a larger pot - use the same mixture as in the case of lemon seed planting. Replant carefully so as not to damage the young roots.

rooting lemon seedlings

Growing and caring for lemon

Caring for lemons is no more difficult than caring for other house plants. Follow the basic rules:

Temperature regime. Optimal temperature growing lemons – 18-25 ˚C. Strong deviations in one direction or another can lead to leaves falling off. If it is very hot in summer, shade the plant a little and spray it with water more often.

Lighting. A growing lemon tree loves light. He needs direct Sun rays at least 2 hours a day. But given that the plant does not tolerate changes in its “habitat,” immediately assign it a permanent bright place - on a window facing the south side. Do not turn the pot towards the light too often - a sudden change in conditions will cause the leaves to fall off. You can turn the lemon tree no more than once every 10 days and no more than 10 degrees.

Watering. Water the plant 2 times a week with boiled water room temperature. You can use rain water, but it should not be cold. Remember to spray the tree with water several times a week to moisten the leaves and stem. Lemon will not tolerate excessive soil moisture. But if this does happen, the earth will have to be completely replaced.

Transfer. Every year, replant the lemon into a new, larger pot, otherwise the developing root system will not have room in the small container. Replant the lemon carefully, transferring it with the “native” lump of earth. If you accidentally damage the roots, cover the plant with polyethylene for 2-3 weeks to prevent it from dying. And when the pot is already large enough (8-10 liters in volume), replanting can be replaced by updating the top layer of soil (twice a year).

Feeding. In the first months there is no need to feed lemon. And then you can fertilize the plant with complex mineral fertilizers - no more than once a month. For good growth lemon needs the following microelements: iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur.

Crown formation. In order for the tree to look beautiful and have lateral buds formed, it is necessary to shape its crown. In the first year, the lemon will grow to about 30 cm. In the second season, shorten the plant to 20 cm by cutting off the upper part of the shoot with pruning shears. Next year, do the same, but with the developed side branches. Branches of orders 1-3 will not produce fruit - lemons will appear only on branches of a higher order. That's why, best shape the crown will become low-standard. Trim the side shoots so that over time, fertile branches of 4-5 orders are formed. And then, in order to maintain the shape of the crown and prevent the tree from becoming too leafy, do only pinching. It is important to prevent the formation of fattening shoots in the lower part of the trunk - they do not allow the plant to develop normally. Either cut them off or turn them into “regular” shoots, bending them to the ground.

During the lemon flowering period, in order for the ovaries to form, transfer pollen from the pistils to the stamens (you can use cotton swab). Too much large flowers remove - they don’t produce fruit. For each set fruit there should be at least 10 full leaves. If there are too many ovaries, some will have to be removed.

How to speed up the fruiting of lemons?

When properly cared for, the lemon tree looks great and smells good. But this is not enough for flower growers - how much they want to see bright fruits on the branches. To speed up fruiting, 2 methods are used - constriction and budding.

A simpler technology is constriction. Do it on side branches of 1-2 orders! In this case, one of the selected shoots is tied with a tin ring or ordinary wire. Remove the banner when buds appear on the branches. Do not overdo it - you must not damage the bark, otherwise the branch will dry out completely.

Grafting (budding) lemons in plant care is a technique for more experienced gardeners, as it will require certain skills. This is the insertion of an eye from a fruiting shoot into a cut T-shape on the bark of the rootstock. The eyes are cut off directly from the shield. Make the cut with two cuts - 1 cm above the eye, 1.5 cm below the eye. Seedlings 2-3 years old can serve as a rootstock. Do budding on a cloudy rainy day. The technology is like this:

Select a budding location - on a branch 5-10 cm from the ground surface.

Make a cut across (≈1 cm), then along (≈2-3 cm).

Carefully pry the bark with a knife and pull it apart a little.

Quickly return the bark to its place, leaving small hole above. You will need to insert a peephole here.

Quickly insert the cut eye, holding it by the petiole of the leaf, into the cut made on the rootstock.

lemon grafting

Now “bandage” the grafting site to prevent water from flowing in here. PVC tape. After 2-3 weeks, did the petioles begin to turn yellow and fall off? The vaccination went well! After about 30-40 days, you need to cut off the entire top of the rootstock - first 10 cm above the graft (so that the eye does not dry out), and then the remaining part of the branch above the eye is cut off. The bandage is also removed at the same time.

But if the petioles remain in their place, while drying out, something went wrong during budding.

Fighting diseases and pests when caring for lemons

Lemon care includes not only watering and fertilizing, but also the fight against diseases and pests, because they can overcome even home plant. This is especially true for trees grown from cuttings.

All the problems that a gardener may encounter when growing lemons arise for one of 3 reasons - improper care, diseases and pests.

If you don't comply important rules Caring for a lemon and its fruiting may not wait. Eg, insufficient watering leads to drying out of the tree, and excess water- to rotting of roots. Lack of one or another microelement in the soil experienced florist will immediately determine:

Lack of iron - yellow spots appear on the leaf, then it dies.

Lack of phosphorus - the leaves turn red, their tips dry out.

Lack of potassium - leaves wrinkle.

Lack of manganese and boron - ovaries crumble.

Only timely lemon feeding necessary microelements.

Indoor lemon can hit various diseases– bacteria, mycoplasma, viruses, fungi. They are transmitted from other plants or arise due to improper care. Let's list the most common diseases:

Anthracnose. Buds and leaves fall off, shoots die. Be sure to trim off the affected parts of the lemon.

Scab (wartiness). Characteristic yellowish spots appear on the leaves, which gradually turn into pink-gray “warts”. The escape may eventually die. Scab forms orange spots on fruits. Trim off the affected parts of the lemon and discard. Spray the top of the tree with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.

Gomoz. Red-brown spots appear on the shoots and trunk of the lemon. The bark gradually dies, and from the cracks on it a sticky dark orange liquid begins to ooze, solidifying in the air. There are many reasons for the occurrence of homosis - an excess of nitrogen, a lack of phosphorus, poor drainage, high humidity air. And in order to cure lemon, you need to establish the cause that caused it. Cut out the affected areas with a knife and disinfect with a 3% solution copper sulfate.

lemon juice

To treat diseases, try not to use chemicals. Lemon especially doesn’t like chlorine!

Dangerous pests rarely appear on homemade lemons. But if there are several other types of indoor plants “next door” to the tree, you need to be more careful. When caring for lemons, protect them from the following insects:

Shield. They feed on leaves and shoots. The affected parts of the plant die. When you notice pests, remove them from the lemon (with a toothbrush, for example), and wash the plant with soap emulsion.

Spider mite. The larvae settle on inside leaf. The pest's web can gradually envelop the entire plant, preventing it from breathing. To get rid of mites, spray lemon special solutions, for example, 0.15% Aktelika solution.

Mealybug. Insect larvae leave sticky secretions on lemon leaves. The fruits die, the leaves fall off. If you notice a pest on the plant, immediately remove it from the branches.

Citrus aphid. Insects destroy the tops of young shoots. To prevent the spread of aphids, lemon can be placed next to the geranium.

mealybug

If you take timely measures to treat your lemon tree against diseases and pests, it will remain green and pleasant-smelling all year round.

Lemon is native to tropical India and China. Cultivate the lemon tree for food and decorative purposes steel for the first time in the subtropical countries of Asia.

To this day, citrus fruits are grown on a large scale there, as well as in Spain and Italy.

In the CIS countries, lemon is grown as a houseplant.

This beautiful tree with a neat crown exudes phytoncides (substances that disinfect the air) that are useful for our apartments and proper cultivation produces aromatic and vitamin-rich fruits.

In our article you will learn all the intricacies of turning a small seed into a fruit-bearing lemon tree.

The best varieties of indoor lemon

Pavlovsky– characterized by its short stature, the tree tolerates low light levels well and is adapted to life in apartments
Anniversary– a low (up to 1.5 m) tree, resistant to the dry air of apartments, is different high yield, bears fruit and grows quickly. The fruits have thick skin
Panderosa- indoor hybrid of lemon and citron. A low and bushy tree forms a beautiful crown. At the age of 2 years it already bears fruit
Meyer– a hybrid of lemon and orange well adapted to indoor life.

What is better to buy - an adult plant or seedlings

For growing at home, beginning flower lovers can buy already mature plant: There will be fewer problems and hassles with growing.

True, the price of such a lemon will be higher than that of a young seedling. Seedlings can cost from 200 rubles, and an adult plant is about 1000 rubles.

And yet it is much more interesting to grow it yourself from a seedling, watching its growth day after day. Better yet, grow your own tree completely. from the seed.

It’s not easy, but it’s quite possible to get a full-fledged, beautiful and fruit-bearing lemon. Through 5-7 years(with the right approach) you can admire the view of an evergreen tree and drink aromatic tea with your own lemons.

Planting a lemon from a seed

The very first step is to eat a lemon and select a few large seeds. It's better to take 10 or more seeds.

It is advisable to prepare them: for successful germination and root growth, you need to treat the seeds growth stimulator– a solution of sodium humate (it is sold in a botanical store), in which the seeds should be immersed for a day.

Then you can further process the seeds other stimulants– a solution of the drug “Citron” or “Epinas-extra”. This manipulation will allow future young plants to withstand poor light conditions and dry air.

Important! For germination, take fresh whole seeds and immediately plant them in the ground. The success of germination increases several times!

Which container to choose

You can plant the seeds in a pot or in small temporary containers (cassettes or boxes). It is better to take a clay pot for planting seeds, approx. 7 cm in diameter.

Priming for planting consists of:

0,5 parts of humus;
0,5 part of river coarse sand;
2 parts of turf (it can be dug up, for example, in a meadow);
1 parts of leaf soil (it can be dug up in a deciduous forest);
1/4 part of charcoal.

The soil should turn out loose. But you can do it simpler: go to a botanical store and buy a special soil that states that it is for citrus fruits.

Plant the seeds deep into the prepared soil. 1.5 cm. To prevent rotting, you need to cover the soil with a film or a transparent bag and spray it with water daily from a spray bottle.

Temperature for germination should be approx. +18°С.

Shoots will appear later 3 weeks. After this, you need to move the containers to a bright place, and remove the film after the second pair of leaves appears.

Note! Do not overwater or overcool lemon shoots! Avoid drafts and do not use fertilizers!

Then it is produced selection of seedlings: culling the worst and selecting the strongest, with a stocky trunk, preferably without short needles, but with a large number of leaves, without long thin shoots.

Growing lemon at home

For successful growth young lemon needs warmth, light and water. Some specific requirements for citrus fruits should be taken into account.

There is no need to feed lemon in the first months. In spring and summer, for a grown plant, use fertilizers.

In the botanical store they will offer you the necessary ones and tell you in detail how and how much to apply them, plus any fertilizer is always given instructions.

Watering should be regular, but not excessive. You need to water the lemon every day when it’s hot, and on other days when the top of the soil dries out. In summer - 5 times per week, in winter - 2 times per week.

How much water to pour depends on the age of the plant and air temperature. To a young seedling will need about a glass of water at a time, and an adult tall tree will need from 0.5 to 1 liter of water.

Main, spray the plant daily, since lemons do not tolerate dry air. In spring, water the plant in the morning, and in autumn and summer - late in the evening.

In summer you can take it out to the balcony or take it to the village. The main thing is that you cannot expose the tree to direct sun. It should be rotated daily to ensure the branches grow evenly.

For wintering, it is advisable to take the tree into a room with a temperature about +15 °C, but not lower than +12 °C. If this is not possible, it is recommended to additionally illuminate the lemon with special lamps.

It is important not to forget to clean the leaves from dust so that the gas exchange process takes place at the proper level.

Crown formation

Lemon does not branch very readily. To create a beautiful and compact crown you will have to work a little.

Aged up to 1 year, and even better, from 3 months, begin to stimulate the growth of lateral branches. It's done like this. During periods of increased growth, the top is pinched off.

Sometimes it gets pinched off repeatedly, since the lemon can stubbornly continue to grow only to the top. As a result, the axillary buds wake up and the lateral branches begin to grow.

The tops of the lateral branches are also pinched off early, when 2-3 sheets. In this way, the crown of the lemon is formed in the future.

It is important to prevent the occurrence "tops"– too long internal branches from the crown. While the “tops” are flexible, they are tied to a stick stuck in the ground so that they take root.

Lemon transplant

When the roots young plant they begin to entangle the pot, it is transplanted. In the first year, transplantation is carried out 2 times. Mature plant can be replanted once every 4 years.

Transplantation is underway in early spring . Move the lemon to a new pot of slightly larger diameter, adding fresh soil.

Do not damage the roots, as citrus fruits contain mycorrhiza– a symbiosis of fungi and roots beneficial to lemon.

The appearance of mycorrhiza on the roots is biological feature citrus fruits. A similar phenomenon is observed in legumes - they nodule bacteria are in symbiosis with the roots.

Because of this, lemons do not tolerate transplantation well. To prevent the plant from being damaged, you need to minimally touch the earthen ball surrounding the root system.

When replanting is not carried out, the soil is simply updated by adding a little fresh soil. Periodically, the soil is loosened to regulate breathing.

Lemon care at home

Lemon is a capricious plant:

It can be involuntarily sour or pour;
He does not tolerate temperature changes and drying out;
Loves the light;
Doesn't like to move frequently.

Proper feeding plays a role important role. Overfeeding, like lack of fertilizer, will not be beneficial.
They start feeding the lemon in the spring.

From February to September, special fertilizers for citrus fruits are regularly applied ( “Lemon”, “For citrus”, “Citrus”, etc.). In winter, the tree is not fertilized.

In preparation for winter and at the end of February reduced by 2 times the usual concentration of applied fertilizer. A sign of excess fertilizer is a dry edge along the edge of the leaves and their rapid fall.

Flowering occurs after a few years. But purchased prepared seedlings can bloom in the first year. For a lemon to bear fruit, it must pass 10-15 years from germination from the seed, but the process can be accelerated. For example, through vaccination.

How to graft a lemon

Graft- This is a procedure that accelerates flowering and fruiting. It is carried out with lemon from the seed and simple seedlings.

The rootstock is the plant that will be grafted. The first vaccination is given 2-3 year old tree.

The top cuttings are grafted from other plants(you can even use an orange). The leaves are removed, leaving the axillary buds.

It is best to plant in early spring. There are 2 methods of vaccination:

Kidney vaccination. Using a special budding knife, carefully cut out a small bud from another plant, being careful not to touch its cut with your hands. Then a T-shaped incision is made on the rootstock, where this bud is inserted. This place is then covered with a bandage. Engraftment will occur within 3 weeks. The part of the shoot that is located above the bud is soon cut off (about 10 cm in height)
Grafting with cuttings carry out special . Cuttings should have young bark and several buds. They need to be cut at an angle. The bark of the rootstock is split lengthwise and the cut cutting is inserted. This place is then also rewound until the cutting is completely established.

It is better to purchase cuttings from a lemon that has already bear fruit. Then there will be fruits already 3 year.

Also, to speed up fruiting, lemon can be pollinate, transferring pollen artificially from one flower to another.

Propagation of lemon indoors

You can not only graft, but also propagate lemons vegetative way – cuttings.

The simplest of them is to take cuttings from an already fruit-bearing tree and plant them in a new pot.

To do this, a cut is made from an adult lemon under the lower bud near the cutting. The cutting itself should be more than 10 cm and have more 5 leaves.

Lower 2 sheets removed, the cut is powdered with charcoal and the branch is rooted deep into the sand 2 cm. You can plant a future seedling in a greenhouse, greenhouse, under a film, where the temperature reaches at least +20 °С.

They will appear in a month first roots. The rooted cutting now requires the same care as a regular young plant.

Pests and diseases of indoor lemon

One of the most common problems – yellowing of leaves.

This may happen:

From nitrogen deficiency(leaves turn pale green) phosphorus(dull, narrow, yellowish), potassium(the leaf is lighter in the center, and turns brown along the edge);
From a lack of microelements iron, sulfur, magnesium, zinc, excess calcium (chlorosis);
From lack or excess of light;
As a result of defeat phytopathogenic fungi (rust);
Due to pests: spider mite (yellow dots) and aphids(light sticky spots).

Another problem is young branches turn black. This can happen if the roots are affected, namely:

They're rotting;
dried up;
Frozen;
Mycorrhiza has died off;
Happened overfeeding with fertilizers.

Features of growing lemon from seeds at home, you can watch in this video: