How to grow fruit-bearing lemon at home from a seed, planting and care, disease control

Not every amateur florist knows how to grow a fruit-bearing lemon from a seed at home. In general, the procedure is simple, but in order for the plant to become not just a green decoration for the room, but also bear fruit, you need to know some secrets. You will need to be patient, since the tree will produce a harvest only after a few years. He will need to provide proper care and learn how to correctly form the crown, however, first things first.

Suitable variety for home or apartment

Is it possible to grow a full-fledged lemon tree from a seed in an apartment? If you follow certain rules and recommendations, it is very possible. Not all varieties and varieties are suitable for indoor cultivation. Therefore, before you decide grow lemon at home, you need to thoroughly study the theoretical material and recommendations of experienced florists.

Pavlovsky

In this variety, the tree grows up to 2 meters in height without proper shaping and pinching. The fruits reach a weight of half a kilogram and have a pleasant sweetish taste. The leaves of this lemon contain many aromatic substances, so it fills the entire room with a pleasant fragrance.

Meyer

This plant is a hybrid. It was obtained by crossing grapefruit and lemon. The tree is distinguished by its compact small dimensions, high yield, and enters a dormant period. The fruits grow weighing up to 150 grams, with a pleasant sweet and sour taste.

What do young seedlings look like?

Young shoots of a lemon tree are not much different from other citrus fruits. Inexperienced citrus growers are advised to grow several seedlings at once, so that if mistakes occur, there is a fallback option. It happens that several sprouts sprout from one seed. In this case, you just need to remove the weak ones and leave the strongest one.

Seed germination

To speed up the process of germination, some craftsmen recommend removing the top husk from the seeds. However, this operation must be carried out with extreme caution, because even minor damage to the lemon seed leads to the fact that it will not be possible to obtain shoots from it at all. Many people prefer to wait longer but avoid this process.

Preparing the pit

Before planting in the ground, the lemon seed must be wet. To do this, they are soaked overnight in warm water or a growth stimulator. You cannot sow seeds that have long been removed from the fruit. The number of seedlings increases significantly if the lemon seed is immediately thrown into warm water after extraction and then embedded in the prepared substrate.

It is unacceptable for the seeds to dry out between soaking and sending them to the nutrient soil mixture.

Planting substrate and pot size

To plant lemon seeds, choose a small pot with mandatory drainage holes. A drainage layer of expanded clay 2 cm thick is laid on the bottom. The following components are used to prepare the soil:

• humus;
• river sand;
• garden soil.

To prevent fungal diseases from developing in the soil mixture, it is advisable to add crushed charcoal. You can also use commercial soil mixture for growing lemons and other citrus plants, which can be purchased at any specialty store.

Disinfection and fertilization of soil

Before planting lemon seeds, they not only add wood ash to the ground, but also treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate. There are many more ways to kill pathogens of certain diseases in the soil. In particular, this could be:

• hardening of the earth in the cold;
• calcination of the soil in the oven;
• steaming in a water bath;
• use of special means and preparations.

At the initial stage of planting, no additional fertilizer is required for lemon. A properly prepared soil mixture contains all the necessary substances and microelements.

Seedling planting technology

Lemon seeds should be planted to a depth of no more than 2 cm. In this case, several seeds can be placed in one container at once. The first transplant is carried out when the seedlings have 3-4 true leaves, so until this time the seedlings will not interfere with each other. The pots are covered with cellophane and placed in a well-lit, warm place. Lemon will not germinate if the temperature of the ground and surrounding area is below +18 °C. At the same time, air humidity is maintained increased.

Germination time

The average time for lemon seedlings to emerge from the moment the seeds are planted is from 1 week to 1 month. During this entire time, the soil in the pot is sprayed with a spray bottle, and watering is carried out only if it is very dry.

Growing and care after planting

When growing lemon from a seed at home, the seedlings gradually begin to adapt to the surrounding climate. To do this, the greenhouse is opened slightly and ventilated. It would be correct to remove the film altogether when 3-4 true leaves appear on the sprouts. During this period, the plants are planted in separate containers. A young lemon must be skillfully cared for, otherwise all efforts to grow the tree will be reduced to zero.

Watering

The condition of the top layer of soil indicates that the lemon needs watering. It should not be allowed to dry out, which occurs especially quickly in a room with central heating.Particular responsibility must be taken when watering the plant during the active growing season, when buds begin to form.

Water the lemon mainly in the evening, using water heated to room temperature and settled.

Irrigation is carried out until excess liquid begins to flow out of the lower holes of the pot. It is immediately removed. If the air in the room is very dry, then you need to spray the crown of a young lemon with a spray bottle.

Temperature

It can be difficult to maintain the temperature in an apartment at the same level. However, it should be remembered that the lemon tree reacts very painfully to sudden changes in temperature. During the growing season, daytime temperatures are maintained at +20 – 24 °C, and during the dormant period (winter) - about +10 °C.

Top dressing

If you follow the rules of agricultural technology in the first period of its life, homemade lemon does not need additional feeding. However, at the first sign of a deficiency of mineral fertilizers or other components, you should immediately fertilize the soil. For this purpose, both organic and mineral preparations are used. Most often, saltpeter is used with the addition of potassium salt. To avoid phosphorus deficiency, it is advisable to add superphosphate to the soil. We must remember that this fertilizer tends to dissolve for a very long time.

The only organic matter used for growing lemons is mullein and chicken manure, previously dissolved in water.

Cupping

If you don't do it on time crown formation of a lemon tree, then it will never bear fruit. As soon as the seedling grows to 20 cm in height (usually this happens at the age of one year), it is pruned. This is done before the tree leaves the dormant period and begins to grow. Be sure to pinch off the top of the lemon.Shoots are pruned only to the 4th order. All branches that contribute to thickening of the crown must be removed immediately.

Will an indoor lemon tree produce fruit?

Not every variety of indoor lemon can bear fruit without additional measures. Some of them are not capable of self-pollination, so you will have to work hard during flowering to manually pollinate each flower. Without grafting, the harvest will have to wait longer, so experienced florists recommend that grafting be carried out in the first year of the lemon tree’s life.

Methods of grafting a tree

A lemon seedling can be grafted in several ways. The choice of a specific one depends on practical skills, knowledge and preferences of the grower.

Grafting into the cleft

To use this technique, the lemon rootstock must be cut at a height of 10 cm from the surface of the ground and split in the center to a depth of 3 cm. The scion containing 4 buds is inserted into the split. It is advisable to give it a wedge-shaped shape by cutting the edge obliquely with a sharp knife.

The place where the lemon is grafted is wrapped in cellophane or electrical tape, and also treated with garden varnish.

Budding

Budding is considered one of the simplest methods of plant grafting. The timing of the work stretches from mid-spring until the very end of summer. At this time, the plant has an active process of sap flow. In order to graft a lemon in this way, you need to select a shoot with a bud, and then use a sharp knife to make one horizontal cut on it 1 cm above the bud, and a second one 1.5 cm below.

To implant the cutting, it is necessary to make a T-shaped cut on the bark of the future rootstock.The lemon bark in this place is slightly bent, and the finished scion is inserted into the resulting crevice. The scion site is wrapped with electrical tape in such a way that the bud remains open. The surface is treated with garden varnish. For grafting lemon by budding method It is better to choose a cloudy day.

Main problems when growing

Lemons have certain difficulties in growing. Like other indoor flowers, they can be affected by various diseases and be negatively affected by pests.

Lemons die or grow poorly

There may be several reasons causing such problems. Firstly, unscrupulous sellers often give a gullible buyer a plant that was grown in the southern countries in open ground. Such a lemon tree is not able to acclimatize to apartment conditions and is doomed to death.

Secondly, beginning citrus growers often make the mistake of choosing a pot size that is too large for the plant. They assume that in this way they will get rid of lemon from unnecessary transplants. However, the roots of the plant soon begin to rot and its growth stops.

The shoots turn yellow and dry out

The cause of yellowing lemon leaves and drying out shoots can be the gardener's mistakes. If there is a narrow window sill, some of them decide to move the plant deeper into the room. As a result, the tree lacks light, sheds its leaves, and begins to wither. A pot of lemon should be insulated, since in winter the pot gets supercooled from the window, and warm air flows from the radiator to the crown. Due to such a temperature difference, the plant loses its attractive appearance, its leaves turn yellow and fall off.

Plant diseases and pests

Lemons can be susceptible to viral diseases, as a result of which they not only lose their decorative qualities, but may even die. Such diseases include:

• sheet mosaic;
• citrus canker;
• tristeza;
• homoz;
• anthracnose;
• scab;
• root rot.

It is possible that lemons may be damaged by pests, the most common of which are:

• scale insect;
• common aphid;
• spider mite;
• root aphid.

In order not to destroy the plant, preventive measures should be carried out in time. When the first signs of lemon damage are detected, it is necessary to treat with insecticidal preparations or other special-purpose products.