When planted indoors, lemon trees usually bear fruit after 2-3 years. Sometimes you will get a tree that will not grow lemon eventually, but this does not mean that the tree itself is a lemon. It can be said that it is still a pleasant and beneficial experience to look after a lemon plant without fruit.
You just need a healthy, juicy lemon (more specifically, its seed) to start. If possible, choose an organic lemon or a lemon that has not been treated with pesticides.
Carefully remove the seeds from the cut lemon, they must be intact when planting. I take them out of the fruit with my fingers, and then rinse them with cold water. Because the residual sugar will lead to the growth of fungi, which will lead to seed decay, you want to remove any remaining pulp.
A lemon seed Lemon seeds are extracted from fresh organic lemons.
Seed germination of lemon tree Unlike some seeds that need to germinate in paper towels or water, lemon seeds should be planted immediately after washing.
Try not to let them dry, they should still be wet when planted.
Use pasteurized soil mixture to plant wet lemon seeds in a small tank with drainage holes (pasteurization is important because it improves the possibility of no problem in the growth of lemon seeds).
In this process, you can plant several seeds in one pot. Seeds only need to be planted 1/2 inch deep to reproduce successfully. The soil should be lightly moistened with water. The container should be covered with a preservative film to keep the growth environment moist.
Growing lemon seeds need to be kept in a warm environment at the beginning of germination, about 70 ° F. If your house is cold, the top of the refrigerator is a good place to store pots.
Depending on the seed and growth conditions, you should see growth within 1 to 3 weeks.
Once you notice that the seedlings prick out of the soil, remove the plastic wrap and place the flowerpot in a warm and bright place. When the seedlings have grown several leaves, it is time to transplant them into larger pots.
Using the same pasteurized soil mixture as before, carefully move the seeds into a container 4 to 6 inches in diameter.As the trees grow, replant them in a larger container to match their size, and trim the plants well in spring.
As the trees grow, replant them in a larger container to match their size, and trim the plants well in spring.
Lemon tree care
The sprouted seedlings shall be placed in a place that can receive at least 6 hours of sunlight during the day, and the temperature shall be between 60 ° F and 70 ° F.
When the top 2 to 3 inches feel dry, keep the soil moist by watering, you can test this by putting your finger directly into the soil and feeling wet. Like other plants, when lemon trees need water, their leaves begin to droop.
Unless you live in a really cold climate, take your lemon tree outside when warm weather comes. Even if it lasts only a few months, steady direct sunlight will make your tree bear fruit eventually.
When you see a frost warning in your area, it's time to take your lemon tree indoors for winter.
The best fertilizer for indoor lemon trees
Feed the lemon tree with water-soluble fertilizer rich in nitrogen and potassium every two to four weeks to ensure that the surrounding soil remains moist (but not over-watered or wet), which can keep the lemon tree happy in warm months.
A common mistake is to fertilize lemon trees when they are indoors in winter. People panicked when they saw fallen leaves on the trees. They began to water more and add fertilizer, which was just the opposite of what the trees needed.
If the trees begin to shed leaves indoors in winter, reduce watering, stop fertilizing and let the trees leave.
