How do you grow a potted lemon tree so it thrives, and how many years until it bears fruit?
The lemon tree is a fruit with an extremely sour taste, generally used to make seasonings, cosmetics, medicine and so on, and it has high economic value. The lemon tree is commonly found in the regions south of the Yangtze River in China, and it has relatively high requirements for growing temperature. Let's take a look below at how to grow a potted lemon tree so it thrives, and how many years it generally takes before it bears fruit.
1. How do you grow a potted lemon tree so it thrives?
1. Light and temperature
Lemon is a light-loving plant, yet if the sunlight is too intense, its growth and development will be poor. Generally at noon the plant needs to be moved to a suitable growing environment; the annual average temperature for suitable growth is above 15°C, the optimal growing temperature is 23°C to 29°C, growth stops above 35°C, and at -2°C it suffers freezing damage. In summer, lemons generally do not need cooling; move them indoors before Frost's Descent and outdoors after Qingming, and they can overwinter safely. At noon in midsummer, the potted lemon should be moved to a mild environment suitable for growth. The most suitable growing temperature is 20*C~30C. Lemon likes fertilizer; during the vigorous spring growth period of branches and leaves, apply more nitrogen fertilizer to promote more spring shoots, and at the same time pinch off the growing tips in time. You can also apply some decomposed cake fertilizer water to enhance the plant's fertility and prompt the branches to mature early. After the beginning of autumn, reduce fertilization to avoid the branches and leaves being too luxuriant and sprouting autumn shoots, which would compete with the fruit for nutrients.
2. Reasonable fertilization
Lemon likes fertilizer relatively much. Besides applying enough base fertilizer when potting and repotting, during the growing period you should stick to the principle of frequent application of dilute fertilizer. The number of fertilizer applications and the amount applied must be determined according to the growth condition and phenological period. Apply a decomposed liquid fertilizer once before the plant sprouts, and afterward apply a nitrogen-based liquid fertilizer once every 7~10 days to promote more branches and leaves and more spring shoots. After each pinching, fertilize in time to prompt the branches to mature early. During the lemon's growing period, you can scatter some cake fertilizer on the surface of the pot so that every watering carries some fertilizer into the soil, enhancing fertility. After the beginning of autumn, reduce fertilization to avoid excessive nutrients in the plant, which would promote autumn shoots, compete with the fruit for nutrients and cause fruit drop.
3. Watering
During growth and development, lemon needs relatively more water, but too much water easily causes root rot. You can place the potted lemon in a wind-sheltered environment and keep the pot soil moist. Apart from watering less during the lemon's flowering time, during the lemon's vegetative growth period, fruiting period and swelling period, the amount of watering must be decided according to whether the lemon's growth is weak or strong. Watering can neither be too little nor too much. Both drought and waterlogging can cause the lemon to drop fruit. In summer, the light is strong and the temperature is high, so more water is needed. But it must be timely and appropriate, otherwise it will cause fruit drop. Autumn is the period when autumn shoots grow and the fruit rapidly swells, so there must be sufficient water. Late autumn and winter are the flower bud differentiation period, so the pot soil should be on the dry side.
4. Pruning
If you want the lemon to bloom and bear fruit more, timely pruning is indispensable. Before the spring shoots sprout, cut off diseased and pest-damaged branches, crossing branches, inward-growing branches and newly sprouted branches; for strong branches prune lightly, leaving 4 or 5 plump buds; for weak branches prune heavily, leaving 2 or 3 buds, to prompt each branch to produce more robust spring shoots. After the spring shoots have grown in fully, to control their excessive growth, you can cut off the 3rd or 4th node of the shoot tips. When the new shoots that grow later have 6~8 nodes, pinch off the growing tips to promote more summer shoots.
5. Repotting
Because a potted lemon has little pot soil, the nutrient supply is very limited; after many years the soil fertility becomes deficient, and the lemon will weaken year by year, blooming little and bearing little fruit. To keep the lemon blooming and fruiting year after year, it must be repotted. The most suitable time for repotting is half a month before the lemon sprouts.
6. Pests and diseases
Lemon has strong disease resistance, especially in the north, where potted plants rarely have pests and diseases; you can prepare some insecticides and acaricides as a preventive measure.
2. How many years does a lemon tree generally take before it bears fruit?
After planting, lemon begins to bear fruit in the 3rd year, and after 5 years it reaches commercial fruit quality. The flowering period is April-May, and the fruiting period is September-November. If a potted lemon is not managed properly, it often only blooms but does not bear fruit or bears little fruit, or even does not bloom at all. To make a potted lemon bloom and bear fruit year after year, scientific management must be carried out in aspects such as water, fertilizer and pruning, so as to achieve the goal of abundant fruit.