Tips for lemon tree

[Lilley1]

I have decided to plant my first fruit tree, the lemon tree. I want my kids to see how rewarding it can be to plant a fruit tree, watch it grow and pick off the fruit when ripe. I chose lemon because they have several health benefits from flavoring food, detoxifying body and home-made beauty products.

I live on the east coast of Florida so our weather is sub-tropical. My back yard faces the west and has full sun light. Do you have any tips to share for growing the best lemons?

 

[jennywrenwrites]

I would love to have a lemon tree or an avocado tree! YUM! I have no tips for growing a lemon tree, only envy!

 

[ChanellG]

I have decided to plant my first fruit tree, the lemon tree. I want my kids to see how rewarding it can be to plant a fruit tree, watch it grow and pick off the fruit when ripe. I chose lemon because they have several health benefits from flavoring food, detoxifying body and home-made beauty products.

I live on the east coast of Florida so our weather is sub-tropical. My back yard faces the west and has full sun light. Do you have any tips to share for growing the best lemons?

I am on my first lemon tree as well. It's still quite small (maybe a foot tall) and was a gift from a friend. My friend said it will take about 2 years to produce fruit so in the meantime I am just watering regularly and feeding it periodically, hoping for the best. My mom has a larger lemon bush and doesn't seem to do very much to it.

This is actually my second fruit producer - I have a blueberry bush. I've been giving it and my other plants coffee grinds or diluted coffee or banana water (soak peels for 2 weeks) and it's worked for the blueberry plant. I went from keeping it alive and producing 5 berries the first year to a bush full (the flowers just dropped off) this year.

You may want to consult the Florida citrus council; I'll bet there's a web site with tips.

 

[Lilley1]

Great tips Chanell!!

I have no problem saving coffee grinds since I cannot go a day without coffee. I have heard that banana peels are exceptional for fertilizing roses too.

Thanks so much for the help!

 

[ChanellG]

You're welcome! Keep me posted on your progress! I may have to come to you for tips next year when my plant starts flowering My mom's lime "tree" has one fruit on it already and everything else is either flowering or budding. It's so exciting to watch!

I am thinking of getting a Japanese plum; we had one when I was a kid, that is my grandparents did, but my grandfather got tired of people jumping the fence so he cut it down. My neighborhood has a couple of community gardens, but I don't think either of them have fruit trees. Will have to look into that.

 

[Lilley1]

A few people in our town wanted to start a community garden. Unfortunately, no one has yet. I would love to have the time and talent to start one. They can really help people come together. What great therapy too! You should donate a fruit tree to your community.

 

[Djbrat]

I have a lemon tree in my front yard. It was already there when my husband and I moved in. We painted the trunk white with paint especially formulated for the tree. Hopefully it will produce juicy lemons this year, because last year the lemons were dry. I don't really have any tips to share other than protect the trunk of your lemon tree with specially formulated paint like I did.

 

[ChanellG]

I don't really have any tips to share other than protect the trunk of your lemon tree with specially formulated paint like I did.

Why did you paint it?

It would seem to me if your fruit was too dry the tree probably wasn't getting enough water. My Meyer lemon tree is still too young to produce fruit so I have at least one more year to read up and study all the tips for growing and encouraging fruit production. One thing I already know is that flowering and fruiting plants need potassium - just like humans get dehydrated, it's possible your lemons were also.

 

[Djbrat]

Hi ChanellG, we painted the trunk of our lemon tree white to help protect the bark from the sun's rays. I know it might sound silly and that is what I first thought, but the protective layer of paint helps to keep it from sun damage. I hope this answers your question.

Yes, and I do think you are right about the tree not getting enough water and being dehydrated. So, this year we have been making sure it gets plenty of water so the lemons will be juicy and healthy.

 

[ChanellG]

Yes, Djbrat, that does answer my question. I'm not sure I would want to paint my lemon bush, but I might be willing to wrap something around it if it became necessary. It must get really hot where you live. I would think the tree's leaves and branches would shade it enough from even harsh sun.

 

[Djbrat]

I can understand why you wouldn't want to paint your lemon bush. I live in Arizona, so it can get really hot here. I have a few friends that have painted the trunks of their lemon trees and they said they saw a huge difference in the quality of their lemons after doing so. I hope it works for us too.

 

[ChanellG]

I guess I am going to have to look into it. My bush is barely a foot tall so I've quite a while before I have to worry about stuff like that. I wonder if shade cloth wouldn't provide the same kind of protection... I actually have some while fabric from a tent that got destroyed recently that I was thinking of using in the garden.

 

[Khan]

I think painting trunck is blocking the pores and sunlight is necessary for the tree.It should not be painted.

 

[happyflowerlady]

I have two baby lemon trees that just sprouted from lemon seeds that I planted this spring. I live in north Alabama, so I think it will get too cold for them to be outside this winter. I am going to grow in a pot and keep it outside until it starts to get chilly this fall, and then bring them inside. I had no idea that I could have lemons as soon as two years, that is awesome ! I am thinking that if I can keep it pruned down enough to bring inside, that there is no reason that I can't raise it, and maybe even have lemons. If anyone else has done this, I would love to hear about how it worked and what you did to grow them and get lemons.

 

[Marissa]

I'm growing mine from seed— just sucked the skin off and planted them about five weeks ago. In a large coffee mug with pea gravel at the base, plain potting soil made moist and wrapped with Saran Wrap that I cut a slit in. Out of four or five seeds I'm seeing two so far, hopefully more to pop up! I found a few articles really helpful, I'll re-find them and post the links.