Indoor lemon is a perennial evergreen plant that is grown at home as an ornamental and fruit-bearing crop. Compared to other indoor plants, it has a number of advantages: it releases useful essential oils, perfectly purifies indoor air and produces fragrant fruits.
But it must be admitted that growing a full-fledged lemon that gives a generous harvest is not at all easy, since for this you need to know about the main biological features of the crop. Consider how to care for a homemade lemon so that the plant develops fully and bears fruit steadily.
Features of indoor lemon
A lemon tree at home reaches a height of 1.5 m, but there are dwarf varieties that grow up to 80-100 cm and formbush. The plant is distinguished by large prickly shoots. The tops of young branches are purplish-violet.
The leaves are large, oblong, oval in shape with small teeth along the edges. They contain a large amount of essential oil. Breaking the edge, you can feel a pleasant lemon aroma.
The plant is evergreen, so the foliage is replaced gradually. The life span of one leaf is 2-3 years. For abundant fruiting, it is important that a sufficient number of leaves are present on the tree, at least 20 pieces.
Flowers on the plant are bisexual, arranged mainly in bunches. The fruits are tied regardless of the fact of pollination. The diameter of the flowers is 4-5 cm. They have a persistent exquisite aroma. Buds ripen within 4-5 weeks, flowering lasts 40-50 days. One plant can have buds, flowers and fruits at the same time.
The period from the moment of ovary to the beginning of fruit ripening is 230 days during spring flowering, in summer its duration is reduced to 180-200 days.
When an indoor lemon blooms in the first year after grafting, it is recommended to remove the buds, since all the forces of the plant will be spent on them to the detriment of the development of the plant.
Subsequently, indoor lemon itself regulates the optimal number of buds, simply discards the extra ones.
The number of leaves and fruits are interconnected. For the full ripening of one lemon, 9-10 leaves are needed. And the more foliage ontree, the more fruit can be harvested. It is important to know how to properly care for homemade lemon throughout the year so that the plant can grow green mass in the warm season and keep it in winter.
The fruits of a room lemon can be large (up to 0.5 kg) with a thick peel and small (100-120 g) with a thin skin, depending on the variety chosen. When ripe, they do not fall off and continue to hold firmly on the branches.
If they are not removed, they continue to grow, but the taste deteriorates, the peel becomes thicker, the color gradually changes from yellow to green again. Therefore, it is recommended to remove them in a timely manner, which will allow the plant to quickly recover and prepare for a new stage of fruiting.
Rules of care
In order for the plant to fully develop and bear fruit regularly, you need to know how to care for homemade lemon in summer and winter. Compliance with the basic requirements guarantees a stable harvest every year.
When growing, it is important to understand that indoor lemon is not a familiar houseplant, its growth phases are closely related to the periods of the year. In accordance with this, the conditions of detention should be adjusted.
Indoor lemon blooms and grows periodically, during the year 4 active phases can be distinguished. It is not worth counting on the fact that the plant will constantly form new leaves and shoots. Therefore, it is important to provide full-fledged conditions for the maximum growth of foliage during these periods and to ensure a good rest in winter so that the leaves do not completely fall off before the new growing season.period.
Knowing how to care for a lemon in winter and during the warm period, you can achieve the desired results. It's not difficult at all. You just need to familiarize yourself with the basic rules for caring for this unusual houseplant.
How to care for a homemade lemon: lighting features
Room lemon is recommended to be placed on the southeast or east side. In this case, direct sunlight should be avoided. The plant should be shaded during the period of active sun, as this can provoke overheating of the roots in the pot and the appearance of burns on the foliage.
And how to care for a homemade lemon in winter, when daylight hours become short? During this period of the year, the plant is in a dormant stage, but backlighting in the evening is necessary to maintain vitality. A fluorescent lamp should be used, placing it 60-80 cm above the plant. You need to turn it on for 4-5 hours so that the daylight hours are 10 hours.
Over time, all the leaves of the plant turn towards the light source. And so that the lemon does not grow one-sided, it is recommended to turn it occasionally. This should be done gradually, since the plant is very sensitive to changes in lighting and location, such rearrangements lead to a slowdown in the growth of shoots and leaves. After adaptation, the plant resumes active growth.
Water and air humidity
Watering indoor lemon is moderate as the topsoil dries, avoiding drying and waterlogging. Need waterdefend, before watering it is recommended to heat it up to a temperature of 30-35 degrees.
Irrigation in summer should be carried out 2 times a week, and in winter 1 time in 7-10 days, depending on the rate of moisture evaporation.
There is one secret: if you can mold a lump from the top layer of soil that holds its shape, then it’s too early to water, if the soil crumbles, then it’s time.
After irrigation, the water in the tray should remain for 1-1.5 hours to absorb. Then the leftovers should be poured out.
High humidity is also important. But how to care for a homemade lemon if the heaters work in winter? To fix this, you need to spray the leaves with warm water once every 5 days. In addition, additional water containers should be placed next to the pot, which will increase the evaporation area and prevent leaf shedding.
Containment temperature
To grow a full-fledged tree that bears fruit, you need to know how to care for a house plant. Lemon needs the optimum temperature of maintenance, depending on the period of the year.
The temperature regime from the end of February to the beginning of September should be at least 18 degrees. During flowering and fruit ripening, this figure should be increased to 21-22 degrees.
Lemon will respond to an increased temperature (27-29 degrees) by slowing down growth. But at the same time it is necessary to provide high humidity. Otherwise, the leaves will begin to curl as a result of excessive water evaporation.
From the beginning of October to the end of January, the plant needs rest. It is important that induring this period, the temperature of the content was not lower than 5 degrees and not higher than 10-12. This will allow indoor lemon to fully relax and recover.
Warm wintering negatively affects the immunity of the plant. As a result, the susceptibility of lemon to diseases and pests increases.
Feeding
The next important point is the fruit-bearing lemon. How to care for the plant so that it can fully develop? To do this, you need to feed regularly.
You can buy mineral fertilizers in specialized stores. During the period of active growth of shoots and foliage, preparations with a high content of nitrogen should be chosen, and during the formation of buds and flowering - with a high concentration of phosphorus and potassium.
Opponents of chemicals can use the following types of biological fertilizers:
- Infusion of manure. 100 g of the component per 2 liters of water, leave for 10 days.
- Wood ash extraction. Pour 50 g of ash into 12 liters of boiling water, leave the solution for 24 hours.
- Fish broth. 100 g of fish pour 1 liter of water, cook for 1 hour. Infuse the solution for 3 hours, clean and use to water the lemon.
- Eggshell. Infuse the shell of 2-3 eggs in 1 liter of water for 12 hours.
Feeding is recommended at intervals of 1 time in 7 days in summer and 1 time in 20 days in winter.
The nutrient solution should be added to the water for irrigation at the rate of 30 ml per 1 liter.
Cutting
How to care for indoor lemon so that the crown of the tree has the correct shape?To do this, it is necessary to carry out the formation of shoots, before the start of an active growth period.
In a one-year-old lemon, the central shoot should be shortened at a height of 30 cm, and the tops of the side pinch off. This stimulates the growth of a lush crown.
Subsequently, the tree should be cleaned annually from thickening, damaged and old branches. And shorten the side shoots, leaving 3-4 leaves on each.
Knowing how to care for a homemade lemon in a pot, you can grow a strong fruit-bearing plant without much difficulty.
Transfer
Indoor lemon does not need an annual transplant. It is enough to regularly change the top layer 2-3 cm deep to a new nutrient substrate.
A full-fledged transplant of a plant as it grows should be carried out 1 time in 3-4 years by the method of transshipment, without violating the integrity of the earthen coma, but only filling the resulting voids in the pot.
To prepare an earthen mixture, mix the following ingredients:
- 2 pieces of soddy soil;
- 1 piece of leaf land;
- 1 part humus;
- 0, 5 part of river sand;
- 1 part coconut fiber;
- 1 part perlite.
Conclusions
Information on how to care for homemade lemon will help you get a generous harvest of fruit without much hassle. But it should be understood that care for the plant should be regular, any oversight in care leads to the loss of leaves, which are so important for its growth and development.
Clearfollowing the above recommendations will help to avoid critical errors.
