Growing a lemon tree at home doesn't seem like a difficult task. It is easy to get a sprout from a seed after a few weeks of germination. But how to continue to grow a he althy tree, take care of it and how to feed a lemon at home for fruiting? These plants are sensitive to any actions and changes around them. To get a bountiful harvest, you need to feed your home tree correctly and on time.
Which variety to choose for your home
Before choosing a variety, you need to decide how the bush should eventually grow. If preference is given to small bushes, then you should look at the varieties:
- Miner.
- Meyer.
- Eureka.
- Lunario.
These species are adapted for planting in the house. Such varieties grow with low trees, mostly up to 1.5 m, havefairly high yield. A common variety is Miner. How to feed a lemon in a pot at home? A tree in a flowerpot is unpretentious in its care and easily takes root in the house. Its fruits are less acidic, but the bush itself does not stand out in terms of productivity among other varieties. It creates more comfort in the house.
If preference is given to tall trees that will delight you with a large harvest, then you should look at the varieties:
- Kursky.
- Novokuznetsky.
- Ponderosa.
You will have to take more care of the trees. They require frequent pruning of branches, tying fruits. Due to the large number of crops, you need to know how and what to feed a lemon at home and how many times a year to do it right.
Lemon environment
Keeping a lemon in the house is not an easy task. Finding comfortable housing for a tree is almost impossible, so it is necessary to create an environment in which it will grow and bear fruit.
- Lighting. When choosing a place for a pot, it is better to give preference to the southeast side. If the windows do not go there, then you will have to adapt to the situation. In the northern part, there will be a shortage of sunlight for the lemon, you will have to lengthen the day using lamps. And on the south side for the lemon there will be an excess of lighting. At lunchtime, it is advisable to shade it so that the sun does not leave burns on the leaves.
- Room temperature. During the formationbuds, it is desirable to maintain about 16 degrees of heat in the room. A higher temperature causes the buds to dry out, and a lower temperature slows down their formation or stops the process altogether. During dormancy, the bush has enough 26 degrees.
- Fresh air. In summer, the pots can be moved to the balcony. In winter, ventilate the rooms in which the lemons are located, while the pots themselves must be removed from the room. Sudden temperature fluctuations and drafts are not allowed, this may adversely affect its condition.
- Humidity. Lemon refers to plants that love a damp environment around, the ideal comfortable level is 60% humidity. Watering in the summer is recommended to be carried out with warm settled water 2-3 times a week. In winter, it is better to reduce watering to 1 time, but at the same time spray the leaves more often.
Substances necessary for active development of lemon
To increase the size and yield of a lemon, the balance of the elements it receives is maintained. The main substance for the formation of strong and he althy fruits on a tree is nitrogen. When feeding your pet, you must remember that the nitrogen dosage is increased by 2 times in relation to other necessary substances, such as:
- potassium;
- calcium;
- phosphorus;
- magnesium.
Signs of lack of useful elements
Sometimes there is such a situation when all the climatic conditions seem to be met, fertilizers are applied to the soil on time, and the bush begins to wither. In order not to experimentlemon - do not transplant into new soil or replace the usual complementary foods - you need to carefully consider all the changes, because each sign indicates a lack of a certain element:
- The lack of the main substance nitrogen, necessary for lemon, causes a decrease in young sprouts. And the leaves of the tree are turning yellow. How to feed a lemon at home to remedy the situation? The answer to this question is very important, because untimely application of top dressing can provoke the development of chlorosis.
- If a lemon turns dull in color, bears little fruit and tastes bitter-sour and uneven in shape, this indicates a phosphorus deficiency.
- Lack of potassium can stop the growth of a tree. New shoots die, the leaves curl up and change color. If the tree was in the process of fruiting, then its fruits do not ripen to the end, they remain sour. And the leaves fall abundantly, leaving an empty crown.
- Fruits on a lemon do not grow to normal size and do not ripen, the leaves become smaller and stained. This indicates deficiencies in zinc.
- Leaves turn yellow? How to feed a lemon at home, if this happened? To solve this problem, fertilizers with a high iron content are added.
- Brightly prominent veins followed by the appearance of dead areas on the sheet indicate the presence of a lack of manganese.
- If leaves turn pale yellow with no veining, sulfur deficiency.
- In situations where the leaves are tucked down, it isfeed calcium.
- If the leaves become lighter in color, there may be a lack of copper.
With a timely response to changes in the state of the bush, you can influence the speedy recovery and prevent the death of the lemon. However, if you carefully and accurately follow the rules for care, such problems should not arise at all.
Fertilizers
How to feed a lemon at home and is it difficult to do? Even beginner citrus growers should not have many fears that they have to do something difficult. There is a large selection of various fertilizers in stores. But they are all divided into main types: mineral and organic. They are often used interchangeably. Each of the species is able to fill the soil with the necessary nutrients.
Mineral fertilizer
Using it for top dressing, the tree will receive a full range of useful substances. How to feed a lemon at home:
- Ammonium nitrate. It contains a large amount of nitrogen, which is necessary for the full development of the lemon.
- Superphosphate. These are granules that act on the soil gradually. They are evenly distributed in the soil on top of the need to pour warm water.
- Complex fertilizers. They contain all the necessary set of elements. Use better certified citrus trees.
Organic nutrition
Organics are positively perceivedlemon, but when using it, you need to know the measure. Excess fertilizer can harm the development of the tree. Recommended use:
- Mullein. To prepare the right complementary foods, fresh mullein is diluted with water, the liquid is infused for 2 weeks. For irrigation, a proportion of fertilizer with water is used in a ratio of 1:10.
- Bird droppings. To prepare the solution, 1 kg of wet manure and 10 liters of water are taken. If it is in dry form, then it is used for 10 liters - 0.5 kg. It is recommended to apply the solution immediately after preparation. Over time, useful properties are lost.
What is useful succinic acid
Succinic acid has very useful properties. Feeding lemon at home with something else to improve he alth and immunity is no longer necessary.
It is bred in water. For indoor plants, it is recommended to use it no more than once a month. Thanks to its beneficial properties, it helps the bush to absorb all the necessary useful elements contained in the soil. It also causes faster growth and more yield.
There are several ways to fertilize a lemon:
- Water the soil.
- Spray the tree.
- Soak seedlings before planting.
Feeding lemon at the time of active growth
This period falls on January-August. How to feed a lemon at home during the growth period? At this point, he needs fertilizer with a high level of nitrogen.
Organic fertilizers are used (horse,cow or chicken manure) or mineral (urea or complex). However, it is worth remembering that you must use one of the species so as not to burn the plant.
And how to feed a lemon at home in early spring? This can be done by alternating the fertilizers described one after the other. The interval between top dressing is 10-14 days: organics are introduced, then mineral and again organics. The course is repeated after a while. However, during the flowering period of the tree, fertilizing with fertilizers with a high nitrogen content is stopped.
What is the difference between feeding a lemon at home during the fruiting period from the rest of the time? The fact that the lemon needs to get more phosphorus and potassium, for the full formation of strong and he althy fruits. You can return to nitrogen nutrition when the fruit reaches 15-18 mm.
Feeding lemon before dormancy
After active growth and development of fruits, the tree needs to prepare for the dormant stage, strengthen new shoots and its immunity. How and how to feed a lemon at home at this time? The main complementary foods needed from August to September are potassium and phosphorus. Nitrogen also remains an essential nutrient for wood, but in smaller amounts.
Flower growers are advised to use superphosphate as a fertilizer. To achieve the most beneficial result, it is necessary to fertilize the lemon in several ways:
- Water with diluted fertilizer and water.
- Spray the tree.
Experienced gardeners advise which way is betterprocess and how to feed a lemon with yellowing leaves at home. To do this, you need a fertilizer containing iron. It is necessary to dilute it according to the instructions and sprinkle the lemon crown. This method of bait will allow citrus to develop more actively and the process of assimilation of nutrients will proceed fully.
How to feed a lemon in winter
If a lemon is in a cool room in winter, then it hibernates. At temperatures up to 14 degrees, he does not need additional food before the onset of heat.
The question often arises of how to feed a lemon at home in winter if it grows at a temperature of 18-22 degrees. In such conditions, he needs complementary foods, only several times less. You can use ready-made fertilizers for citrus fruits 1 time in 1.5 months.
Caring for a lemon is no easy task. It requires attention throughout the year. It needs not only to be fed, but also to follow simple rules of keeping. If you correctly combine lemon care and fertilize on time, you can get a beautiful, he althy tree at home. It will be pleasant to harvest a large harvest from it. In winter, you can enjoy hot tea with a lemon grown on your tree.
