Bathroom renovation portal. Useful Tips

How to grow a lemon from a seed at home? Indoor seed lemon: growing secrets.

Instructions

Fill small cups or pots with a drainage hole at the bottom with loose fertile soil and sow the selected seeds into them to a depth of 1-2 cm. The seeds are needed immediately after they are removed from the fruit. Sow ten or a little more seeds at once, so that later you will be able to choose the strongest and strongest plants. Seedlings should appear in 2-3 weeks.

After 3-5 months, when the seedlings grow up, carefully transplant them into a more spacious container, trying not to disturb the earthen lump when transplanting.

Add a little vermicompost to the soil mixture to accelerate the development of plants.

Rotate the lemon sapling pots from time to time, about a quarter of a turn, so that the plant gets even sunlight.

Do not allow the development of a seedling in the form of a single stem, it is imperative to cause lateral branching, for which you need to carefully split the top of the newly growing shoots with a nail or tweezers. Also, as the lemon tree grows, do not let the branches inside the crown, and its crown does not thicken.

In order for the tree to begin bearing fruit, pull the trunk and a couple of the main branches of the plant at the very base, with copper wire, until it is lightly pressed into the bark of the plant. This technique will cause an influx and deformation, as a result, the plant produces substances that stimulate the appearance of buds. After 6-12 months, carefully remove the ring, process the barrel garden pitch and wrap with a strip of elastic polyethylene until the damage heals.

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Helpful advice

When selecting seedlings, choose plants that initially have a stocky crown, such a plant has a tendency to bush. It is important that the plant has a lot of rarely falling leaves.
Discard plants with many short needles and slender shoots.

Sources:

  • how to grow a lemon from a seed

Tip 2: How to grow a lemon at home from a seed

Lemon the tree is able to delight with its green crown all year round. And the availability of seeds from purchased lemons gives everyone a chance to try to grow this citrus plant on their windowsill. A seedling of a lemon grown from a seed is more viable than one grown from a cuttings, but it is capable of producing fragrant fruits only after many years. If you have a desire for a tree to bloom, and lemons ripen on it, then he needs to be vaccinated against a fruiting plant.

You will need

  • - lemon seeds
  • - flower pot
  • - drainage
  • - land for planting with sand
  • - a stalk from a fruiting lemon.

Instructions

Plant a cutting from a fruiting lemon. The tree is grafted when the trunk is as thick as a pencil. You need a piece of a twig with a bud, which you insert into the T-shaped incision on your plant. The incision is made at a height of 10 cm from the pot. Cover the joint with a film so that no water gets in. The kidney must remain in the air. If after two weeks the kidney turned green, then it was a success. Then prune the plant above the new bud.

Provide a lemon tree wet air and the soil, a cool place, but no drafts. Then you will receive flowers and fruits from a well-groomed tree.

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note

If your lemon is already an adult and not yet grafted, and you decide to rush things and get a harvest from it, then graft a cutting from a fruiting tree onto some twig of the same thickness.

Lemons do not tolerate chlorine; water for irrigation must be well defended.

Helpful advice

For good development the crown of the tree must be turned towards the light with different sides. But only a little bit, so that the lemon makes a full turn on its axis within a year, otherwise, with a sharp turn, the plant may shed its leaves.

Floriculture and cultivation of indoor plants is a fascinating hobby that attracts everyone more people both women and men. Often, seeds are left from the eaten fruit, which are almost always thrown away. Moreover, if you know the rules for planting seeds and growing plants, you can grow a house tree from many seeds, since some of them take root quite well at home. Most often, a lemon tree is grown at home, and in this article we will show you how to do it.

Instructions

It is better to plant 10 - 15 seeds at the same time, so that later (potentially early-growing) plants. The bones must be placed in loose soil by 1 - 2 cm.
When the lemons sprout, they must be carefully transferred into a large container, keeping the lump completely. Thus it is possible to add vermicompost - compost, "made" by earthworms to the soil mixture.

A healthy lemon tree should have at least ten leaves. So that the plants do not lose their foliage, they first need to be annually, then - once every three years. The size of the planting container should be gradually increased.

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note

Seed lemons grow more hardy and adaptable to home conditions than store plants. They can do without perfect lighting and optimum humidity air.

Helpful advice

At good care large trees grow from seeds, but fruits appear on them only after 7 years. To get fruits in 3-4 years, it is necessary to vaccinate or cut the plant.

Sources:

  • how to grow a lemon seed

On cold damp evenings, it is pleasant to drink tea with lemon especially if this lemon is grown with my own hands... This plant bears fruit perfectly at home, it can even be grown on a windowsill. And to obtain the maximum yield and improve the quality of the fruit, a method called hybridization or crossing is effective.

You will need

  • - donor plants;
  • - cotton buds;
  • - gauze or bandage;
  • - self-adhesive paper.

Instructions

Strong and healthy plants are suitable for hybridization. Choose flowers for pollination that are just starting to open. Do not work with already opened flowers - the moment of self-pollination may have already occurred and the desired result will not work.

Carefully so as not to damage the petals, open the buds by hand on the plant you are going to pollinate. Carefully tear off all the stamens on the pollinated flowers. This must be done so that pollen does not fall off from them. Use a piece of gauze or bandage to cover each of the castrated flowers to keep unwanted pollen out.

Leave the plant in this state until a sticky drop appears at the end of the pistil. This should happen within 1-3 days. Free the flower from the gauze protection and using a soft-tipped stick, carefully collect some pollen from the donor flower and transfer it to the resulting drop on the pollinated one. On a piece of self-adhesive paper, write the name of the donor flower and the date of pollination. Stick a piece of paper with a note on the branch containing the pollinated flower.

Wait for the fruit to ripen. If ripening occurs, leave it on until spring for better preservation. Carefully cut the lemon, remove it from it, keep them for several days in a dry place (for example). The fruits, if desired, can be used for food.

Plant each seed in separate small pots with light soil, and place them in a bright place (not in the sun) at a temperature of about 20 degrees. From the received, select the strongest and most beautiful seedlings and plant them in separate pots.

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Helpful advice

Any citrus fruit is suitable for crossing. Each flower can be pollinated with its donor plant - what more plants pick up, the more interesting the result can be.

Sources:

  • how to cross plants

Lemon refers to perennial plants, it can be grown in greenhouses, on windowsill... The tree requires some care, it is not recommended to move it, water it often. Bears fruit annually, does not tolerate cold and drafts.

Instructions

First, decide in which part of the room you will grow lemon. The sunny side is ideal. There should be no vents on the window. The room must maintain a certain level of humidity, if necessary, buy a humidifier.

Get a pot, preferably 22 cm in diameter. In greenhouses, trees can live for many years. For such plants, a nutrient soil that is homogeneous in structure is suitable. It is ideal to pick up a mixture of leafy and sod land, rotted manure and sand in equal proportions. Keep in mind that acidic soils are not suitable for growing citrus fruits.

Water the lemon according to the season. In winter, this should be done less often than, 1-2 times a week with filtered water is enough. Do not pour in. The water temperature should be 2-3 degrees higher than the room temperature. Watering carefully, lack of moisture can also lead to death. Get a spray bottle to spray the leaves with water 3-4 times a week.

Feed the plant 1-2 times a month from September to September. Use poultry or cow dung previously diluted with water. Insist on fertilizers for three days, you can buy mineral fertilizers. In this case, water the tree first, then feed.

First, get a pot 2 cm wider than the previous one in diameter and start transplanting a tree. Repeat the procedure every 2-3 years. Choose the following soil composition: 1 part of leafy soil, 2 parts of turf, 1 part of humus, sand. You can replace humus with peat. Place turf, coarse sand, or broken shards at the bottom of the pot.

Graft the plant as needed to help it grow better. Lemon grown from a seed can be grafted when the trunk thickness reaches 8-10 mm in diameter. Inoculate with an eye-bud or cuttings taken from already fruiting plants.

During the flowering period of lemon, keep the temperature in the room no more than 16 degrees Celsius, otherwise they will crumble, remove old leaves as ovaries appear. One plant should have no more than 10-12 leaves. Grown from lemon begins to bear fruit only at 12-15 years of age.

Sometimes a sticky discharge appears on the leaves, in which case you need to spray the plant mixed with soap (40 g of soap per 1 liter of water and 5 drops). Or grease the leaves with onion gruel, so you get rid of the pest that feeds on lemon juice.

Lemon leaves can damage spider mites, in this case, you need to purchase special tool from a store or apply a daily solution of grated garlic and onions (1 tsp in a glass of water) or agave juice (150 g of leaves per liter of water). Repeat spraying three times, with an interval of 10 days. Cracks may also appear on the surface, from which fluid flows out. In this case, cut out the damaged bark, treat with hydrogen peroxide, then cover this place with clay.

Adding a fragrant circle of juicy lemon to tea, many probably at least once asked the question: "How to grow a lemon from a seed at home?" Some, despite their curiosity, do not dare to start growing this exotic citrus plant. Others, having tried to do it once and failed, forever throw the thought out of their minds. In fact, growing lemon at home is not difficult. To do this, you should be patient and observe some simple rules.

You will need

  • - fluorescent lamps or agro-lamps; - a plate of water; - seeds of lemons; - small pots with holes in the bottom; - drainage; - the soil; - vermicompost; - large pot

Instructions

Before you start growing lemon, assess the conditions in which this long but incredible interesting process... Lemon is a light-loving plant. Its proper development, flowering and fruiting can occur only in a place where at least a few hours a day the lemon will be exposed to sunlight. If your windows overlook north side, equip them additional lighting.

In addition to lighting, when growing lemon from a stone at home, you should also monitor the humidity of the air. It should not be less than 40%, otherwise the plant will die at the first stage of development, without giving you fragrant foliage and juicy fruits... In order to provide the lemon with sufficient air humidity, place a bowl of water on the windowsill.

In order to successfully grow a lemon from a stone at home, choose the brightest, smoothest and most appetizing fruit in a store or on the market. Remove the bones from it, take the largest of them and immediately start planting.

For sowing lemon, small pots with holes in the bottom are best. Fill the bottom with drainage. Then fill the pot with loose soil made by mixing garden soil, peat, and coarse sand. Put lemon seeds into the ground to a depth of 2 cm. Plant several seeds at once. This is necessary in order to make it easier for you to choose the strongest and healthiest plants in the future. Within a month after planting, you will be able to notice the emergence of seedlings.

After waiting for the seedlings to grow, after about 3-5 months, carefully transplant them into a large flower pot, without disturbing the earthen lump formed during the development of the root system. In order to accelerate the growth of lemon, add a little vermicompost to the soil.

Normal development of a lemon from a seed can only occur when the plant has side branches in addition to the stem. In order to induce their appearance, cut off the top of the lemon with the onset of spring, and leave some of the buds on it intact. In the future, shoots of the first order will appear from them. When they grow up, remove them, leaving the buds for second-order shoots. Repeat this procedure until the fourth order shoots appear, which will bear fruit. This whole process, from planting seeds to the formation of the first fruits, can take from 4 to 10 years, so be patient and wait for the lemons to appear, which taste in no way inferior to citrus grown in hot countries.

Lemon is native to tropical India and China. Cultivate the lemon tree for food and decorative purposes first became in the subtropical countries of Asia.

To this day, citrus fruits are grown on a large scale there, as well as in Spain and Italy.

In the CIS countries, lemon is grown as a houseplant.

This beautiful tree with a neat crown exudes phytoncides useful for our apartments (substances that disinfect the air) and when correct cultivation gives aromatic and vitamin fruits.

In our article, you will learn all the intricacies of turning a small seed into a fruiting lemon tree.

The best varieties of indoor lemon

  • Pavlovsky- differs in low growth, the tree perfectly tolerates low illumination and is adapted to life in apartments
  • Anniversary- a low (up to 1.5 m) tree, resistant to the dry air of apartments, has a high yield, bears fruit and grows quickly. Fruits have a thick skin
  • Panderosa- indoor hybrid of lemon and citron. A short and bushy tree forms beautiful crown... At the age of 2 years already bears fruit
  • Meyer Is a lemon-orange hybrid well adapted to indoor life.

Which is better to buy - an adult plant or seedlings

For growing at home, novice flower lovers can already buy adult plant: problems and hassle of growing will be less.

True, the price of such a lemon will be higher than that of a young seedling. Saplings can cost from 200 rubles, and an adult plant is about 1000 rubles.

And yet it is much more interesting to grow it yourself from a seedling, observing its growth day after day. Better yet, grow your tree completely from bone.

It is not easy, but getting a full-fledged beautiful and fruiting lemon is quite possible. Across 5-7 years(with the right approach) you can admire the view of an evergreen tree and drink aromatic tea with your own lemons.

Planting lemon pits

The very first step is to eat the lemon and pick out a few large seeds. Take better 10 and more bones.

It is advisable to prepare them: for successful germination and growth of roots, you need to process the bones growth stimulant- a solution of sodium humate (it is sold in a botanical store), in which the bones must be dipped for a day.

Then you can further process the seeds other stimulants- solution of the drug "Citron" or "Epinas-extra". This manipulation will allow future young plants to withstand low light conditions and dry air.

Important! For germination, take fresh whole seeds and immediately plant them in the ground. The germination success is increased several times!

What capacity to choose


You can plant the seeds in a pot or small temporary containers (cassettes or boxes). It is better to take a clay pot for planting seeds, about 7cm in diameter.

Priming for planting consists of:

  • 0,5 parts of humus;
  • 0,5 part of river coarse sand;
  • 2 parts of turf (you can dig it up, for example, in a meadow);
  • 1 parts of leafy land (it can be dug up in a deciduous forest);
  • 1/4 some of the charcoal.

The soil should turn out loose... But you can do an easier thing: go to a botanical store and buy a special soil, which indicates that it is for citrus fruits.

They plant seeds in prepared soil to a depth 1.5 cm... In order to prevent decay, you need to cover the ground with a film or a transparent bag and spray it with water every day from a spray bottle.

Germination temperature should be around + 18 ° C.

Seedlings will appear later 3 weeks... After that, you need to transfer the containers to a bright place, and remove the film after the second pair of sheets appears.

Note! Do not overfill or overcool the lemon seedlings! Avoid drafts and do not use fertilizers!

Then produced selection of seedlings: rejection of the worst and selection of the strongest, with a stocky trunk, preferably without short needles, but with a large number of leaves, without long thin shoots.

Growing lemon at home

For successful growth, a young lemon needs heat, light and water... There are some peculiarities to be considered in the requirements for citrus fruits.

There is no need to feed lemon in the first months. In spring and summer, for a grown plant, they use fertilizers.

In the botanical store you will be offered the necessary and will tell you in detail how and how much to apply, plus any fertilizer is always issued instruction.

Watering should be regular, but not excessive. Water the lemon in the heat every day, on other days - as the top of the soil dries up. Summer - 5 times per week, in winter - 2 times per week.

How much water to pour depends on the age of the plant and the air temperature. A young seedling will need about a glass of water at a time, and an adult tall tree - from 0.5 to 1 liter of water.

The main thing, spray the plant daily, as lemons do not tolerate dry air. In the spring, the plant is watered in the morning, and in the fall and summer - late in the evening.

In the summer, you can take it out on the balcony or take it to the village. The main thing is that you cannot put a tree under direct sun... It should be rotated daily so that the branches grow evenly.

For wintering, it is advisable to take the tree to a room with a temperature about +15 ° С, but not lower than +12 ° С... If this is not possible, it is recommended to additionally illuminate the lemon with special lamps.

It is important not to forget to clean the leaves from dust so that the gas exchange process takes place at the proper level.

Crown formation


Lemon branches not very readily. To create a beautiful and compact crown, you will have to work a little.

Aged up to 1 year, or better yet, from 3 months, begin to stimulate the growth of lateral branches. This is how it is done. During the period of increased growth, the tip is pinched off.

Sometimes it gets pinched off repeatedly, since the lemon can stubbornly continue to grow only to the top. As a result, the axillary buds wake up and the lateral branches grow.

The tops of the lateral branches are also plucked off early, when 2-3 sheets... In this way, the crown of the lemon is formed in the future.

It is important not to allow the appearance "Tops"- too long inner branches from the crown. While the "tops" are flexible, they are tied to a stick stuck in the ground so that they take root.

Lemon transplant

When the roots of a young plant begin to entangle the pot, it is transplanted. In the first year, the transplant is performed 2 times. Adult plant can be transplanted every 4 years.

The transplant is carried out in early spring... Move the lemon into a new pot of slightly larger diameter, adding fresh soil.

Do not damage the roots, as citrus fruits contain mycorrhiza- a symbiosis of fungi and roots useful for lemon.

The appearance of mycorrhiza on the roots is a biological feature of citrus fruits. A similar phenomenon is observed in legumes - they have nodule bacteria in symbiosis with the roots.

Because of this lemons do not tolerate a transplant... So that the plant does not suffer, you need to minimally touch the earthen ball surrounding the root system.

When no transplant is made, the land is simply renewed by adding a little fresh soil... Periodically, the soil is loosened to regulate respiration.

Lemon care at home


Lemon is a capricious plant:

  • It can be involuntarily acidify or pour;
  • He poorly tolerates temperature extremes, drying;
  • Loves light;
  • Doesn't like frequent movements.

Correct feeding plays an important role. Overfeeding, like a lack of fertilizer, will not be beneficial.
Begin to feed the lemon in the spring.

From February to September, special fertilizers for citrus fruits ( "Lemon", "For citrus fruits", "Citrus", etc.). In winter, the tree is not fertilized.

In preparation for winter and at the end of February decrease by 2 times the usual concentration of the applied fertilizer. A sign of an excess of fertilizer is a dry border along the edge of the leaves and their quick fall.

Flowering occurs after a few years. But purchased prepared seedlings can bloom in the first year. For a lemon to bear fruit, it must pass 10-15 years old from sprouting from the seed, but the process can be accelerated. For example, by vaccination.

How to plant lemon


Graft Is a procedure that accelerates flowering and fruiting. It is carried out with pitted lemon and simple seedlings.

The stock is the plant to be grafted. The first vaccination is given 2-3 year old tree.

Graft the upper cuttings from other plants(maybe even from an orange). The leaves are harvested, leaving the axillary buds.

It is best to plant in early spring. There are 2 ways to vaccinate:

  • Kidney vaccination. With a special budding knife, they carefully cut out a small bud from another plant, while trying not to touch the cut with your hands. Then a T-shaped incision is made in the rootstock, where this bud is inserted. This place is then tied with a plaster. Engraftment will take place in 3 weeks. The part of the shoot that is located above the bud is soon cut off (about 10 cm in height)
  • Inoculation by cuttings carry out special. The cuttings should be young with bark and several buds. You need to cut them obliquely. On the rootstock, the bark is split lengthwise and the cut cutting is inserted there. This place is then also rewound until the cutting is completely engrafted.

Better to buy cuttings from a lemon that has already borne fruit. Then there will be fruits already on 3 year.

Also, to accelerate fruiting, lemon can be pollinate, transferring pollen artificially from one flower to another.

Reproduction of lemon indoors


You can not only graft, but also propagate a lemon in a vegetative way - cuttings.

The easiest one is to cut off cuttings from an already fruiting tree and plant them in a new pot.

To do this, a cut is made from an adult lemon under the lower bud near the cutting. The stalk itself should be more than 10 cm and have more 5 leaves.

Lower 2 sheets removed, the cut is powdered with charcoal and the twig is rooted in the sand to a depth 2 cm... You can plant a future seedling in a greenhouse, a greenhouse, under a film, where the temperature reaches at least +20 ° C.

In a month there will be first roots... A rooted cutting now requires the same care as a regular young plant.

Indoor lemon pests and diseases

One of the most frequent problemsyellowing of leaves.

This can happen:

  • From lack of nitrogen(leaves turn pale green) phosphorus(dull, narrow, yellowish), potassium(the leaf is lighter in the center, and turns brown along the edge);
  • From a lack of trace elements iron, sulfur, magnesium, zinc, excess calcium (chlorosis);
  • From lack or excess of light;
  • As a result of defeat phytopathogenic fungi (rust);
  • Due to pests: spider mite(yellow dots) and aphids(light sticky spots).

Another problem is young branches turn black... This can happen if the roots are affected, namely:

  • They rot;
  • Dried up;
  • Frozen;
  • Dead mycorrhiza;
  • Happened overfeeding with fertilizers.

Features of growing lemon from seed at home, you can watch in this video:

Fish or chicken flavored with sour juice, numerous desserts and compotes - all these are dishes for the preparation of which the fruits of the lemon tree will come in handy. We are used to buying overseas fruits from the market, the smell of citrus gives a sense of celebration, home comfort, cheers up. But not everyone knows that you can grow a yellow miracle on your windowsill. The popularity of "useful" houseplants has grown greatly today: instead of violets, onions are grown on the windowsills and spices, many citrus fruits and even bananas. But the fruits of the lemon tree are especially loved. Today we will talk about how to raise this guest from the subtropics at home.

Primary requirements

To begin with, the fruits of the lemon tree are not difficult to obtain, these plants are not too capricious and do not require much attention. It is especially good if you live in an apartment with west-facing windows. This means that the plant will have enough warmth and light, all that remains is to ensure the optimal level of humidity. In a private house with stove heating growth can be slow, as temperatures fluctuate day and night. The decorativeness of an evergreen citrus tree directly depends on the right conditions. This is a very interesting culture, since at one time you can observe the change of all seasons on its branches. While one branch is blooming, buds are tied on the second, on the third it develops green harvest, and the fourth already gives you yellow fruits lemon tree. This feature allows the plant not only to provide you with vitamins all year round, but also adds zest to the interior.

Homemade lemon, like all representatives conifers, capable of disinfecting indoor air. This is due to the special substances contained in the leaves - phytoncides. Therefore, you need to try so that the leaves do not fall off due to improper care... Next, we will consider in detail how to grow a lemon tree from a seed at home.

Description of the tropical tree

In nature, lemon trees are real giants that reach 3 meters in height and grow for 100 years or more. Houseplants are dwarf perennial hybrids. Their leaves are rich green with a glossy surface, and the fruits are ordinary yellow lemons. A plant grown from a seed of such a fruit will have to be artificially formed in order to get a neat bush that decorates the interior. The fruits, however, will differ from those that we are used to buying in stores, but beneficial features will remain unchanged.

There are special varieties that are adapted for growing at home. A homemade lemon tree can hold at least 20 fruits at a time. You can collect them as soon as they start to turn yellow. In this case, do not tear them off with your hands - take a pruner or scissors. As a rule, ready-made fruits reach 5-7 cm in diameter. It is not worth overexposing ripe lemons on the tree - this impairs their beneficial properties, and also negatively affects the formation of growth.

Different ways of growing

Surely readers are already interested in how to grow a lemon tree from a seed at home. Please note that this is a long process. It can take 5-8 years for a tree with leaves and lemons to grow from a small seed. All this time, the plant needs to provide good conditions: Adequate lighting without direct sunlight, warmth and humidity. The seeds can be purchased in the store, the best results are obtained indoor varieties Genoa, Maikop and Eurek ”. They can be grown on the windowsill. If the size of the room allows you to have a large outdoor plant, then it is better to take a Pavlovsky, Meyer, Novogruzinsky lemon. You can get the seeds directly from the fruit. A faster propagation option for this plant is cuttings or the purchase of seedlings. If you have an ornamental plant nursery in your city, then surely such options are on sale.

Lemon tree at home

We will consider the simplest option, you do not need to search in the store or write out seeds by mail. All you need is to buy a beautiful ripe lemon for your tea. Collect all the seeds as the lemon is consumed. It is better to plant more seeds in order to choose the most beautiful and strong plant. You will need a pot (any pot will do, because our task now is to prepare the seedlings). Fill it with the substrate ahead of time and leave it in a warm place. A store-bought mixture for ornamental plants is well suited as a soil, but you can prepare it at home. To do this, you need to take 2 cups of garden soil and add one glass of sand, humus and wood ash each.

Before laying out the soil, make sure there is a good drainage layer. It can be expanded clay, brick or pebbles. Now you can fill the pot with soil and start planting. Optimum depth, on which it is worth immersing the seed, - from 1.5 to 2 cm. In order for the sprouts to appear faster, after planting, you need to close the pot with glass or a bag in order to achieve a greenhouse effect.

Planting maintenance is minimal. The main thing is to water and air the pot on time. In addition, it is very important to maintain optimal temperature regime. Lemon Tree at home it will grow for a very long time, so to speed up the result, the seedling can be grafted. Water the pot with germinating seeds very carefully, preferably with a spray bottle that evenly moistens the soil. The air temperature should not be too high, the best option- from +18 to +20 degrees. Ventilation can be provided along with watering. Such care will guarantee the appearance of friendly shoots in about two weeks after sowing.

And here is the future lemon tree in front of you. But it is still too early to open the film or glass. Continue to ventilate your crops, and only when the second pair of leaves has formed, the pot can be fully opened and moved to a well-lit place, but not in direct sunlight.

Varietal seeds and grafts

It should be noted that the seed-grown lemon tree turns out to be wild, with huge thorns, and is very reluctant to bear fruit. It can be an excellent stock for grafting cultivated cuttings. If you managed to find such a twig in a nursery or in a store where ornamental plants are sold, then you can proceed with a complex procedure. To do this, you need to cut the central branch of the rootstock (your wild tree) and split it in the middle with a knife. Now cut the bark from the cultivated cutting and insert it into the cleft. Their diameter may not coincide, but then leave the stalk not in the middle, but on the side, along the line of bark growth. It remains to wrap the cut with electrical tape and cover it with garden var. Now leave 3-4 buds on the handle, and cut off the rest, also process the cut with a pitch. To make the graft grow better, put it on a branch plastic bag... When the first leaves appear on the handle, it can be removed.

Growing cuttings

There is nothing complicated about it. The whole problem is to acquire a varietal, rooted and preferably grafted stalk. Then the homemade lemon tree will grow much faster. But, as is the case with sprouting an ordinary seed, you often get wild plant, which in 5-8 years will make you happy with a pair of thick-chinned lemons. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase cuttings from proven nurseries. If you started indoor growing citrus fruits from planting seeds from a ripe fruit and already have an adult tree, then you should start looking for a twig cultivated plant... Vaccination will help get your tree to bear fruit actively.

Choosing a place for your future plant

Even before growing a lemon tree, you need to determine the place where it will stand. In principle, this visitor from the subtropics is not picky about lighting, he will grow on any windowsill. The basic rule is to avoid placing it next to a heating system, since lemon does not like dry air, it needs a certain level of humidity. The second point: keep the indoor lemon away from the windows that you often open. Most of all, the plant is afraid of drafts.

The best option would be to place the lemon pot near the west-facing window. Direct sunlight is undesirable for him. In general, the plant feels good even in partial shade, but fruiting can be seriously affected. And one more thing: if your tree is located on the windowsill, then you need to make sure that it does not freeze in winter. Overcooling of the root system leads to disruption of the normal functioning of metabolic processes, as a result of which the plant may simply die.

Watering

We have already looked at how to grow a lemon tree from a seed, now we turn to the most important point- watering. This tropical inhabitant is very picky about the moisture of the soil and air, so it will be necessary not only to water, but also to cover the ground with moist moss. Only in this way the lemon tree will always delight you. Home care comes down to daily soil testing. It should be slightly sticky and not crumbly. This is how the optimum humidity level is determined. Water only along the rim of the pot and only warm water... You need to pour until the liquid appears in the pan. This requires good drainage system, since stagnant water strongly affects plants: their growth stops, leaves fall.

Top dressing

This point is important for those who already have a lemon tree growing at home. Home care for it includes regular spraying and feeding, since the poverty of the soil does not contribute to flowering and fruiting. Winter period- this is a time of relative rest, so you need to start such procedures in spring. It is important to use preparations containing nitrogen, copper, zinc. This is especially true for young trees that are in the phase of active growth. However, the dosage indicated on the package with the drug must be strictly observed, since an excess of fertilizer can lead to loss of leaves.

Transfer

Are you going to grow a lemon tree from a seed? Then tune in to frequent pot changes in advance. About once a year, the plant must be transplanted into a new container, slightly larger. The potting mix must be fresh every time. It is best to perform this procedure at the end of winter, when the plant is preparing for the active growth phase. Often, beginners who first started growing indoor lemon are faced with such a problem that the leaves turn yellow and begin to fall off. This may indicate poor drainage and stagnation of water in the pot, and temperature differences in the room are also often the cause of such troubles.

Let's summarize

Breeding homemade citrus fruits is a fun activity that will interest any grower. Growing a lemon from a seed will really appeal to children, since such a wonderful transformation will take place before their eyes. The lemon tree is very decorative and can decorate any interior. But most importantly, you can pluck the fragrant fruits all year round. And this is a real storehouse of vitamins that will allow you to survive the autumn-spring period without traditional acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections. The plant itself also acts as a kind of disinfectant, disinfecting the air with phytoncides. Now you know all the benefits of growing a homemade lemon tree. It's worth trying for such a pleasure.

I would like to present you another article from the series "Garden on the windowsill". In this article, we will talk about growing lemons at home .

Homemade lemons- universal healers, the richest suppliers of vitamins. it evergreen tree with fleshy leaves, it can decorate any interior and will become the pride of the owner. The process of growing lemon itself is one of exciting activities in floriculture. What is it useful for?

  • A generous, uninterrupted supply of the most valuable vitamins to your table.
  • Unique air ionizer in the house. Leaves lemon at home emit useful volatile phytoncides that refresh the microclimate, fill the air healing aroma essential oils.

All the secrets of the home doctor

In fact, a lemon is a hybrid. A mixture of bitter orange and citron. Its official name is Citrus Limon. With proper care, this tree can provide your household with up to 50 fruits annually (the fruit bearing depends on the type of plant).

Let's make a reservation right away, in order to get a fruiting lemon at home, we need not only to grow it from the seed, but also to graft it. You can use already grafted, young seedlings, but it is expensive and not so interesting. Therefore, we stock up on patience and nurse our fragrant pet on our own. In the house, they take root best of all, such varieties of homemade lemons as:

  • Meyer. Short stature. Fruits with a more sour taste, they can be eaten unripe.
  • Pavlovsky. The height of a lemon can reach 2 m. Large fruits with thin skin, very fragrant. Most adapted to home conditions. Reproduces well by cuttings.
  • Novogruzinsky. The fruits have a strong, delicate aroma, practically have no seeds. Can bear fruit all year round. The trunk has many spikes.
  • Genoa. Small in stature, this lemon is very fruitful at home, it bears juicy, tasty fruits.

How to grow a lemon from a seed

Seed selection is one of the main conditions for a strong, healthy lemon at home. We select the largest seeds from the lemon fruit in the amount of 10-15 (to guarantee a seedling). You do not need to dry them (this will slow down germination). The bones must be soaked in epine (dissolve 4 drops in 100 ml of water).

  • Epin. Immunomodulator of plants, regulator of their growth. It can be purchased at any hardware store.

After a 24-hour stay in the healing solution, we transplant the bones into the ground. The soil can be purchased ready-made (for citrus fruits). Or do it yourself.

Land for a young lemon

  • sheet ground 1 part;
  • turf land 2 parts;
  • humus (compost) 1 part;
  • clean, washed sand 1 part.

We carefully sift the mixture to remove unnecessary impurities and lumps. In order for lemon seeds to take on well at home, you need to plant them in small plastic containers (you can take cups). Remember to punch holes in their bottom for drainage.

We place the seeds in the loosened soil by a centimeter 2 cm and put them in warm place... No need to water (the roots can rot in a humid environment). It is better to make a "mini-greenhouse" for future young lemons (cover them glass jars, or wrap the cups with plastic wrap).

Growing lemon at the first stage should take place in a warm room, where the temperature should not fall below + 18 ° C. After 3 months you will enjoy the first shoots. When the leaves appear, the baby is ready for transplantation.

Adult lemon at home


Pot

It is best to purchase a clay pot. Clay is a moisture regulator. If the soil is excessively moistened, the clay will absorb excess moisture, and if there is a shortage, it will willingly give it to the plant. Drain the bottom of the pot.

  • Drainage layer. A small layer of material that can quickly drain off excess water when watering. It fits at the bottom of the pot. As a drainage layer, you can use small clay shards or pieces of red brick, expanded clay, coarse, coarse sand, pebbles, even crumbs of foam or wine cork.

To make the lemon feel more comfortable at home, cover the drainage with an additional 2 cm layer of moss, peat or dried manure.

Land for an adult plant

  • humus (compost) 1 part;
  • sod land 3 parts;
  • sheet ground 1 part;
  • sand 1 part.

Immediately after planting, place the young lemon sprout on the windowsill of the north or west window (there is the least amount of sun). A week later, the tree is ready to start living on a warm south-facing window. Such a small preliminary hardening will help to strengthen the health of the plant, make it stronger.

How to properly grow lemon at home

Operation Season What lemon loves Advice Notes (edit)
air temperature spring Summer normal room temperature south window (lemon is very sensitive to climate change) the best temperature for flowering, fruit setting from + 15 ° to + 18 ° С
autumn winter from + 8 ° to + 14 ° С transfer the lemon to a light, insulated balcony, or enclose the windowsill with plexiglass after a dormant period, gradually accustom the lemon to the rise in temperature
Light spring Summer bright diffused light in the morning, evening hours - directed sun rays, in the afternoon (from 12 to 16) light partial shade some lemons like the heat (Meyer's lemon), other lemons can be done with artificial lighting
autumn winter full lighting at t ° from + 5 ° to + 14 ° С additional lighting is not needed, if t ° is above + 16 ° С additional lighting is required you can supplement the lemon at home with fluorescent lamps (white, blue spectrum)
Watering spring Summer plentiful drink the soil should have time to dry in the upper third of the pot by the next watering watering lemon at home is best with settled tap water
autumn winter rare, moderate watering watering depends on the temperature of the air in the room, make sure that the soil does not dry out completely in winter, provide breathing for the roots - loosen the soil more often so that the water does not stagnate
Air humidity spring Summer humid climate sprinkle lemon at home regularly during the warm season suitable humidity 60-70% (if rainy), if the weather is dry, hot - humidity not less than 50%
autumn winter moderate humidity if the tree is in a living area, spray it also in winter in the heating season, the humidity will be ideal at 20-30%

Lemon nutrition

At the beginning of summer (its first half), feed it with fertilizers. They will increase the sugar content of future fruits and reduce their bitterness. Fertilize lemon at home only apply to moist soil once a month in winter. From March to October, feed the lemon three times a month. Complex fertilizers will suit him.

  • Lemon is very afraid of chlorine! Even a small part of it can destroy a tree. Make sure that chlorine is not included in the fertilizer.

Lemon transplant

Homemade lemons need to be transplanted once a year. But the transplant cannot be done if the earthen lump is not braided by the rhizomes of the plant. In this case, simply replace the drainage and topsoil of the tree.

Fruiting trees need to change their place of residence every 3 years. Usually this procedure is done in February-March. When replanting lemon at home, be careful with the earthy clod - do not damage it. The plant may not tolerate trauma to its root system.

You can add birch or alder coals to the new soil (a glass on a bucket of earth), it will also be useful to add pine bark(put 1 cm of bark at the bottom and fill with a liter of water) and vermiculite in the same proportion.

  • Vermiculite. Layered, environmentally friendly mineral, protects plant roots from fungal diseases. Vermiculite should be slightly moistened before use.

If the lemon has long lived in the same pot, then you need to mulch it (add fresh soil or compost on top). Provided, of course, that the soil sank and caked. The top soil layer must also be changed when a whitish salt deposit appears.

We are waiting for the long-awaited fruits

Homemade lemon (grown from seed) usually begins to bear fruit 5-8 years after planting. Do you want to be the first to rejoice after a year? juicy fruits? To do this, we need to graft him. The most convenient ways grafting two. Prepare in advance:

  • garden knife (you can take a razor);
  • elastic tape (scotch tape, electrical tape);
  • garden var (you can use oil paint, which is smeared over fresh sections of plants).

Budding method (budding)

You can do lemon peeling at home at any time. On the bark of the tree with a knife we ​​make a neat T-shaped incision (length 3, width 1 cm). It will be ideal if you purchase an eyepiece knife for these purposes. With it, you can gently bend the bark in the place where we will place the kidney.

Pre-cut the bud itself from the cutting. Gently take it by the petiole of the leaf and place it in the incision. Return the bent bark to its previous state. Secure the graft area with elastic tape. But leave the kidney visible. And cover this place with pitch (so that no water gets in). After three weeks, the result will appear - the petiole will disappear. Remove the bandage, remove the var. Your lemon will bear fruit in its second year.

Splitting method (grafting)

You can plant lemon at home by cuttings only in April and May. The tree should not be more than 3 years old and have a trunk diameter of about 2 cm. We need a 10 cm shoot of a healthy annual plant taken from its upper section. Remove all leaves from the cutting and wrap it in wet cloth, wrap with plastic wrap on top. Keep it this way for 3 days. You can put the cutting in the refrigerator, then it will last longer.

Water the lemon tree itself abundantly 3 days before grafting. At home, it is better to plant the tree in the split in the center. Cut off the crown of the lemon 10 cm from the ground and split the trunk 3 cm deep. At the base of the cutting, make two oblique cuts and insert it into the split. Wrap this place with tape, secure with a pitch. The grafted lemon should be in high humidity conditions, protect it from direct sunlight.

Room lemon grown with his own hands, will give the owner a lot of pleasant moments, starting with the appearance of the first young sprouts and ending with the first fruits. With its appearance in the house, you will forget what colds, vitamin deficiency and stress are.

Good luck to you and your lemon tree!

See you soon, dear readers!

Citrus trees are quite expensive, for example, a lemon tree about 45 cm high will cost 2.5 thousand rubles. Therefore, many people prefer to grow lemon on their own - especially since the seeds are readily available and can be bought in any supermarket. You can also buy fairly inexpensive seeds of varietal lemons (and other citrus fruits such as tangerines, oranges).

For those who decided to try their luck with a seed from a purchased lemon - this article.

Young seedlings of lemon, age 1 month.

Step 1. The right lemon

You don't even need to be a professional to understand - the fruit must be mature, high quality, environmentally friendly and, highly desirable, freshly harvested. If it is still possible to find lemons in supermarkets that meet the first three parameters, then what about freshness? It is clear that imported lemons are on the shelves, which have already lain for some time. It's OK. You just do not need to take withered, dried fruits or pull with planting after purchase. We bought a beautiful lemon - immediately remove the seeds from it and start planting.

Step 2. Germination and planting

Germination can be dispensed with by immediately sowing seeds in the ground, for example, according to the scheme described below.

The easiest way to grow homemade lemon from the bone:

  1. Buy soil for citrus fruits and prepare small containers (plastic cups can be used), at the rate of 1 seed - 1 container.
  2. Fill the containers with earth, plant the seeds in the ground to a depth of 3 cm. Water.
  3. Cover with foil. Put in a warm place. You don't have to be zealous here, the standard room temperature is 18-22 ° C. for lemon is ideal.
  4. Ventilate and moisturize regularly if necessary. Do not pour, it is better to spray.
  5. After three weeks, sprouts will appear.

Such sowing in the ground has its drawbacks: it is not visible which seed has sprouted, some of the pots will remain "out of work".

Another variant

Fill seedlings with earth, plant seeds, deepening by 1 cm, keeping a distance of 5 cm between them. In this case, seedlings can be expected after 2 weeks. After waiting for a couple of real leaves the best seedlings are planted in separate pots 10 cm in diameter... Now the plants can be put in their permanent place - such a pot will be enough for plants up to 15-20 cm tall.

On which window should the young plants be placed?

The mistake would be the south window, lemons don't like direct scorching sun, they need bright but diffused light. The best way- east or west window. Or, all the same, the south window - but with shading.

What do young seedlings look like?

Recommendation: it is advisable to grow several seedlings at once, because if you are inexperienced in growing citrus, while time will pass from seed to fruit, a lot of trouble can happen to the tree. Diseases, mistakes in care, finally, a mistake in grafting and the plant will die. It will be nice to have a "stock".

Two shoots may appear from one seed, in this case the weaker shoot should be removed.

Step 3. Seedlings and further care

Care is not difficult, lemons can really be considered unpretentious indoor plants, it is enough to learn a number of simple rules.

Lemons love:

  1. Moderate watering. On average, we can say that in the summer you should water 3 times a week, in the winter - 2 times. But you should be guided by your conditions - you may need to water more or less often. It is better to spray young seedlings, watering only when the ground becomes dry. Overfilling is worse than underfilling, so don't overdo it.
  2. Breathable, water and air permeable soil.
  3. Regular spraying, possibly a shower. It is important that dust does not accumulate on the leaves. The humidity of the air is especially important if the plant stands near the battery. You should not neglect this moment of leaving - it's not only about humidity, but also about preventing pests or diseases.
  4. Turn the lemon towards the light. gradually, 20-30 degrees, not all 180.
  5. The pot is sized. Big pot lemon is not recommended, the maximum for adult plants is 10 liters, it should be transplanted as often as possible, but as needed and depending on the growth rate of the tree itself - as a rule, this is done once a year in spring.
  6. Fertilizers for citrus plants high in manganese, boron, zinc. Top dressing is desirable often enough - once every 2 weeks for the entire period of active growth (from February to September).

But! Overfeeding the plant is more harmful than underfeeding, remember that nutrition is important for the formation of fruits. Young plants (up to 3-4 months) and plants immediately after transplanting into fresh soil (within 1-1.5 months) are not fed.

Why do lemons die or grow poorly?

This often happens with inexperienced gardeners, you can even hear that lemons are capricious plants. But this is not the case, the reasons for the death are quite simple:

  1. Air is too dry! The room air is really too dry for these plants - don't be lazy to spray.
  2. Temperature changes, drafts, changes in humidity - lemons are quite sensitive to changes in conditions.
  3. Overflowing. Once again - lemons don't like too wet soil! Be sure to wait for it to dry between waterings.
  4. Poor drainage. Drainage is necessary for almost all indoor plants, so we did not dwell on this issue in detail, but we receive letters that clearly indicate that this point is often neglected. Pay attention to drainage - the soil should be loose, well permeable, and excess water from the pot should flow well - this applies even to very young plants planted, for example, in plastic cups.
  5. Wrong choice of seedlings. You should not take seedlings that are weak, with long internodes - there will be no sense from such plants. If you want to get more plants, it is better to sow more seed, about twice.

Lemon tree at the age of 1 year.

More about dressing

If there is no time to mess around with fertilizing, then complex fertilizers like "Zdraven", "Ideal" are suitable - almost every company produces a special fertilizer for citrus fruits. But it is still better to alternate feeding using:

  1. Organic (you can alternate it with a complex mineral fertilizer, using, for example, the following scheme: the first decade of the month - minerals, the second decade - organic matter, etc.).
  2. Fertilizer can be used as a source of trace elements (zinc, iron, boron, etc.) wood ash, inkstone, manganese. All these tools are used for standard schemes(for example, you can read about dressing), applying fertilizers both under the root and spraying the leaves.

Planting substrate

In a sense, city dwellers find it easier - they have ready-made substrates at hand. However, the mixture can be prepared by yourself, keeping in mind the following rules:

  1. The mixture should be perfectly breathable.
  2. The mixture should be perfectly permeable to moisture.
  3. It should be nutritious, lemons are "gluttonous" plants.
  4. They prefer neutral acidity, although they are tolerant of small deviations (permissible ph level is 5 to 8).

There are a lot of recipes for mixtures, for example:

  1. Purchased land plus peat in equal proportions.
  2. Sod land, humus, sawdust, sand - in equal proportions.

Pests and diseases

Lemons attack, and quite often, the following pests:

  1. Shield.
  2. Spider mite.
  3. Scratch.

Despite the fact that they look different, the symptoms of the lesion are about the same. The leaves of the plant dry out, the shoots are bent, growth slows down, the plant gradually dies.

At home, you can use the following remedies:

  1. Washing with soapy water, only care should be taken to soap solution did not hit the soil, it alkalizes the soil, the plants do not like it.
  2. In the evening, you can gently lather the places where the "bandits" accumulate and wrap the plant in cellophane - in the morning it is imperative to remove and rinse these places, the soap complicates cellular respiration, if you overexpose the plant in a soapy form - the leaves will simply fall off. Of course, "guillotine is the best remedy for dandruff," but it is still desirable to rid the plant of pests without losing foliage.
  3. Fitoverm is good from chemicals at home. It is odorless, easy to use, although it cannot be said that it will help in one go. Probably, the treatment will have to be carried out several times at intervals of a week.

Citrus diseases:

  1. Sooty fungus.
  2. Gommoz.

Shaping and pinching

They are being approached already in the first year of life, this is very important for future fruiting. Weak branches growing inward are removed with deformations. Pinch the branches, leaving 3-4 leaves on them.

The picture below is a diagram of lemon pruning.

Harvest and fruiting

Lemon trees like houseplants very popular, in particular, because they are remontant, that is, they bear fruit all year round.

But be prepared that the plants grown at home from the seed will bloom and give a harvest, at the earliest - in 8 years! In addition, seed plants do not retain 100% of the characteristics of the variety, which means that they can lose both in the size of the fruits, and in the yield, and in taste... A plant grown from a cuttings will yield an average harvest in 4-5 years.

Propagation of lemons by cuttings - this method allows you to quickly achieve fruiting. Plants from cuttings bear fruit for 4-5 years. The only "but" - for this you need to have on hand a high-quality lemon tree that has already yielded fruit, or contact a special nursery and purchase a cutting.

Vaccination is the fastest, albeit one that requires practice - before active fruiting in this case, only 2-3 years. Seedlings are inoculated at the age of six months to three years - this is best time for the survival rate of the scion. Thus, you can get fruits from seedlings grown from seeds in record time - in 2.5 - 3 years.

It happens that lemons bloom very early - such flowers should be removed, no matter how much you want to get golden fruits. But why risk the death of the plant? Fruiting requires strength, a well-formed crown and a sufficient amount of green mass, if there are less than 15 leaves per flower, the flowers can be safely cut off. As a rule, flowers are removed up to 3, and preferably 4 years of age of the plant.

Lemon varieties

Their mass, and very many varieties can be grown in indoor conditions... Differences between varieties are usually in yield and fruit quality. Most famous varieties(descriptions and harvest dates refer to trees grown from seedlings):

  1. Pavlovsky- a classic, a very old variety, perfectly adapted to rooms, relatively well tolerates dry air and low light, which is inevitable in an apartment. The plant is large, up to 2 m tall, yields fruits for 4 years, yields up to 40 fruits per year.
  2. Eureka- a relatively low lemon. The yield is average, blooms early, in the third year, fruits of medium weight, tasty, very common in open ground in Europe.
  3. Meyer- a hybrid of lemon and orange. Very popular as pot plant... The fruit is larger and sweeter than lemon. Very productive, bears fruit for 4 years (we are talking about a tree grown from seeds).
  4. Novogruzinsky- a large tree, fruits for 4-5 years, tasty and aromatic, without seeds. The yield is high (up to 200 per year).
  5. Maikop- has a high yield, up to 300 fruits per year, quite large fruits, the variety is unpretentious.
  6. Genoa- another low variety, up to 3 meters (in rooms up to 1 meter), fruits - in the fifth year, up to 50 fruits per year, medium-sized fruits, but tasty, blooms profusely.

Meyer's lemon is in bloom.

Video consultation - how to get fruit?

It is not difficult to grow lemons from seeds, but it is not always possible to wait for fruits from such plants. What is the reason? Reply to video.