We plant a lemon at home - instructions
The homeland of citrus fruits is Southeast Asia. The benefits of the fruits and parts of these plants are undeniable. There are many types of them - from simple to exotic. In our regions, the most common, of course, is lemon. Breeding of a wonderful fruit at home is gaining more and more popularity. Let's talk about this in more detail.
Content
Lemon growing methods
The wildlife is rich in citrus plants. Trees, shrubs are small, but they are still not suitable for a home. A homemade lemon tree is about two meters tall. The most suitable varieties: Mayera, Pavlovsky, Novogruzinsky, Nizhegorodsky. If you want a shorter plant, then take Eureka, Genoa. Kursk, Maykop, Ural are the most productive species.
There are several ways to grow lemon at home: sow seeds, plant a shoot, and vaccinate. The characteristics will differ from the method: both the appearance and the fruit.
How to plant?
The seeds are planted immediately after removing them from the fruit. Three weeks later, the first shoots will appear. But this method will give a harvest quite a long time ago - after 5-6 years.
The most optimal way to breed citrus fruits is by cuttings
Selecting and caring for a seedling
These can be purchased in nurseries, botanical gardens, or from experienced gardeners. A stalk from 15 centimeters long, about 5 mm thick should have 3-4 young leaves. You can treat it with a special stimulant so that the roots grow faster. Before planting, dip the sprout halfway into the water. After 2-3 days, place it in a soil fertilized with humus with 1: 1 sand. The prepared soil is sold by specialized stores. You just have to add sand there. Or you can take already fertilized soil from the garden plot.
Take a large plastic bottle with a perforated bottom. Cut it in half. Fill both halves with the prepared soil. Plant a shoot there, pour a little lukewarm water. Connect both halves, cover with a glass jar on top.
Place the dishes with the handle near the window. Make sure that there is no draft, direct sunlight, cold. The optimum temperature is 20 degrees Celsius. After three to four weeks, the plant will take root. Can be transplanted.
Tableware
The homemade lemon tree does not like frequent replanting. Therefore, immediately take a spacious container. It can be a ceramic pot with holes in the bottom. Each time it should be larger than the previous one.
Lemon tree care
Home conditions require proper lemon care. Initially, you will choose a place for it so that you do not move it anymore. Desirable south or south-east facing.
Lighting
The plant is light-loving, especially when young. Let it be exposed to direct sunlight for at least 2 hours a day. Just choose not the hottest time! The next step is to use normal, diffused, bright lighting. In winter, you need to use additional lighting. To form a beautiful crown, the tree can be turned just a little every day. It must have time to turn the leaves behind the light.
Temperature
The homemade lemon tree loves moderate heat. The optimum temperature is 18-25 degrees Celsius. In winter, it is necessary to provide cooler conditions - + 12-15 degrees. This stimulates and accelerates fruiting. The main thing is good lighting, no drafts, sharp temperature drops.Otherwise, the plant may get sick, stop bearing fruit.
Humidity and watering
Citrus fruits need an average humidity of 60-70% at a temperature of about +20 degrees. Spraying once or twice a day, especially in summer. In winter, you also need to moisturize. Dry air leads to the appearance of pests.
In the spring-summer period, the plant needs daily watering. If it's hot, then even twice. In case of frost, watering should be reduced to twice a week. Eliminate the stagnation of water in the roots - the lemon may die. Overdrying the soil leads to diseases, the appearance of pests.
Soil features, fertilization
The soil is taken fertilized with organic, chemical nutrients. You can use a ready-made store-bought mixture.
Soil recipe for young plants:
- turf, 2 parts;
- leaf land, 1 part;
- humus, 1 part;
- sand, 1 part.
Soil Recipe for Adult Plants:
- turf, 3 parts;
- leaf land, 1 part;
- cow dung, 1 part;
- sand, 1 part;
- oily clay (small amount).
Fertilize lemon twice a year. First half of summer - fertilize after watering. Such dressing will add a little sweetness to the fruit, remove the bitter taste. In winter, the plant also needs additional nutrients.
Transfer
Lemon is rarely transplanted. Young - at the beginning of growth. Adult, fruiting every three years. There is a transshipment method, together with an earthen lump. The new pot is larger than the previous one. Provide the bottom with drainage: charcoal or expanded clay.
Crown formation
The first year of its life, homemade lemon throws out a shoot up to 30 centimeters long. The next year, cut off the upper part of the sprout, leaving about 20 centimeters. This procedure stimulates the release of the lateral kidneys. Leave 3 buds on top, remove from below. The upper buds will give rise to the main branches of the crown. The third year of the plant's life is to do the same. By pruning the central shoot, we force the tree to develop lateral shoots. After 5-6 such procedures, a beautiful crown will be formed. Next, you need to remove fast-growing shoots.
If you're still in doubt, plant a lemon tree at home, you won't regret it! With proper care, it will bloom in a few years. And it will begin to bear fruit when at least 20 full-fledged leaves are formed on it. The quantity and quality of the fruits depend on the variety, planting method, characteristics of the content. It is believed that there are 8-10 leaves per fruit. Lemon is a vitamin factory! It must be remembered: the longer it is on the tree, the worse its taste.
Video "How to grow lemon at home"
After watching the video, you can read the instructions on how to grow lemon at home