Growing a Lemon Tree

Lemon Tree

Outdoor lemon tree growing is usually restricted to tropical and subtropical part of world, since the lemon tree is sensitive to cold. Lemon tree will not do well when exposed to frost, and prefer temperatures in the 60–85° F range. They also require plenty of sunlight; something which can be scarce during the winter in temperate regions.

Major commercial growers of lemon trees are found in warm parts of the United States, Argentina and Brazil. Several Mediterranean countries also produce large lemon harvests each year, including Spain and Portugal.

If you would be satisfied with a small lemon tree that only produce a very limited harvest each year, you can however engage in successful lemon tree growing even in colder parts of the world. You can keep the lemon tree indoors and bring it out during the warm summer.

Lemon tree growing – stage 1

The first step is naturally to obtain a seed, unless you want to purchase a lemon tree plant from a garden depot. If you prefer to purchase a lemon tree plant, there are several dwarf varieties available that will not grow as large as normal lemon trees.

A lot of home growers have actually had success with lemon seeds picked out of ordinary lemons purchased their local grocery store. Getting a lemon from your local shop and carefully cutting it up and extracting the seeds can therefore work. It is naturally very important to avoid injuring the seeds when you are opening the lemon. Lemon tree growing using ordinary seeds can be a bit unreliable so you might want to plant several seeds. Unlike the dwarf varieties mentioned above, a lemon tree grown from seed can become really high over time – up to 20 feet.

Lemon tree growing – stage 2

Choose a container for your lemon seeds. You will eventually need to move the lemon tree to larger and larger containers, since lemon trees turns into real trees, not shrubs. Keeping your plant in a large enough pot is an essential part of successful lemon tree growing.

Lemon tree growing – stage 3

Fill the container with soil. The recommended soil type of lemon tree growing is a somewhat acid all-purpose soil mix. Growing mixes with plenty of peat moss is usually a good choice since they have a low enough pH value. It is very important that the soil is well drained.

Growing lemon trees – stage 4

Plant the seeds and place the container in a suitable spot, away from any cold draft. The recommended temperatures for lemon tree growing are approximately 85° F during the day and considerably lower during the night, preferably around 55 ° F if possible. Light is also very important. A southern window where the plant can receive full sun is recommended. If you suspect that your lemon tree is not receiving enough light, you can aid it by installing a 40 watt fluorescent bulb above the tree.