I am having success growing a small Meyers Lemon tree in a
container. The tree lives indoors during the cold months and in a summer
greenhouse during the warmer months. A Meyers Lemon is a cross of a true lemon
and either a mandarin or orange. The flavor is a bit different than a lemon and
the skin is thicker.
The tree produced three lemons the first year. Watching a
citrus tree grow has been interesting. It is a really busy plant during the
winter months. It sheds some leaves, grows new leaves, and ripens existing
fruit, blooms and sets new fruit all at the same time. The tree is actually
pretty scraggly looking right now. It has dropped some leaves but is producing
new ones.
Citrus likes to have moist soil but not soggy. In our dry
climate I find that I have to check it at least every 3 days. They also like a
bit more humidity than we typically have so I have a room humidifier placed
close to the tree in its south facing window during the winter. The tree also
gets fed an organic citrus food several times a year.
Once the weather warms up a bit the tree goes into an
outdoor greenhouse. It doesn’t necessarily need the extra heat of a greenhouse
but does like the protection from the wind and elements. Last year it really
took off growing once it got the extra sun outdoors. It hangs on during the
winter but I would not say it thrives.
I did really like having those fresh lemons in the middle of
winter and the blossoms smell wonderful. My little tree is definitely my
favorite house plant.
Sources for more growing information:
No comments:
Post a Comment