How to grow a lemon from a stone at home: planting and care with video

How not every amateur florist knows how to grow a fruiting lemon from a stone at home. In general, the procedure is simple, but in order for the plant to become not just a green room decoration, but also bear fruit, you need to know some secrets. You will need to be patient, because the tree will please the harvest only after a few years. He will need to provide proper care and learn how to correctly form a crown, however, first things first.

Suitable variety for home or apartment

Is it possible to grow a full-fledged lemon tree from a stone in an apartment? Subject to certain rules and recommendations, it is very possible.Not all varieties and varieties are suitable only for cultivation in a room. Therefore, before deciding to grow a lemon at home, you need to study the theoretical material well and the recommendations of experienced florists.

Pavlovsky

In this variety, a tree without proper shaping and pinching grows to a height of up to 2 meters. Fruits reach a mass of half a kilogram, have a pleasant sweetish taste. The leaves of this lemon contain many aromatic substances, so it fills the whole room with a pleasant fragrance.

Meyer

This plant is a hybrid. It is obtained by crossing grapefruit and lemon. The tree is characterized by compact small dimensions, high productivity, falls into a dormant period. Fruits grow weighing up to 150 grams, pleasant sweet and sour taste.

What young seedlings look like

Young shoots of a lemon tree are not much different from other citrus fruits. Inexperienced citrus growers are advised to grow several seedlings at once, so that if errors occur, there is a fallback. It happens that several sprouts sprout from one seed. In this case, you just need to remove the weak ones, and leave the strongest one.

Seed sprouting

To speed up the germination process, some craftsmen recommend removing the top husk from the seeds. However, this operation must be performed with extreme caution, because even minor damage to the lemon stone leads to the fact that it will not be possible to get seedlings from it at all. Many prefer to wait longer, but avoid this process.

Preparing the bone

Before planting in the ground, the lemon seed should be wet. To do this, they are soaked overnight in warm water or a growth stimulator.You can not sow seeds that have long been extracted from the fruit. The number of seedlings increases significantly if the lemon seed is thrown into warm water immediately after extraction, and then planted in the prepared substrate.

Drying of the seeds between soaking and sending to the nutrient soil mixture is unacceptable.

Substrate for planting and pot size

For planting lemon seeds, choose a small pot with the obligatory presence of drainage holes. A drainage layer of expanded clay 2 cm thick is laid at the bottom. The following components are used to prepare the soil:

• humus;
• river sand;
• garden soil.

So that fungal diseases do not develop in the soil mixture, it is advisable to add crushed charcoal there. You can also use commercial potting soil for growing lemons and other citrus plants, which can be purchased at any specialized store.

Disinfection and soil fertilization

Before planting lemon seeds, wood ash is not only added to the ground, but also treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. There are many more ways to kill pathogens of certain diseases in the ground. In particular, it could be:

• hardening the earth in the cold;
• calcining the soil in the oven;
• steaming in a water bath;
• use of special means and preparations.

At the initial stage of planting, no additional fertilizer is required for lemon. A properly prepared soil mixture contains all the necessary substances and trace elements.

Seedling planting technology

Lemon seeds should be planted to a depth of no more than 2 cm. At the same time, several seeds can be placed in one container at once.The first transplant is carried out when 3-4 true leaves are formed on the shoots, so until this time the seedlings will not interfere with each other. The pots are covered with cellophane and placed in a well-lit, warm place. Lemon will not germinate if the temperature of the earth and the surrounding area is below +18 ° C. At the same time, air humidity is maintained at an increased level.

Sprout timing

The average period of emergence of shoots of lemon from the moment of planting the grains is from 1 week to 1 month. During all this time, the soil in the pot is sprayed with a spray bottle, and watering is done only if it is very dry.

Growing and care after planting

When growing a lemon from a stone at home, seedlings begin to accustom to the surrounding climate gradually. To do this, the greenhouse is slightly opened and ventilated. It will be correct to remove the film altogether when 3-4 true leaves appear on the sprouts.During this period, the plants are seated in separate containers. A young lemon must be skillfully looked after, otherwise all efforts to grow a tree will be reduced to zero.

Irrigation

The condition of the topsoil indicates that the lemon needs watering. It should not be allowed to dry out, which occurs especially quickly in a room with central heating. With special responsibility, watering the plant should be taken during the active growing season, when buds begin to form.

The lemon is watered mainly in the evening hours, using warmed up to room temperature and settled water.

Irrigation is carried out until excess liquid begins to flow out of the lower holes of the pot. It is removed immediately. If the air in the room is very dry, then it is necessary to spray the crown of a young lemon with a spray gun.

Temperature conditions

It can be difficult to keep the temperature at the same level in an apartment. However, it should be remembered that the lemon tree reacts very painfully to sudden changes in temperature. During the growing season, daytime temperatures are maintained at +20 - 24 °С, and during the dormant period (in winter) - about +10 °С.

Feeding

Subject to the rules of agricultural technology in the first period of its life, homemade lemon does not need additional feeding. However, at the first sign of a deficiency of mineral fertilizers or other components, it is worth immediately fertilizing the soil. Both organic and mineral preparations are used for this. Most often, s altpeter is used with the addition of potassium s alt. In order to avoid phosphorus deficiency, it is advisable to add superphosphate to the ground. It must be remembered that this fertilizer tends to dissolve for a very long time.

From organic matter, only mullein and chicken manure, previously dissolved in water, are used for growing lemons.

Cupping

If the lemon tree crown is not formed in time, then it will not bear fruit. As soon as the seedling grows to 20 cm in height (usually this happens at the age of one year), it is pruned. They do this before the tree moves away from the dormant period and begins to grow. Be sure to pinch the top of the lemon. Shoots are cut only to the 4th order. All branches that contribute to the thickening of the crown must be removed immediately.

Will an indoor lemon tree bear fruit

Not every variety of indoor lemon is able to bear fruit without additional measures. Some of them are not capable of self-pollination, so you have to work hard during flowering to manually pollinate each flower.Without grafting, the harvest will have to wait longer, so experienced florists recommend that you definitely graft in the first year of a lemon tree.

Methods of grafting a tree

A lemon seedling can be grafted in several ways. The choice of a particular one depends on practical skills, knowledge and preferences of the grower.

Grafting in splitting

To apply this technique, a lemon rootstock must be cut at a height of 10 cm from the ground and split in the center to a depth of 3 cm. A scion containing 4 buds is inserted into the split. It is advisable to give it a wedge shape by cutting off the edge with a sharp knife along the oblique.

The place where the lemon is grafted is wrapped with cellophane or electrical tape, and also treated with garden pitch.

Budding

It is budding that is considered one of the simplest ways to graft plants.The period of work is stretched from mid-spring to the very end of summer. The plant at this time is an active process of sap flow. In order to graft a lemon in this way, you need to select a shoot with a bud, and then make one horizontal cut on it with a sharp knife 1 cm above the bud, and the second - 1.5 cm below.

To engraft the cutting, it is necessary to make a T-shaped incision on the bark of the future stock. The lemon bark is slightly bent in this place, and a ready-made graft is inserted into the resulting crevice. The scion site is wrapped with electrical tape in such a way that the kidney remains open. The surface is treated with garden pitch. For grafting a lemon by budding, it is better to choose a cloudy day.

Main growing problems

Lemons have certain difficulties in growing. Like other indoor flowers, they can be affected by various diseases and be negatively affected by pests.

Lemons die or grow poorly

There can be several reasons for such problems. Firstly, unscrupulous sellers often give away a plant that was grown in the southern countries in the open field to a gullible buyer. Such a lemon tree is not able to acclimatize to apartment conditions, and is doomed to death.

Secondly, beginner citrus growers often make the mistake of choosing too large a pot size for a plant. They suggest that in this way they will save the lemon from unnecessary transplants. However, the roots of the plant soon begin to rot, and its growth stops.

The shoots turn yellow and dry

Grower errors can be the cause of yellowing lemon leaves and drying of shoots. In the presence of a narrow window sill, some of them decide to move the plant deep into the room. As a result, the tree experiences a lack of light, sheds foliage, and begins to wither.A pot of lemon should be insulated, because in winter the pot is supercooled from the window, and warm air goes to the crown from the battery. Due to such a temperature difference, the plant loses its attractive appearance, its leaves turn yellow and fall off.

Diseases and plant pests

Lemons can be exposed to viral diseases, as a result of which they not only lose their decorative qualities, but may even die. These diseases include:

• leaf mosaic;
• citrus cancer;
• tristeza;
• gamoz;
• anthracnose;
• scab;
• root rot.

It is possible that lemons are affected by pests, the most common of which are:

• shield;
• aphid;
• spider mite;
• root aphid.

In order not to destroy the plant, preventive measures should be taken in time. When the first signs of damage to the lemon are found, it is necessary to treat it with insecticidal preparations or other special means.

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