Citrus all year round. How to grow lemon from seed at home?

Homemade lemon tree is no longer an innovation, since it not only brings useful fruits, but also is a wonderful addition to the interior.

There are two ways to grow lemon: seed and vegetative. The simplest is the cultivation of lemon tree from stone.

From the article you will find out whether a room lemon tree with the fruits of the house can grow, whether it is possible to germinate the seeds on the windowsill and how much they sprout.

Growing lemon tree from seeds

The advantages of this method:

• plants grown from seeds are more viable and resistant to home conditions;
• the chance that the tree will take root and grow more than when grown by a cuttings;
• more active growth;
• the formation of a thick and beautiful crown.

disadvantages:

• start to bear fruit late;
• it is necessary to plant a dozen seeds at once, since not all sprout.

Which variety is suitable for home: a description of how it looks in the photo

The choice of the variety directly determines whether the tree will take root and whether it will bear fruit in the future.

Next, you will read the description of indoor trees that you can grow at home and see how they look in the photo.

The following varieties are suitable for growing lemon from seed.

Maykop

One of the most common for home growing, since it is unpretentious in leaving, resistant to cold. Branches without thorns, and the crop can reach up to 300 fruits per year.

Pavlovsky

Good in that it is adapted to insufficient lighting. The tree can reach 2 meters.

"Chinese"

A small tree grows up to 1 meter. Fruitful and precocious variety. Fruits may appear for 2-3 years of cultivation.

"Anniversary"

Decorative grade. It is shade-tolerant, adapts well to different conditions and begins to bloom for 2 years.

Genoa

Differs in special tastes of fruits. A tree without thorns, begins to bear fruit for 4 years and reaches up to 3 meters.

How to grow step by step?

Lemon is a very thermophilic plant, seeds germinate at a temperature of + 18-22 degrees. You can plant a lemon at home at any time of the year. If it is winter, then for germination it is necessary to create a mini-greenhouse. To do this, cover the plant with a cropped bottle.

If the temperature in the room is less than 18 degrees, it is better to use additional heating by installing a light bulb from below.

As for the open ground, it is recommended to plant lemon in the spring, when the soil is already fully warmed up. Then by winter, the seedlings will be able to fully adapt to the street and grow stronger.

Which pot and place to choose?

It is best to plant a lemon at home in a small clay pot (15 cm in diameter), but plastic or wooden pots are also suitable. Pot walls should not be very thick, and the bottom must be with drainage holes to exit excess moisture.

It is better to put a lemon tree in a spacious place, since the older it is, the larger its size. The lemon tree doesn’t like “moving”, so it’s better not to move or rearrange it once again. It is not recommended to grow lemon on a window on the sunny side, as direct sunlight can have a negative effect on the condition of the plant.

Lemon loves moisture and coolness, so you need to choose a place in the open ground in the shade. And in winter, it is necessary to put it in a warm loggia and greenhouse, otherwise the plant may not survive the cold.

Seed preparation and selection

Seeds can be taken from a regular purchased lemon, but the following conditions must be observed:

• the fetus must be ripe (uniform yellow), there should be no signs of illness on it;
• it is necessary to start planting immediately after extracting the seeds so that they do not have time to dry out;
• choose the formed large and neat seeds;
• immediately extract 10-15 seeds for planting.

Also, seeds can be bought at the store. The average price of seeds in Moscow and St. Petersburg is 100 rubles per 10 pieces.

1. Before planting, rinse the seeds under running water and dry.
2. Put them on a layer of moist cotton so that they swell. Cotton wool must be moistened periodically.
3. After swelling, the seeds are ready for planting in the ground.

reference! Before planting the seeds, they are advised to withstand them in a solution of sodium glutamate and a growth stimulator for a day.

Landing

1. Preparing the soil. Special soil for citrus fruits is perfect, but you can do it yourself by mixing peat, earth, compost and river sand in equal proportions. Planting can be carried out both in small pots and in long boxes at a distance of 5 cm from each other.
2. We fill the soil in the prepared container, after having first put the drainage on the bottom of the pot.
3. We plant seeds to a depth of 2-4 cm in moist soil.
4. Cover the pot with plastic wrap.

Plant 10-15 seeds at once, so it will be possible to choose at least one of the strongest sprout.

In order for the seeds to germinate, it is necessary to maintain soil moisture. To avoid excessive moisture, it is recommended to spray the soil from the spray gun, and water only with the formation of dry cracks. After the first leaves appear, the plastic film is gradually removed and the seedlings are placed in a well-lit place.

Next, we suggest watching a video on how to plant a lemon at home:

Sprouts

In order for the sprouts to grow stronger and grow actively, it is necessary:

1. Provide constant watering. In summer, the plant is watered 2-3 times a week, in winter as the soil dries.
2. Create moist conditions by spraying and rubbing leaves daily from dust.

Healthy sprout is as follows:

• leaves of bright green color, medium size, tightly attached to the stem;
• the sprout is well rooted and sits firmly in the ground;
• powerful and regular seedling.

Subject to all necessary conditions, the seed germinates in the period from a week to a month. If this does not happen, be sure to check the air temperature in the room, the presence of drafts and an excess of moisture in the soil.

When 2-3 real leaves appear in a seedling, the strongest and most healthy are transplanted into pots. In order for the lemon to grow and develop, every 3 months it is necessary to feed the plant with mineral fertilizers. When the tree reaches 15-20 cm in height, it can again be transplanted into a pot with a diameter 2-4 cm larger than the previous one.

Care

1. After reaching 20-22 cm, the stem is shortened so that lateral shoots appear. Spend this procedure every spring.
2. To improve the quality of the crop, the trunk is ringed. To do this, the copper wire is tied at the base. In the future, beneficial substances accumulate there.
3. A tree is transplanted every 2 years into a larger pot.
4. For proper crown formation, the pot is turned a quarter every week.
5. It is necessary to spray the tree regularly.

Learn more about caring for a lemon home tree from the video:

First crop

Lemon tree begins to bear fruit for 4-5 years, and only after 10 years. It depends on the choice of lemon variety, compliance with growing conditions, timely feeding and careful care of the plant.

reference. The first blossoms of a tree are removed, so that more forces are spent on its further growth and development.

So that the lemon begins to bear fruit as early as possible, it is inoculated. For this:

• wipe the bark with a damp cloth at a distance of 5-6 cm from the ground and cut the bark in the shape of the letter "T";
• an eye is cut from a branch of a fruiting plant, leaving a thin layer of bark on the back side;
• gently insert the twig into the incision so that it fits snugly against the wood;
• the vaccination site is wrapped with a special tape from top to bottom, leaving the eye open.

Following all the recommendations, you will definitely get a beautiful lemon tree. The grown lemon will delight you with useful and vitamin-rich fruits, a pleasant smell and beautiful flowering.

Watch the video: How to Grow Citrus Trees Indoors EASY! - Complete growing guide (December 2024).