Often, a cup of tea with a slice of fragrant lemon inspires amateur gardeners for a feat. Cutting this bright yellow fruit, we see small bones in the slices. Probably, many times more than once there was a desire to try to grow this exotic plant on their windowsill. But few dared to take this step. This is a kind of challenge to your patience!
How to grow lemons at home
We will not dwell on flowerpots, try to grow this fragrant fruit from stone. With a patient and competent approach, after a few years you will drink tea with the fruits of a lemon of your own crop.
Before you begin your experiment, you should know that lemon is a plant that needs good lighting: additional light will be needed on the northern windows in the winter.
All citrus fruits have a spreading crown, and lemon is no exception, so you should be prepared for the fact that it will take up a lot of space.
There is another important and most difficult moment in how to grow lemons at home - it's wintering. For homemade lemons, this is the most important condition - they should winter in coolness. This is necessary so that flower buds can be born on the shoots, from which lemons will later be tied. The temperature in the room should not be higher than 10 degrees. Not all gardeners can solve the problem of wintering.
Planting a lemon at home
To get strong plants, you need good seeds. At the bazaar or in the store, select a couple of ripe lemons that you like visually. Seeds are recommended to be sown in January. Sow immediately with a dozen grains for a better result.
The soil can be bought in specialized stores or mixed in equal proportions fertile land, river sand and peat. Deepen the seeds by 1 cm. Do not fill, it is better to spray the surface of the earth. After about a month, the first sprouts will please you. You need to plant them in separate pots when the lemons start up three full leaflets, remove small and ugly sprouts.
Lemons should survive their first year without fertilizers, without additional lighting and spraying. This will be the easiest step to grow lemons at home. This will allow you to see which of the plants are the most viable, and choose the right ones from them. At this time, pay attention to seedlings that begin to branch early. It is on such plants that the fruits will be tied.
In the second year, begin to form a crown. Branches that grow inward must be removed, as well as those on which there is little foliage. Discard weak seedlings, leave the most hardy, fast-growing, with the shortest internodes. Only such plants will give an early and good harvest.
A lemon transplant at home every year gives good results to accelerate the growth of your plant. And top dressing and additional lighting in the winter months will help the lemon bear fruit. If your lemon does not bear fruit for a long time, it will need to be planted. In winter, if possible, try to create cool conditions for your pets, and in summer they can be taken out to fresh air.
You see, there is nothing complicated in how to grow lemons at home. Yes, and the process of observing plants that have grown from seed before your eyes is very exciting. Many lovers will forever remain fans and collectors of citrus plants.