Indoor lemon is a beautiful healthy tree. With proper care, it can bear up to thirty fruits per year. To grow this plant at home, certain conditions are necessary, it is especially difficult to choose the right soil for lemon. It should be light, moderately enriched with minerals. It can be purchased at the store or made independently, taking into account all the requirements of the plant to the composition of the soil.
General requirements
Lemons begin to bear fruit in the second year of life. A plant can bloom and bear fruit only if optimal conditions are created. And the most important of them is the right soil. For lemon, it should be:
- Light, have high permeability of air, moisture. The root system of the tree is devoid of hairs, because of this it is more difficult for a lemon to extract food from the soil.
- Neutral acidity. The optimal soil for lemon is considered with a pH of 5.5-7. A higher level leads to leaf fall.
- The mixture should not have large earthen lumps, as they interfere with the normal absorption of nutrients from the soil.
In heavy soil, lemons do not take root, since moisture is poorly distributed there and greenhouse processes occur inside. In such lands, the root system can dry out, rot.
Lemons quickly draw mineral substances from the soil, so it is constantly enriched with mineral fertilizers and transplanted. Young plants change the soil once a year, and adults - once every three years. The younger the tree, the more sand and peat should be contained in the soil.
Finished Substrates
When choosing soil for a lemon, beginning citrus growers often pay attention to store options. If there is no experience in growing lemons, then it is best to use a ready-made soil mixture. It contains everything necessary for the growth and development of a tree. However, after some time, flower growers notice that the plants begin to languish in the purchased land. When transplanting, you can see that after this stage the lemon roots did not grow, but remained all the time in an old coma. This suggests that the composition of the soil for lemon is not selected correctly.
Soils offered in stores consist of the following components:
- river sand;
- high peat;
- peat humus;
- mineral fertilizers.
Peat is the decayed remnants of marsh plants. This is a very valuable product with excellent breathability and containing all the components necessary for growth. However, not all plants can take root in this substrate. This is due to the fact that peat is not suitable for each of them.
The problem of survival may be due to improper storage of the soil mixture. Manufacturers pack it in bags where moisture is stored. In such packages, an ideal environment is created for the reproduction of anaerobic bacteria, which release toxic substances into the soil. In such soil, lemons feel unwell.
Finished soil selection
So which soil for lemon to choose? When reviewing store products, each citrus grower is experimenting, choosing the most optimal option. When buying soil, you should pay attention to the following:
- production date, shelf life of the composition: the fresher the soil, the less developed anaerobic microflora in it, the more useful elements are preserved;
- mineral composition: lemon needs nitrogen / phosphorus / potassium in a ratio of 1 / 1.5 / 2;
- particle size: if there are large elements in the soil, then this composition leaves much to be desired.
Soil preparation
The best is considered the primer for indoor lemon, prepared independently according to all the rules. For its manufacture use:
- Lowland peat. It can be purchased at the garden store. Before applying this type of substrate, it is ventilated a couple of days. Low peat is added to the mixture in a volume of not more than 10%.
- Garden soil. Purified earth is added to the mixture from the garden, from which roots and large fractions are removed.
- Turf. The land from the lawn where clover or nettle grows has excellent qualities. Such soils have an optimal pH and chemical composition ideal for lemon growth. To prepare the soil, it is necessary to remove about ten centimeters of the top layer of the earth, clean from roots and sift from large particles, lumps.
- Humus leaf. The best is from under the linden. To get it, they remove about five centimeters of soil, sift it, remove large particles. Land from under willow, oak, coniferous trees is not suitable. It is acidic and contains tannins. It is well suited for other indoor plants.
- Sand. Composing the soil for lemon at home, apply large river sand.
- Humus of manure. Horse is considered ideal, but if there is none, then it is quite suitable after cattle.
- Charcoal. Birch or alder coal is crushed into powder.
Mixture composition
All prepared components are mixed in equal proportions, except for charcoal. It is added directly to the pot.
When planting young citrus fruits, you can use a mixture of peat and turf land, deciduous humus, taken in equal parts. For looseness, a little sand is added to the mixture. The substrate for transplantation is prepared in advance.
Quality control
The quality of the prepared soil should be pre-checked. Using litmus paper, you can independently determine the pH level. To do this, take a lump of moist soil and firmly press it to the paper. Green and yellow indicate a normal pH level (6-7). With increased acidity, the indicator will be red, and blue - if the soil has an alkaline environment.
You can test for the content of impurities in petroleum products. To do this, take a container with clean water, add soil there, mix thoroughly. Then the soil is allowed to settle. After that they look to see if there are any stains on the surface of the water. If there are any, then this indicates the presence of petroleum products, such land can not be used for planting indoor plants.
Top dressing
When making soil for lemon at home, it is important to add mineral fertilizers to it. Fertilizing is carried out when growing a tree throughout the growing season.
From January to August, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are used. For lemons, it is recommended to use horse manure tincture. To prepare it, you need to dilute one hundred grams of manure in a liter of water and insist for two weeks.
A lot of nitrogen is found in urea. To prepare the working solution, it is necessary to dilute one and a half grams of the substance in a liter of water.
During the flowering period, citrus fruits are fed with fertilizers with a high content of potassium and phosphorus. They are introduced until 2 cm fruits appear.
When growing citrus fruits, plants must be prepared for the rest period. To do this, from August to September, the tree is fed with potash fertilizers.
Transfer
Plants need to be transplanted regularly. Knowing what kind of soil a lemon needs, it is possible to ensure constant access of the tree to nutrients, which will help accelerate its growth and development. It also helps to change the acidity of the substrate to the one that the plant needs.
Clear signs that the plant needs to be transplanted are:
- unripened branches;
- the plant stops growing;
- lemon development is slow;
- roots appeared from the drainage hole of the pot.
It is necessary to transplant the plant at a time when there are no buds, fruits. Prepare for the transplant in advance. Watered the lemon for several days to completely wet the earthen lump, but without stagnation of water. The tree is carefully removed from the pot with an earthen lump. If dried, damaged roots are visible, then they are removed.
Lemon is placed in another pot of a larger diameter so that the existing earthen lump is not destroyed. Sprinkle the plant with new soil.
Regular handling allows you to form a strong tree. After transplanting, the tree is well watered, covered from direct sunlight for a couple of weeks, until the plant adapts to new conditions.
Drainage for lemon
When transplanting a plant, it is important to ensure a good outflow of excess moisture when watering. To do this, organize drainage at the bottom of the pot. It can be done by laying out a layer of expanded clay, pebbles, gravel, brick fight, clay pottery fight at the bottom of the pot.
Most often used expanded clay. It can be purchased at any garden store. Before use, the drainage material is treated with boiling water. After complete cooling, drainage is laid out on the bottom of the pot, a little freshly prepared soil is poured on top. Then carry out the transshipment of lemon.
Properly prepared soil will help to grow a powerful tree with a large crop.