Bright and fragrant, lemon trees are worth the effort it takes to grow them, Sooner or later, the avid fruit gardener begins to hanker after growing a lemon tree. A delicious scent hangs in the air whenever the plant is in flower, and the fruit brighten up a conservatory or glasshouse in winter. But lemons are a challenge. Like all citrus fruit they need consistent, watchful care to be successful - and are all the more rewarding for it.
Lemons, and citrus generally, are not frost-hardy. They are self-fertile, however, which means you get fruit even if you only have one plant. "Trees" range in size at maturity from 60cm (2ft) tall to 2.5m (8ft) or more. They have mid-green, long-oval, evergreen leaves and the wine-coloured buds open into white, five-petalled, fragrant, star-like flowers. The fruit take about nine months to swell and ripen, so there are often flowers and lemons on the plant at the same time, which is very appealing. They flower most prolifically in spring; but as long as the night temperature stays above 11C (52F), so that the plant does not become dormant, many will bloom in autumn and winter, too.
Varieties
It's best to buy a grafted plant of a named cultivar from a reputable source: plants from pips will take some years to flower and may never bear good fruit. Stephen Read of Reads Nursery, which holds the National Collection of Citrus, recommends the compact and easy 'La Valette', the fussier but equally prolific 'Meyers Lemon' if space is limited, and the much bigger 'Quatre Saisons' (which you may find listed in catalogues as 'Garey's Eureka' ) for heavier crops of lemons, which are as acid as commercial varieties. He also puts in a good word for 'Imperial', which crops well once a year on a vigorous bush, and the remarkable 'Ponderosa', which has lemons the size of grapefruits.
Cultivation
Read finds that lemons grow best in John Innes No 2 compost, with 25 per cent extra by volume horticultural grit or perlite to promote sharp drainage, which is vital. They can be grown in either terracotta or plastic pots. Whichford Pottery sells handsome lemon pots in a variety of sizes ( 01608 684416 ; www.whichfordpottery.com).
Avoid overpotting established trees; they only need moving every two to three years into a pot one size up. Otherwise, simply take off the top 2.5cm (1in) of soil each spring and add fresh compost. They thrive best in a pH of 6.2 to 6.5, so should preferably be watered with rainwater from a clean butt, kept at the same temperature as the soil. If you have to use tap water, Read suggests adding citric acid to it, at a rate of 2g per 10 litres. These plants should be well soaked when watered and then left alone until almost dry again. Never let them dry out completely, however, or they will drop leaves and flowers. Mist the foliage regularly with water to raise the humidity (they like about 50 per cent), or put the pot on a tray of wet pebbles.
Lemons are greedy feeders so should ideally be given a high-nitrogen feed frequently from March, when the clocks go forward, until October, when they go back, followed by a more balanced feed with trace elements in autumn and winter. Chempak's ( 01992 890770 ; www.chempak.co.uk) specialised winter and summer citrus fertilisers are suitable; follow the recommended application rates and timings. In winter, if you are watering very little, a seaweed foliar feed is a suitable alternative.
Lemons are happiest if put outdoors in late May, since it is hard to achieve sufficient ventilation under glass in summer. Put the pot in part-shade initially, to allow the plant to acclimatise. It is important that the roots are not baked by the sun. Bring them in again before the frosts. Lemons, like all citrus, resent fluctuations of temperature, humidity and light levels, so keep a daily eye on them. Don't despair, however, if flowers or small fruits fall off; a substantial drop is natural and inevitable. Read thins the crop, if necessary, by picking some fruits when they are still conker-sized.
Pruning
In late winter, before the surge of growth, cut back some shoots to help shape the plant, and pinch out the tips of very vigorous growths.
Pests and diseases
Scale and mealy bug love citrus, so be watchful and use a sponge or a toothbrush dipped in soapy water to remove them. Or pick them off with your thumbnail. Do the same with aphids in spring, or pinch out the ends of the young shoots. Mist-spray regularly to discourage red spider mite.
Lemons, and citrus generally, are not frost-hardy. They are self-fertile, however, which means you get fruit even if you only have one plant. "Trees" range in size at maturity from 60cm (2ft) tall to 2.5m (8ft) or more. They have mid-green, long-oval, evergreen leaves and the wine-coloured buds open into white, five-petalled, fragrant, star-like flowers. The fruit take about nine months to swell and ripen, so there are often flowers and lemons on the plant at the same time, which is very appealing. They flower most prolifically in spring; but as long as the night temperature stays above 11C (52F), so that the plant does not become dormant, many will bloom in autumn and winter, too.
Varieties
It's best to buy a grafted plant of a named cultivar from a reputable source: plants from pips will take some years to flower and may never bear good fruit. Stephen Read of Reads Nursery, which holds the National Collection of Citrus, recommends the compact and easy 'La Valette', the fussier but equally prolific 'Meyers Lemon' if space is limited, and the much bigger 'Quatre Saisons' (which you may find listed in catalogues as 'Garey's Eureka' ) for heavier crops of lemons, which are as acid as commercial varieties. He also puts in a good word for 'Imperial', which crops well once a year on a vigorous bush, and the remarkable 'Ponderosa', which has lemons the size of grapefruits.
Cultivation
Read finds that lemons grow best in John Innes No 2 compost, with 25 per cent extra by volume horticultural grit or perlite to promote sharp drainage, which is vital. They can be grown in either terracotta or plastic pots. Whichford Pottery sells handsome lemon pots in a variety of sizes ( 01608 684416 ; www.whichfordpottery.com).
Avoid overpotting established trees; they only need moving every two to three years into a pot one size up. Otherwise, simply take off the top 2.5cm (1in) of soil each spring and add fresh compost. They thrive best in a pH of 6.2 to 6.5, so should preferably be watered with rainwater from a clean butt, kept at the same temperature as the soil. If you have to use tap water, Read suggests adding citric acid to it, at a rate of 2g per 10 litres. These plants should be well soaked when watered and then left alone until almost dry again. Never let them dry out completely, however, or they will drop leaves and flowers. Mist the foliage regularly with water to raise the humidity (they like about 50 per cent), or put the pot on a tray of wet pebbles.
Lemons are greedy feeders so should ideally be given a high-nitrogen feed frequently from March, when the clocks go forward, until October, when they go back, followed by a more balanced feed with trace elements in autumn and winter. Chempak's ( 01992 890770 ; www.chempak.co.uk) specialised winter and summer citrus fertilisers are suitable; follow the recommended application rates and timings. In winter, if you are watering very little, a seaweed foliar feed is a suitable alternative.
Lemons are happiest if put outdoors in late May, since it is hard to achieve sufficient ventilation under glass in summer. Put the pot in part-shade initially, to allow the plant to acclimatise. It is important that the roots are not baked by the sun. Bring them in again before the frosts. Lemons, like all citrus, resent fluctuations of temperature, humidity and light levels, so keep a daily eye on them. Don't despair, however, if flowers or small fruits fall off; a substantial drop is natural and inevitable. Read thins the crop, if necessary, by picking some fruits when they are still conker-sized.
Pruning
In late winter, before the surge of growth, cut back some shoots to help shape the plant, and pinch out the tips of very vigorous growths.
Pests and diseases
Scale and mealy bug love citrus, so be watchful and use a sponge or a toothbrush dipped in soapy water to remove them. Or pick them off with your thumbnail. Do the same with aphids in spring, or pinch out the ends of the young shoots. Mist-spray regularly to discourage red spider mite.
sourced from:
www.apartmenttherapy.com
No comments:
Post a Comment