Lemons are favorite plants for growing on windowsills for many gardeners. Lemon blossoming is a rather unusual period, because a fresh, sweetish aroma with notes of anise and honeysuckle spreads throughout the room. For a tree to bloom, it will take a lot of effort, but even more to preserve the ovary.

Lemon blooms with beautiful fragrant flowers

Conditions for flowering

In nature, lemons bloom for 2–3 years of their life at the end of spring, but lemons at home can bloom all year round. But for this he needs to create favorable conditions. If the tree is planted in a suitable sized pot with slightly acidic soil and good drainage, then this is only a small part of the necessary conditions.

In order for the lemon to finally bloom, it is necessary to water it in a timely manner and irrigate the crown with warm water from a spray bottle, this creates the humidity suitable for the tree. It is necessary to ventilate the room in which the lemon grows, but you should not move or move the indoor plant again. This especially applies to the flowering and fruiting period. A lemon can not only shed its fruits and flowers, but also all its leaves.

The amount of minerals in the soil plays an important role in lemon flowering. With a lack of boron and manganese, the buds fall off without having time to bloom. It is recommended to fertilize lemon with minerals 1-2 times a month. To do this, it is better to use ready-made fertilizers for citrus fruits, which are sold at any flower shop. But do not overdo it with fertilizing, otherwise the lemon may not bloom at all.

Fertilizers for citrus fruits are sold in flower shops

Principle

Lemon flowers form in the axils of the leaves closer to the growth point of the branches (at their ends). The flowers themselves are white with yellow stigma and stamens. The petals of the flowers are oval-shaped. Depending on the type of lemon, there may be 4 or 5.

The first flowering begins in mid-May, less often at the end of April. With good care, flowering can last all year round. But the process of forcing color greatly depletes the tree, so it often drops flowers and ovaries.

The flowering process itself can be divided into several phases:

1. The tree throws out flower stalks.
2. 1–4 buds are formed on the peduncle;
3. After 2–3 days, depending on the degree of illumination and temperature in the room, the buds bloom.
4. Flowering lasts 7–9 days, after which the petals fall off.
5. Subsequently, an ovary forms in place of the flower.

Many varieties of indoor lemons are self-pollinating, but others require human help to produce fruit. To do this, use a cotton swab or cotton swab to transfer pollen from one flower to another. This is problematic and does not guarantee high-quality pollination, so it is better to choose varieties that are characterized by self-pollination.

The number of flowers on the tree must be adjusted manually. Most often, the plant expels flowers to the limit of its capabilities, but for a houseplant this is not at all important.

It is better to remove half the flowers, leaving no more than 2 on each branch. Some of them will not be pollinated or will simply fall off, and then the number of ovaries that it can grow on itself will remain on the tree. The period from the beginning of flowering to the ripening of the harvest lasts about 6–8 months, provided that the conditions necessary for a particular lemon variety are maintained. Each fruit should have at least 5-6 leaves, which will provide nutrients through photosynthesis.

Lemon flower stays on the tree for up to 9 days

Why don't lemons bloom?

You should not buy trees that are already blooming, because the flowers will definitely not survive the stress of transportation. Following the flowers and ovary, leaves may also fall off. But it also happens that the plant is not going to bloom at all. Every experienced gardener knows what to do in this case. It is necessary to give the tree a comprehensive feeding and arrange a shower for the leaves. Before this, the soil in the pot is covered with cling film.

Flowering may be delayed if the fruits on the lemon are already ripening and all its forces are directed towards this. Although there are specimens that bloom and bear fruit at the same time. This usually applies to mature trees over 5 years old. Young lemons cannot afford this.

Lemon is a subtropical plant and the apartment climate is ideal for it. Despite this, caring for a lemon in a pot differs from growing it in natural conditions.

Let's look at how to care for lemons at home so that your plant grows healthy and the lemon bears fruit.

Selection of seedlings

There is no need to rush into purchasing a lemon seedling. You should choose a healthy-looking plant with brightly colored, shiny leaves.

Look carefully at the stem and the reverse side of the leaf.

They must be clean, without the visible presence of pests and traces of disease.

Landing and seat selection

After planting the plant in open ground, be sure to water it thoroughly and make sure that it is not exposed to direct sunlight.

If the weather conditions are not very good (rain, strong wind, etc.), it is better to build a small shelter and leave it for several days until the lemon tree takes root in a new place.

In open ground, plants satisfy their needs from their natural environment. It is much more difficult to create favorable conditions for growing lemon at home.

ADVICE: Do not rush to replant the purchased decorative lemon tree seedling (for indoor growing). Let it adapt to your home.

Choose a location for the plant responsibly. Do not place indoor lemon in dangerous places:

• in a draft;
• near heating devices;
• in an unlit corner or dark corridor;
• between closed curtains and a window in cold weather.

ADVICE: Inspect the seedling daily and spray it with water. In hot weather, 2 times a day. After a few days, the plant needs to be replanted.

Features of care at different times of the year

Let's look at how to care for lemons at home depending on the time of year.

In spring, the plant wakes up and begins to grow actively. He needs more light.

On warm days, you can take the lemon plant out into the fresh air.

The room must be ventilated, since an influx of fresh air is necessary for good growth of citrus fruits.

By watching the video you can find out how to help your lemon in the spring:

In summer, it is best to bury a lemon tree in the garden or country house. If this is not possible, you need to move it to the balcony or terrace.

Having more than 25 years of experience in growing lemons at home, I note that such a “summer vacation” gives a powerful boost to plants for the whole year.

In the fall, before returning the lemon home, we carefully inspect the entire plant and, if necessary, treat it with chemicals. Be sure to take a warm shower, thoroughly wash the leaves and stems from dust and dirt.

We return it to its usual place and continue caring for the indoor lemon in the pot. Gradually reduce watering and fertilizing of plants.

In winter, plants are most often in a dormant period. But one of my lemons goes into the winter with fruits and therefore the dormant period for it begins after the harvest.

I feed this plant throughout the fruiting period and, if necessary, provide lighting for 2-3 hours daily. The remaining plants rest during the winter.

The comfortable temperature for lemons during this period is between 14 and 16 degrees.

Our winters in Siberia are long and cold. It is not always possible to preserve plants during the winter. Some branches dry out. Do not rush to prune such plants. Very often a withered twig comes to life.

In the photo below you can see examples of home-grown dwarf lemons:

Perhaps due to the fact that it is not easy to grow a lemon tree in our latitudes, pruning of citrus fruits is not practiced. But if desired, for better branching and crown formation, pruning can be done in early spring.

You can learn how to prune a plant at home on our website.

Why doesn't lemon blossom or bear fruit?

Often, novice gardeners are faced with the fact that lemons do not bloom.

Why don't lemons bloom? There are several reasons: the first and most basic is that the plant was planted as a seed and not grafted.

How to make lemons bloom at home? In order for a plant grown from a seed to bloom, many years must pass or it must be grafted.

Also, your plant may be planted in poor soil and lack mineral fertilizers. Very dry air, pests, diseases...

Watch your pet and the plant itself will tell you the reason.

I bought my first lemon on vacation in Adjara. It was a grafted 3-4 year old seedling of Pavlovsk lemon, all in bloom and with small fruits. It so happened that the plant had to be put into storage for a day. When the plant was returned to me, I almost burst into tears - the leaves, flowers, ovary, everything fell off. I saved the lemon, but it bloomed only after 5 years.

ATTENTION: If you transport a plant from one place to another, be prepared for the fact that it may not bloom on time.

Lighting

If your plant does not have enough light, it will have small and pale leaves, small or no flowers, yellow lower leaves, the plant practically does not grow, or the shoots are weak and very elongated.

For lemons, south-eastern windows with bright, diffused light and a small amount of direct sunlight are best suited. If there is no possibility of natural light, then for normal cultivation of lemons it is necessary to organize artificial lighting. It is best to use fluorescent lamps.

Lemon is not very picky about air temperature - in winter it needs 14 - 16 degrees, in summer it can tolerate 30 degree heat.

IMPORTANT: It is necessary that the difference between day and night temperatures should not be more than 4-6 degrees. This is especially dangerous for flowering plants.

In winter, it is necessary to insulate the window on which the plant stands, on very cold days, remove the lemon from the windowsill, and do not close the window curtains tightly. Warm air from the room should penetrate the plant.

Air humidity

Air humidity is another very important factor in growing lemons.

This problem is especially relevant in the winter months.

In apartments with central heating, the air becomes so dry that many plants find it very difficult to tolerate such conditions.

The air in the room must be constantly humidified. It is better to use industrial humidifiers.

If it is not possible to buy such a device, use the knowledge of experienced gardeners:

1. Spray your plants with warm water (necessarily settled) 2-3 times a day;
2. Pour expanded clay into a tray, moisten it with water and place the flower pot in this tray. Keep expanded clay constantly moist;
3. Group several colors - the humidity will increase;
4. You can move the lemon into the kitchen, where the humidity is much higher.

ADVICE: During the flowering of the lemon tree, many sources recommend pollinating the flowers using cotton swabs.

To carry out pollination you need to take a cotton swab. Trying not to damage the flowers, carefully collect pollen from one flower and transfer it to another, then to the third and all subsequent ones. However, in all the years of growing these plants, I have never used this method. Pollination happens somehow by itself.

Watering

Different people have their own drinking regime. The same can be said about plants. All indoor plants need watering to one degree or another. Some people like rare watering, others we water frequently and abundantly.

If you ask novice gardeners about the most common cause of plant death, most of them will say: “It’s dried out!” But much more often, plants die from improper watering.

If we notice something wrong with our plant, we begin to water it abundantly. In response to this, the leaves droop and turn yellow, but we continue to assume that the plant does not have enough moisture, and water it again.

Over time, in such plants, the earthen lump turns into a swamp, the roots rot and the plant dies.

How to water a lemon so that it grows healthy, develops and bears fruit?

The most important rule is to water the lemon generously with settled water; the water temperature should not be lower than room temperature.

Water only when the top layer of soil dries out at least 1-2 cm. After watering, let the water drain, loosen the top layer of soil and only spray the leaves for the next few days.

In order for the plant to develop and grow well, it must be replanted in a timely manner and its soil updated.

IMPORTANT: Never use unsterilized soil for planting indoor plants.

It is best to buy a special mixture for planting citrus plants. You can find out how to prepare a soil mixture at home on our website.

Good drainage and proper soil composition are important for lemons.

If you did everything as described above, but did not get the result, then your pet does not have enough nutrients. The plant must be fed constantly. In spring and summer once a week, in autumn once a month, in winter (if the plant is “resting”) we do not feed; if the plant has fruits or blooms, regular feeding is necessary.

You can find out how to care for a lemon tree with fruits at home and how to feed the plant at home on our website.

All we are embarking on this difficult journey for is the fruits of our tree (lemons). It’s as if we have achieved its flowering, but there is no ovary, the fruits are not formed.

How to pollinate lemons at home and what else you can do:

1. Hand pollination with a cotton swab;
2. Using the drug "Bud"

to stimulate fruit formation, preserve the ovary in unfavorable conditions;

3. Use of the drug "Kornerost, Heteroauxin"

to stimulate the growth of the root system, strengthening the entire plant.

And then our lemon blossomed, the ovary appeared and - Oh, horror!!! The ovary falls off. Why?

There are several possible reasons:

• if the plant blooms for the first time and there are only a few flowers, as a rule, these will be empty flowers. Take your time, wait for the real flowering;
• if a lemon blooms profusely and there is a lot of ovary, the plant itself regulates the amount of fruit it needs;
• If already formed, grown fruits fall off, your plant does not have enough light, nutrition, or it is sick (plants also get sick). Perhaps pests have appeared on the lemon.

If your lemon has blossomed and has begun to bear fruit, wait for the harvest.

Lemon ripening is not a quick process. Lemons grow slowly, be patient for a few months.

To find out when to remove lemons from your home tree, just take a good look at the fruits. Well-ripened lemon fruits are bright yellow and uniform in color.

If the lemon is ripe, it is easily separated from the stalk.

ADVICE: Gardeners often ask the question: “Lemon doesn’t grow, what should I do?” If your tree grows poorly or does not grow at all, pay attention to how the plant is planted.

Perhaps during transplantation you buried the grafting site into the ground. Urgently remove the top layer of soil and free the growing point.

In order to speed up the fruiting process, a seedling grown from a seed must be grafted. If you do not know this procedure, it is better to contact specialists.

You can learn how to properly plant a decorative lemon by watching the video below:

Lemon seedlings are transplanted in the spring if necessary. Let's consider when a Lemon transplant is necessary and what care is needed at home.

I know three conditions necessary for transplantation:

• the root system has grown and roots have appeared in the holes of the pot;
• after watering the plant dries very quickly;
• the plant withers.

IMPORTANT: If you take a previously used pot for replanting, it must be thoroughly rinsed and disinfected. The pot for replanting should be slightly larger than the one in which the lemon grew. Replanting a plant can be easily done at home.

Caring for indoor plants involves more than just watering and fertilizing.

Lemon must be periodically washed to remove dust and dirt.

Dust not only spoils the appearance, but also impedes the normal development of the plant. It is also necessary to tie branches with fruits to a support to avoid breaking the branches.

Inspect the plants regularly, clean the crown of your tree from dead leaves and dried flowers.

Where do plant diseases come from? Most often we ourselves are to blame for this.

There are several reasons. These are also unfavorable conditions for growing plants. We bought a sick plant and, unable to withstand the quarantine, placed it with other indoor plants.

Lemon fruits are a whole storehouse of vitamins. Eating food brings health and vigor.

REFERENCE: They drink tea with lemon and use it in cooking. Lemon is often used in various health recipes.

By growing a lemon tree at home, we get the opportunity not only to have wonderful fruits. The smell of blooming lemon fills the entire apartment with a fabulous aroma.

Is there any harm in growing lemons at home?

I would not recommend keeping a profusely flowering plant in the bedroom. There may be headaches. That's all.

You can watch a video with a detailed story about the benefits and harm that lemon can bring:

In conclusion, I would like to say if you want for your lemon tree:

• create the required temperature regime;
• provide appropriate lighting conditions;
• ensure timely watering;
• you will maintain the necessary air humidity;
• give your seedlings the necessary mineral fertilizers;
• give them peace;
• provide access to fresh air;
• you will take care of the appearance of your plants;

And as a result, it will thank you with abundant flowering and healthy fruits.

When growing indoor lemons, in some cases problems arise due to improper care and maintenance of this whimsical plant. By eliminating the cause of the tree, you can regularly obtain a rich harvest of fruits. Failure to follow care recommendations can lead to the death of the citrus.

Why do lemon leaves turn yellow, fall and curl?

Often gardeners are faced with the fact that lemon leaves turn yellow. There may be several reasons why a lemon turns yellow. Possible causes could be lack of light or nutrients, as nutrition is very important for citrus crops. For full development, growth and fruit set, elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, and calcium are necessary. Nitrogen affects healthy leaf color. Calcium is responsible for the development of the root system. Phosphorus is involved in the construction of plant cells, improves the quality of fruits, and increases their sugar content, vitamins and microelements. promotes better nitrogen absorption, accelerates the ripening of woody shoots and fruit ripening, and increases lemon resistance to disease. Timely application of fertilizers containing the above elements will help prevent yellowing, wilting and falling of leaves. At the same time, the taste of the fruit will increase significantly.

Lighting plays an important role in the formation of a healthy tree. Citrus, like any other plant in the tropics, requires 12 hours of daylight, so lemon is placed on southern, southwestern and southeastern windows. If necessary, use additional lighting.

Another reason why lemon leaves turn yellow is excess light. When direct sunlight hits the plant, or its prolonged exposure to the sun leads to the formation of yellow spots on the leaf blades - miniature burns, which the tree can cope with on its own if it is placed in a shaded or semi-shaded place. If this is not done, the lemon will completely lose its leaves and die.

This culture is moisture-loving. Needs regular, abundant watering and high air humidity (70-90%). In extreme heat or when the air in the room is excessively dry, the edges of citrus leaves begin to turn yellow. To prevent this, you need to spray the tree daily with a spray bottle and also use a humidifier. You can place a container filled with water next to the lemon.

Dry air is often the reason why lemon leaves curl.

In some cases, the leaves turn yellow at the base and then fall off. This can be facilitated by moisture accumulating in the soil and negatively affecting the root system. With prolonged stagnation of moisture, the roots begin to rot, and the soil acquires an unpleasant odor. In this case, it is necessary to transplant the plant into another container filled with fresh soil. Pebbles or expanded clay are first laid at the bottom, which will ensure good drainage. Before transplanting, roots that have rotted are removed. Then the root system is treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to destroy putrefactive bacteria. After this, the lemon is planted in fresh soil.

Sometimes lemon leaves turn yellow at the edges and curl when there are sudden changes in room temperature. In the same way, citrus reacts to drafts, so a pot of lemon should not be placed near a window or door.

Turning on heating appliances can also cause yellowing of lemon leaves.

Why does a lemon drop its leaves?

At different times of the year, citrus sheds its leaves, but more often this can be observed in the autumn-winter period. The reasons why lemon leaves fall are usually associated with unfavorable conditions in which the tree is kept.

With a lack of light, the plant becomes depleted and begins to lose foliage. Quite often this happens in winter. In this case, additional illumination with special lamps is required.

Other reasons why a lemon drops its leaves are dry indoor air, lack of nutrition, insufficient watering, a cramped pot, overcooling of the roots, acidification of the soil, a sudden change of location, and premature flowering. To eliminate this problem, you need to provide the plant with regular watering and timely application of fertilizers. If the pot becomes too small, the tree is transplanted into a larger container. To prevent hypothermia of the root system, you should water the citrus with water at room temperature or a little warmer. Do not keep it on a cold windowsill. It is important to regularly monitor the condition of the soil and its moisture. With excess moisture, the roots begin to rot, which leads to the shedding of leaves.

When transplanting a tree into a larger pot, the soil may become acidic. To avoid this, the new pot should be 2-4 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. Often the leaves fall off immediately after transplantation, so lemons are initially planted in spacious containers.

Since the lemon quickly gets used to its permanent place, it reacts negatively to the rearrangement and has difficulty getting used to new conditions, as a result of which it can shed its leaves.

Citrus leaves can fall off under the influence of pathogens and, for example, or. In order to promptly identify and eliminate pests, it is recommended to periodically inspect the tree.

What to do if a lemon has dropped its leaves? In some cases, the plant recovers on its own. However, it is necessary to exclude all possible causes: prevent drafts, ensure timely watering, optimal air humidity. Fertilizer is applied only if the plant is healthy. If the tree has been moved to another location, you need to return it to its original location.

Why homemade lemons don't bloom?

Sometimes it happens that citrus does not bloom for a very long time. In this case, the tree can be encouraged to flower by grafting with a cultivated cutting. After this, flowers will appear in 2-3 years. The reason why homemade lemons do not bloom may be the lack of a cool winter (at a temperature of 12-15°C), when the plant begins to develop flower buds. In a warm room, without a dormant period, citrus may not bloom. In addition, the tree may lack trace elements.

Lemons grown from seeds very rarely bloom and bear fruit. To achieve flowering, it is necessary to graft a branch of a fruiting plant. Flowering will occur in 3-4 years.

When planting lemons, you should know that some varieties bloom annually, while others bloom once every 4-5 years.

Why doesn't lemon bear fruit?

It happens that a tree blooms, but does not bear fruit. Why doesn't the lemon bear fruit? There may be several reasons for this. The most common of them are lack of nutrients, low air humidity, and lack of light.

With insufficient feeding, the ovary, which has developed to the size of a walnut, crumbles. Sometimes, with scanty feeding, the ovary ripens, but the fruits remain small.

The lack of fruiting may be due to poor pollination. In this case, you need to cross-pollinate the flowers using a cotton swab, transferring pollen from one flower to another.

To get a rich harvest of lemons, you need to create all the necessary conditions for the tree and provide proper care. For example, in the absence of a state of dormancy, the development of the plant is disrupted, which directly affects its fruiting.

Why do the ovaries and fruits of lemons fall off?

It happens that a citrus blossoms, but the ovaries fall off. Why do lemon ovaries fall off? Most often this occurs due to dry air, drafts, excess moisture, and lack of nutrients. Ovary drop can be caused by scale insects and spider mites.

Why do lemon fruits fall off? During fruiting, citrus reacts painfully to even a slight lack of nutrients, as a result of which its yield decreases.

To get a good harvest, potassium fertilizers are applied to the soil in the autumn. You can prepare a solution from water (1 liter) and wood ash (2-3 tablespoons).

It is also worth keeping in mind that a tree sheds its ovary when it feels that it is not ready to bear fruit. It is believed that there should be 10 leaves for each fruit. If there are fewer of them, after flowering the excess ovary is removed.

It is important to correctly form the load of future fruits. Remove excess flowers, leaving 1-2 flowers on the side branches.

If you follow all the rules of care, the question “why lemons fall off” will no longer arise.

Why does the lemon dry up and the branches dry out?

Gardeners often ask the question “why does the lemon dry out?” This situation occurs when there is a lack of moisture, excessively dry air, stagnation of water in the soil or poor lighting. The possible cause should be eliminated and after some time the tree will recover.

Why do lemon branches dry out? This can occur due to a lack or excess of moisture. Often, dried branches indicate a spider mite invasion.

It happens that branches dry out in winter. In most cases, this indicates that the plant is acclimatizing. In this case, in early spring, the dried shoots are removed, and new ones will appear in their place.

Another reason why lemon dries out is a lack of microelements. It is recommended to alternate fertilizing with nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium or use a balanced fertilizer containing micro and macroelements necessary for the plant. Citrus responds well to the Root Feeder fertilizer. As a result of its use, the tree pleases with a healthy appearance and a rich harvest.

Citrus fruits are grown at home both to produce healthy fruits and for decorative purposes. In addition, during the flowering period they fill the entire room with their aroma, making staying in it like a fairy tale. However, it happens that a planted lemon does not bloom for a long time. What to do and how to get fruit from the plant?

There may be several reasons why a lemon tree does not form flowers or bear fruit. You need to thoroughly understand whether mistakes have been made in care, and also whether pests have appeared on the tree.

Incorrect vaccination

If the seedling was grown from a seed, then you should not expect a harvest or flowering from it. A fruiting lemon must be grafted. For these purposes, they mainly use the Meyer and Dioscursia varieties, which are capable of producing crops the following year. The rootstock can be an orange or grapefruit grown from a seed.

Incorrectly selected temperature mode

Lemon does not tolerate temperature fluctuations. If there are sudden changes, the plant may bloom profusely, but then lose color. It is recommended to grow the tree at a temperature of +20 – +24 °C. Heat negatively affects its growth and development, especially indoors.

Insufficient humidity

The lemon tree enjoys a humid indoor climate. Otherwise, buds with flowers will not form at all or will crumble. To humidify the air, use special devices or simply place an open container of water in the room. The plant is also regularly sprayed.

Abundant flowering

There are times when a lemon blooms but does not bear fruit. Experts recommend normalizing the number of flowers, removing unnecessary ones. If there are a lot of them, the tree will lose a lot of strength and there will be no more left to form ovaries. You can determine how many flowers to leave by counting the number of leaves on the plant. For every 10 leaves leave 1 flower.

Lack of vitamins and minerals

During flowering, lemon requires good nutrition with a high content of vitamins and microelements. They come along with feeding.

If you do not fertilize the soil, the tree loses color and does not form ovaries.

Diseases and pests

Lemon, like other indoor plants, can be affected by pathogens and pests. During the flowering period, fungal infections are considered the most dangerous. To prevent their appearance and development, it is necessary to control the level of humidity and regulate watering. Among the pests that attack the plant are:

• thrips;
• spider mites;
• Scale insects.

If a tree is sick, then it will not bloom, much less form an ovary. It is necessary to immediately take measures to destroy pests and pathogenic flora and improve the health of the lemon. Only after this will he be able to please with abundant flowering.

How to make a lemon bloom and bear fruit?

What to do if you want to see your homemade lemon blossom and enjoy its healthy fruits? It is necessary to stimulate flowering, provide proper care, improve the health of the tree and eliminate possible errors in care.

Vaccination and feeding

If the grafting is done correctly, then within 3 years the indoor lemon will be able to please its owners with a harvest. The most commonly used method is eye grafting. The cutting is grafted only if the branch contains a small number of leaves. You can perform this action in a split or behind the bark. The work is carried out during the period when the lemon begins to actively flow sap. As a rule, this happens in April or May.

For the rootstock, strong seedlings with thick branches are used, the bark of which comes away well from the wood. The growth should contain about 5 leaves. To ensure a high-quality operation, use a clean and very sharp knife. Strong alignment is achieved by tightly tying the grafted lemon. If after 3 weeks the petiole of the leaf near the eye turns yellow, then the graft has taken root successfully. Failure in this matter can occur when the bark is poorly separated from the wood.

Cultivating a lemon tree in an enclosed space requires that it be provided with proper nutrition.

The amount of fertilizer must be dosed correctly and applied to the soil. During the flowering period, the plant is fed 2 times a month, and in winter the application of drugs is reduced to 1 time per month. Organic and humic fertilizers are well suited for growing citrus fruits. There are natural supplements that contain a full range of essential microelements. To achieve abundant flowering, they must be applied from February to August.

Crown formation

In order for a homemade lemon to bloom, it needs regular pruning from the first year of cultivation. First, the tops are cut off so that after 3 years a crown with 7 main branches is formed.

It should be remembered that flowers form just at the tips of thin branches, so there is no need to constantly shorten them. Otherwise, flowering will never occur. When properly formed, the tree throws out flower stalks within 2 years after planting. The lower shoots must be pruned as soon as they begin to appear. Flowers do not form on them, and such shoots take moisture from the tree.

Pulling branches

With the onset of sap flow, the branches of the lemon tree become flexible. At this time, you can tighten them with soft wire, which will allow you to concentrate the supply of nutrients there. This will contribute to the active formation of flower stalks next year.

Keeping the branches in a horizontal position gives the lemon crown a spreading shape, which is somewhat similar to a fountain. The garter is removed around November, when the period of sap flow stops. The procedure should be repeated after 1 or 2 years.

Lemons grown indoors will certainly delight you with juicy fruits when the time comes. In the meantime, they will grow for 3-4 years and delight you with green foliage. And they are already beneficial; lemon leaves, ripe, dense and dark green, already release volatile substances into the air - phytoncides, which are known to be present, for example, in garlic and .

The phytoncides contained in the leaves of the lemon tree have the same properties; they clean the air and disinfect it, killing the simplest pathogens. Even if you don’t tear a lemon leaf, just smell it, it emits a pleasant aroma. There is simply a cloud of phytoncides around the plant, so keeping a lemon tree will be useful in any living room and especially in a children’s room. But we are waiting for the first lemon blossom.

After we have already become acquainted with the conditions for keeping lemons indoors and conducting them, it is time to find out how lemons bloom. Fruit trees in the garden bloom once a year and only in the spring, but citrus trees bloom and bear fruit throughout the year. If the tree has already been formed for 3-4 years and already has 4th order branches, flowering should be expected.

Particular attention should be paid to lemon seedlings grown from cuttings. On such plants, flowers may appear directly on the cuttings or on first-order branches. This is very bad and the owner’s desire and joy from the fact that the lemon bloomed so quickly to look at the fruits may be overshadowed. The fact is that a plant that shows flowers at this age will quickly become exhausted and stop growing. This often leads to the complete death of the lemon seedling. Therefore, with such abnormal flowering, the buds must be removed immediately after detection, without even allowing them to form.

Mass flowering of homemade lemon begins in March or April and a second time in September-October. Lemon blossoms last about a month; snow-white large flowers adorn the tree and emit a pleasant aroma similar to the aroma of blooming jasmine. The lemon flower has five petals and can reach 4cm in diameter, with numerous yellow stamens surrounding a long, powerful pistil with a stigma at the end. If the pistil is not developed it will be a barren flower. Many varieties of indoor lemons are self-pollinating, but some require artificial pollination to produce an ovary.

Caring for lemons during the flowering period

During the flowering period of lemons, the optimal temperature in the room should be 16-18 degrees. During this period, maintaining the temperature regime is especially important; if the room is cold or hot, the flowers may fall off. A lack or excess of moisture in the soil can cause flowers to fall off; even watering with cold water can cause flowers to fall off.

Of course, the tree can shed some of the flowers after the petals fall, and even part of the ovary when it reaches the size of a hazelnut, and this will have a positive effect on the growth and development of the remaining fruits. In addition to spontaneous regulation of the load, it is necessary to control the amount of ovary on the lemon and not allow it to be overloaded. Especially if the lemon blooms for the first time at the age of three or four.

A large number of lemon ovaries can please you, but the tree will suffer greatly, may become depressed and even disappear. Therefore, you should not overload it, especially in the first year of fruiting. When a lemon tree becomes mature, it can produce up to 30-40 fruits indoors. Moreover, at the same time there will still be ripe lemons on it and flowers will appear for the new harvest.

In the meantime, we need to observe the ratio of the green mass of lemon in the house and the number of flowers. To prevent the tree from becoming depleted, you need to leave one flower per 1.5-2.0 dozen mature leaves. Tear off the rest at the bud stage. The later the flowers are picked, the more nutrients they will take away from the remaining flowers and later the ovaries. But the supply of nutrients is limited by the size of the pot with soil.

To replenish the nutrients in the soil, lightly fertilize the lemon twice a week from April, that is, from the moment of flowering until September, alternating fertilizing with mineral fertilizers with organic fertilizing.