How Deep Do You Plant a Meyer Lemon Tree?

Lemon trees can be grown in containers.

To ensure a healthy tree, a Meyer lemon tree must be planted at the right depth. If the bud union, the swollen place on the trunk where the tree was grafted with another tree, is buried, the tree may contract foot rot or other diseases.

Hole

Remove grass and weeds in a circle 3 feet to 5 feet in diameter around the planting site. Dig the hole 1 1/2 times as wide as the size of the lemon tree's root ball. Dig the hole 1 inch less deep than the depth of the root ball.

Root Ball

Remove the Meyer lemon tree from its container and gently rinse the root ball to remove excess soil. Slice any circling or "J"-shaped roots.

Backfill

Set the lemon tree in the hole and backfill with soil to half the depth of the hole. Water thoroughly to remove air pockets and allow soil to settle around the roots. Add more soil until the hole is filled. Lightly tamp the soil and then add 1 inch to 2 inches of soil to completely cover the root ball.

Water Basin

Add soil, 6 inches high by 6 inches wide, in a ring around the outside edge of the planting hole. Fill the ring with water. If depressions develop in the soil around the lemon tree after the water is absorbed, add more soil using caution not to cover the bud union.

References

• Alabama Cooperative Extension: Citrus for Coastal and Southern Alabama
• University of Florida Extension: Your Florida Dooryard Citrus Guide
• Texas A&M University Extension: Home Fruit Production - Citrus

Resources

• North Carolina State University Extension: Citrus for Sanford/Lemons for Lee