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How to Grow a Lemon Plant

Contributor
By Jennifer Elrod
eHow Contributing Writer
(0 Ratings)

Taking care of a lemon tree is a tough job, but growing a lemon tree from when it first sprouts can be even more difficult. Lemon trees are worth the effort, though. Not only do they provide you with beautiful yellow lemons, they make an exotic addition to your home. Lemon trees typically stay outside during the warmer months and move inside when the weather turns cold. This allows them to stay healthy and reach their full potential.

Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Plant container
  • Orchid soil
  • Fertilizer
  • Watering can
  • Pruning scissors
  1. Step 1

    Place the lemon plant into a container that allows water drainage. The roots should not sit in soggy soil, so proper drainage is essential.

  2. Step 2

    Mix the soil to be slightly acidic. Orchid soil tends to work well with lemon trees. Orchid mix contains some bigger pieces of material such as peat moss, bark and charcoal, which allow for better drainage than finer soil mixes.

  3. Step 3

    Fertilize your lemon plant at either 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. Fertilize your lemon plant only as needed and watch for signs of overfertilizing. If you are overfertilizing, the tips of the leaves will start turning brown and there may be white fertilizer salts at the container's drainage holes.

  4. Step 4

    Provide the correct temperature for your lemon plant. A good day temperature is 70 degrees during the day and 55 degrees at night.

  5. Step 5

    Provide your lemon tree with a lot of light. During the summer months you can set your lemon plant outside in a sunny area, but in the winter you will need to bring it indoors and supplement it with fluorescent lighting. Winter skies are normally too overcast to provide enough sunlight to your lemon plant.

  6. Step 6

    Water your lemon plant about once or twice a week, and prune the plant when needed.

Tips & Warnings
  • Choose a medium to large container so the roots have room to expand as the plant grows.
  • Only fertilize your lemon plant during the spring and summer months.

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