Lemons

After some advice if I may.

I have a lemon tree, now about 5-6 years old and has just flowered for the first time. Although no lemons yet.

I was bringing indoors for winter but it’s now too big and heavy to bring in once summer goes this year.

does anyone have any tips about how I can keep it alive outdoors over winter.

I’m in Essex if that helps with climate etc.

 

I think you will need some serious frost protection.
Keep it as close to the house wall as possible, a south or west facing aspect is best.

A lot depends on how bad the winter is, but be prepared to cover it on frosty nights with something that has insulation type properties, that is heavy fleece or I use, Blankets.

If we get a real cold one it wont survive, if we get a mild one it has a chance.

Remember there is a difference between surviving and thriving.

 

One approach, (don´t quote me on this) would be to prune it down to a size that you could accommodate indoors. It wants to take things easy over winter.
I suppose it all depends on how big you feel you can allow it to grow, ( and the width of your doors).
My lemon near the house is about 15 feet tall, another down the garden is happy at six feet.
I´m finding with my fruit trees that they simply have an urge to grow, and I can shape them to suit my requirements. Any architectural difficulties can be sorted with a big hammer.
It´s only a house -- man up !

 

Getting it in the house isn’t the problem it’s the weight.
I brought it in last winter and it hated it indoors and didn’t winter well.
Since putting it back outside it’s really come on.
I guess I need to get myself a sack barrow

 

I use a stack truck with a folding extension for larger loads, it comes in useful with propane cylinders, bags of cement etc. Another possibility would be to mount the pot on a trolley ...?
I´m sure you´ll get good advice here regarding pruning, down here in the sub-tropics the pruning is incredibly severe (I took an avocado tree down to ground level last year, and it is now three trees each taller than me) but what can be done with three growing seasons per year could be rather different from what is possible in Essex. I once noticed that my lemon tree had blossom, ripe fruit and tiny new lemons all at the same time.
At least you know that your tree can recover well from winter´s icy grip.

 

I`m in the same boat, small lemon tree about 2 foot, kept it in the greenhouse last winter, due to space issue I`ve planted in a corner of the garden, I did have a couple of tiny new fruits start to grow but I think the birds or something got at them, there gone now. On the plus side new branches & leave are growing so it must be able to survive winter outdoors, not Ideal I know. I might try to make a frame with transparent plastic sheet to keep the weather off

 

I think keeping it of a size where you can transport it inside for the winter is a sound idea, as is the sack truck. That's the traditional way of caring for citrus trees north of the Alps, as devised by Louis XIV's gardeners at Versailles - they were (and are) planted in tubs which live outside in the summer and get taken into the Versailles Orangery in the winter, these days I think with the aid of a forklift! Versailles tubs are square, designed with removable sides so the root ball can be kept planed to size. Interesting advice on how to do this, and feed the trees to encourage fruit-bearing, from the head gardener at Villandry (another French chateau) here.

 

They don't like normal house conditions in winter, it's too warm and not light enough, so they drop leaves and sulk.
A frost free greenhouse is best, min temperature of 4c is enough to keep them happy.
I've not had citrus survive outside for more than one winter without protection.
Even if they survive they tend to go steadily down hill.

 

Hello all,

Last year I planted a few Lemon pips, an Apricot seed and a Clementine pip. I germinated them using the paper towel method and then potted them. They grew to a few inches tall before the autumn and I then put them into my greenhouse that ensured the temperature remained above 8 degrees C. Over the winter period I lost one of the Lemon plants but the rest survived. As the summer approaches, and the temperature improves, the plants have started to grow again (see pictures).


1. Four Lemon plants


2. Four more Lemon plants


3. One small Lemon plant + 1 Clementine plant + 1 Apricot plant

I've started to water regularly now and I include a dose of citrus fertiliser in every other watering (see fertiliser type).


4. Citrus plant food I use

I'm new to growing citrus plants so any suggestions or tips, tricks would be appreciated. Ultimately I would like to get some fruit from them as they get larger for my G & T s. Is the fertiliser suitable?

Thanks in anticipation of your help.

Ademission

 

I've got a couple of seed grown orange plants, must be more than 20years old now and they have never flowered, it can take a long time and then you are not sure what you are likely to get if they do.

I grew an apricot seed about 5 years ago, it's planted out now and had it's first 4 flowers this spring, needless to say they fell off and didn't set.

 

Hello Pete,

Yes, I expected to have to wait a long time for my Basket of Fruit though I have often seen smallish plants in garden centres with Lemons on.

The Clementine has grown well and is quicker growing than the Lemons. I would like to plant up some Oranges but the ones we have are seedless and I'm still waiting for some seeds. I guess we need to change the type we buy!

I topped the Apricot plant to make it more bushy as it was growing much quicker than everything else. With your Apricot, is it planted outside and do you take any precautions over the winter period?

Thanks for your reply.

Ademission

 

Apricots are totally hardy, just need to watch at flowering time as they flower early and can catch the frost.

To be honest you are better off buying citrus plants than growing from seed.
The reason you see small citrus plants with fruit for sale is because they are grafts or cuttings of adult flowering plants.
It's the same principle as growing most fruit trees, apples, pears etc.
All propagated from know varieties that are proven croppers.

 

Hello again Pete,

Thanks for the information. Maybe I should buy a plant from a garden centre but where's the fun in that? Ok on the Apricot being hardy. Later in the year, I'll pot it up into a much bigger container and not worry so much about the low temperatures. I suppose it may be better to overwinter it in the greenhouse to give it an earlier start.

Was the citrus food in the photograph ok to use or do you recommend something else?

Thanks for your time

Ademission

 

If you're keeping the apricot in a pot it might be best kept in the greenhouse during any really bad weather, I don't think there is much to be gained from an early start to be honest.
If you intended growing apricots seriously then they can be grown in a greenhouse in a similar way to peaches, but they are capable of growing outside in the UK as well.

Yes the citrus food looks ok. But if you have recently repotted it might not be necessary for a few weeks until the pots get good roots in them.

 

Hang on, not sure where you are in the UK regarding what I said about the apricot.
Ok north Oxfordshire,I would think it should be ok.