Pucker Up--and Plant One Right Here
Lemons are cultivated on every continent, and in this country, good lemons are always at the market. But I think people should grow their own. Why? First, available doesn’t mean cheap. In addition, market lemons have been sprayed and are rarely shipped ripe--like peaches, lemons stop ripening once the fruit is off the tree. But if you grow your own, you can pick your lemons when they’re perfect--when their color glows.
Besides, the sight of a little lemon tree will gladden your heart--glossy deep-green leaves, blossoms white or purplish-white, fruit swelling and goldening up . . . the scents!
In a temperate climate, this is a fine time to plant citrus. If you have no garden space but do have four square feet in full sun somewhere, grow a dwarf lemon tree in a tub. Lemon trees can go into containers any time of the year.
About 29 degrees is as cold as it can get without damage to fruit (the tree itself manages down to 26 degrees or 27 degrees). If you live with frost, the tree can winter indoors, given a sunny southern window.
If indoor temperatures are in the 70s by day and 50s by night, that’s ideal. Add humidity to the air by standing the tub on a tray of pebbles filled with water. Spritz the tree with tepid water daily--citrus dearly loves a shower. You can almost see the leaves quiver with delight.
When moving the tree in spring and fall, do it gradually, so as not to shock the plant. Set the tree in its new spot during the day, then return it to its old digs at night for three days at least.
Caring for your lemon tree is easy. Just give it what it needs.
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* Superb drainage, for starters. Whether the tree is in the ground or in a pot, water must move easily through the roots. Clay soil should be amended with compost and ground bark. Sandy soil needs compost and peat moss. For containers, a first-rate lightweight soil mix is fine.
Our Meyer lemon is about 5 years old. In a thick clay pot 18 inches wide and 13 inches deep, the tree is a leafy 3 1/2-foot sphere. To ensure good drainage, each spring we replace the soil mix, at the same time trimming back the roots and the top growth by about one fourth. If we wanted a larger tree, we’d set it in a larger pot. Lemons thriving in tubs can reach six feet. In the ground, they can reach eight to 10 feet. Still, yesterday I was counting the lemons on our 3 1/2-foot tree. I stopped at 125.
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* Watchful watering. In the ground, soil around lemon trees must dry out before being watered deeply. In time, you’ll establish a schedule. In containers, the soil mix must never dry out. When the top half-inch starts to feel dry, water the tree.
My schedule is a cinch--every Monday and Thursday the year around. The secret is to fill the tub slowly until the water stops draining fast. That point may come in two minutes in moist December but six minutes in dry August.
And frequently give the leaves a generous shower--keeping them clean is keeping away trouble.
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* Feeding. The lemon tree is one of the rare plants in our garden that isn’t nourished organically. Just as we take vitamin pills, I feed the tree with slow-release granules formulated especially for citrus. There are so many stresses on a tree in a container and so many trace elements it needs, I want to be sure all wants are satisfied. Were the tree in the ground, I’d give it manure and compost and blood and bone meal and heaps of straw, as I do the other fruit trees.
In the ground, you want to fertilize January through March, give micronutrients if needed in April, then feed again in May. In a container, feed at half strength the same months, adding complete fertilizer in April, then again in June and July.
But which to choose? As always, I would get lemons you cannot buy. Meyers are tops. Actually the name is “Improved Meyer” (virus-free), which was discovered in China and thought to be a natural cross between orange and lemon. The rind is thin and warm yellow orange. The flesh is juicy and slightly sweeter than a true lemon, although plenty tart. And it’s immensely productive. You’ll never see a Meyer lemon without fruit or blossoms on it.
Another remarkable lemon is the Ponderosa. It’s a natural cross between lemon and citron. Its lemons are the size of grapefruit, richly acid and juicy, with very thick rind. Ponderosas also produce the year around--and the lemons are so heavy, limbs need support. One lemon can give enough juice to make five lemon meringue pies! In addition, its blossoms and new leaves are touched with purple, but it’s thorny.
And there’s the fantasy lemon tree. Its smallish leaves are marbled green and cream. Its rind is candy-striped green and gold. And the flesh--are you ready?--is pink! When I saw one in the ground, I caught my breath. Pink Lemonade is available on dwarf stock for containers. But it’s new, and although a grower friend has sent one to Manitoba, where it’s thriving, there’s not enough information to say it’s a sure thing indoors.
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Sources
Lemons: From the supermarket, pick those heavy for their size with smooth bright-yellow rind. Occasionally Meyers are at farmers markets.
Trees: Local nurseries carry citrus. For exemplary stock of cultivars mentioned--Pacific Tree Farms, 4301 Lynwood Drive, Chula Vista, Calif. 91910. It ships three-foot trees of bearing age, bare root.
