The modern-day Meyer lemon tree as most people know was introduced in California back in 1975. This variety of lemon trees was developed at the University of California and it proved to be far more resistant to disease and insects than did its predecessor.
Depending on where they are grown, Meyer lemon trees bear fruit at different times. If you have a Meyer lemon tree indoors instead of outdoors, you can bring colder temperatures to help with pollination. Meyer lemon trees will bear fruit indoors all year round, with abundant harvests in autumn and winter.
I have a Meyer lemon tree that is around 10 years old and the flowering started last year. After being grown in a pot, it was moved into the house when a winter frost was forecast. The tree is indoors protected from heavy frost and I think it is worth the effort. Sources: 5, 8
I live in ATL, GA, and had a Meyer lemon tree for several years, but it never bloomed. I fertilized it in the spring with tomato fertilizer recommended by the garden center and had no luck.
The Meyer lemon tree is one of the simplest fruit trees that homeowners can cultivate. Occasionally you will find lemon trees in local nurseries, which are called dwarf lemon trees or dwarf Meyer lemon trees.
If you can’t wait to grow your own Meyer lemon tree in your home garden, follow our guide to successfully growing a tree. Meyer lemon trees enjoy temperatures between 50 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, you can bring your Meyer Lemon Tree into the house so it can warm up.
Read More: The Novice Gardener’s Guide To Tree Care
Meyer’s lemons are not as tart as the lemons found in the grocery store or on a Eureka lemon tree, but they are still very sweet. Meyer lemon trees pollinate themselves and need a second tree to pollinate their lemon tree to bear fruit.
The dwarf Meyer lemon tree is native to China and was introduced to the United States in 1908. It is a cross between an orange and a lemon, which gives it a distinctly spicy and sweet taste that is not found in other lemons.
Lemons can be a juicy delicacy with proper care that you can grow at home or at your own home, no matter where you are living. Meyer Lemon Trees are a funny tree that always seems to bloom and fruit. Many of them bloom regularly and bring beautiful flowers and fresh citrus scent to many homes.
Most people prefer to grow lemon trees in containers, especially if they live in a cold climate. It is common for Meyer lemon trees to be grown in containers in cold climates. A Meyer Lemon Tree is a container that should be at least 12-15 inches high when you are repotting a tree that has become too big for its container.
If they grow in a warmer climate, normal lemon trees can grow up to 20 feet tall and need to bear fruit for up to six years. For indoor lemons, you need a tree that stays small enough to deliver lemons. If there are lemon trees in the house, use garden saucers or place stones under the tree pot to increase the relative local humidity of your lemon plants.
If you plant your Meyer Lemon tree in a garden pot it will grow according to the size of the pot, which should be small. The container size will help limit the height of the trees but most indoor dwarf Meyer lemon trees will be at least 3 to 4 feet tall.
The Meyer lemon tree is a citrus fruit that requires at least 8-10 hours of sunlight to produce fruit. In colder regions, plant your lemon tree in a pot and keep it inside throughout the winter. The best planting season is late winter and early spring.
Feed your Meyer lemon tree with high nitrogen fertilizer and slow fertilizer during the growing season (spring to autumn). You can prune your Meyer lemon tree to keep it in its best health, preserve its structure and shape, and to ensure that its branches can bear the fruit. Cut the tree to keep the size in check and the branches strong enough to support the weight of the fruit.
Your Meyer lemon tree should be kept in a protected area such as a terrace or deck in warm weather. The maintenance of Meyer lemon trees in pots consists of bringing the tree into the house in sub-zero temperatures. Maintaining a Meyer lemon tree requires regularly watering the soil, misting the leaves to promote good soil drainage, and allowing the tree at least 8 hours or more of direct sunlight.
With potted Meyer lemon trees, you can check the moisture content by dipping your finger or second ankle into the soil. The common name for the Meyer lemon tree is “improved” because it is a perfect lemon tree (or dwarf) and its scientific name is Citrus X. Meyer. I will improve every month of harvesting (4-8 months) with light, full sun, and water and water the top of the soil when it is dry.
This post is sponsored by Fast Growing Trees, a high-quality source for Meyer lemon trees and many other species. Other great lemon trees are available in S & J nurseries in Northeast Florida in Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Garden Lemon, Meyer Lemon, Ponderosa Lemon, and Eureka. Click here to see more information about Meyer Lemon in Northeast Florida in a new window.
Meyer Lemon Tree Care is very simple and does not break the rules if you want to be successful. If you live in an area where winter is hard and there is a risk of frost, additional care of Meyer lemon may be necessary.
Meyer lemon trees are hardy and can withstand temperatures below 20 degrees. Because Meyer lemon trees thrive best in warmer climates such as Florida and California, they are popular as easy-care container plants.
Quick note: We recommend checking out the Meyer lemon trees from LemonCitrusTree. These guys have beautiful lemon trees at varying age brackets (1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-4 years, and 4-5 years old) for very affordable prices and 3 years warranty. Highly recommended!
Here are some facts about this type of tree along with tips on how to care for them.
Planting The Tree
The first thing you will want to do is to plant the tree in a mixture of soil that is conducive towards citrus fruit or other high-acidic plants. While the trees will prefer this type of soil, they will go in most forms of soil but the care involved will be more drastic. If the tree is small, use a 5-gallon pot.
However, if the tree is larger, it is best to use a 15-gallon pot. Some people wonder if they can add coffee grounds to the soil surrounding the tree. This really all depends on the alkalinity or the acidity of the soil in which the tree is planted. If the soil has a low acid level, adding coffee grounds to it can certainly increase the acidity level.
Keep It Sunny
The tree will need direct sunlight to grow. This means you will need to plant the tree near a window facing south. If you can plant it by a window facing southwest, this is even better. The lemon tree will need a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight.
If this is not feasible for some reason, you will need to invest in grow lights. You will know when it reaches its mature growth height when the tree is between 6 and 10 feet high.
Keep It Well-Fed
Feeding your lemon tree is pretty easy. All you will need to do is apply fertilizer every 6 weeks or so starting in the spring. By doing this, you are boosting the nutrient levels of the tree. After summer is over, the growth of the tree will grind to a halt so you can stop fertilizing. Make sure to read the directions on the package of fertilizer because the amount to apply will vary depending on the size of not only the tree itself but the pot as well.
Keep It Hydrated
You will need to check the dampness of the soil every other day. YOu can do this by sticking your finger into the soil no more than 3-inches deep. If the soil still feels moist, you can wait until the next day to water it. If it is dry, you should water it that same day. Depending on the size of the plant, you will need to use between 4 to 6 cups of water. After watering, check the soil a bit deeper than you did before to ensure it is moist. If it is not, go ahead and use another 1 to 2 cups of water, again depending on the size of the plant and the pot.
Keep It Cool
Taking care of a Meyer lemon tree is not an inexpensive venture. The trees need to be grown in a relatively cool climate. Experts recommend they be kept at a temperature of 65 degrees during the day and about 55 degrees during the night. This can become costly since lemon trees are mainly grown in the southern states and the only way to keep the temperatures that cool during the summer months is to involve air conditioning.
Keep It Pest-Free
The biggest scourge to lemon trees are insects. These pests love to eat the leaves of the tree which obviously can have a negative effect on the fruit-bearing ability of the tree. To help deter these plant-chewing creatures, experts recommend wiping the leaves with a damp cloth to clean them. Inspect the leaves frequently and remove pests as needed. It is also a good idea to prune the limbs of the lemon tree.
This keeps them healthy and helps in ensuring they are strong enough to hold the fruit once it starts growing. What you are looking to do is to snip the branches which do not produce fruit. By snipping them, you are making way for the side branches. It is these branches that produce the lemons.
Keep It Pollinated
There are two ways of encouraging rapid fruit-bearing from the tree. One is to use an oscillating fan to gently shake the leaves of the tree. This shakes the pollen from the blossoms, which then falls upon the stamen and then onto the stigma. This is the process in which the flower is pollinated.
Another way is to hand pollinate the tree yourself. Scientifically speaking, the lemon tree is self-pollinating. However, this is only certain if the tree is being grown outdoors. If the tree is being grown indoors, such as how this article focuses on, there is not a lot of air circulation and not even the aforementioned fan may entirely get the job done. A solution to this predicament is to hand pollinate the flowers yourself. This can be done with a cotton swab.
All you need to do is rub the cotton swab against the stamen. The cotton swab will naturally collect the pollen at its tip. Next, rub the stamen with the tip of the cotton swab so that the pollination process can begin. After that is completed, repeat the process to as many flowers that are present on the lemon tree. This is a surefire way to kickstart the pollination process and induce the tree-bearing fruit for you.
By following all of these tips and how-to instructions, you will have great success with your new Meyer lemon tree. Remember to follow all of these tips each and every year to ensure continued success. You will be more than happy with the result of all of your efforts.
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