When winter comes to Italy, the lemon trees potted in terra cotta get moved indoors. Every large estate has a sunny, ventilated room to store their lemons, known as a limonaia. Winter is when the trees bloom, and I've always imagined a room full of these as exquisite to the point of intoxicating. Worried about cold snaps, I've brought my Meyer lemon tree indoor and the smell of blossoms on just one tree greet me every time I walk in the house.
Sweeter citrus trees like oranges and tangerines need more heat, but acidic ones like lemons, limes and kumquats do very well inside. My favorites for keeping in sunny windows are Meiwa kumquat, Kaffir lime, and probably the most popular indoor fruit tree, the dwarf Improved Meyer Lemon. Keep these in a sunny window.
Order Your Tree
When ordering your tree, find out how large it will be. They are usually sold by their age or container size. Purchase one that's two-three years old (the tree should be at least 3 feet high by then) and plant them in a container only 2 inches larger than the root ball. You can order these from your local nursery or Four Winds Grower or Raintree Nursery.
What You Need
Materials
Citrus Tree
Planter
Saucer
Pebbles
Potting Soil
Landscaper cloth (optional)
Water
Mist Bottle
Mulch (optional)
Equipment or Tools
Drill or hammer and nails
Instructions
1. Find a saucer that is larger than the container you plan to use for the tree, put some pebbles on it, add water, and place it under the plant. This way the roots aren't soaking, but the plant gets moisture from the evaporating water.
2. Make sure your planter has drainage holes in it. If it doesn't, then be sure to drill or hammer holes into it.
3. If you'd like to, cut and layer a strip of landscaper's cloth over the bottom. This helps the dirt from flowing out when you water.
4. Fill the planter about ½ full with potting soil. (See this post for mixing your own potting soil.)
5. Remove the citrus tree from its nursery pot and gently massage its roots so they can spread more easily.
6. Place the plant into the pot and then fill in around it with more soil. Press down around the base of the plant. Don't cover the trunk with soil or leave any roots exposed.
7. After planting, water it thoroughly.
8. Indoor citrus trees like to be misted with water regularly. I tend to mist all my indoor plants when it rains outside so they don't feel like they’re missing anything. If you live in a drier climate, mist more often. (And if you have a cat, a loving spray from the water bottle helps keep them off the tree!)
9. Mulch is great for outdoor plants as it helps retain moisture and helps protect the roots during the winter months. You don't need mulch for indoor plants, but I like the look of this colorful beach glass, and admittedly, this mulch is more decorative than anything else.
10. When you have a cluster of tiny lemons, pull about ⅔ of them from the tree so the remaining ones will grow into a full size fruit.
About the Author:
Maria Finn has written for Saveur, Metropolis, Forbes, The New York Times, ABC.com, and The Los Angeles Times. She is the founder of Prospect & Refuge, a garden-design and installation firm and also writes the weekly newsletter/blog City Dirt, dedicated to adventures in urban gardening. Her newest book, A Little Piece of Earth: How To Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces, will be released on February 16. She lives on a houseboat in Sausalito, California.
Other Posts from Maria Finn:
• How To Start A Home Worm Composting System
• How To Grow a Strawberry Windowbox
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(Images: Maria Finn)
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This is a great idea. Must you have a window with direct sunlight? I'm afraid that none of my windows face south and my E/W windows face my neighbors.
If it's still possible, do you think a lemon tree could survive in Missouri?
Thanks for sharing!
Hi There,
Do you have any outdoor space? If so, take the lemon tree outside for the summer, then when winter freezes come, bring it indoor. Don't fertilize or give it too much water--let it go into a semi-dormant stage. Then when the last freeze has passed, take it back outside, give it good organic citrus tree food, water, and put it in the sun.
Good Luck,
Maria
I'm so excited to try this, but when my mom had a lemon tree in her house, it eventually had little bugs or slugs or something all over it and she had to throw it out. Is there an easy way to deter such pests? Thanks!
Hi Merry,
There are some good organic sprays that treat everything from insects to mildew, but a simple home remedy is to mix hot peppers, garlic and water, bring them to a boil, (A guestimate, but I would say 2 garlic cloves and 1 small pepper to every cup of water) and then put them in a blender or food processor until they are liquid and you can spray them. Put these in a spray bottle and mist the tree at first site of any insects. Also, regular misting does help keep bugs away.
(Also consider growing Kaffir limes if you like to make Thai food. You use the leaves, not the fruit).
Good Luck,
Maria
I've had a patio lemon tree for over five years, but it has never blossomed or produced fruit. I bought it as a little stick with a few leaves in a Florida airport. It's now over three feet tall with a sturdy little trunk and lots of healthy leaves. It spends summers outside in the sun and winters in a bright window. I feed it regularly in the summer.
Do you have any ideas why it hasn't fruited yet? Is it just not mature enough? Does it need something I'm neglecting?
Hi leah,
It may not be a self-pollinating tree. You might need to get a second tree so they can cross-pollinate. Take a leaf sample to your local nursery or Master Gardener center, find out what sort of lemon tree it is, and find it a mate!
Does it flower? If so, use a q-tip or paintbrush and dab at the center of the blossoms, then the next flower, then dab at the next, etc. so you are essentially doing the bee's job of cross pollinating.
Good Luck,
Maria
Maria
My two year old Meyer lemon tree grown from seed is about 6 inches tall. :) I love it anyway.
I really want to get a meyer lemon tree but i'm afraid that the only sunny area i have gets to about 50-60 degrees in the winter. I know that you said to let it go dormant but is that still too cold?
I'd love to have a couple of citrus trees on my balcony -
Perhaps I should try my hand at plants again this year?
Why, oh why wasn't this post around when I was gifted a beautiful Meyer lemon tree a few years ago? It's a very unhappy bundle of sticks with a few green sucker sprouts down at the base now. Is there a way to bring it back you think?
Emily:
Citrus is grown in groves here in Arizona. We can get quite a bit of frost during the winter. 50 would definitely not be too cold. While citrus has no chill requirement, it puts up with moderate cold fairly well.
Wow that is a very nice lemon tree! Where did you order it and did it come that big?
Any advice for lime trees? Mine has flowered numerous times in the past and the baby limes always fall off. Is there something I'm doing that's wrong?