»  » Growing Lemons and Other Citrus Indoors Enter Your Email Address Growing Lemons and Other Citrus Indoors Q. When it started getting cold at night, I brought my two-year-old Meyer lemon tree inside and placed it about a foot away from a full spectrum floodlight, which is on for 12 hours a day. (The light burns the leaves if I put it any closer than a foot away!) It's potted in good, composted soil; I keep the soil moist; and use no chemicals on the tree. My neighbor has a similar tree (same age, same variety, purchased at the same time) that produced LOTS of lemons this summer, while mine produced none. It did produce lots of flowers last winter, but the little lemons all dropped off and the tree has hardly grown any since. I'm pretty disappointed and would love any advice you have to give! near Traverse City, MichiganQ. How should I over winter my semi-dwarf orange trees? They're three feet tall and are in large containers. Last year, they spent the winter in the basement under a grow lamp that was turned on for nine hours a day.

I read that orange trees need about 600 hours of 50-degree temperatures over the course of a year to blossom. If it is, should I move the grow lamp upstairs and keep the trees warmer this winter? Thanks.---Daniel in Montgomery County, PAMy sister-in-law gave me a lemon tree she started in Michigan. It's growing very well in a pot outside. Should I plant it in the ground? And will it bloom and give me fruit?---Nancy in TexasA. Back when I was the editor of ORGANIC GARDENING magazine, I made the mistake of noting that a specific piece of growing advice was {quote} "geared to gardeners in Texas." A multitude of Lone Star Staters quickly informed me that there is no {quote} "Texas"; that the state contains a huge diversity of climates and at least four USDA growing zones—maybe more, depending on how you count. And I'm not exaggerating one bit. A Texas A & M map I found online reveals that the 'smokestack' at the top of the state is a chilly zone 6a (that means winter temps can get as low as minus 10 degrees F, which is 40 degrees below the freezing point of water and colder than my Pennsylvania garden ever gets), while the bottom of the tail is a downright tropical Zone 9b

, where even a light frost is rare. So saying you're "in Texas" is about as helpful as "Hi! I live in North America!"Homes For Sale Near Pennington AlAnyway, most citrus should survive winter outdoors and unprotected down in the lower end of that Texas tail, as it does in places like Southern Florida, Arizona and California. House For Sale Essex Ave Bloomfield NjBut in most parts of the country, citrus is a potted plant that goes outdoors in the summer (afternoon shade for small plants; full sun for big ones) and indoors in the winter. Munchkin Cats For Sale In Northern CaliforniaAnd whether it's a dwarf orange or that perfect-for-the-indoors Meyer lemon, all containerized citrus wants essentially the same thing: A naturally rich soil that drains well, a good amount of water, a surprising amount of food and warm temperatures.

I have no idea what "composted organic soil" might be, but the ideal medium for indoor citrus would be something like half compost and half soil-free mix. Specifically, the compost should be rich, black, screened, completely finished yard waste; and the soil-free mix should be a professionally blended potting mix containing ingredients like peat, perlite, and vermiculite; no actual 'soil' from the ground. And yes, you need both parts of that equation. The soil must be naturally rich. And these plants absolutely require the excellent drainage provided by something like sand or a soil-free mix. Because, unlike most house plants, citrus does not like to dry out; so it needs its roots to be in a medium that can handle a lot of water. 'Always moist but never water-logged' is the ideal to strive for, and you need a light, loose soil component to try and achieve it.Unlike most house plants, citrus is also a big eater; small, unproductive plants are probably hungry. The ideal food for the outdoor season would be a monthly shot of a liquid fish and seaweed fertilizer.

But the fish component of these things is often a bit stinky, so use compost tea, worm castings, a bagged organic plant food designed for house plants or citrus, or a straight seaweed fertilizer during the indoor months. (Feed indoor plants sparsely over the winter if they don't get a lot of light; heavier if they get enough light to bear fruit.) And keep it warm! Bring the plants back inside before night time temps drop into the 40s; don't take them out in the Spring until night time temps stay reliably in the 50s; and keep indoor temps up in the 60s—no chilly basements! Under decent conditions, most indoor citrus will produce its wonderfully scented flowers, but the plants need BRIGHT light to induce fruit. The world's finest sunny South-facing window might provide the minimum amount (make sure it's well-insulated against night time cold!); but a solarium, heated greenhouse or well-insulated bay window is vastly superior. Artificial light is also fine; just stay away from hot incandescent bulbs.

Keep the tops of the plants about an inch away from a fixture containing four-foot-long 40-watt florescent tubes (two is good; four tubes is better), or try one of those new LED plant lights. Hanging any kind of bright light over a plant that's also in a bright well-insulated window should almost guarantee fruit. And finally, although these kinds of plants can be grown from seed, virtually all store bought and/or nursery raised citrus is grafted onto a root stock. Only time will tell if that seed-started plant in Texas produces good fruit, bad fruit, or no fruit at all.Listen Here    Ask Mike A Question    Mike's YBYG Archives    Find YBYG ShowUser ReviewedHow to Grow Lemon Trees Indoors Three Methods:PreparationsPlantingCare and HarvestCommunity Q&A Tending a small lemon tree in your home can be a delightful aromatic experience. While the thought of growing a tree inside a house or apartment may seem daunting to beginners, it is not as difficult as it may sound. Give the roots of your tree plenty of room to grow, and keep its soil and branches moist and warm.

All you need to do is give your lemon tree a little TLC, and in return, it will give you a fresh-scent and delightfully sour yield of fruit time and time again. Choose the right type of lemon tree. Purchase a good specimen. Select a large container with drainage holes. A 10 to 15 gallon (40 to 60 liter) container should give your tree plenty of room, and under average conditions, a lemon tree can grow up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) in a container that large. If the container you choose does not have any drainage holes, drill one or two into the bottom. Prepare an all-purpose soil mix. A store-bought, soil-based mix that is slightly acidic works best. Mix sand into the potting mix to allow for better drainage. A potting mix with a base of peat moss can also work and presents a soil less alternative. These artificial mixes work even better when they contain compost. Find a saucer that is large enough to fit beneath the bottom of your container. Lay a layer of landscaper's cloth over the bottom of the container.

Place a layer of gravel or broken pots inside the bottom of the pot. Fill your container halfway with potting mix. Slip the lemon tree out of its nursery pot. Rub its roots slightly to help them spread out before placing the tree into the pot. If you purchased a bare root tree, create a mound of soil and place the tree into the pot with its roots spread over the mound. Pack soil around the tree. Water the tree immediately. Keep the soil moist. Periodically check the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of the soil. When the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) are moderately dry, give your tree a thorough watering until excess water drains out of the bottom of the pot and into the saucer. If using hard tap water, you may need to drop the water's pH before giving it to your tree. Adding 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) white vinegar to 1 gallon (4 liters) of water will usually do the trick. Mist your tree using a spray bottle. Keep the room humid by using a humidifier.

Manage the temperature of the room you keep your lemon tree in. Place your tree in a south-facing window. Supplement natural light with artificial lighting. Pollinate your lemon tree by hand. By keeping your tree inside, you prevent bees and other insects from pollinating it. Some trees can produce fruit without being pollinated, but pollination greatly increases your odds of a plentiful yield. Perform the process early in the day, preferably in the morning. Pollen can be killed by the heat or dryness of a warm afternoon. When your tree flowers, gently rub the antlers inside each flower with a paintbrush or cotton swab. The antlers are the yellow tips of the five stamens that stick up from the center of the flower. Rubbing the antlers gathers a dusty yellow pollen onto the brush. Rub the pollen onto the sticky lobes of the pistil. The pistil is the center stalk that rises above the other stalks in the middle of a flower. Gently apply the pollen you gathered on your brush or swab onto the lobes, or stigma, until the pollen sticks.

Allow the plant to take over from there. The plant should finish developing from that point without further assistance. Feed your tree with a balanced fertilizer. Root-prune only as necessary. Your tree should remain root-bound in order to keep its size in check, but some potted lemon trees will stop producing fruit if their roots get too out of control. When a tree stops growing, root-pruning becomes necessary. Remove your tree from its pot. Expose the roots and keep them moist by spritzing them with water from a spray bottle. Use pruning shears to remove the largest roots that circle around the root ball. Shave 1/2-inch to 1-inch (1.27 to 2.5 centimeters) of the roots around the exterior of the root ball using a sharp knife. Repot the tree and prune approximately 1/3 of its foliage to balance out the pruned roots. Watch out for pests. Keep a look out for signs of disease. Thin out clusters of lemons. Twist ripe lemons off the tree.