Hey Plant lovers, it’s Whit with some indoor-grown Citrus Tree care information for you! You don’t have to live in the south to enjoy fresh lemons and limes closer than your own backyard!
1. Start smaller with smaller trees that are easier to train
2. Grow Citrus in as much sun as you can give them while indoors, they prefer a bright sun location both indoors and out.
3. Plant in a good fast-draining organic slightly acidic soil mix. Citrus NEED really good drainage because they hate sitting in excess water.
4. Pick the right pot. It needs to be only slightly bigger than the root ball of your plant and have plenty of drainage holes in the bottom. Personally, I like terra cotta as it’ll draw out extra moisture from the dirt to further help with drainage.
5. When watering, fully saturate the soil and allow excess water to drain out the bottom and empty the tray if there is one. Then wait until the top few inches of the container's soil seels dry to the touch before adding more water.
6. Increase relative air humidity by misting often, or growing it on a tray of pebbles with some water.
7. If you plan to move your citrus tree outside during the warmer months, remember to acclimate it to the outside by gradually placing them in a shadier spot for a few weeks before moving into a sunnier spot outside. 8. Then, several weeks before the first frost, move your Citrus to a shadier spot outside again gradually before bringing it indoors so it gets used to lower light situations inside.
8. Use an acid-loving or citrus-specific plant fertilizer according to the product instructions to keep your tree growing and fruiting at its best.
9. All Citrus are self-pollinating, but when grown indoors, you may need to assist and be the bee - using a paintbrush to dab at the stamen and spread the pollen around to other flowers.
10. Keep away from drafts and heating/cooling vents indoors
Armed with your care tips, the next step is figuring out which citrus to try your hand at growing. I’ve listed the three that have the best success rate when grown indoors or as indoor/outdoor patio plants.
3 Variegated Pink Lemon Tree
Flavorful and pretty, the Variegated Pink Lemon Tree fruits have yellow rind with green stripes. Cut one open and you’ll be surprised with grapefruit-like pink flesh! While waiting for the fruit to ripen, enjoy the green, light yellow-green, and cream-variegated leaves and fragrant pinkish-white flowers! Aromatic, colorful, and tasty, the Variegated Pink Lemon is one of our favorite citrus! Bonus feature - the new growth is bright fuchsia!
#3 Variegated Pink Lemon Tree - Growing Zones 9-11 (Patio 4-11), 15 - 18 feet tall when grown in the ground but can easily be kept much smaller when grown in a pot, fuchsia new growth, variegated foliage, pinkish-white fragrant flowers, and striped lemons with pink interiors!
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2. Bearss Lime Tree
This is another Citrus plant that customers successfully grow indoors and outdoors! Known as a Persian Lime or Tahiti Lime, this heavy producer of tasty bright green limes forms a dense, shrubby, full crown. Bearss Limes have a long shelf life and are prized for their use in drinks and culinary dishes. Some even use the leaves for culinary and decorative purposes. As a slower grower, it is so much easier to keep the Bearss Lime smaller!
#2 Bearss Lime Tree - Growing Zones 9-11 (Patio 4-11), 12 - 18 feet tall when planted in the ground but, again, easily kept small in a pot. Easy to grow, fruits at an early age, and has flavorful and versatile fruit and leaves!
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Improved Semi-Dwarf Meyer Lemon Tree
We have to include this Dwarf Meyer Lemon variety because it’s a true trooper that lends itself nicely to container growing anywhere. The Improved Semi-Dwarf Meyer Lemon grows 10-15 feet tall in the ground, but ends up being quite a bit smaller when potted! Plus you can prune them to any size you need! As a cross between Lemons and a Mandarin Orange, this citrus fruit has a thin smooth rind, yellow-orange skin, and is sweeter than the typical lemon!
#1 Improved Semi-Dwarf Meyer Lemon Tree - Growing Zones 9-11 (Patio 4-11), 10-15 feet tall but smaller with pruning or when planted in a pot. Disease resistant, easy to grow, and oh so rewarding!
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Which would you like to try growing? You could take a page out of my book and grow all three. Let me know your thoughts down in the comments. For even more care information, check out our #ProPlantTips Blog.
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