Meyer lemon trees are popular with home gardeners, and its not hard to see why.
These lemon trees can produce fruit within a few years if properly cared for.
It can take up to seven years for a seed-grown tree to produce fruit.
Image credit:Scot Nelson
People also enjoy Meyer lemon trees because they are attractive, evergreen, and fragrant.
That the trees also produce lemons is an added bonus.
Meyer lemon trees can be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 8-11.
That these lemon trees can be grown indoors is another reason they are so popular.
Caring for your lemon tree is simple once you know and follow some essential care tips.
Well go into all of these tips to help you care for your lemon trees.
Image credit:Scot Nelson
In this article
What are Meyer Lemons?
Lets take a quick look at what Meyer lemons are before jumping into how to care for them.
The modern Meyer lemon tree is a hybrid created in 1975 by the University of California.
Image credit:Colleen Proppe
Meyer lemons were imported from China before then.
While these lemon trees were very popular, they were also susceptible to disease.
Meyer lemons were even banned because they had a tendency to spread dangerous viruses to otherwise healthy trees.
Image credit:Swedg
The modern Meyer lemon dwarf tree represents a mix of oranges and lemons.
Meyer melons are thin-skinned and thrive in the right conditions.
Meyer lemon trees can grow between six and ten feet tall.
Meyer lemons are versatile and can be grown both indoors and outdoors.
you’re able to also keep your lemon tree in a pot.
The most important thing for your lemon tree is that it gets six hours of sunlight every day.
You may need to use heat lamps to keep it warm over the winter if you grow it indoors.
We recommend you buy a healthy sapling to get the most out of your lemons and guarantee fruit production.
Saplings are grafted onto rootstocks and sold like that.
Dont think that buying a grafted tree is cheating the gardening system, either.
Buying a graft is the most effective method for growing Meyer lemons.
Watch the Water Levels
Lemon trees, like other plants, require water to be healthy.
However, lemon trees can drown under too much water.
You should never give your lemon tree over two gallons of water per day.
One way to avoid overwatering is to use a draining pot.
The plant can take all the water it needs while the rest harmlessly drains out of the pot.
You also need to use a nitrogen-rich fertilizer to encourage fruit growth.
Be Careful When Harvesting
It takes between six and eight months for Meyer lemons to ripen.
As tempting as it is, you shouldnt pick them too soon.
Citrus fruits dont ripen after being picked as other fruits do.
Take care when harvesting the lemons.
Use cutting shears to get the fruit.
Pulling the lemons straight off the branch can damage the other lemons still ripening.
Grow a Meyer Lemon Tree at Home
Youll love having lemons in your home.
Keep these care tips in mind to get fresh lemons for your home.
