Proper care at home for Meyer's lemon

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Lemons in the apartments on the windowsills have not long been considered a rarity, but in order to grow this exotic fruit you need to know all the features of care. Also it is very important to choose the right grade, which will delight not only the appearance, but also tasty and juicy fruits. In this article, let's get acquainted with the Meyer variety lemon.

Characteristics of homemade lemon Meyer

It is believed that Mayer's lemon or Chinese lemon is a hybrid of orange and lemon, created not in scientific laboratories, but by nature itself. This variety was discovered by the American Frank Mayer, who brought it from China to America in 1908.

Chinese lemon is the smallest among the representatives of this culture and that is why it is often grown at home. The variety has good frost resistance and yield., tolerates not very favorable climatic conditions.

Maximum tree height reaches1.5 meters, leaves are oval-shaped, saturated green with a characteristic brilliance. The variety is remontant, that is, it blooms and bears fruit all year round and in one season you can take several harvests with a total weight of 2-3 kilograms. The first fruits can be removed only on 2-3 year tree life. The highest peak of flowering is observed in the spring, with the formation of white flowers, collected in clusters of 6-8 pieces.

From the moment of formation of the ovary to the full ripening of the fruits, 8-9 months pass.Lemons of the correct round shape can weigh from 70 before 150 gramThe skin is thin, bright yellow. The flesh is orange, sour, with a slight bitterness, many tasters rate this taste as noble.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Lemon mayer not afraid of cold temperatures and can grow in almost any climatic conditions;
• Tree itself It has an excellent decorative look. and can be a decoration in any room;
• The fruits are very beautiful and at the same time deliciousthat can not but rejoice florist;
• Flowering and fruiting lasts constantlytherefore, with proper care, you can harvest several harvests per season.
• In addition to all the advantages, the Chinese lemon has disadvantages, such as the need for constant and quality carein the absence of which the tree can quickly get sick and die;
• There is also a high risk the appearance of various insect pests;
• Fruit not suitable for long storage and long distance transport.

Features feeding

The plant especially needs feeding in the growing process.For this experienced flower growers recommend once a 2 weeks in the period from the beginning of spring to the end of autumn (while the lemon actively blossoms and bears fruit) to make complex mineral fertilizerscontaining nitrogen, potassium or phosphorus.

During the winter period, feeding is necessary to stop.

Landing rules

Usually, ornamental plants are already sold in pots, but in order to create more comfortable conditions for it, it is necessary to transplant a lemon, while adhering to some rules.

The following soil mix is ​​well suited for young plants:

• one piece of leafy ground;
• one piece of sand;
• one piece of humus;
• two pieces of turf land.

For more mature lemons, the composition of the soil varies slightly:

• one piece of leafy ground;
• one piece of sand;
• one piece of humus;
• one piece of clay;
• three pieces of sod land.

The most preferred is a neutral level of acidity.When planting you need to monitor the position of the root collar, it should be flush with the ground.

Until the lemon tree has grown to 5 it must be replanted annuallywhile renewing the soil and increasing the size of the previous pot by 4-5 centimeters. As soon as the plant becomes more mature, transplants are carried out once every three years, completely changing the soil mixture and replacing the pot if necessary.

Lemon tree care

That the tree grew strong and healthy you need to properly care for himwhile creating the most comfortable living conditions, close to the region of natural growth of such a plant. High-quality care consists of several points.

Lighting

In order for the plant to fully bear fruit it needs to provide intense sunlight throughout the year. The best option would be to create 12 hour day, in such conditions, the tree is actively increasing the foliage, but if the number of light hours decreases, there will be a risk that the lemon will shed all the green mass and simply die.

Florists recommend placing a pot with a plant on the western or eastern sill, while in the winter it is necessary to have artificial lighting.

Temperature conditions

Meyer’s lemon tolerates drafts and temperature drops very poorly, therefore do not recommend putting the plant on an unglazed and unheated balcony or on the street.

In the summer, it is important not to overheat, so with intense sunlight and large amounts of heat it is best to slightly shade the tree so that it receives the right amount of light, but does not burn from high temperatures. The ideal indicator is considered 20 degrees Celsius.

In winter, it is necessary to maintain the resting state of the lemon tree, for this the pot is transferred as far as possible from the batteries, trying to provide the plant with a comfortable temperature not higher than 12 degrees.

Watering

For a comfortable existence plants are encouraged to maintain indoor humidity at a level 70 percent.

Watering lemon tree should be both root and foliar method. At the same time moistening the soil and spraying the foliage from a spray bottle. In spring and summer, the procedure is repeated in the morning and evening every day, in the autumn and winter, the frequency of watering decreases to 2 times a week.

Pruning

To form a beautiful tree crown, you need to take care of pruning it beforehand, for this you need:

1. Grown up the stem of the seedling is shortened to a length of 20 centimeters, while leaving a few developed buds in the upper part;
2. Grown from the remaining kidneys shoots will become skeletal branches, 3-4 of them choose the healthiest, and the rest are cut;
3. Skeletal branches cut to length 25 centimeters;
4. Second order shoots must be no more than 10 centimeters;
5. Third order - more than 5 centimeters.

As soon as 4th order shoots appear, the formation of the crown of a tree is considered complete. Now every year in the springtime they carry out sanitary pruning, removing all the diseased, yellowed, dried or damaged leaves.

Breeding methods

Lemon meier can be propagated by seed or cutting. It is worth noting that with the help of grafting it is possible to get a good, varietal tree, and when growing a tree from a seed there is a big risk of dick appearance.

With the help of seeds

• seeds are extracted from fruits, thoroughly washed and dried on the windowsill;
• then you need moisten gauze in water, put the seeds on it and remove such a design in the box, while constantly maintaining the moisture content of the fabric;
• as soon as the first shoots appear, seeds are transplanted into the groundadapted for young plants, while the seeds are deepened by 3-4 centimeters;

• seedlings are watered once every two days;
• as soon as the height of the tree reaches 15 centimeters, its transplanted into a large container.

Cuttings

• cutting with 4-5 leaves placed in a weak solution of manganese for 20 hours;
• then the crushed angle is treated with an oblique cut, remove all casting, leaving only the top 3;
• to the bottom of the pot spread drainagethen the soil mixture, on top of the sand, in which the plant is deepened by 2-3 centimeters;

• in the next stage pot cover glass jar or plastic bag;
• for the best rooting design is placed in a place with diffused light and regularly moisturize the soil;
• through 2-3 weeks shelter slowly removed, first by 2 hours, then this time is increased. Conducting such manipulation is necessary so that the lemon can adapt to environmental conditions.

Diseases and pests

Improper care can cause some diseases, which can be determined by the presence of the following signs.:

1. If the leaves brighten, this means that the tree lacks nutrients or light;
2. If leaves start to wither and fall off, the matter is in the lack of moisture and you need to immediately begin watering and spraying the plant.

Also lemon is often attacked by various pests..

1. When a spider mite settles on a plant, he begins to build cobwebs, and when such a sign is first detected, the tree is washed under running water from the shower;
2. If black dots appear on the leaveswhich will help get rid of a mixture of 50 milliliters of kerosene and 100 milliliters of liquid soap.

Mayer's lemon is perfect for growing in an apartment as a decorative variety., which also give excellent taste of the fruit. Initially, it may seem that the care of such a plant is very difficult, but if you correctly follow all the regulations, you can get a good harvest and no diseases and pests will be scary.