Lemon

Root family. Lemon is not an independent genus, but a hybrid of the Citrus genus Citrus (citrus tribe Citreae). Therefore, its botanical name Citrus Limon, and the study of lemons at the genetic level, made it possible to determine that it is a hybrid between bitter orange (Citrus aurantium - Pomeranian) and citron (Citrus Medica).

The exact origin of lemon is still covered in mystery, a well-known belief that lemons were first discovered in India, northern Burma and China. The oldest depictions of citrus trees appear on Roman mosaics in North Africa. And the first descriptions of lemons came at the beginning of the 10th century - they were found in an Arabic treatise on agriculture. The first cultivation of lemons as cultivated plants in Europe began in Genoa in the mid-15th century.

Types of room lemons

Citrus Limon x Mejer

This is a hybrid of lemon and orange (possibly tangerine - this moment is still questionable among botanists), named after Frank N. Meyer, who first discovered it in 1908. It is distinguished by low growth, only 60-90 cm, and good fruiting. The leaves are ovoid, leathery, green, with a serrated margin. The flowers are pure white, very fragrant, about 3 cm in diameter, more often in inflorescences of 4-6 pieces. The fruits are rounded, small, up to 180 g, this is slightly more than a selected chicken egg. The taste of the fruit is more acidic than that of other varieties of lemon, and its fruits are eaten unripe. Earlier flowering of seedlings (for 1-2 years), remontancy, precocity, abundance of Meyer lemon fruiting, make it interesting for room culture. But Meyer lemon has one feature - it is predisposed to a fungal infection (characteristic of this particular lemon), called "fat spots" - the disease is not fatal for lemon, but extremely unpleasant, manifested in the formation of a small yellowness on the leaves, irregular shape, then blackening. Spots are formed on fruits. Otherwise, Meyer's lemon is also quite demanding - it needs very good lighting, otherwise it literally balds, especially in autumn and winter, but the seedlings bloom very early and the plant can bear fruit for 1-2 years. However, it will be better for the plant if in the first year the ovary is cut off and the plant is allowed to gain growth and strength.

Pavlovsky lemon Citrus Limon Pavlovsky

Shade-tolerant tree about 1.5 m high, crown span about 80 cm. Leaves are light green, oval or oblong, pointed at the end, and finely serrated along the edge. Leaves are 13-15 cm long, 5-8 cm wide, lionfish are not pronounced, petioles are short - no more than 1 cm. Fruits grow large, up to 300 g, but can be about 500 g. Thin-skinned and fragrant, peel slightly tuberous. This lemon is easily propagated vegetatively in indoor conditions. Of all the known lemons, it is most adapted to room culture, because its fruits are early ripening (8-9 months), the plant is medium-sized and very fertile. Seedlings bloom in the third year. It blooms twice a year - in mid-spring, and mid-autumn.

Citrus Limon Ponderosa Lemon

This species is also known as Lemon Canadian - a hybrid between lemon and pompelmus or citron. Low bush - about 70-90 cm, with large wide-oval leaves. The leaf blade is dark green, smooth, leathery. The flowers are cream-hued, white with green speckles in the buds. Flowering is abundant, with flowers collected in inflorescences of 7-13 pieces. But usually no more than 5 fruits are tied. The fruits are large - from 350-800 g, with thick tuberous bark and low acid. Seedlings bloom for 1-2 years. Ponderosa is unpretentious, quite resistant to room temperature in winter and dry air.

Lemon Anniversary Citrus Limon Jubilejny

Lemon bush up to 1.5 m high. The leaves are large, dark green, smooth, leathery, wide oval, which is why the variety is similar to Ponderosa. Petioles are short, lionfish sometimes very small, sometimes clearly visible, rounded. Flowering is very abundant, flowers are collected in inflorescences of 14-16 pieces. Buds can have a purple hue. The fruits are large, 400-600 g, with a thick peel, slightly tuberous, rounded or slightly elongated.

Novogruzinsky lemon

This species has a gentle strong smell. The leaves are light green, elongated, pointed at the end, not wrinkled, but smooth, about 12 cm long and 5 cm wide. Fruits with a very small number of seeds, weighing about 120 g, slightly elongated, the peel is tuberous, about 0.5 cm thick. Flowers and bears fruit throughout the round year (the variety is remontant), starting at the age of five. The trees are vigorous with a spreading crown and a large number of thorns.

Citrus Limon Genoa Lemon

A low tree about 80-100 cm, without thorns, or they are very short and thin. A very fruitful variety, the fruits are smooth (not tuberous), bright yellow, oval, small, only 90-110 g. The quality of the fruits is higher than that of other varieties - real sour lemons, with a thin skin and a small amount of seeds. The variety is repairable, the seedlings bloom in the fourth or fifth year. The leaves are oblong, pointed at the end, a characteristic feature is a smooth transition from petiole to leaf blade. Lionfish are absent. It is less common in culture than other lemons.

Citrus Limon Lisbon Lemon

A vigorous tree, well leafy, with a large number of thorns, in nature very tall and fast-growing trees, in indoor conditions on average about 1 m tall. The leaves are oblong, rather wide, pointed at the end. Fruits are medium in size, about 180-200 g, bitter, seeds are small, the peel is not thin, about 0.7 cm, almost smooth. Blooms in the third year. The variety is repairable, tolerates high temperatures well.

At-home lemon care

Temperature

Lemons are demanding on light and heat. In summer, the temperature is naturally the usual room temperature. Budding, flowering and fruit setting, occur best at an average air and soil temperature of + 15-18 ° C. Such wintering can be provided on an insulated balcony or by fencing off the windowsill from the room with plexiglass, polycarbonate, or even greenhouse film. Some of the lemons (Ponderosa, Jubilee) survive winter quite tolerably at higher temperatures, but at the same time it is necessary to humidify the air.
In winter (at least from November to January), lemons must be kept in a light cool room from + 8 to 14 ° C, it can be slightly lower, i.e. a short-term decrease to + 4-5 ° C, will also withstand. At the same time, the lemon does not shed leaves, but completely stops growing. The end of the rest period should take place gradually - gradually raise the temperature and accustom to better lighting (direct sun). The lack of cold wintering can lead to the fact that the plant does not pay.

In addition, lemons are quite sensitive to climate change. If you put a fruiting tree outside, then due to a sharp change in daylight hours and temperature regime, it can shed fruits and even leaves, the result of a change in climate may be the absence of fruiting for the next year.

Lighting

Bright diffused light in summer, with direct sunlight in the morning or evening, and light shade in the afternoon from 11 to 16 hours - in the hottest hours. Different types of lemons relate differently to lighting. Some are very photophilous, especially Meyer lemon, they put it on the south window. And others can grow superbly in fully artificial light. Lemon belongs to plants of short daylight hours, i.e. if the daylight day is too long, they grow, and fruiting is delayed.

It is especially important that there is enough light in autumn and winter, and even more so if the temperature drops slightly. I.e. at a temperature of + 5 to 14 ° С, additional light is not needed - there will be no growth. If the temperature is from 16 ° C and above, the plant will continue slowly, but grow, which means that additional light may be required. Total daylight hours should be 10-12 hours. You can light lemons and other citrus fruits with fluorescent lamps (white or blue spectrum), for example, on a tree about 1 m high, you need 2 lamps of 20-25 W, on both sides of the windowsill. The problem of such lamps is that the distance to the leaves should be from 10 to 20 cm. If the plant is not on the window, but in the room, then the lamps need at least 3-4 pieces and place them so that the crown is illuminated as evenly as possible. Also, for illumination, you can use metal halogen lamps of 250 watts with a mirror reflector (but this is if the plant is not alone, but the entire windowsill is forced).

Watering

In summer and spring, lemons are watered quite abundantly, but taking into account the fact that the soil should have time to dry out in the upper third of the pot for the next watering. In winter, watering is rarer and moderate, directly depends on the temperature in the room. The soil should dry out to the next watering in the upper 2/3 of the pot, i.e. in winter it is impossible to allow complete re-drying of the earthen coma, but excess moisture leads to rot of the roots (especially in cold conditions), and death of the plant. To provide respiration to the roots, and to prevent stagnation of water in the pot, the top layer of earth in lemons is periodically loosened.

Air humidity

Lemons are regularly sprayed in the summer, but if they are kept in a room with central heating in winter, they are sprayed in winter. When kept in a room with dry air, lemons are attacked by pests (primarily ticks). The optimal humidity for lemons is 60-70% - such humidity is usually in the summer, if it rains periodically, when there is no rain - it is about 50%. But in winter, in the heating season, the humidity is 20-30%, so it is necessary to lower the temperature, or spray.

Flight connections

Young lemon trees must be transplanted by transshipment, annually. Transshipment should not be carried out if the roots of the plant have not yet been burned with an earthen lump. In this case, it is enough to change the drainage and upper layers of soil in the pot.
Fruiting lemons are transplanted no more than once every 2-3 years. Transplanted before the start of growth, i.e. in late winter, early spring. During transplants, one should not greatly destroy the earthen lump, lemons do not tolerate injuries of the root system. In the pot, it is imperative to make high drainage (large expanded clay or pieces of wine cork). When transplanting, the root neck in the new dish should be at the same level as it was in the old dish. If lemons have not been transplanted for a long time, and the soil has dropped, caked, then the tree is mulched - sprinkled on top of fresh earth, or well-rotted compost. It is also necessary to replace the top layer of the earth if a salt deposit has formed on it.

• Soil for young lemons: 2 parts of sod, 1 part of sheet earth, 1 part of humus (compost) and 1 part of sand.
• Soil for adult lemons: 3 parts of turf, 1 part of leaf, 1 part of humus (compost) and 1 part of sand.

Plus, in the soil for lemons, you can add birch or alder coals (glass per bucket of earth), as well as pine bark (fraction 0.5-1 cm, liter per bucket of earth) and vermiculite (also 0.5-1 liter per bucket of soil). Soil acidity should be from 5.5 to 7.0 pH.

Lemon dressing

In the first half of summer, 1.5-2 months after transplantation, fertilizers can be used. This increases the sugar content of the fruits and reduces the bitter taste, which is characteristic of citrus fruits at room culture. The more fertilizer the plant needs the older it is, and the longer it is in one pot. Fertilizers are applied only on moist soil. With additional artificial lighting of citrus in winter, they also need to be fertilized about once a month.

Reproduction

Multiplication of lemons is carried out by grafting, cuttings, air extraction and seeds. In indoor conditions, the most common way of breeding citrus fruits is cuttings - Pavlovsky lemon, Ponderosa and Mayer lemon are best cuttings. You need to cut a twig 10-12 cm long, prepare sterile soil: peat land (Terra Vita) in half with sand. Fill the soil in a zip bag, slightly moisten and immerse the handle in it. Close the bag and hang it in a bright place (the southeast window is best). The bag is warm and very humid, no moisture is required. When the roots appear, they will be visible through the package. You can remove the bag and open it slightly - you need to accustom it to drier air gradually: every day open the bag more and more for a longer time.

For more information on lemon breeding and care, see Citrus (Part 1 and 2)

Article by Alexander Zaitsev "Basic principles of citrus content"

Article by Alexander Zaitsev "Citrus content in winter"