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Many people dream of having a lemon tree at home. Even those who are far from gardening. After all, the plant has such a wonderful view. And everyone knows about the benefits of its fruits, saturated with vitamins. You can buy not only fruit-bearing lemon, also decorative. Its beauty will delight your eyes.
Now many varieties have been bred, especially for home conditions. So the problem of choice disappears. If you make some effort, you can breed citrus fruits yourself. There are several ways to do this. We will take a closer look at the reproduction of lemon cuttings.
You can propagate the plant by sticking the seed of its fruit into the ground. But then you have to wait several years for the harvest. It’s not certain that it will show up at all. The best way is cuttings.
breeding period
The strongest, healthiest trees are obtained by preparing cuttings in early spring. Then the dormant period ends. There is a need to form a crown. There are many new extra shoots. However, experienced gardeners carry out lemon propagation all year round. For beginners, in addition to March-April, the end of summer is also suitable. We need to wait for the heat to subside.
Prepare
Cutting selection
A branch of a lemon is taken as an adult, mature. Thickness 4-5 mm. Thinner or thicker is not recommended. Thin shoots will develop poorly. Thick – poorly rooted. Cut cuttings with an average length of 10 centimeters. Use secateurs, a sharp knife. It is advisable to wipe the instruments with a disinfectant solution. Each clothespin must have at least 4 buds. The lower cut angle is 45 degrees. Upper – 1 centimeter above the kidney, perpendicular to the trunk.
The leaves at the bottom of the cutting are removed. Above – shorten 1/3. So the scion retains sap flow. This promotes rapid root formation. It is better not to use shoots without leaves at all.
Necessary conditions for rooting
In order for lemon propagation by cuttings to be successful, a suitable room temperature is required. Optimal – 20-25 degrees Celsius. In winter, additional heating is needed.
Lighting must be sufficient. Diffused sunlight works best. If necessary, use artificial lighting. Keep away from direct sunlight. Also from heaters. The southeast window sill is the best location for the plant.
The most important condition for the further successful reproduction of lemon is humidity. In cuttings, it is much higher than in adult trees. Approximately 95%. The walls of the greenhouse, and even better, the leaves should be wet. Spray with warm water.
How to prepare a greenhouse
Usually plastic transparent bottles are used. Volume 2 liters for 3-4 scions. Cut off the top and bottom of the dish. Poke holes in the bottom to allow water to drain. Fill the lower part with wet sand (preferably river sand). Place soil on top. (Leave a couple of centimeters at the edge). Ratio 1:1. For a greenhouse, any earthenware small dish is suitable, which is covered with a transparent jar, or with polyethylene.
Landing technique
How to root a cutting
Powder the lower sections of the parostka with wood ash powder to prevent decay. In order for the plant to multiply better, the cut is still powdered with a root growth stimulator. It’s called heteroauxin.
2-3 centimeters the clothespin is deepened into the ground. Water generously with lukewarm water. Then its excess is drained. At this stage, watering is completed while rooting occurs.
Next, the shoots are sprayed. Cover with the top of the bottle. Pick up a lighted place, excluding direct sunlight.
After 3-4 weeks, the lower cut releases the callus (growth). Later, roots appear just above the growth. They are large, white, fragile. Therefore, when planting, care must be taken, otherwise they can be broken.
How to plant a cutting
You can not immediately remove the plant from the greenhouse. It will be a big stress for him. It is necessary to accustom to the usual room climate gradually. Open the greenhouse for several days in a row. Initially, 3-5 minutes will be enough. Gradually increase the time. Add a few minutes daily. Do this for a couple of weeks. Then the cover can be removed completely.
Lemon grows quite large. However, the first dish should be small. A half-liter ceramic pot is ideal. The bottom of the container is perforated for better drainage of excess water. With a constantly wet sump, the soil reaction will become acidic, and the roots of the tree will quickly begin to rot.
It happens that clothespins bloom even in the greenhouse. It’s OK. It will just slow down the growth of the root system.
To successfully propagate the plant, you need high-quality soil. Ideal – sand 1 part plus moss 1 part. Fertilizers are placed on top. If there is no sphagnum, you can replace it with peat.
We cover the bottom of the pot with drainage: expanded clay, wood ash, pieces of coal, small clay shards. The next layer is nutritional. Its composition is as follows: 1 part of coniferous land, 1 part of sod, 1/6 of sand. Third layer: a mixture of sphagnum with sand. It is in this layer that rooted cuttings must be placed. All soil is moist. Carry out spraying.
You can take a simpler soil. 1 part ordinary garden soil plus ¼ part horse manure. It will take about a year for the tree to grow stronger and gain strength. Then it is transplanted into a more spacious dish, up to 5 centimeters larger than the previous one.
Citrus fruits propagated by cuttings are called own-rooted. After 3-4 years, it will bloom, and then the first fruits will appear. If you want to propagate with a bone, then the fruits will have to wait about 6 years.
Care after breeding
Lighting, temperature, humidity
Citrus fruits love light. The southeast side of the house is ideal. Choose a permanent place for your pet. He does not tolerate frequent movement. The only exception is the removal of the pot to the balcony. This can be done in the spring, when the heat comes (from +15 degrees).
While the plant is small, a window sill will do. Blinds provide comfortable diffused sunlight. At least 12 hours daily it should be illuminated. Therefore, in winter, use additional lighting. Ideal – phytolamps. Look at the store, what kind of light the fruit display cases have.
The optimum temperature is 18-27 degrees Celsius. In hot weather, shade the tree, provide coolness. Otherwise, it may die. In winter, even greater coolness is needed (+ 12-15 degrees). This stimulates normal reproduction as well as fruiting. However, sudden temperature changes should be avoided.
As the lemon grows, the air humidity drops to 60-70%. Spray it, also the air around it, when it’s hot. Preferably 2 times daily.
Additional fertilizing
Without feeding, the plant will not reproduce. Both organic and mineral fertilizers are used. They are alternated. Apply once every 7-10 days. Organic is horse, cow or chicken droppings. Inorganic fertilizers can be purchased ready-made at a flower shop. Only you must know exactly the variety of your lemon, name, age.
Video “Reproduction of lemon by cuttings”
You can learn more about how to propagate lemon cuttings from the video.