Meyer lemon: home care

Meyer lemon belongs to the Rutaceae family of the Citrus family. It is a hybrid obtained in natural conditions from pomelo, citron and mandarin. It occurs naturally in China, from there it was introduced to the United States and other countries. At home, the tree is classified as decorative, and in America and Our Country, the fruits are used in various recipes.

Meyer Lemon Description

Meyer’s lemon belongs to low-growing trees, the height of which is from 1 to 2 m. With proper and timely pruning, a compact, low-growing tree can be formed.

Meyer lemon foliage is dense, dark green with a good sheen. The tree blooms with white (with a slight admixture of purple) flowers, collected 6-8 pieces in inflorescences. During flowering, Meyer trees exude a pleasant aroma.

The fruits of a Meyer lemon are rounder than those of an ordinary lemon (shown in the photo). The color of ripe fruits is bright yellow, after ripening an orange tint is visible, the peel is thin, soft, smooth to the touch. The flesh is dark yellow. Meyer lemons are sweeter than regular lemons, with about 10 seeds each. Meyer lemon fruit weight ranges from 70 to 150 g and depends on growing conditions.

Meyer’s variety is remontant, so fruiting occurs year-round. The first fruits appear no earlier than the third year of the seedling’s life. The tree produces most flowers in the spring. About 3 kg of lemons are harvested per season.

Meyer lemon yield depends on growing and care conditions. Trees of this variety are considered rather capricious, therefore, with improper care, they can turn yellow or lose most of the foliage.

Fruit ripening is long, after flowering before harvesting takes about 8-9 months.

 Advantages and disadvantages

Any variety can have positive and negative qualities. Before planting a tree, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of the variety, as well as find out what conditions are considered favorable for planting. Meyer lemon benefits include:

• decorative. Lemon has a beautiful crown, lush flowering and fragrance, so it is often used as a decorative element;
• pleasant sour-sweet taste of fruits with a slightly perceptible bitterness, giving nobility;
• year-round fruiting, allowing you to use the fruits in the family’s diet all the time.

You can grow a tree in the southern and temperate climatic zones, but most often this variety is used for planting in a greenhouse or apartment.

Of the minuses of the Meyer variety, the following can be noted:

• poor transportability and preservation of fruits;
• the exactingness of the tree to lighting, watering and soil quality. With improper care, the tree sheds foliage and reduces flowering, which leads to a decrease in fruiting;
• the probability of infection with diseases and insect pests is quite high, which also reduces the yield.

Propagation of the meyer lemon

There are two ways to grow a Meyer lemon: from a seed or from a cutting. A seedling obtained by the first method begins to bear fruit a year later than a tree grown by cuttings.

Another disadvantage of growing from seeds is the possibility of getting a game. When cuttings, a lemon grows, which fully inherits varietal characteristics.

The method of growing from seed is as follows:

• Seeds are removed from the Meyer lemon. Remove the seeds carefully so as not to damage them;
• the bones are washed and dried at room temperature;
• a gauze cloth folded several times is placed in a plate, seeds are laid out on it, covered with a second piece of gauze, moistened with water and cleaned in a cool place;
• check the moisture content of the fabric, periodically add water to avoid drying out;
• when sprouts appear, the seeds are transplanted into the ground, deepening them by 3-4 cm;
• seedlings are watered once every 1 hours;
• after the height of the seedling reaches 15 cm, it must be transplanted into another larger container;
• when the thickness of the trunk reaches 8 mm, the lemon is grafted.

Cutting is carried out as follows:

• a stalk is cut from an adult tree, on which there are 5 leaves;
• the stalk is placed in a container filled with a weak solution of manganese for 1 day;
• 3 upper leaves are left on the handle, the rest are cut off;
• prepare a container for planting: drainage is placed at the bottom, then a special soil mixture for citrus fruits purchased in a store is poured, a two-centimeter layer of sand is placed on top, into which the cutting is planted;
• a glass jar of the required volume (1–1,5 l) is installed on top of the handle;
• the pot with the handle is placed in a room with diffused light, you can not put the container on the windowsill, because bright sunlight can burn the plant;
• regularly monitor soil moisture, water as needed, preventing drying;
• after 10-14 days, the jar, under which the cutting is located, is first removed for a short period, then the time is gradually increased. This allows the seedling to acclimatize in room conditions.

Reproduction of Meyer lemon by cuttings is the most successful way:

• the tree completely inherits the maternal characteristics;
• fruiting occurs 1 year earlier, i.e. at the age of 3 years.

Rules of landing

A Meyer lemon seedling grown from cuttings or purchased from a store needs to be transplanted. The best time for this is the last month of winter. In some cases, a transplant may be required at a different time:

• numerous roots are visible from the pot;
• the lemon looks dry, and a putrid smell is heard from the container;
• the tree does not grow, does not bloom and does not bear fruit.

To help the plant, planting can be done without waiting for the end of winter. If, upon examination of the contents of the pot, it is revealed that the earthen lump is completely entangled with roots, a transplant is made into a larger container. If the roots are not visible, the seedling is transshipped into a pot with the same volume.

The frequency of transplants depends on the age of the seedling. The first transplant is made to a lemon that has reached the age of two. Three-year-old seedlings are transplanted twice a year. A four-year-old tree is transplanted once a year, then the number of transplants is reduced to 1 time in 1 years. Trees that have crossed a ten-year milestone are transplanted once every 2–1 years.

Soil preparation consists in mixing several components:

• 2 parts of sod land;
• 1 part of the sand;
• 1 part humus;
• 1 piece of land from deciduous forest.

You can purchase a special mixture for rooting citrus fruits in the store. It consists of peat, limestone, sand, mineral and organic additives, growth stimulator.

Landing algorithm:

1. In a container of a suitable volume (estimate the height of the seedling and its root system), pour drainage with a layer of 3 cm.
2. Pour nutrient soil mixture on top.
3. The seedling is placed in the center of the pot and all the cracks between the roots and walls are covered.
4. The earth is well compacted with hands or a shovel.
5. It is necessary to ensure that the root neck is flush with the ground; it is not recommended to deepen and raise it too much.
6. The seedling is watered.

Meyer Lemon Care

Proper care is the key to a good yield of any tree. In order for the seedling to please with flowers and a green crown, it is necessary to responsibly approach the issue of creating a cozy microclimate. In addition, the correct pruning will help create a decorative crown. Watering and fertilizing affect the general condition of the Meyer seedling and the level of fruiting.

Crown formation and sanitary pruning

Meyer lemon, used as an ornamental plant, needs to form a crown. Pruning is carried out as follows:

• the seedling is shortened to 20 cm, while several buds should remain on top;
• shoots emerging from the buds are used as skeletal shoots. The four most beautiful are left, located symmetrically on the trunk, and the rest are removed;
• the length of the skeletal branches should be 25 cm, the extra centimeters are cut off;
• the resulting branches of the second order are shortened to 10 cm;
• the third row of shoots is cut to 5 cm.

After that, sanitary pruning is periodically carried out, aimed at removing broken and diseased branches, yellowed leaves.

Watering and fertilizing frequency

Meyer lemon is watered in two ways: root and foliar. In the hot period, not only the soil is watered, but the crown is also sprayed daily, and in autumn and winter the number of waterings is reduced to 1-2 times a week. Too dry air in the room can lead to yellowing of the foliage, therefore, in addition to crown spraying, air humidification is used. To do this, water containers are installed on heating radiators.

It is necessary to ensure that the earth in the pot does not dry out, otherwise the lemon tree may die.

Top dressing is necessary for a seedling in the period from March to November, i.e., during the period of active flowering and fruit ripening. In winter, fertilization is stopped.

For top dressing, complex mineral compositions (nitrogen, potassium-phosphate) are used. They are posted twice a month.

Once a quarter, the earth is additionally watered with compounds containing boron, iron, zinc, manganese, and copper.

Environmental requirements

Meyer lemon needs good lighting. The length of daylight hours should be at least 12 hours, therefore, with a lack of daylight, additional lamps are turned on. The lack of illumination adversely affects the condition of the foliage; in shading, the lemon sheds its leaves and may die.

The Meyer lemon tree does not like drafts and sudden changes in temperature. It is not recommended to take the tree outside in the winter; it should not be kept in an unheated room either.

The comfortable temperature for the Meyer lemon in summer is +20 °C, in winter it ranges from +12 to +15 °C. If the plant is outdoors in summer, it is necessary to provide for shading from the scorching rays of the sun.

Meyer lemon pests and diseases

Improper care of the Meyer seedling leads to the fact that the tree is sick:

• lightening, yellowing of the leaves indicates a lack of nutrients or sunlight;
• shedding of foliage is associated with insufficient soil moisture, therefore, the earth is urgently watered and the crown is sprayed.

A spider mite can harm Meyer’s indoor seedling, so if a web is found, the lemon is sent under the shower.

The appearance of dots on the leaves may be associated with scale insects; a mixture of kerosene and liquid soap (1: 2) is used to combat them.

To protect against pests, an aqueous solution of karbofos and keltan is used. For 0,5 l, 1 g of each substance is required.

Conclusion

Meyer lemon is a perennial tree with a compact crown that can be grown outdoors or indoors. Lemon fruits of this variety are suitable for human consumption.

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