Citrus limon Meyer forms light yellow fruits up to 9 cm in size with a thin skin. Citrus limon Ponderosa has orange-yellow fruits up to 11 cm in size with a thick skin.
Care of the lemon tree
- Lemon trees are best planted in a special soil for citrus plants.
- Repotting should be done in spring.
- The lemon tree loves a bright location, but should be protected from direct midday sun.
- If you put the lemon tree on the balcony or terrace in summer, this has a positive effect on growth and flower formation.
- The lemon tree thrives at normal room temperatures, in winter the temperature should be 9-15 ° C.
- In spring, summer and autumn the lemon tree should be watered moderately - the top layer of soil may dry out slightly before watering again. It should be fertilized every 14 days.
- In winter only water so much that the soil does not dry out completely. Do not fertilize.
- The lemon tree can be pruned back at any time during the growth phase. This encourages the plant to grow bushy.
- Unfortunately, lemon trees are often attacked by scale insects.
Scale insects on the lemon tree
There are different types of scale insects. Scale insects are up to 5 mm large insects, the females of which have a white to brown, round or oblong shield under which the eggs lie. They damage the plant in several ways:
- The females have a sting through which they suck plant sap.
- At the same time, they release both secretion and fructose through this sting. This secretion also damages the plants.
- Fungi, for which fructose is a nutrient medium, can get into the plant through the sucking points. These fungi also damage the plant.
A scale insect infestation can usually be recognized first by a sticky coating (honeydew) on the leaves. The scale insects themselves are also clearly visible. They sit on the trunks and in forked branches as well as on the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves. Fighting one
Scale insect infestation is difficult and protracted. In any case, the affected plant must be isolated to prevent it from spreading.If only a few leaves are affected, they can be cut off. Burn the cut leaves or dispose of them in a closed plastic bag with the general waste. The plant must then be checked for the appearance of further scale insects.
If the infestation is low, scraping with alcohol can be successful. To do this, a cotton swab is soaked in high-percentage alcohol, the scale insects are dabbed with it and then scraped off with a knife. You have to be very careful here, because the eggs sit under the shield and can be easily distributed when scraping.
Under no circumstances should you try home remedy recipes with tea tree or neem oil. Citrus plants respond by shedding their leaves.
Another possibility are oil-based agents against sucking insects. They are offered as a spray and work by creating an airtight seal between the insects and the plant through an oil film, thereby suffocating them. It is effective. Unfortunately, this also seals the leaf pores, so that not only the scale insect but also the leaf suffocates. Therefore, it is better to limit yourself to the trunks and forks when spraying. To treat the leaves, spray a cotton swab well and dab the scale insects with it.
As a last resort, there are so-called systemic remedies. These are agents that are absorbed by the plant through the roots, distributed in the plant and absorbed by the scale insect through the plant sap. They are offered as sticks or as granules. The sticks are stuck into the earth, the granules are worked into the earth. However, these agents usually also contain fertilizer. This can easily lead to over-fertilization, especially in winter.
humidity
Too moist soil means that few fruits are formed. In addition, the sensitive roots can die off. Even soil that is too dry is not favorable. The right dose is crucial. You should use low-lime, soft water. You can use special fertilizers Citrus fertilizer use.
wintering
The lemon tree is overwintered at temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius. The room must be very bright. The location should not be changed during hibernation. It is only poured very sparingly. At these low temperatures, the roots stop their activities. This usually leads to the shedding of many leaves.
Tip: After spending the winter in the house, the lemon tree must slowly be accustomed to the sun, otherwise sunburn can occur.
Cut
The best time to prune a lemon tree is in spring. Fruit-bearing branches should not be trimmed. The purpose of the pruning is to prevent the tree from growing too big and causing it to bear more fruit.
Scale insects often occur on lemon trees. Even Mealybug occur. You should be very careful with chemistry, but usually nothing else helps.
