Lemon Tree

I have a lemon tree with several lemons on in an 18 inch pot on the patio, it is now 1.6 m tall and 1.4m wide.It is now too big to move into the conservatory over the winter season. 1) can it be left out over the winter 2) can it be cut back and if so how much can I cut it back taking into consideration that there are several small lemons still growing.

 

I think leaving it outside in a pot would be a disaster unless the tree is known to be hardy and has had a lot of exposure. You could try planting it in the ground and giving the roots and trunk a good mulch and protection with dry straw. You will probably loose the leaves and fruit if it's a hard winter but it should come back again given some good protection. You could also try some fleece to protect the top but wind may do more damage than its worth.

Hardy lemon trees can survive a good cover of snow so don't be tempted to knock it off - it will help insulate the tree and protect it.

During winter the growth will be slow or negligible so water very little and not at all if the ground is frosted.

Alternatively you could prune the bush so that it gets in the conservatory again but lemons are quite big trees so you will need to plant it outside sooner or later.

 

Welcome to GC Birdbath.

Frogesque is right about it being a disaster if left outside during the winter.

We have a lemon tree and it must be about 2.5 meters tall now. It is in a large pot but we are going to repot it in a larger one next spring. We cut it back at least once a year, either in the spring when we put it outside for the summer or in the late autumn just before we take it into the Wintergarten. It has never taken it amiss when or how much we cut it back but rewards us with endless blooms and fruits. At the moment it is choc-full of both.

Did you know that if you spread a layer of oak leaves on the soil of the lemon tree that it makes a really good fertilizer?

 

Birdbath, unless you have a frost free spot in the garden, DONT leave it out.
I tried a meyers lemon some years ago (which is reputed to be fairly hardy), the first winter killed it down to the ground, the new shoots were killed the following winter.
So in two years it was dead.

Kedi, would be interested to know the variety you grow as I have never had much luck with citrus in pots, especially if cut back, tend to get lots of leafy growth and no flowers, or the leaves all fall off in the winter.
The oak leaves makes sense to me, probably tannic acid.

 

Pete - sorry, I have no idea whatsoever what kind of lemon tree we have. We were given it as a gift, I guess about 8 years ago, and it was grown by someone who always took clippings from plants when he was on holiday. All I can say is that he told us he was on holiday in Spain at the time.

Ours has lots of leaves as well as all the flowers and fruits. It looses leaves now and then, sometimes more, sometimes less, but it always keeps them on during the winter.

Hubby tried taking clippings and had no luck until last year when one finally did take. He took it from a new top shoot, put it in ordinary garden soil and put some rotting oak leaves on top. It is doing really well, is about 5' now, choc-full of leaves but unfortunately no sign of a bud yet.

 

OK, thanks Kedi, I think that maybe the answer, these so called varieties that are sold in garden centres are obviously grown in the ground in a warmer place than the UK, then potted up for sale.

 

Thanks Frogesque,Kedi-Gato and Pete for your advice. I shall definately not be leaving it out over the winter, so I shall have to take my courage in my hands and have a go at cutting it back enough to get it into the conservatory.

 

Hi KG Thats very interesting about the Oak Leaves..... I have 2 small "citrus" trees we got from the Eden project. (it had Citrus on the label, so not sure quite what it will produce - it has green lemon-shaped fruit at the moment...) We have loads of Oak trees around here, so will take bags to gather the leaves up when walking the mutt. They are also still small enough to bring into the house over winter.

One of mone got slugged BIG TIME in sprng - lost every leaf overnight!!!! Has anyone else had this problem??? :confused:

 

Pete the lemon trees I have here are a variety known as 'Quatre Saison'....Four Seasons, which as the name suggests give fruit and flowers all year around. I actually keep ours in pots on wheels for manouverablity, and even here at the suggestion of a rare, (but when it does it does!!) frost I bring them indoors......they can withstand down to about -3�° without big problems but I've never risked it. They need very little water, and with our climate that means that I water about once every three weeks and add special 'agrumes' feed. I reduce the feed depending on how many fruits as opposed to flowers are on at a certain season, but find it's fairly evenly spread throughout the year. I cut back as and when I feel they are losing their shape and find that they thrive on this type of "care" ! The length of time indoors here is of course reduced to what I would imagine would be necessary in the UK ...but the pots don't seem to cause them any problems ...one thing I have done when repotting is necessary is make sure that the new pot is only one size up as they like having their root system fairly tight .... M-L

 

I do have a really tatty plant of four seasons at the moment, judging by the lables that some of these have overhere, I would guess they are grown in France and shipped to the UK.
I think the winter watering is a problem, well it is for me anyway, no water and the leaves drop off, too much and the leaves drop off.

Think I'll stick to cactus :D :D :D

 

I think that we must have the same sort as you have Mona Lisa as ours also blooms and fruits at the same time all year round. However, I thought that citrus all did that.

 

I have a lemon that dropped all its leaves. so I thought hell, stuck it in the shadowy corner and...yup, three years on its still covered in lemons and flowers. Neglect is my answer but I don't get frost. I have clients with lemons in Kew (cold for London) and they have survived -5 or more without batting a leaf. Don't know what to say. Must be varietal.

 

Hi KG The varieties that don't flower and fruit all year are few, ie Pondersosa, which produces HUGE fruits ....the Meyer which produces nearly all year but not quite....and I believe there is a variegated variety with pink flowers ..... but I'm not sure that any of these are available in Northern Europe..... M-L

 

Pete, don't give up on your lemons :D give it another chance ...a bit of TLC under shelter and it may surprise you ..hope so ! M-L

 

Lemon trees will lose their leaves completely if exposed to temperatures of -4/-5 degrees celsius and the wood itself will suffer if the temperatures are lower. Flowers and fruits will resist up to -2 degrees.
The fruits can also ripe away from the tree.