Right, if you've ever wanted a nice lemon tree, then there are several things you have to take into account:

- The climate/conditions the lemon tree will be living in - most lemon trees dislike the cold and frost, so look for one that will "like" the conditions you're giving it! A good hardy is the Meyer, as mentioned in another thread!

- Plant the tree in a warm, sunny area - as best you can, and try to find a spot where the soil drains well. If you're worried about the frost then you could plant it next to a house or under an overhang to provide at least a little frost protection.

- Fertilise every 4 to 6 weeks during the first half of the year

- Use a couple of inches of organic matter under the tree to capsure some of the moisture coming from the canopy etc.

- Water it about every 7 to 10 days deeply during summer, but when the temperature drops or it rains, obviously water it less :rolleyes:

- And finally...harvest when ripe! Don't just use the colour as an indicator, taste one just to see whether they're ready :cool:

I Do have one Big lemon tree.
But the problem i have is the insects that are like catterpillars which attack and first eat all the leaves. :(
Any solution for that?

Thanks for the info! Im a newb to growing my own stuff, so I was just wondering...how long does it take to have a full grown lemon tree? Also, how much space should I dedicate?

I Do have one Big lemon tree.
But the problem i have is the insects that are like catterpillars which attack and first eat all the leaves. :(
Any solution for that?

Well, you could either grow it inside (perhaps not the best option, or you could find some insect repellants to go along side your new lemon tree!

There are other options, just they tend to be the easiest!

Thanks for the info! Im a newb to growing my own stuff, so I was just wondering...how long does it take to have a full grown lemon tree? Also, how much space should I dedicate?

It can take quite a while to have a decent, mostly grown lemon tree - up to 5 years, although they should start producing fruit long before then...even if the lemon's are tiny!

I Do have one Big lemon tree.
But the problem i have is the insects that are like catterpillars which attack and first eat all the leaves. :(
Any solution for that?


Amit, you don't just need insect repellants, there is a special insect reppelant that is made to protect trees that grow food. I'm pretty sure just a regular insect reppelant will not work.

Although, having a citrus tree inside always makes for a good decoration.

It can take quite a while to have a decent, mostly grown lemon tree - up to 5 years, although they should start producing fruit long before then...even if the lemon's are tiny!


Wow...5 years?? How long does it take for fruit to appear...a year? 2? Thanks!

theres no way to know when fruit can or will appear. its all based on the type of plant you have. grafted, from cutting or from seed. fruit can take 5years 10 years or you may nevr have fruit. A lot depends on the plants care and envirnment

theres no way to know when fruit can or will appear. its all based on the type of plant you have. grafted, from cutting or from seed. fruit can take 5years 10 years or you may nevr have fruit. A lot depends on the plants care and envirnment

Exactly, growing your own fruit is a "long term" investment, but worth it, even if it's just that you have a cool new tree in your garden!

There are plenty of suggestions on how to get maximum yield, fast, but unfortunately you need to incubate your plant and thats not really a viable option! :rolleyes:

I'm always interested in growing lemon trees, but unfortunately all the plants in my home are grown in Pots and not directly plated to earth as the whole of our exterior and interior floors are concreted. I don't know if it's advisable to plant Lemon tree in Pots.:) :)

All my citrus trees will be planted in the house... just in pots. In the summer months you move them outide... then back in te fall when it gets cold. They do need special care, but it can be done and many many many ppl do it sucessfully

I'm always interested in growing lemon trees, but unfortunately all the plants in my home are grown in Pots and not directly plated to earth as the whole of our exterior and interior floors are concreted. I don't know if it's advisable to plant Lemon tree in Pots.:) :)

lol! I'd be interested to hear what sort of yield you get...I've heard that you tend to get a good quality crop, but quite a low yield...but not sure whether thats true!

I suppose moving them out in summer's ok, it's just if you suddenly decide to leave them out during winter - that's when the tree suffers!

I know several ppl that get amazing crops from their lemon trees. One person I speak with has 3 meyer lemons (5ft tall) and 2 ponderosa lemons (4ft and 5ft) between the 5 trees she gets more than her whole family and neighborhood could use. I think she said it was well over 90 pounds from the 5 trees.

when firststarting out, its slow for the trees to produce good crops... you want them to get bigger, stronger before putting everything into fruiting! I know as hard as it will be, for the first 2 years I am going to be picking thebaby lemons off and allowing the tree to get bigger, strongewr

Yer lol, you want to let 'em grow but you know that you should leave them & it will be better in the long run!

There's a guy who lives near to me and he has a couple of apple trees that produce LOADS of really good apples, and what he does is just leaves a crate of them on his drive with a little sign that says something like: "Free home-grown organic apples!"

He's known as a good guy, so parents let their kids have one every time they walk past :p

Theodore, Lemon trees do especially well when grown in containers. Lemon trees, in fact all citrus, require a growing medium with EXCELLENT drainage. Many experienced container growers use a blend of four parts Coconut Husk Chips (CHC) and one part peat moss or coir. This blend provides the root system with plenty of moisture, while at the same time also providing the aeriation demanded by citrus roots. - Millet