If you’re looking for a houseplant that looks beautiful and has practical benefits, then the Meyer lemon tree might be just what you need. This indoor citrus tree adds a touch of green to your home decor and produces fragrant, juicy lemons that you can use in your favorite recipes.
The Meyer lemon tree is a citrus plant that produces small, round, and fragrant lemons. It’s a hybrid of a lemon and a mandarin orange, and it’s native to China. The Meyer lemon tree is easy to grow indoors, making it a popular choice for houseplant enthusiasts. The plant’s lush green leaves and bright yellow fruits make it a beautiful focal point in any room.
Care Guide For Meyer Lemon Tree
Caring for a Meyer lemon tree is relatively easy but requires some attention and care. Here are some tips to help care for your indoor citrus tree:
- Lighting: Meyer lemon trees need plenty of bright, indirect light to grow and thrive. Place your tree near a south-facing window or under a grow light.
- Watering: Meyer lemon trees prefer moist but well-draining soil. Water your tree deeply once a week, ensuring the soil is evenly moist.
- Fertilizing: Feed your Meyer lemon tree with a citrus-specific fertilizer every four to six weeks during the growing season.
- Pruning: Regular pruning can help your Meyer lemon tree produce more fruit and maintain its shape.
How To Prune A Meyer Lemon Tree
Pruning a Meyer lemon tree is essential for maintaining its shape, encouraging healthy growth, and improving fruit production. Meyer lemon trees are relatively easy to prune as they are forgiving and can recover well from a poor cut. Pruning is best done in late winter or early spring before new growth begins.
Start by removing any dead, damaged, or diseased branches. Cut them back to healthy tissue, and discard the pruned material. Meyer lemon trees are often pruned to have an open canopy, allowing sunlight to reach all parts of the tree. Remove any crowded or crossing branches to improve air circulation and encourage a central leader by selecting a main, upright stem and pruning competing vertical branches.
Thin out some smaller, weaker branches to allow more light and air into the tree’s center. This helps reduce disease pressure and promotes even fruit ripening. If your Meyer lemon tree is getting too tall for easy harvesting or your space, you can selectively prune the upper branches to control height. Remove any “Suckers” aka shoots that grow from the base of the tree as they take away nutrients from the main tree. If your Meyer lemon tree is young or newly planted, consider removing some of the early fruit to allow the tree to focus on establishing itself. Regularly step back and evaluate the tree’s overall shape as you prune. This will help you achieve a balanced and aesthetically pleasing form.
Our Selection
At Martin Garden Center, we would like to stock Meyer Lemon and Persian Lime on a regular basis. The reality is not that simple. Often, lemon and lime trees are restricted from being shipped across state lines from the common growing state of Florida. This is caused by an ongoing battle between the USDA and the growers in the state of Florida, or so we are told. It is frustrating for us and for our customers. So, essentially, when you see a citrus plant at Martin Garden Center and you are thinking about buying one in the future, you better buy it now because you may not see it again for months (and sometimes more than a year) if there are restrictions in shipping.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Big Does Meyer Lemon Tree Get?
Meyer lemon trees are known for their relatively compact size compared to other citrus varieties. In optimal growing conditions, a standard Meyer lemon tree can reach a height of about 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 meters). However, regular pruning and training can help control the height and shape of the tree. When grown in containers, Meyer lemon trees tend to stay smaller, with a manageable height of 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters). The width or spread of a Meyer lemon tree is generally about half its height.
Does A Meyer Lemon Tree Have Thorns?
Meyer lemon trees are typically thornless or have very few thorns. This characteristic is one of the reasons Meyer lemon trees are popular among home gardeners, as the absence or minimal presence of thorns makes them easier to handle, especially during harvesting and maintenance. However, young growth or specific branches may exhibit small thorns.
How Fast Do Meyer Lemon Trees Grow?
Meyer lemon trees are considered to be moderate growers. Young Meyer lemon trees may take a few years to establish themselves and produce significant growth. As the tree matures, its growth rate tends to increase. As a general guideline, Meyer lemon trees may grow about 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) in height per year under favorable conditions.
Are Meyer Lemon Trees Self Pollinating?
Yes, Meyer lemon trees are considered to be largely self-pollinating. The flowers of Meyer lemon trees contain both male and female reproductive parts, allowing the tree to produce fruit on its own. While they can benefit from pollination by bees or other pollinators, Meyer lemon trees often can set fruit without cross-pollination with another tree.