How to grow a lemon at home from a cuttings?

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A lemon tree grown on a windowsill can give a good harvest, but it will take a long time to wait for the first fruiting - 4-7 years (depending on the variety). Reproduction of lemon by cuttings at home will allow you to get the desired harvest 1-2 years earlier.

Cutting lemon will reduce the wait for the first harvest

Cutting a lemon is technically more difficult than propagating by seed. A citrus owner should be aware of all the features of preparing, planting and caring for seedlings.

Time for grafting

Growing lemon at home is troublesome. Not many can cope with capricious citrus. You should figure out how to plant a cutting and how to organize proper lemon care.

The best time for breeding is early spring. This is due to the end of sleep and the beginning of sap flow. Lemon cuttings are also carried out in late summer - early autumn, during the recession of the summer heat. The main thing is that the stalk has time to take root before the coming winter.

Choosing cuttings for planting

Before you propagate a lemon by cuttings, you should know which branch to choose for grafting and how to properly prepare it for planting. Requirement for seedlings:

1. Age is one year.
2. Length 10-11 cm and thickness 4-5 mm. Thick cuttings take root slowly, and thin cuttings will not take root in a new place.
3. There are several buds and leaves on it.

The grown shoot must necessarily be woody. This lemon stalk will be taken better and faster. Having decided on a citrus cuttings suitable for propagation, you should cut it off correctly. To do this, use a clerical knife or garden shears.

The cutting tool is treated with an antiseptic. A straight incision is made at the top at a distance of 10 mm from the kidney. The other, beveled, is at the bottom, so that a few leaves and 3-4 buds remain on the handle. A lemon tree that has suffered from the removal of branches is treated with garden varnish (it is applied to the cut sites).

Garden shears are used to trim the cutting.

Features of lemon root formation

Rooting will be more effective if good drainage is made. Excess water should not linger in the pot. Other nuances of root formation relate to soil preparation and planting in temporary sites:

1. In the prepared pot, the soil is laid in layers. The bottom one is charcoal, and the next one is a substrate of humus, earth and sand.
2. A 3-4 cm depression is made in the ground.
3. A stalk is placed in the prepared hole and buried so that the second peephole rises a few millimeters above the soil level.
4. The future tree is sprayed with warm water.
5. Equipped with a mini greenhouse. The lemon tree is covered with a glass jar.

There is a lot of information on how to root a citrus stalk. Some experts recommend additional work with the seedlings. Before you plant a lemon at home, you should start stimulating its growth.

The cut cutting is subjected to leaf removal. This is necessary for the correct organization of the movement of the juice. Cut off the top of the planting material by 1/3.

After the operations, the collected seedlings are stimulated to grow by placing them in a weak solution of heteroauxin (1/1000) for a day. Another option is to use ash.It should be smeared with cuttings, which will protect the lemon tree from rot.

Before planting, cuttings should be treated with heteroauxin.

Growing a full-fledged tree from a cutting

A young, weak tree should be looked after carefully, following all the recommendations of experienced citrus growers. You should know how to grow a lemon at home even before planting it, because this procedure has many nuances. Growing lemon cuttings at home is carried out in a humid climate created for the plant (in a greenhouse). Plants that are planted under these conditions actively take root with sufficient moisture and heat. After 6-7 weeks, the plants will take root, but you should start replanting citrus fruits later, when the trees get used to living at room temperature. How to grow a lemon from a cutting:

1. After the formation of roots, it is necessary to spray the tree 3-4 times a day. The plant needs a lot of moisture to grow.
2. Clean the greenhouse daily for 5-7 minutes, gradually increasing this time.
3. After 2 weeks, the greenhouse is removed.

After acclimatization, the tree is carefully pulled out of the temporary tree along with the roots and placed in a new pot. Its initial volume should not be large. Enough 0.5-0.6 liters. Planting in large pots is impractical: the plant will develop slowly or die. The soil for replanting is the same.

You can also prepare a slightly modified version of the soil. Ash drainage should be poured into the prepared container. The next layer is a mixture of sand, turf and coniferous soil. Above - moss and sand. Sometimes an equal proportion of sand and moss is used to plant lemon.

After two weeks, the cuttings should be planted in separate pots.

Care features

Before you propagate a lemon, you should also know about the features of caring for a young planted plant. The tree will be healthy and strong if:

1. Choose a place for a pot with a tree on the southeast side of the dwelling. This should be taken care of even before transplanting into a pot. It is not recommended to transfer and transport citrus: the plant does not tolerate a change of scenery poorly.
2. The room temperature will not drop below 18 ° C and rise above 27 ° C.
3. Daylight hours will be organized correctly. The plant should be illuminated for 12 hours (an important feature of plant care). Additional lighting is indispensable.

Lemon care also includes watering. Lemon loves moisture, but often suffers from excess moisture. The main source of its receipt is spraying. In the cold season, it is carried out once a day. In the summer - 2 times. The active growth of lemon, its subsequent reproduction, is possible only with proper feeding.

The tree can be nourished both with complex compositions for citrus fruits, as well as with organic fertilizers. They are brought in in warm weather (from early spring to mid-autumn).

Some lemon owners are wondering if the plant can be transported long distances. If its move is caused by a change of owner, taking the citrus outside must be properly organized. The main thing is to provide the tree with a comfortable temperature. If the wood is hardened, accustomed to the street, there will be no problem. In winter, it is better to refuse such movements. The transported trees can freeze and die.

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A decorative or fruiting lemon is a profitable purchase for any grower. Of course, growing such a plant is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. However, among all the variety of citrus fruits, it is homemade lemon that is recommended first of all to be purchased in a flower garden. If you want to have several of these plants in your home at once, then you have to figure out how to care for them and how to propagate lemon indoors.

Breeding time

Reproduction of lemon by cuttings is a method common among domestic flower growers.But in order to correctly carry out this procedure, it is necessary to prepare for it in advance. Decide when you are going to root your young indoor lemon first. Experts believe that the most optimal time for this is spring. It is at this time that the lemon comes to life after hibernation, all vital processes are activated.

As a rule, it is in the spring that many young shoots appear on the tree, from which in the future you will form the crown. But besides this, you have good material for rooting cuttings in the ground. Some experienced growers do not propagate shrubs in the spring, but prefer to do it in the summer, more precisely, at the end of the season. The heat is on the decline, and you will not have to worry that the sprouts will not be able to take root.

Choosing a cutting

Cutting a fruiting lemon at home is a multi-layered process. First of all, take the choice of cutting very seriously. Do not cut young, fragile shoots from the tree. The best option would be a mature twig. Its thickness should be 4–5 mm. Try to choose a sprout based on these parameters.

If you take too thin shoots for reproduction, they may never take root in the ground. Conversely, too thick branches take root with great difficulty. Find the necessary shoots on the plant and cut off the cuttings 10 cm long. Remember: several buds and leaves should be left on each sprout. The lower leaf plates are removed so that the process of sap flow does not slow down. But taking a cutting without leaves is also not recommended.

Rooting prerequisites

Cutting lemon requires careful preparation of the shoots themselves. But you need to know not only how to plant a lemon at home, but also what recommendations should be followed, and what nuances should be given more attention. Anyone can propagate a lemon by cuttings, but on condition that an optimal microclimate is created in the room. Observe the temperature regime of 20-25 degrees if you want to successfully cut lemon.

Another important point is lighting. Planting a lemon with a cutting will bear fruit if there is a lot of light in the room. But do not place a flowerpot with citrus plant shoots in the southern part of the house. The sun's rays are still useless. Natural lighting should be diffused. The main focus is on artificial glow. Keep in mind that it is important to maintain a high level of humidity in the room for growing lemon from cuttings. In addition, regularly spray the shrub with warm water.

Landing rules

How to plant a lemon stalk correctly? Choose a small pot first. Ultimately, the plant will reach decent dimensions, but it will be necessary to increase the capacity for the flower gradually. Be sure to provide for the presence of drainage in the flowerpot, then excess moisture cannot linger in the pot. As for the material, you can opt for almost any of them. However, the best option is clay.

Rooting the cutting

Rooting cuttings at home is not so difficult. To do this, cut off the necessary shoots from the tree and be sure to process the edges with ash. Thus, the cut site will not rot. A rooted twig will get stronger much faster if at one time sprinkle it not only with ash, but also with a growth stimulant. When the twig is prepared, it is rooted in the ground. Immediately after the end of the procedure, the cutting should be watered. Be sure to provide a hiding place for your indoor lemon.

Another key point: don't expose your citrus cuttings pot to open sunlight.

What exactly does the process of rooting a planted lemon shoot consist of:

• take a flowerpot and put some ash or coal there;
• the next layer is the main one.The soil mixture should include turf and coniferous soil, as well as sand;
• it is better to root the cutting directly into a layer of sand mixed with moss;
• Stick the citrus plant buds into the soil and then spray them thoroughly.

Knowing how to root a stalk, you will be able to pick ripe lemon fruits after 3-4 years and taste them.

Further care

By rooting a stalk of homemade lemon, you will get a young, but not yet mature tree. In the future, the intensity of its development and the formation of fruits will depend solely on you. That is why bush care must be of high quality. While the plant is small, take your time with bright lighting. The tree gets used to it gradually, and this must be taken into account. It is very important to create an optimal microclimate for a citrus flower. The air temperature should not change dramatically, as this is stressful for the plant.

Pay special attention to feeding. They are carried out from the very beginning of spring to mid-autumn. Organic and mineral compounds are recommended to be applied alternately to the substrate. Thus, the indoor tree will receive all the necessary elements for development. Some growers prefer to buy complex nutritional mixtures. They are useful, the main thing is to buy a dressing designed specifically for citrus indoor flowers. Take care of rooted lemon cuttings and one day you will get a healthy plant that will not only decorate your home, but also bring you healthy fruits.

Video "Propagation of lemon by cuttings"

In this video, you will learn how to propagate a lemon yourself using cuttings.

I have long wanted to write about growing lemon at home and finally decided to devote some time to this. As for the beneficial properties of lemon, a separate article should be devoted to this. Consider growing lemon, both from cuttings and seeds. There is an opinion that growing a lemon is not an easy task. However, if you think this way, then everything that you have not done before is something difficult and sometimes unattainable. So if you pay enough attention to the planting process, care, then growing a tree that will bear fruit after a few years will not be an overwhelming task. I would like to immediately notice that when planting a lemon from a seed, the harvest can be obtained much later than when planting cuttings. By creating favorable conditions, the lemon will bear fruit throughout the year.

Growing lemon from seed

Perhaps the most common way to grow the citrus variety in question is with a seed plant. Let's figure out how to do this, because not every seed is suitable for planting. You need to choose ripe and ripe lemons and extract large seeds from them. They must immediately be planted in a container 1.5-2 cm deep. One of the important points is the presence of drainage holes in the containers, since lemon is bad for stagnant moisture. Drainage is poured at the bottom of the container, then fertile soil is poured. To be able to select large and healthy seedlings, plant several seeds in one container. Before planting, the soil must be moistened and covered with foil after planting the seeds. After planting, watering is not worth it, since there is a possibility of seed rot. For planting lemon at home, it is better to choose clay pots. Thanks to clay, soil moisture is regulated, i.e. when there is too much moisture, the clay absorbs it; in case of lack, it gives it away.

The first shoots should be expected 2-3 weeks after planting. The germination temperature should be about +20 ° С. Only after the second pair of leaves is formed, the film is removed. When watering, you need to be careful and not overdo it, since excess moisture will destroy the seedlings. For irrigation, you must use warm and settled water.As for dressings, when growing homemade lemon in the first two months, they are not necessary. Further, both organic and mineral fertilizers are used for dressing. From young plants, you need to choose those that meet the characteristics of a fruitful lemon, i.e. the plant should have strong leaves, a well-developed root system and thin shoots. And already over the selected plants, they continue to care. It should also be said that young lemons need to be transplanted regularly as the root system develops. A large container is used for transplanting so that the plants feel more spacious. Transplanting should be careful to avoid damage to the roots. In addition, one must not forget about plucking young shoots, since the tree will gradually bush. Leaves on lateral shoots are also subject to pinching.

Growing lemon from cuttings

Now let's talk about growing lemon at home from a cuttings. It must be said that growing lemon by cuttings is considered an easier way compared to growing from seed. In addition, the likelihood of a good yield of the tree increases. Cuttings are chosen on plants that have reached the age of 10-15 years. The procedure is performed with the approach of spring. You should take branches of the 4th 5th order. As for the escape itself, it should be somewhat lignified. Young shoots should not be taken, because they do not take root very well. On the selected cutting, the bottom sheet is removed, the top one remains intact, and the rest are cut off by half. When the cutting is planted, watering is carried out with settled water. To create a kind of greenhouse, the stalk must be covered with a jar, which is removed after it is well rooted. After planting, the cutting is placed in a place with sufficient light. South facing windows are not very suitable for growing lemon. He doesn't like direct sunlight. As the soil dries up, it needs watering.

Transplanting a lemon from a cutting is similar to transplanting a plant from a seed. Flowering and fruiting occurs in a couple of years. There are cases when flowering occurs earlier. At the same time, it is recommended to remove premature flowers to avoid wasting nutrients. The fact is that you will not see the fruits from these flowers, but the nutrients will be spent. In the upper and lower parts of the cutting, one year after planting, it will be necessary to remove excess shoots. In the process of growing homemade lemon, its location should not be changed, since the plant does not tolerate such changes well, however, as well as temperature changes.

Soil for growing lemon

What kind of soil is needed to grow lemon? As with various plants, the soil can be simply purchased or prepared by hand. If everything is clear with the purchase - we are purchasing soil for indoor plants, then for self-preparation the following composition will be required, of course, not the only one that can be used for this purpose:

• garden soil (2 tbsp), river sand (1 tbsp), humus (3 tbsp), ash (1 tbsp). All components are mixed, some water is added.

For good fruiting, they resort to periodic feeding. Their volume should be increased in spring and minimized in winter. It is best to use liquid compound fertilizers. If dry fertilizers are used, then they are diluted with water. That is, in principle, all that I wanted to tell at the moment about growing lemon at home.

I also suggest you watch the video on the topic discussed above.

My courtyard

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Breeders have developed several ways of grafting citrus trees, but propagating lemon by cuttings is easier and more effective.

Propagating lemon by cuttings is simple and effective

To grow a lemon at home from a stalk, you need to familiarize yourself with how to correctly and without harm take a stalk of a lemon, what kind of lemon care to provide it.

The principle of grafting

Lemon cuttings are carried out mainly from the beginning of March to the end of June, in the autumn-winter season this is not recommended, since the seedlings take root very low.

By following the step-by-step instructions, you can get a new fruiting plant.

The quality of the shoot chosen to cut the lemon:

• 10-15 cm long with multiple buds;
• cut directly above the internode (no higher than 5 mm);
• the lemon branch should be strong, but not lignified, green in color.

You can't take old branches, they are already taking root. Citrus growers do not recommend propagating a tree that is more than 10 years old.

How to grow a lemon from a cutting:

1. Separate the selected branch with a sharp knife or pruner, pre-disinfect or wash with laundry soap and dry the instrument.
2. Cut the branch with a precise movement at an angle of 40–45 ° and leave for 1–2 hours in a special solution to stimulate root formation (potassium humate, "Kornevin", tincture of willow branches).
3. Treat the cut site with birch tar: this antiseptic prevents the penetration of bacteria.
4. The top of the resulting branch is not shortened, but if large leaves are located on it, they are cut in half to reduce moisture evaporation.

The last point is optional, since in greenhouse conditions moisture is completely retained by the handle.

Lemon must be grown in soil with acidity not higher than 6.5–7 pH. The seedling will develop well in the ground, consisting of 2 parts of sphagnum (moss), 1 part of rotted horse manure and 1 part of fresh river sand.

For the first planting, it is recommended to choose a clay or ceramic pot with a diameter of 20 cm. It is advisable not to replant the lemon for 3 years, but wait until the tree is fully strengthened and formed. It is allowed to plant cuttings in peat pots, water will not linger in them, and the roots will not rot.

To reproduce lemon by cuttings at home, you need to create a comfortable temperature in the room where the seedlings will grow: at least 20 ° C. For sufficient illumination, a southeastern window sill is suitable.

Benefits of grafting

1. The availability of the method even for those who did not know how to propagate a lemon or take care of citrus.
2. The new plant, obtained from cuttings, has a fully developed root system after 6 months, in contrast to the lemon grown from seed.
3. You can propagate unusual varieties of lemon trees that do not contain seeds (Pink lemonade, Novogruzinsky).

There are many recommendations on how to grow a lemon at home and bring the moment of fruiting closer, but it is worth remembering that a tree grown from cuttings will give its first fruits no earlier than 6-7 years.

Planting a cuttings

1. At the bottom of the pot, pour a layer of drainage of at least 3 cm. Cover it with earth for citrus fruits or with your own mixture.
2. Before rooting the cutting, you need to moisten the soil. Deepen the seedling by 5–6 cm, compact the soil around it. From above, you can sprinkle the ground with sand or a layer of sawdust.
3. Before putting a special cloche (seedling cap) on the pot, moisten the plant and the inner surface of the cap with warm water from a spray bottle. The greenhouse will provide easy survival and make the care of the cuttings more convenient.

Experienced growers make their own bottom heating on the windowsill in order to better take care of the seedlings. The temperature reaches 25-28 ° C. The rooted seedling takes root within 3-4 weeks. Some varieties require a longer greenhouse period: Ponderosa, Eureka variegata, Lisbon.

If the ground is wet, it is enough to spray moisture over the plant 2 times a day so that the inner surface of the greenhouse does not dry out. Long-term ventilation during the rooting phase is unacceptable.

Tips for Better Rooting

1. Lemon tree can be watered with Kornevin (heteroauxin) solution. The first watering is carried out immediately after the cuttings are planted, and the next watering is carried out after 2 weeks.
2. Broth of willow twigs. It is enough to take 5 branches, chop them finely and cook over low heat for 30 minutes in 2 liters of water, let it brew for 10-15 hours. Water the citrus solution with the resulting solution for the entire period of being in the greenhouse.
3. Regular irrigation is carried out with purified water, which does not contain heavy metal salts and does not oxidize the earth.

Watering the grown lemon is necessary exclusively with purified water.

After 3 weeks, you can check if the tree is rooted or if it needs to be kept in the greenhouse additionally. If it is easy to pull the seedling up and it will not stretch freely, then the root system has appeared.

The second factor indicating effective rooting is the appearance of a full-fledged new leaf on the seedling. Lemon observation should be done daily.

Gradually, you need to acclimatize the lemon at home. Grown in a greenhouse, it requires gentle care. The first time the greenhouse cap should be opened for 10-15 minutes. Gradually, contact with the air should become longer, and the greenhouse can be removed 2 weeks after rooting. The room temperature must not drop below 23–22 ° C.

Transferring to a new pot

Some growers transplant established cuttings, and recommend preparing a different soil composition for it before planting a lemon at home in a new pot.

Most often, the choice stops on a standard soil for citrus fruits, which includes lowland peat and black soil. The new container for the flower should not be more than 30 cm in diameter.

1. Transplanting seedlings is carried out by the transshipment method, it is more gentle. In order not to damage the roots, pre-moisten the ground well.
2. A drainage layer is placed in a new container, add a little earth. Then they gently turn the flower pot over and dump it; pulling the trunk is undesirable.
3. Insert the cutting into a new pot and sprinkle the soil with a spatula, making sure that the tree is level.
4. From above, you can mulch with sawdust or a layer of peat, this will protect the roots and prevent the appearance of parasitic insects.

After transplanting, you do not need to water until the old clod of earth is dry. For 3 days, it is advisable to feed with organic fertilizers, which will provide comprehensive care for a young lemon tree. Such preparations include cow and horse rotted manure, bone meal, aquarium water.

It is advisable to rotate the lemon tree on the windowsill around its axis by 1–2 cm per day, so the leaves and shoots develop evenly.

The first shaping of the crown is needed when the tree grows to 30 cm. The top of the tree is cut by 6-7 cm.

Before planting a cutting purchased via the Internet, you need to remember that seedlings transported over long distances cannot quickly take root, they need additional care. It is allowed to transport them no longer than 24 hours, after which they begin to fade.

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