Baby Lemon

These attractive trees are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin tree and produce slightly rounder, sweeter lemons that are great in cooking. It can bring pleasure for years, with the right care.

Citrus trees need light. A conservatory is ideal, but they will also be happy near a window in a cool, bright room. In the summer, your lemon plant will enjoy a patio in sun or partial shade. However young trees are not hardy and will need to come inside as soon as there is a nip in the evening air. When indoors, try to keep your plant away from cold draughts and radiators.

While plants are in a pot they will need regular watering. Remove the pot from inside its basket or container. Water thoroughly from the top until excess water drains right through the pot and out of the bottom. This will ensure the roots at the bottom get the water they need. In the winter you should expect to water thoroughly once every 7-10 days, in the summer months you may need to water up to 5 times a week but do not stand your plant in water. Don't worry if the soil feels dry between waterings, but if the leaves start to droop or curl you know it is thirsty, so water straight away. In the summer, citrus trees will benefit from citrus feed every few weeks to encourage growth.

These trees have recently been repotted and should not need to be repotted again until the spring. As a general rule, lemon trees tend to produce flowers in late spring followed by small green fruits that can take 10 months or more to fully ripen ready for harvesting. In this country many varieties including this 'Meyer' don't follow a strict season and can fruit or flower at any point during the year. Don't be alarmed if only a few of the flowers set - it is normal for the majority of the flowers to drop without forming buds leaving just a handful of fruit on a tree this size.

Problem Solving

Citrus trees are not the easiest of plants but they are very rewarding. Look out for signs of trouble and try to treat problems early. The most common problem is leaves dropping due to over or under watering. If leaves are crisp when they drop, this is due to underwatering; if they are leathery the chances are it has been over watered. A return to a regular and thorough watering routine should lead to recovery.

If new growth is very light in colour or has mottled markings your plant may be lacking trace elements. A good dose of citrus feed should soon green up the leaves.

Our lemon trees are grown in a pesticide free environment. In the unlikely event that you find pests e.g. aphids these can be removed by hand or with a soap and water spray.