Large Red Lime (Rangpur)

This little tree has unusual red fruits and fragrant flowers. It can bring pleasure for months, or even years, with the right care.

Citrus trees need light and like to be near a window, skylight, or patio door. In summer your lime tree will enjoy a sheltered patio but needs to come inside as soon as there is a nip in the evening air. Try to keep your plant away from cold draughts, direct sunlight 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 the 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 would expect to water thoroughly every 6 – 10 days, in the summer months you may need to water up to 4 times a week but do not stand your plant in water. Don’t worry if the soil feels dry between watering, 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.

If you need to repot your plant, do so in the spring in citrus compost. As a general rule, fruit buds should start to appear in early May and develop slowly into large and juicy orangey-red coloured limes great for cooking or for slicing into cold drinks.

Problem solving

The most common problem is leaves dropping due to over or under watering. If the leaves turn crisp before they drop it is likely to be underwatering, if however, they are soft and go a dark grey brown colour before dropping you plant may need less water and/or a less damp spot. A return to regular watering routine should help your plant recover but it severe cases it may be necessary to cut off any dead growth and be patient while it recovers. If the leaf edges turn brown this is a sign of scorching so move your plant back from the window or move it out of direct sunlight.

Our lime 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.