You can get a lemon at home by sticking a bone from the eaten fruit into the ground. But the culture that came to us from the tropics is not so easy to grow, it requires certain conditions and regular care. Facilitates this process error-free selection of varieties of citrus perennial. It is quite enough several trees to provide all family with exotic fruit. In addition, some varieties of plants have purely decorative characteristics, while others can bear fruit for a year. Let's try to figure out which sort of lemon is best grown at home.
Lemon meier
Refers to dwarf varieties. It blooms several times a year. Fruits are rich yellow in color, very sour, with thin skin and a small amount of seeds. Possess strong aroma. When growing for this houseplant is important abundance of diffused light, good drainage, systematic watering, spraying and fertilizing. It is necessary to protect the culture from drafts and cold. In winter, a capricious plant can suddenly lose foliage, and therefore needs expert care.
Important! Lemon Meier loves eastern and western windows very much and needs shading in summer. The endless stream of light will provoke an intensive growth, but will significantly delay the fruiting.
For winter, the pot is sent to a cold room with a temperature of not more than 12 ° C. Otherwise, the fruit will not be tied. This variety does not tolerate abrupt climatic changes. Therefore, it is not put on the street in the summer, but is kept exclusively in indoor conditions.
Lemons of this variety can be rid of excessive acid by regular irrigation: no more than twice a day with warm water, starting from spring to mid-summer. If we make nitrogen-containing fertilizers in time, the exotic culture will bear the first fruits in a year. Their quantity and taste are largely determined by the conditions of detention and the age of the indoor tree.
"Pavlovsky"
Popular with citrus lovers. Experts attribute it to the best sorts of lemons and note its adaptability to indoor growing. This variety is self-pollinating and can easily survive a lack of lighting. The tree grows up to two meters in height and on average gives about twenty fruits. For more mature specimens, the crop decently increases - up to 60 - 80 pieces. Lemons have a strong aroma, often have a parthenocarpic form and no more than 5 to 10 seeds. There are fruits without any seeds. Flowering plant in early spring and autumn. Starts to fruition in the second year after rooting, but experienced gardeners recommend getting rid of the ovary, so as not to weaken the culture. On a three-year tree, you can leave no more than three flowers. From a scientific point of view, each fruit should have ten full leaves on a branch. By the way, preference should be given to the ovary on a short stalk, located closer to the trunk.
With proper care, the average annual growth of the Pavlovsky lemon is about 50 cm. Representatives of this sort of indoor lemons will fall off the foliage when they find themselves on the street. Therefore, it is not recommended to take them out of the room. Heat is important for them (in the summer not lower than 20 ° С, in the winter not higher than 14 ° С), air humidity (60%), weekly spraying, regular watering and fertilizer.
Important! If ripe lemons are not cut off in time, they will develop for another year: they will gradually turn green, grow in volume, thicken the skin. But their flesh will become tough and lose taste.
"Maikop"
It was received by national selectionists by seed reproduction and selection of the best seedlings. The homemade lemon of this variety, improved over the years, is characterized by fragrant fruits, the average weight of which varies between 120 - 140 g.
In his time, the breeder V. Zinkovsky in his manuscripts mentioned that up to 300 fruits were removed from a single tree grown in a tub. And with 30-year-old plants, the crop is over seven hundred. A tree above two meters is not growing. It is well adapted to domestic conditions and room wintering. Today there are two subspecies of a variety that have their own characteristics:
- The tree has almost no trunk, with horizontal and hanging branches without thorns. The leaves are dark green with a waxy surface and a smooth rim. In the inflorescence no more than 5 flowers. Fruits are rounded elongated with a thin, rough skin.
- It is characterized by a symmetrical crown with vertical non-prickly branches. The leaves are covered with veins. Flowers solitary. Fruits with a thin, slightly ribbed peel.
"Genoa"
Its feature is high-quality, compared with other varieties, fruits: with a tender, juicy, pleasant-tasting pulp and edible peel. Up to two hundred fruits weighing up to 110 g each can be removed from one mature plant. They are oval, slightly oblong, with a thick and rough peel of yellow or green-yellow color. Lemons of this variety are characterized by thick films inside and poor separability from the pulp. Trees stretch from one to three meters in height, their crown is branched and dense. Very sensitive to lack of lighting. There are practically no thorns on the branches. Saplings bloom in the fourth year after rooting in several stages. "Genoa" refers to rare varieties of homemade lemons.
Did you know? Potted lemons emit phytoncides that enrich the air with oxygen and purify it from pathogens.
"Eureka"
I got to the list of the best indoor citrus fruits due to their decorative qualities. The prickly tree develops rapidly, forming a lush crown with smooth bulky leaves, blooms several times a year, yields a small crop. Fruits with thick skin, very sour and small, but juicy, with a small amount of seeds. Fans of exotic plants at home prefer the variegated form of this variety. It attracts the eye with motley foliage, purple-colored buds and striped yellow-green fruits. When fully ripe, they change the color to bright yellow. The fruit inside also seems unusual - its flesh is pink. Variety does not tolerate low temperatures, it is not characteristic of abundant fruiting.
"Mezensky"
Indoor lemon of this variety is suitable for growing in small rooms, since its height is not more than one and a half meters. But if you do not engage in the formation of the crown, it will become very extensive and wide. The leaves are dense, large, up to 20 cm in length, with a faint smell. The trunk and branches are rarely covered with small thorns. Feature of inflorescences in their purple hue. At this grade decorative qualities prevail.
"New Zealand"
According to its description, this sort of lemons resembles citron. The cultures resemble large flowers (4–6 cm), long spines (1–5 cm) and leaves with narrow winged cells. Buds and petals outside anthocyanin coloring. By the way, the smell is also peculiar: it reminds both plants at the same time. In addition to high decoration the advantage of this variety in weighty large fruits. The mass of each of them is from 600 to 800 g. They are egg-shaped or cylindrical in shape, with an orange-yellow, uneven, thick skin and juicy flesh, which is poorly separated. It tastes sour, without bitterness. In the fruit no more than four seeds. Under natural conditions, the tree grows up to 4 meters, it can withstand five-degree frosts.
Did you know? Potted lemons began to grow about 2,000 years ago.
"Kiev large-fruited"
Lemon tree blooms continuously and differs from other varieties of increased yields. Fruits weighing up to 1.5 kg grow on a low plant 4 times a year.
The variety is unpretentious, well adapted to the Ukrainian climate and is a favorite among citrus collectors. He fell in love with a neat flowering crown, which fits perfectly into any interior, and high taste qualities of the fruit. It is characterized by very wide leaves and large fragrant flowers. Fruiting promotes regular professional pruning crown. Trees in the winter contain in the room, and in the summer period is carried out on the street. Lemon varieties "Kiev" can be grown even in a greenhouse or conservatory.
"Ponderose"
Hybrid, bred by crossing lemon and pomelo. It is characterized by signs of both cultures. Variety is often confused with "Kiev large-fruited." Perfectly adapted to home cultivation, endures drought and heat. In the care there are practically no features. Citrus fruit workers are recommended to follow the soil of the dwarf flower, because inappropriate feeding and inappropriate acidity will immediately affect the leaves of the plant. It differs from other varieties in a compact bush-like form, strong branches, roundish rigid leaves and large cream-colored flowers collected in a brush. Blooms profusely and therefore requires constant intervention for proper development. Inflorescences can even appear on the trunk, which prevents the laying of leaves. Begins to bear fruit in the second year, but the harvest is small. Propagated by grafting. Even rooted cuttings may bloom, which significantly reduces their growth and development. Growth sprouts small.
The peculiarity of the lemons of the Ponderosa variety is in their sizes: one fruit reaches a mass of 1 kg. In taste, the flesh is pleasant and tender, without typical citric acid, but vitamin C is present in the same amount as in other varieties. Lots of bones. The skin is thick and knobby, bitter in taste.
"Lisbon"
Grade remontant, Californian origin, has many clones: "Frost", "Prior Lisbon", "Monroe Lisbon". In nature, it is considered a tall fast-growing tree, and in room conditions it stretches up to two meters. The plant is productive, well resists cold, heat, winds. His crown is densely leafy, the branches are very prickly, the leaves are oblong. Fruits resemble lemon "Eureka" - an elliptical or oval shape, rich yellow in color, with a tuberous and pore-covered skin of medium thickness. The pulp is juicy, sour, does not contain pits. The weight of one lemon is about 200 g. A characteristic feature in the placement of fruits - they grow inside the crown, which protects them. Crop harvested twice a year, in February and May. In the description of this variety of lemons one cannot miss their need for good lighting.
"Irkutsk"
Lemon "Irkutsk" is characterized by medium growth, large and slightly elongated leaves, large white flowers, collected in inflorescences (up to 15 buds). Well adapted to indoor growing, not picky. A typical sign are huge fruits, weighing from 700 g to 1.5 kg. The period of fruiting comes twice a year. Representatives of this variety of room lemons in their description resemble "Kiev large-fruited." The difference of the "Irkutsk" is that it rarely needs a formative pruning.
"Villa Franca"
Mid-tree pyramidal shape with a dense crown and powerful branches. Practically not prickly. At the same time in one pot more than five flowers do not exist. In comparison with other varieties, has small flowers and fruits. The weight of one lemon is around 100 g. It tastes juicy, aromatic, sweetish. The skin is smooth, medium thickness. The plant bears fruit in the second year after planting. Demanding to the light mode, heat-resistant.
Knowing the features of the best varieties of indoor lemons, you can make the right choice: what do you need - decoration or yield. If you prefer more sweet varieties of lemons, you should pay attention to the varieties of "Lemon Meyer" and "Ponderosa".