Citruses are packed with vitamins, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and other great nutrients.
Some experts believe they are high in sugar, so you may want to balance the intake of citrus fruits. Growing most citruses requires quite an effort, but luckily, two of the most popular citrus fruits can grow pretty easily in your backyard.
Being able to grow your own fruit helps you notice the difference in their freshness and quality.
In this way you keep your body safe from harsh chemicals and pesticides that are more common in non-organic cultivation. We give you some simple steps on how to grow your own citrus fruits. It is lemons and tangerines this time.
Lemons
Some prefer buying a baby tree that would be about 2-3 years old, as it is supposed to provide the best fruits. Find a clay or plastic pot, and make sure it has enough holes in the bottom.
You should also be careful about the size of your body, because it should be slightly bigger than the root ball of your fragile tree. Once your lemon tree grows a bit, you need to get a bigger pot that will be 12-15 inches deep, and 17-20 inches in diameter.
Place your tiny tree in the pot you have bought, then fill the drainage container with stones. This step provides an optimal air flow. Next, fill up the pot with soil. There are certain soils that work better for citrus fruits, so these may provide you better results.
That is pretty much everything you need to do. Place the pot in a spot that gets 8-10 hours of sunlight a day. Water it regularly, but your plant does not like tons of water. Lemon fruits ripen in 6-9 months. Once they get their full color, you can make a tasty lemonade or lemon water.
Lemon tree can grow well from a seed, too. Here are the things you need to get a nice lemon tree from a tiny seed:
A nice and organic lemon.
Non-organic lemons give non-germinating seeds
Some fertile potting soil. It would be great to find soil that contains vermiculite, peat, perlite, and natural fertilizers
A planting pot (6” wide and 6” deep)
A seedling pot (24” wide and 12 inches deep)
Planting instructions:
First, you need to moisten the potting soil, and it should be just damp all the way through. Never soak it!
Fill your smaller pot right below the rim. That would be an inch of free space.
Cut a lemon open and take a seed out. Make sure you remove all of the pulp from its surface.
Plant it right away. Remember, your lemon seed must be moist when you plant it.
Set it about half an inch deep in the middle part of your pot.
Gently water the soil above the seed with water, and spray bottles work best for that purpose.
Cover the pot using a clear film, and secure it with a rubber band. Then, poke several small holes in the top.
Set the pot in a warm and sunny spot.
The soil should never be dry. Spray it with water occasionally, and keep it somewhat moist. Over-watering is never good.
You should notice the sproutling within 2 weeks. At this point you should remove the plastic ‘blanket.’ if your plant does not get enough light, a grow light could supplement natural sunlight.
Young lemon plant should grow in damp soil and get at least 8 full hours of light a day. Moderate doses of organic fertilizers help its growth.
Keep your plant safe from bugs and diseases.
Prune off any brown and dead leaves.
Use pesticides only if you have to. Once your plant grows nicely, transfer it to a larger pot.
This re-planting procedure is pretty similar to the initial planting process. However, younger plants require more water than older ones, but these sure need a proper amount of water. Keep this in mind.
Mandarin tree
If your option is to grow a citrus tree indoors, getting a baby tree is your best alternative, same as with lemon trees. Growing a baby tree gives greater success than growing it from a seed.
Get your pot prepared in the same way as you would do for a lemon tree. Stones, drainage holes and the other stuff. Regular sunlight is also ‘a must.’
Mandarin trees grow up to 6 feet in height, so they are excellent for indoor growing. Give it enough water, but be aware of over-watering. Transfer it to a larger pot once its roots start growing back on themselves or come out of the drainage holes. Pick the fruits once they get fully orange. If you pick them any sooner, they will lose much of their flavor.
Extra tip: Be careful when picking your fruits. Leave the little button at the top of the fruit. By growing your own citruses you get full flavor and nutritional ‘goods’ without much effort.