How and what to feed a lemon at home

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Grow a lemon tree at home is not difficult. A beautiful exotic plant will not only decorate the interior, it will saturate the air in the room with phytoncides and will provide an aromatic fruit rich in vitamins for tea. But in order for the lemon to develop and bear fruit, eo needs to be fed.

Why does lemon need additional nutrition?

At home, hybrid varieties are usually grown, specially created by breeders for growth and development on a windowsill or in a warm, well-lit room. The root system of a tree of average size is about 40 times smaller than that of greenhouse lemons. Therefore, for normal growth and fruiting, a lemon should receive nutrients from the outside, and not periodically, but regularly.

On the branches of a lemon at the same time can be flowers, ovaries, immature and ripe fruits. That is, the root system should provide the tree with a huge amount of nutrients. Otherwise, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, the tops of the shoots dry up, the fruits become small, coarse, often fall off in an immature state.

How to make fertilizer for lemon at home

Since the lemon root is not very large, it cannot be overloaded with fertilizers. Lemon likes frequent, but not abundant watering and fertilizing. ATDuring spring-summer fruiting and active growth, from about the beginning of March to mid-autumn, plants should be fertilized once every 2 weeks, and the rest of the time - once a month. More precisely, the frequency and amount of feeding must be solved independently, depending on the state of the plant, its size and the number of fruits on it.

What kind of fertilizer does citrus trees need?

How to determine exactly whether it is necessary to feed a lemon at the present time, and what substances it lacks in order for it to grow healthy, bring good yields? It turns out that this is not difficult to do - it is necessary to carefully observe the leaves, side shoots and fruits. If the leaves turn yellow, warp, lose their luster and gloss, the tops of the shoots dry up, the flowers and immature fruits fall off, which means that the plant is starving.

The most basic substances that lemon needs are phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium. In addition, iron, sulfur, copper, magnesium, zinc and boron should be added occasionally. Nitrogen should be two times more than phosphorus and potassium.

How does the lack of each of the substances affect the lemon?

Nitrogen - contributes to the full growth and development of the plant, respectively, its lack leads to growth retardation, depression.Yellow spots appear on old leaves, and then they turn completely yellow, the young leaves become pale green in color, the fruits are very small, the yield is low.

Phosphorus. Its deficiency leads to metabolic disorders, the leaves become dull, lose their gloss, the fruits - rough, very dense, ugly shape.

Potassium - also one of the most important trace elements; lack of potassium salts leads to an abnormal increase in the size of the sheet and the emergence of a pronounced folding. The plant strongly inhibits growth, leaves fall during flowering, as there is not enough nutrition, the harvest is low, the fruits are small, the skin on them is very thin. At increased soil moisture, sticky dew appears on the leaves.

Iron. The lack of this element leads to the development of chlorosis - the leaves gradually turn pale, dark streaks appear on them, the fruits also turn pale, their growth slows down, they fall off in the immature state. The tops of the shoots do not get any nutrition and dry up.

Sulfur, manganese, boron, calcium, copper - the absence of these trace elements affects the condition of young leaves and shoots, yield and quality of fruits. Lack of calcium - the leaves are wrapped and fall down, the tops of young shoots fade.

The strongly pronounced pattern of the veins on the pale leaves is lacking in manganese. Prolonged lack of copper in the diet leads to a constant withering of the upper part of the crown. From the lack of boron leaves begin to curl, turn pale, on some watery spots appear, the veins crack and dry out. Dark spots and clumps of tar appear on the fruits of lemon.

Sources of nutrients in the period of active growth and fruiting

Lemon is an evergreen tree that grows throughout its life, which is why the plant requires regular regular feeding. Indoor lemon usually reacts very well to all types of mineral and organic fertilizers, but they can not be applied at the same time in any case, as it can do more harm to the plant than help.

As already mentioned, the active period of development and growth of the lemon tree is in March - September. At this time, the branches have everything - from flowers to ripe fruit. Therefore, the most relevant in this period will be complex fertilizers. Beginner gardeners are better off to buy ready-made, dosed complex feedings and follow the instructions on how to apply them to the soil.

In addition, at home you can very easily, using available means at hand, fertilize lemon:

• nitrogen sources - silt or pounded leaves of quinoa; they are replaced by topsoil in pots with lemon; if you prefer saltpeter, then you need to water the plant with a 0.5% solution;
• phosphorus - A great source is carpentry (bone glue); 2g of glue mixed with 1l of water and boil for 30 minutes, cool, pour lemon over half an hour to loosen the soil well; it is good to add superphosphate to the slurry during fermentation (50 g per 10 l) and then feed with this solution;
• calcium + phosphorus + potassium - ordinary wood ash serves as a complete citrus fertilizer, the norm is 1 tbsp. spoon on 1l of water;
• tea leaves and coffee grounds contain many beneficial trace elements - magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, iron; Of course, their number is not enough for good nutrition of the tree, but as an auxiliary dressing is quite suitable, only you need to be careful that black midges do not start;
• not strong solution of potassium permanganate at the same time it feeds the plant and disinfects the soil, they only need to be watered at night, because in sunlight the solution quickly turns pale and loses its strength;
• organic fertilizers - manure, chicken or pigeon droppings, which need to be diluted with water, fermented for 10 days, and then add water, bringing to a low concentration, and water the plants; it is necessary to take into account that fresh manure is more useful, since as a result of fermentation it is enriched with nitrogen.

Of course, you can buy specially balanced complex fertilizers for citrus crops - for beginners it will be easier to monitor the health of pets.

Optimal fertilizer application

So, if you want to grow a healthy tree and get stable yields, you have to take care of the lemon all year round, observing the necessary frequency of dressings:

• March - 1 time in 10 days water slurry (100 g per 1 l) + 5 g of superphosphate per 1 l of water;
• April - 3 supplements - superphosphate (5g x 1l), potassium sulfate (3g), a complex of microelements (1g x 1l);
• May - urea (1.5 g), superphosphate (5g), complex fertilizer (1g);
• June - urea (1.5 g), potassium sulfate (3 g), superphosphate (5 g);
• July - chicken or pigeon droppings (slurry 40g dry matter per 1 liter of water), boric acid (0.2g h1l - foliar top dressing), slurry;
• August - manganese-acid potassium (0.2% solution), a complex of microelements;
• September - February - once a month for 1 g of complex fertilizers with microelements.

It is up to you to choose fertilizers or improvised means, the main thing is to feed a lemon in time, to monitor its health, not to overdo it with “useful substances”, and your pet will respond with a fruit harvest rich in vitamins.