Lemons

How to grow lemons in your garden

1. Choose a sunny spot with well drained soil. Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.  If the soil is clay based, improve soil structure by adding gypsum and forking in well. In poorly drained areas, citrus can also be planted in a raised mound of free-draining soil.
2. Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots. 
3. Position in hole and backfill with soil, gently firming down.  Form a raised or doughnut shaped ring of soil around the outer edge of the plant's root zone. This helps keep water where it's needed.  Always water in well after planting to settle the soil around the roots and keep the soil moist for several weeks while the new plant establishes.  
4. Mulch around the base with organic mulch like sugarcane or pea straw, keeping it away from the trunk.
5. Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions. 
6. Feed your citrus with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser three times a year, in early spring, summer and again in autumn. 
7. When the tree starts to produce fruit (normally in its 3rd year), feed weekly with Yates Thrive Natural's Citrus Liquid Plant Food.
    

How to grow lemons in a pot

When planting in a pot, choose a dwarf lemon variety, such as ‘Lots a Lemons’ or Dwarf Eureka. 

1. Choose a pot at least 500mm wide. Position in full sun and fill with quality potting mix, such as Yates Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter. TIP: Consider placing the pot on wheels if you live in a cold area, so it can be easily moved inside or to a more protected spot in winter. 
2. Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots. 
3. Position in hole and backfill with potting mix, gently firming down. Water in well. 
4. Water deeply, 2-3 times during the week, depending on weather conditions. 
5. Feed your citrus with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser three times a year, in early spring, summer and again in autumn. 
6. When the tree starts to produce fruit (normally in its 3rd year), feed weekly with Yates Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food.  

• If you’re short of sunny spots in the garden, grow citrus in pots that can be moved to take advantage of changing patterns of sunlight.

• In heavy clay soils, it’s best to put extra effort into soil preparation. To check if your soil needs work, dig a hole and pour a bucket of water into the hole – if it takes more than 30 minutes to disappear, then you will need to improve your drainage. Consider raising the level of the bed as much as possible with free draining garden soil, dig in gypsum to help break up the clay and add plenty of Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. Potted lemons should be grown in a good quality mix (such as Yates Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter) and moved into larger containers as they grow.
• Remove any small fruit that develop within the first two years - thinning excess fruit when they’re small will encourage good early branch, stem and foliage growth and promote better sized and tasting fruit to develop in the coming years.
• Eureka produces fruit almost year round in warm areas. The fruit is virtually seedless and has a thin skin. However, as lemons go, Eureka isn’t particularly cold tolerant. Villa Franca is a relative of Eureka that does better in inland areas, as well as in the subtropics.
• Lisbon develops into a large, prickly tree that produces a heavy winter crop. It is very hardy and more tolerant than Eureka to both cold and heat.
• Meyer is a small grower that is thought to be a cross between a lemon and an orange. Its small size means it’s suited to pot culture and its cold tolerance sees it used widely in frosty areas. Lots A Lemons is a dwarf form of Meyer. In order to guarantee perfect drainage, Lots A Lemons should be grown in a pot.
• Lemonade is much sweeter and doesn’t have the intense sourness of most other lemons. Lemonade lemon trees are great for backyards as they don’t get much taller than 2.5 m and produce lots of fruit which can be peeled, segmented and devoured or juiced.  Lemonade is also available as a compact dwarf plant, which can be grown happily in a pot.