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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

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Original poster

How to save this lemon tree

20 replies

beggingforsleep · 03/02/2022 11:51

Don't judge me... this poor lemon tree has moved house with us three times in 18 months and had to be left outside over winter last year. But finally we have a lovely indoor home for it, in our kitchen and south facing so it will get lots of sunshine.

But it's in a sorry state. Any idea how I can nurse it back to health? I've just bought some citrus food but feel like I need to cut it back hard and start all over again? I wouldn't know where to start with that though. The leaves left are very floppy.

All advice welcome. I do want to save it.

OP posts:

QuietKingdom · 03/02/2022 11:56

It sounds like it will love it's new home. Don't feed it until it's growing strongly again. You could prune it a bit, especially any dead, diseased or damaged branches. Then just leave it to settle in and see how it's doing in a few months. You'll probably find it perks up as spring comes and it gets some warm sunshine.

nannybeach · 03/02/2022 11:57

Firstly, where do you live? It's a tree,they don't like indoors,central heating,or south facing. If its been outside, now in these conditions,its shocked. Don't feed it. Unless you are in the north of Scotland
You can put it outside covered with a couple of layers of bubble wrap, fleece. They loose their leaves below 10c but they grow back. I do not know how to put pictures on here. I have 4 lemons,DH picked one last week. I live in the SE UK,they are in a frost free green house. They are watered weekly,small amount in winter.

nannybeach · 03/02/2022 11:58

I don't feed till there are flowers. Then you must spray regularly with rainwater

Original poster

beggingforsleep · 03/02/2022 12:32

I'm in the south east. I thought it would be fine indoors, happier even than outdoors!. We used to keep it outside in London and cover it in fleece but it's never looked great doing that. We don't have a greenhouse or garage we can keep it in the colder months but I could wheel it out in the summer to the patio but it would have to go down steps so it's going to be hard.

There is heating in the kitchen but it's underfloor and doesn't really get hot. 19 max in the morning and evening but off for the majority of the day. The room does get warm with the sun coming in though

OP posts:

nannybeach · 03/02/2022 16:23

Did you used to put it outside in the summer before you moved?

nicesausages · 03/02/2022 16:29

Don't over water it. They come from a dry, warm country so like dry roots. Let it dry out between watering. Also, it might feel a bit cold being so close to the window, but it will like the sunshine!

MontyDonsBlueScarf · 03/02/2022 16:39

Citrus really, really dislike underfloor heating. Is there anywhere else light and bright you can put it? plants4presents.co.uk/winter-citrus-care

Original poster

beggingforsleep · 03/02/2022 16:41

@nannybeach yes it was out for the summer, then in an insulated garage (with a window) but that was at the in-between house.

Now it's home is in the kitchen here and we can probably get it on to the patio in the summer but won't be able to get it in and out of the garden as we're two meters above it and it's too heavy to manoeuvre far. The patio is south facing. I assumed the tree would love that given it should really be in Spain in the hills but will the direct sun be too much?

I really know nothing.

OP posts:

nannybeach · 04/02/2022 09:24

I won't be a bit cold by a window.in the summer you are going to have to provide shade. They hate dry air,you get spider mites, scale insect. We've been growing them over 25 years. In a barely frost free green house in the Beast from the East. We had night temperatures of -12c unheard of here, they lost their leaves. Which grew back in the spring. . agree they don't like standing in water, but they need a huge amount. We top water in winter, summer, they are soaked in a bucket for 15 minutes. Do you have drainage holes in that pot. ? How long have you had the lemon?

nannybeach · 04/02/2022 09:25

And yes, they hate underfloor heating

nannybeach · 04/02/2022 09:27

I also have 3 different oranges. They are much more tender,and live winter in a north facing conservatory, poor light,and have masses of fruit I use for marmalade and cooking. I've tried posting pictures but I m 71, first smartphone and no clue how to!

PeeAche · 04/02/2022 09:35

Hey OP, I have a lemon tree that I bring indoors every year. I know they don't love the central heating but mine is doing alright! It even grows lemons throughout the winter.

We move it out every year around April. This year will be its last year indoors as we are finally putting in a heated greenhouse.

Mine looked like yours last year, after we had to shunt it outdoors early in Feb due to house sale viewings. I didn't do anything special to it. Water it. Warm it up. It'll bounce back. Trust!

toppkatz · 04/02/2022 20:59

Don't do anything to it now other than keep it out of draughts and the soil slightly damp. In the spring, put it outside in a sheltered spot and wait.

It's winter and it has probably lost a lot of the leaves for that reason alone. It looks like the stems are still green anyway. There's no point in feeding a sickly specimen, it can even finish a plant off altogether.

FanSpamTastic · 04/02/2022 21:07

Am feeling bad! Mine is outside - no fleece or anything? Do I need to buy it a jumper?!

Snowisfallinghere · 04/02/2022 21:35

I think it'll be fine if you just avoid under or overwatering and have it in a sunny spot indoors until spring/summer.

Also we've had a lemon tree in our flat with underfloor heating each winter for four years now and it's always been fine, but we do have it elevated a few centimetres from the floor on a rolling pallet thingy, which also makes it easier to move it about when necessary.

Original poster

beggingforsleep · 04/02/2022 22:01

Thanks everyone. Very reassuring.

Now we're finally settled in our new home I'm hoping to be in the Gardening section a lot.

@FanSpamTastic and a scarf!

OP posts:

nannybeach · 05/02/2022 08:50

PeeAche, where do you live.?

DistrictCommissioner · 05/02/2022 08:53

According to my uncle, they like wee. He always gets visiting small boys to wee on it! This might be a family eccentricity though…

PeeAche · 05/02/2022 09:13

@nannybeach

PeeAche, where do you live.?

In the very middle of the English countryside. Very ordinary British climate. Very stingy with the central heating.

But if you're popping in, I'll turn it up for you @nannybeach 😗

nannybeach · 05/02/2022 14:42

It's OK PeeAche I don't like it hot! Reason I asked was because you said you were getting a heated green house. We have a 6 by 8 feet,it's insulated with thick bubble wrap,we have a tubular heater in there,150w. Another layer of bubble wrap goes over the plants,a lot of tender ones, begonias and the like. That temperature only constitutes "frost free". For a "heated green house" you need a thermostatically controlled fan heater,and believe me, even with our little heat the bills are huge in winter.

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