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I recieved a Lemon Tree as a very kind Christmas present. Trouble is I know nothing about them, and it did not come with any info. Has anyone got any ideas please?

Thanks Nikki

Hi Nikki
I love citrus trees and managed to make some lemon curd from my own lemons this year

They won't tolerate frost so keep indoors in the winter but you can pop them outside in the summer. Keep them on a south facing window sill, if you can, as they like lots of light. They don't mind a period of cold nights though and it's supposed to help them fruit.

Don't use tap water as they hate chlorine. Either use rain water or leave tap water out overnight before using it so that the chlorine can evaporate. Water little and often, don't drown or let them dry out too much.

You can buy special citrus plant food or use chicken manure. Personally I use the special feed when the plants are inside 'cos of the smell.

When you repot, only ever use a pot half an inch larger than the existing pot. I can't remember why but they don't like going into larger pots.

Don't worry if all the leaves drop off when you move it. They really hate being moved but it doesn't seem to do them any harm in the long term, in fact it seems to prompt them into flowering.

They are prone to scaley insect which show up as small brown lumps on the leaves and a black sticky residue. You can buy a spray but the ish method is to use a tsp of vegetable oil and a tsp of washing up liquid in a ltr of water. Use it to wash the leaves and remove the insects. You can use a spray bottle but they tend to clog up with the oil.

Otherwise they really are very easy to look after.

Enjoy

Zoe

Thomzo - Ive followed the ish recipe to get rid of scale bugs on my much prized grown from a seed mango tree which was full of these bugs and not looking very happy. Since washing the leaves theyve gone all dry and curled up - I think its had it and looks even more unhappy. Does that usually happen when youve used that solution?

Hi
No that shouldn't happen. If anything, the leaves look lovely and shiney and the tree seems to thrive. I've used the same solution on many plants without any problems.

I don't know anything about mangos but citrus trees often do this when moved. Did you take it outside or move it to clean it?

Leave it for a while and see what happens. But check it isn't saturated or too dry.

Zoe

Anyone know why lemon trees grown from pips are said to have inedible fruit - is it true?

Hey Thomzo. I originally had the mango in a pot with an avocado. Both were doing fab but had little room so decided to pot them on. Both has since curled their leaves and look awful - so maybe its that not the solution Am very sad about them and wish I'd left them alone!! Still, if citrus does that perhaps there is hope theyll recover.

marshlander wrote:Anyone know why lemon trees grown from pips are said to have inedible fruit - is it true?

I don't know about lemon trees but I grew a satsuma from a pip and it produced loads of fruit exactly the same as the one I took the pip from. I think that, as with other saved seed, it all depends on what that particular fruit was pollenated with, but as commercially grown citrus are all grown in huge orchards, yours should come fairly true to type.
The main problem with seed grown citrus trees is they take 5 to 8 years to start flowering, where grafted ones start almost immediately.