So that your lemon tree grows lushly, can produce numerous flowers and fruits and its leaves have a beautiful, rich green color, it needs a lot of nutrients, especially in the growth phase.
How and when should you fertilize a lemon tree?
To fertilize a lemon tree, you should use a complete fertilizer with a nutrient ratio of 3:1:2 (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) every two to three weeks from the start of budding in spring until the end of the growing season in September. Water the tree with lime-free water.
Lemons need nitrogen above all else
Nitrogen is primarily responsible for the strong green leaf color, which is why a nitrogen deficiency quickly becomes apparent in the fading green of the leaves. Phosphorus, on the other hand, is particularly important for the he althy growth of the plant; lemons also require a lot of potassium. For this reason, you should use a complete fertilizer that provides the three nutrients mentioned in a ratio of 3:1:2. You can use commercially available complete fertilizer with the right mixing ratio, but you can't go wrong with a special citrus fertilizer.
The correct fertilization interval
Lemons should be fertilized approximately every two to three weeks from the start of budding in spring - usually from March - until the end of the growing season in September. The easiest way to do this is to add a liquid fertilizer to the lime-free irrigation water. In this way, the fertilizer reaches the roots more quickly and can be absorbed more easily by the plant. It is also possible to use a long-term fertilizer that releases its nutrients depending on moisture and temperature. Simply work this fertilizer into the soil surface.
Lemons need lime-free watering water
Make sure to water your lemon tree with rainwater or stagnant water if possible. The lime in the tap water can seriously clog the plant's ducts, so that only a few nutrients can pass through them and the tree is left to fend for itself. If the water is stagnant, you should not pour out the water at the bottom of the watering container, as this contains the limescale that has settled.
Fertilizing is not necessary in winter
In the winter period, however, you do not need to water your lemon tree as long as you overwinter it in a cool place, but as brightly as possible, as recommended. At temperatures up to around 12 °C, the roots largely stop their activities and are therefore unable to absorb any nutrients. Just don't forget to water - depending on the temperature and brightness, an interval of between two and four weeks should be sufficient.
Replace substrate regularly
For optimal nutrient supply, it is also important that you repot your lemon regularly. This measure also ensures that the substrate does not harden. The roots need loose soil so that they do not suffocate and waterlogging does not form. Young plants should be repotted once a year, older ones about every two to three years.
Tips & Tricks
Lemon trees kept indoors benefit from regularly spraying the leaves and shoots all around them. You can also add liquid fertilizer to this water.
