How to grow Lemons

Everything you need to know about growing Lemons. Includes sun requirements, when to plant and harvest, pests and troubleshooting notes.

Lemons require warm, moist soil, enriched with well rotted compost.

Like most fruit trees, Lemons require deep, well draining soil. They will not tolerate waterlogged soil and will develop root rot as a result. Avoid planting in heavy clay unless the soil has been amended. Heavy soils can be improved by incorporating gypsum, organic matter and by mounding the soil before planting to improve drainage. 

Plant Lemon trees in full sun. 

Generally no, however there are some cold hardy varieties available. 

In frost prone areas, plant Lemon trees in large containers and move indoors during winter. 

Plant Lemon trees roughly 5m apart. 

Autumn or early spring is the best time to transplant Lemon trees.

Dig a hole 2-3 times the width of the root ball. The hole should allow the plant to sit at the same level in the soil as it was previously. Fill the hole with soil ensuring the crown of the plant, where roots and stem meet, is level with the soil surface. 

Plant out in the early morning or evening and/or on an overcast day. Avoid planting at peak sun times or on windy days, this will allow your plants to settle in comfortably and protect them from windburn and sunburn.  

Lemon trees are heavy feeders. Apply a well-balanced organic fertiliser throughout the growing season, or purchase a fertiliser specifically tailored to Citrus trees. Spread the fertiliser evenly around the tree, up to one meter beyond the canopy and water it in well. 

Top-dress the soil around the tree with well-rotted organic matter in spring. Add a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around the tree up to the drip line to retain moisture (be careful not to pile mulch against the tree trunk as this may lead to trunk rot and disease). 

Grafted Lemon trees start to produce crops after two-three years. Harvest when the fruit is completely yellow in colour. Ripe fruit will be plump and full of juice. Unripe fruit will have green skin, will be very firm to touch, with less juice inside. 

Pests that affect Lemon trees include: Citrus Leaf Miner, Swallowtail Butterfly, Light Brown Apple Moth, Lemon Bud Moth, Weevils, Fruit Fly, Thrips, Scale, Aphids, Mealybugs, Whitefly, Ants, Crusader Bugs, Mites, Thrips, Citrus Gall Wasp, Spined Citrus Bugs, Nematodes, Snails, Slugs, Ants . 

Diseases that affect Lemon trees include: Anthracnose, Sooty Mold, Melanose Fungus, Moldy Fruit, Greasy Spot, Citrus Scab, Citrus Canker, Botrytis Fungus, Phytophthora Fungus.  

After harvest, pruning is required to remove dead and diseased wood as well as wood affected by pests. Only remove up to 20% of the canopy, starting with the longest growth, anymore and you will sacrifice next seasons crop.