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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Lemon Delicious

People are always surprised to discover that I've managed to keep a lemon tree alive on my 20 metre square balcony.

And it hasn't always been easy.

It's a dwarf Meyer lemon variety that grows well in pots and I can recommend it for small space gardeners.

It's three year's old now and has been successfully fruiting for two years.

This season's crop is the most bountiful so far 10 lemons which are now all almost ripe.

My lemon growing tips - don't over water, fertilise in autumn with some dynamic lifter and use a slow-release fertiliser the rest of the year. Douse with pest oil if scale, leaf miners and aphids take hold. Citrus loves heat but hates wind so keep your tree in a sunny,sheltered position. And enjoy!

11 comments:

  1. I have a patio lime tree and I haven't had any fruit yet, but its growing like a champ! Did yours flower and then the flowers/little buds of fruit drop off at the start? I just want some limes!! Your lemons look awesome!

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  2. Hi jaxstar84
    Yes mine flowered and in the first year all the flowers dropped. It was a sign of plant stress. Lemons need a delicate balance of water (too much disturbs them)and balance of nutrients. I use a slow release citrus pellet fertiliser and a good dose of dynamic lifter in autumn.They love a sunny sheltered position with no competition from other plants. Hope that helps.best, Indira

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  3. Great work with the citrus in such a high up space. On my second floor balcony, the same happened with my lemon tree - many flowers but no fruit (in a 3-4 year old tree.) A bigger pot and more care fixed the problem right up. Where I used to get one, maybe two lemons, I now have so many I even get to make lemon meringue cup cakes with them!

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  4. Indira I am reading your book at the moment - I am inspired and have set up my pots on my northern balcony to take advantage of the sun. I was fascinated when you said you put in the borage and some bees found the flowers - 20 storeys up ! That is amazing how they found their way up so high - it is a lovely imagine, clever bees.

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    1. Yes Penny.. attracting bees to my 13th floor balcony was amazing. I'm glad I've created more habitat for these vulnerable and important creatures. Hope you're enjoying the book! cheers, Indira

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  5. For a wonderful dessert - try the Lemon Delicious recipe I made this past week. It really is.... delicious!

    http://simplyjoolz.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/lazy-sunday.html

    Cheers - Joolz

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  6. That's a cracker of a tree. My Dad has a citrus farm up the Central Coast. I would grab some budwood from it and propagate some descendants.

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  7. Wow, I'm impressed Indira. How do you manage any pests, specifically stinkbugs. My backyard mandarin trees are groaning with fruit AND bugs. Hoping you don't have to climb a ladder on your balcony to eradicate them. I've just written about my adventures in the world of citrus bugs on my blog 'The Good, the Bad and the Italian'.

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  8. Hi indira
    Ive just started putting more effort into my balcony garden after having patio lemon, lime and chilli trees for 2 years. I thank you for your inspiration.
    I hope I havent gone too far into the past and you are still able to help, my lemon tree has became home to spider webs and small spiders. It doesnt seem too have affected the few fruit the tree produces. However after seeing your tree produce more fruit I wonder if it may be a problem? Are spiders bad? If so, how can I remove them, safely.

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