How to Care for Meyer Lemon Tree Indoors

About Meyer Lemon Tree

Meyer lemon trees are rewarding to grow due to their abundance of fruit, beautiful white blooms, and lustrous, black leaves. These trees should be planted once the frost threat has gone in early April, and they need year-round warmth or to be brought indoors to overwinter.

Meyer lemons are hybrids, a mix between a lemon and a mandarin orange. Even the peels of Meyer lemons are flavorful and perfect for cooking. However, it is important to note that the skin and plant elements of Meyer lemons are toxic to dogs and cats, like other citrus fruits.

Therefore, if you plan on growing a Meyer lemon tree, it is important to keep this in mind and take necessary precautions to keep your pets safe. Overall, despite this potential safety hazard, Meyer lemon trees are still an excellent choice for those looking to add some Citrus Meyer into their garden.

Meyer lemon trees are a sub-variety known for their strong fragrant smell and their ability to handle warm climates. Meyer lemon trees are popular in container gardens across Florida and California because they can be grown indoors and outdoors easily.

Although Meyer lemon trees are more cold-resistant than Lisbon or Eureka lemon trees, they still require a sunny and protected location in order to reach their full potential. Because Meyer lemon trees do not thrive in wet environments, it is important to plant them in a well-drained location.

If you are concerned about water pooling around your tree, you may either plant it on a slope or construct a large mound of earth around it to place it on. With proper care, your Meyer tree will provide you with an abundance of sweet-smelling lemons that can be used in baking or made into refreshing drinks.

Additionally, research has shown that having plants in your house will have amazing benefits for you! Visit our article Amazing Psychological Effects of Nature in Pet-Friendly Interiors to find out more!

Meyer Lemon Citrus Plant

Selecting the Best soil for Meyer Lemon Tree

Meyer lemon trees are well known for their ease of growth; they are very versatile and can grow in a wide range of conditions. The only requirement for the tree is that the soil should have good drainage. Meyer lemon trees do best in soil that is a mix of loam and sand with a pH level of 5.5 to 6.5.

However, they can still thrive even if the pH level is slightly below this range. Another important factor to consider before planting your Meyer lemon tree is the nutrient levels in the soil. A soil analysis will help determine whether the soil needs any amendments.

If amendments are necessary, you can adjust the pH of the potting soil by adding lime to raise it or sulfur to lower it. With proper care, your Meyer lemon tree will provide you with an abundance of delicious lemons for many years to come.

The Best light for Meyer Lemon Tree Indoors

The Meyer lemon tree is a citrus plant that thrives best in bright, sunny conditions, and it loves direct sunlight and needs at least eight hours of direct sunlight per day to thrive. The tree grows best when it’s exposed to direct sunlight, but it can also do well in partial shade.

When grown in partial shade, the tree will produce fewer lemons than when grown in direct sunlight. The Meyer lemon tree is a hardy plant that can withstand cold temperatures and frost. However, the tree will not tolerate freezing temperatures for long periods of time.

If the temperature drops below freezing, the tree will lose its leaves, and the fruit will be damaged. The Meyer lemon tree is a beautiful, fragrant, and delicious addition to any garden. The tree produces large, juicy lemons that have a thin skin and a tart yet sweet flavor. The Meyer lemon tree is a great choice for those who want to grow their own citrus fruits.

Improved Meyer Lemon

How to Water Meyer Lemon Tree

Watering your citrus plants, especially Meyer lemon trees, is essential for their health. Keep the soil moist but not soaked. To check if your plant needs water, insert your finger into the soil up to the second knuckle. If your fingertip is damp, then the plant does not need water.

However, if the potting soil looks dry, soak the plant until water drips from the pot. In addition to watering the soil, misting the leaves of your Meyer lemon tree with water can help preserve its health, especially in the winter when the heat is on indoors.

Using pot feet to drain water and prevent waterlogging is also a great idea to keep your citrus plants healthy. Following these watering tips will ensure that your citrus plants stay healthy and thrive.

How to Fertilize

Citrus trees are one of the best additions that you can make to your home. They provide not only beauty but also function as they produce delicious fruit that can be used in a variety of recipes. In order to have a healthy and productive citrus tree, it is important to nourish it during the growing season with either a slow-release all-purpose fertilizer or a high-nitrogen fertilizer.

Your plant should only need three sprays spread out equally during the growing season in order to be healthy, continue to thrive, and produce fruit or vegetables.

In addition, compost tea, liquid kelp, or fish emulsion are examples of liquid fertilizers that can provide additional nutrition to citrus trees; however, in most cases, this is not required and is not recommended. With just a little bit of care, your citrus tree will provide you with years of enjoyment.

Improved Myer Lemon Gift Tree

Best Temperature and Humidity for

Meyer lemon trees are happiest in temperatures between 50 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, if you do not live in USDA growth zones 9 to 11, you should bring your tree indoors when the temperature begins to consistently drop below this range. Even in zones 9 to 11, the tree must be protected from freezing.

Use a covering that extends all the way to the ground to help trap heat from the ground. Above 50 percent humidity is optimal for citrus trees’ growth. Fill a tray with rocks, pour water just below the top of the rocks, then lay the plant’s pot on top of the pebbles to create a humid environment.

Consider placing a small humidifier nearby as well. Taking these extra steps will help ensure your Meyer lemon tree is healthy and happy.

How to Propagate

Lemon trees are easy to propagate, which makes them a great choice for anyone looking to expand their citrus collection. This can be done with semi-hardwood cuttings any time of year, although it works best when the tree is actively growing, and late spring or early summer is ideal.

The cutting should be healthy, fresh growth without blooms or fruit. To root a Meyer lemon cutting: take a 3-to-6-inch clipping from a disease-free mother plant and remove everything except the top four leaves from the cutting. Dip the severed branch in rooting hormone powder to prevent rot or disease.

In a 1-gallon pot, pour well-watered potting mix and bury the brand’s cut end in the soil mixture. Cover the pot and cuttings with a plastic bag to retain moisture and place them in a well-lit area. Mist the cutting occasionally until it grows new roots (around two months).

Once roots are grown, remove the plastic bag and transition to watering as you would a regular lemon tree. With patience and care, you can easily propagate your lemon tree from a cutting.

Meyer Lemon Tree Starter Plant. Citrus x meyeri. 3″ – 5″

How to Get Meyer Lemon Trees to Bloom

Getting your Meyer lemon tree to blossom is vital because that’s how it produces fruit. Meyer lemon trees don’t blossom until their third or fourth year, so start looking for blooms then.

All citrus trees need at least eight hours of light a day to bloom, especially Meyer lemon trees. If your grass doesn’t get enough light, consider potting your lemon tree so you can move it and “chase” the sun. If your Meyer lemon tree has enough light but isn’t blossoming, fertilize it.

Fertilize your tree once a month, but no more; overfed trees have the same trouble blossoming as underfed ones. Choose citrus-specific fertilizer. Temperature is very vital for blooming Meyer lemon trees. Your plant needs 60-degree temperatures in the winter and early spring to blossom.

Citrus plants love the heat, so if you live in a warm climate, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting your Meyer lemon tree to blossom. However, if you live in a colder climate, you may need to invest in a grow light or heat lamp to provide extra warmth for your plant during winter. With a little care and attention, you can enjoy fresh.

Harvesting Meyer Lemons

Meyer lemons are a type of citrus fruit that is prized for their delicious flavor. While these lemons can be grown outdoors in warm areas, they are more commonly grown indoors as houseplants. One of the benefits of growing these lemons indoors is that they typically only bear fruit in the spring.

This means you can enjoy the fresh taste of lemonade made with homegrown lemons without waiting all year for the fruit to mature. Another benefit of growing Meyer lemons indoors is that they are relatively easy to care for. They require little more than regular watering and occasional pruning to keep them healthy and productive.

If you are interested in trying your hand at growing Meyer lemons, there are a few things you should know about how to care for them. For starters, it is important to wait until the fruit has reached full maturity before picking it. The fruit will be a deep yellow color and will feel somewhat rubbery to the touch when it is ready.

You should cut the fruit away from the branch using a knife or scissors so that you don’t damage the plant by ripping off a larger chunk than you intended to remove. With just a little bit of care, you can enjoy a fresh Meyer lemon from your own.

Meyer Lemon Tree Starter Plant. Citrus x meyeri. 3″ – 5″

Common Pests and Diseases – Meyer Lemon Trees

Whiteflies, rust mites, mealybugs, aphids, and scale are just some of the common pests that target Meyer lemon trees and citrus trees in general.

Other common pests include scale and mealybugs. Smaller, more fragile trees, on the other hand, may not be able to tolerate even one infestation. In contrast, larger, more established trees are typically able to withstand two or more of these problems.

Symptoms of problems caused by pests will often first show on the fruit or the undersides of the leaves. Start by removing from the tree any diseased, dead, or otherwise infested sections before moving on to further methods of insect control and elimination.

In order to treat the plant, spray it with horticultural oil, such as neem oil, which has been greatly diluted, and continue doing so every two weeks until the problem has subsided. You can also introduce predators into your garden that will help to keep the population of damaging insects in check.

Ladybugs are excellent for this purpose, as they feed on aphids and other small pests. By taking these steps, you can help keep your Meyer lemon tree healthy and free of harmful pests.

When should I repot my Meyer Lemon Tree?

When you pot a Meyer lemon tree or repot a tree that has outgrown its original container, choosing a container with a capacity of at least five gallons and a height of at least 12 to 15 inches is important. It is also important to check to see that the container has sufficient drainage holes.

After removing the tree from its previous container, you should check whether the roots are matted and fluff them if necessary. Finally, you should fill the new pot with potting material (preferably one designed for citrus trees).

Once you have done this, you should position the tree so that it is centered within the pot, and then fill up the spaces around it with the potting mixture only to the point that the crown of the tree’s roots can still be seen.

Once you have done this, you should compress the earth, then immediately water the tree after doing so. Trees that are properly potted in this way will be much more likely to thrive.

Meyer Lemon Tree Starter Plant. Citrus x meyeri. 3″ – 5″

How to prune Meyer Lemon Trees

Meyer lemon trees are a popular choice for many gardeners, as they are relatively easy to care for and produce an abundance of fruit. While the tree’s general shape has no bearing on its ability to produce fruit, many gardeners prefer to prune the tree into a more conventional shape with an exposed trunk.

Others, however, favor a hedge-like appearance. Regardless of your personal preference, it is important to wait until the tree is between 3 and 4 feet tall before performing any pruning.

This will give the tree a chance to establish itself before you begin cutting away at its branches. Winter is typically when the majority of Meyer lemons ripen, so you should wait until this process is complete before pruning.

This will help ensure that you do not inadvertently remove any branches that are bearing fruit. Once the winter harvest is complete, remove any dead or decaying branches and any long, slender stems (typically not strong enough to support fruit).

You can then cut branches that inhibit the growth of other branches or prevent the plant from receiving adequate ventilation. With a little bit of care and attention, you can keep your Meyer lemon tree healthy and productive for many years to come.

Meyer Lemon Tree Starter Plant. Citrus x meyeri. 3″ – 5″

Care for Meyer Lemon Tree – FAQ

Is a Meyer lemon tree a hybrid?

Yes, these lemons are a thin-skinned hybrid fruit, part lemon, and part mandarin orange, making them much sweeter than the kind of lemon you’d see at a grocery store. 

Can Meyer lemon trees bear fruit indoors?

Yes, Meyer lemon trees will fruit either indoors or outdoors once or twice a year.

Where should I place a Meyer lemon tree indoors?

When growing a Meyer lemon tree indoors, place it next to the sunniest window or use grow lights to supplement the natural sunlight. Your tree should also be located somewhere very warm, away from any drafts or cold blasts of air. Extra humidity is a bonus if you have it as well.

Should I mist my indoor Meyer lemon tree?

Yes, citrus leaves crave humidity, so if you have an indoor Meyer lemon tree, mist it daily. It’s also a good idea to place rocks and water in the saucer beneath your garden pot so humidity will rise.

What is an Improved Meyer Lemon Tree?

An “improved” Meyer Lemon Tree is a specific cultivar that has been bred to increase resistance to disease to traditional Meyer Lemons. That means they are easier to grow and maintain, especially for home gardeners.

Are there dwarf Meyer lemon trees?

Yes, there is a dwarf Meyer lemon tree version. 

How do I Pollinate an Indoor Lemon Tree?

Lemons, unlike several other fruit trees, self-pollinate. That is, they do not require pollen from another lemon tree to bear fruit. Pollination of lemon tree blossoms is accomplished by transferring ripe pollen to the sticky stigma. Lemons can be manually pollinated in this manner using a little paint brush or a bird feather.

What’s the best temperature for indoor lemon trees?

Indoor lemon trees thrive in temperatures around 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night, which is ideal for most households. Lemon trees are sensitive to drafts, so keep them away from all air conditioning and heating ducts. Consider taking your indoor lemon tree outside during the sunny summer months.

Can I create my own potting mixture for my Meyer lemon tree?

Yes, you can add peat moss, potting soil, and vermiculite or perlite to the pot.