How to care for lemon, and orange trees indoors

With our dreary winters that are often far too long, what better way to brighten the décor than growing lemon, and orange trees indoors? Trendy and simply gorgeous, their subtle aroma adds a lovely touch to any room. They also add a pop of colour! The fruits they produce and their dark green foliage will enhance any room, provided it has plenty of sunlight. For many, growing citrus trees indoors may seem almost impossible. But read on, and you’ll see that it is not as difficult as it looks. Here are all the secrets for success with indoor potted citrus trees!

1. Choosing the right variety of citrus tree to grow indoors

Before you start growing citrus in containers, choose a variety that you like and that will do well indoors. You can opt for a calamondin orange tree or a Meyer lemon tree—two common varieties that are easy to care for.

With its pleasant scent, the Meyer lemon tree adapts well to the indoor environment and produces tasty fruit. Generally small in size (1 to 1.5 metres high), this citrus tree grows rather slowly, which makes it a good choice for culture in pots. Do you need yet another reason to adopt it? This variety blooms continuously and produces fruit year-round.

Another interesting option is the calamondin orange tree. It usually reaches between 60 and 90 centimetres in height, making it smaller than the Meyer lemon tree and perfect for small spaces. In addition, it blooms year-round and gives off a fresh scent. It’s important to note that the fruits of this tree, although edible, are acidic and bitter. This makes them ideal for making delicious marmalades.

If you’d like to be able to harvest fruit sooner, we recommend purchasing a tree that’s already two to three years old. A younger tree will take longer to produce fruit.

2. Planting a lemon, or orange tree in a pot

Choose a deep container with several drainage holes to prevent the roots from soaking in water during the early years. This will help the plant root deep in the soil and not on the surface.

It’s also important to use the right soil. Citrus trees need well-drained soil that is rich and slightly acidic. Fafard’s acid-loving plant and berry soil mix is the perfect solution!

3. Understanding seasonal care for indoor citrus trees

In winter:

Citrus trees love light! In fact, they need between eight and 12 hours of sunlight every day. The perfect spot for your tree is near a curtained window away from heat sources. This will provide maximum light, fresh air, and moisture. If it isn’t bright enough, don’t hesitate to use an additional light source to satisfy its needs.

The perfect temperature for a citrus tree is between 15°C and 18°C. This coolness stimulates flowering while prompting existing fruit to grow. Many fruit trees spend the winter maturing.

Winter is a period of dormancy for citrus trees, so it is important to reduce watering and avoid fertilizing. To avoid root disease, make sure you only water if the soil feels dry. If you maintain a cool air temperature, you should be able to restrict watering to once every two weeks or even just once a month. If, however, the room is too warm, you may have to water weekly, spritz the leaves to keep them from falling off, or both.

Fertilizing should resume in March and continue until September. Use fertilizer such as Fafard’s natural fertilizer for acid-loving plants and berries to help keep the soil acidic, prompt greener leaves, and produce an abundance of delicious fruits.

In summer:

The weather is nice! Make the most of it by moving your lemon, or orange tree outdoors during the warm days of May. To make the transition easier, start by placing your tree in the shade for three to four hours per day for three to four days. Once it has acclimatized, find a sunny spot that’s sheltered from the wind where it can enjoy the summer. It will thrive under the sun’s natural rays and benefit from adequate moisture, and the insects will even pollinate the flowers!

When watering, it’s preferable to keep the soil moist without leaving the roots soaking in water. Weekly watering is usually enough.

As soon as frost is forecast (late September, early October), it’s time to move your lemon, or orange tree back indoors and stop fertilizing. For more information on how to bring your plants back inside without hassle, see this article: How to acclimatize your indoor plants before moving them inside.

4. Harvesting citrus fruits grown in pots

When can you harvest your citrus fruits?

It’s important to know when the time is right to harvest! It’s always better to allow the fruit to ripen on the citrus tree because once picked, the ripening process stops. Then again, over-ripe fruit isn’t much better! Wait until their deep green colour starts to lighten. If the fruit is firm and heavy (a sign that it’s full of juice and vitamins), pick away! Have no fear—you’ll be a citrus wizard in no time!

We hope we have convinced you to try growing citrus trees in pots. Follow us on social media for more gardening tricks and tips!

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Potted lemon, and orange trees? Yes, citrus can be grown indoors!