Lemon tree: when and how to prune? Rules for pruning lemons at home How to prune lemons correctly and when

It is necessary to care for indoor lemons competently. This plant is quite demanding to care for, but among all citrus fruits it is considered the most suitable for a beginner. In addition to maintaining the optimal temperature in the room, regular watering and fertilizing, there is another important component of the process of growing indoor shrubs. This is what pruning is. How to prune a lemon correctly, and how often is it recommended to do it? Let's look at the most important points in more detail.

Forming the crown of a young lemon is an important stage of care. But everything needs to be done correctly and in due time. Many experts argue that it is necessary to shorten the shoots of a tree immediately before all the life processes of the plant are activated, that is, in early spring. Moreover, it is not necessary to wait long: the first molding pruning is carried out when the lemon is approximately one year old. The optimal time to carry out this procedure is February.

But there is a slightly different approach. There are many gardeners who prefer to prune lemons in the spring, when the plant is blooming. Interestingly, pruning indoor lemons is not necessarily carried out during a strictly specified period. In fact, this procedure can be carried out throughout the year. The main thing is to choose the right moment, and not remove shoots whenever you want. In autumn, for example, flower growers also rejuvenate shrubs. This is done after all vital processes of the citrus tree have stopped, and the sap flow is no longer so active.

Is it worth pruning a lemon in autumn and winter? In fact, it is even beneficial for the plant. This way you will improve the fruitfulness of the lemon tree. If we talk about the most optimal time for removing branches, this is, of course, spring. By carrying out this procedure during the period of active sap flow, you will be absolutely calm about your indoor flower. Remember: resort to such “treatment” only when necessary. Too frequent pruning of branches is fraught with low intensity of tree development.

Formation instructions

Pruning fruit-bearing lemons at home should be carried out taking into account the basic rules. If you shorten the branches incorrectly, you can only cause serious harm to the plant. Prune lemons at home based on the following guidelines:

If desired, you can shorten all the branches of your homemade lemon. However, the procedure will be truly effective if you start from the trunk. The whole point is that in this way you will be able to form a bush plant that can bear fruit quite generously;
you should not cut the tree trunk by more than 20 cm;
At the end of the procedure, be sure to treat all cut areas. Use an antiseptic for this - garden varnish. Moreover, it is better not to touch the most fragile branches.

Remember: treating a home plant with an antiseptic after the crown has formed is very important. The lemon tree adapts much less well to new conditions if it grows in our climate. That is why any nuance you miss (for example, neglecting the need to process shortened branches) can lead to the bush becoming sick.

Effect of branching on pruning

Lemon pruning is not the easiest part of plant care. Only experienced specialists know how to form a crown efficiently. However, all this can be learned. The main thing is to master the intricacies of the process. Pay special attention to the branching features of the lemon:

the seedlings or occulant of the plant constitute one vertical shoot;
during the second year of development of the lemon tree, lateral branches are formed on it, which, together with the vertical shoot, are classified as first order;
After some time, branches of their own begin to form on the stronger side branches. They are already classified as second order.

Interestingly, only when shoots of the fourth order are formed on a citrus plant is the process of fruiting possible. When a tree in a pot bears fruit, fruits are not formed on every branch, since the youngest and weakest shoots are still developing.

Crown formation

How to properly pinch an indoor lemon tree? It is simply necessary to prune your houseplant according to the rules, otherwise you will not be too pleased with the results. When the growing season begins, it’s time to start a similar procedure. First of all, it is necessary to remove the length from the main trunk. Only after this can you take on the remaining branches.

If you approach this pruning wisely and shorten almost all the branches of the lemon, it will grow and form much faster.

Do not think that your home tree will take the shape you need after the first removal of branches. It will take approximately 2–3 years to achieve the desired result. Remember, there should be several buds on each shoot. Otherwise, the branch can simply be cut off, but not the entire branch, but only the shoot. Many novice flower growers or those who have recently been faced with the need to learn the rules for pruning homemade lemons suddenly wonder what shape of crown they need.

Recently, you can often find the lemon tree as an indoor ornamental plant. To prevent the plant from losing its appearance over time, you need to know how to prune a lemon. Crown formation plays an important role in caring for this indoor plant.

Pruning is an important part of lemon care.

When to prune

Timely pruning of lemon allows you to form a crown and regulate its growth. In nature, the lemon tree reaches 2–2.5 meters in height. The tree will not fit under indoor growing conditions, so at the age of one year the apical point of growth is cut off. This is how it is possible to activate the lateral buds and stimulate the growth of the crown to the sides, and not upwards.

Pruning is done at the end of February or beginning of March, when indoor lemon has not yet recovered from winter and can easily endure the procedure. Although the lemon tree is evergreen, vital processes slow down significantly in winter . It is for this reason that in winter the plant is watered less often, and fertilizing is reduced to once a month or removed altogether.

It is recommended to pinch the tops for the first time no earlier than a year after planting the cuttings. If the tree was grown from a seed, then only after two years. It is better to maintain an interval of several months after transplanting the lemon into a new pot. This is done so that it has time to grow damaged roots during transplantation and take root firmly in the substrate.

You cannot prune a lemon while it is flowering or fruiting. At this time, the plant is very vulnerable and instantly reacts to external stimuli, dropping flowers and fruits. You should not prune homemade lemons in winter. During this period, due to the slowdown in vital processes, not only are the side shoots not activated, but the cut branch itself may dry out.

Homemade lemons should be limited in height

How to prune

To create a beautiful tree, you need to know how to properly form the crown of a plant. To do this you will need sharpened pruning shears or garden shears. Before pruning, they must be disinfected so as not to introduce fungus or any pathogenic organism into the cut. After finishing the work, you need to treat the cuts with garden varnish - a local antiseptic. Neglecting this rule can lead to the death of the plant.

How to form a lemon crown depends on the preferences of the grower himself. The most commonly used is a flat crown. Such lemons bear large fruits and grow foliage faster. To do this, during the first pruning you can shorten the trunk of the plant, and in subsequent years - the branches of the first, second and third order.

Formation of the citrus crown: a - pinching of the 0th order branch; b - pinching of 1st order branches; c - pinching branches of the 2nd-4th order

An effective way of pruning is to form a bush. It is much easier to care for such a lemon, and the entire volume of land will be more rationally used. To do this, it is necessary to shorten the trunk during the first trimming to 20 centimeters. In subsequent prunings, the side shoots are partially removed.

When the crown is formed, the branches need periodic pinching to maintain this shape. The ends of the branches are cut off by 3–5 centimeters. It is preferable to carry out this procedure in summer or late spring.

Care after pruning

Pruning lemongrass implies special care for the plant after it is done. In addition to disinfecting cut branches, flower growers are recommended to carry out unscheduled feeding of the tree. Adding phosphorus-containing fertilizers to the soil promotes rapid healing of damaged areas of wood and intensive growth of green mass.

2-3 months after pruning, you can think about transplanting the lemon into a larger container, if necessary. The roots in the pot should not look out and completely cover the pot. This lemon needs to be replanted after the pruning injuries have healed.

Transplanting a lemon into a larger pot is carried out 2-3 months after pruning.

Germination of cuttings after pruning

After pruning, there are always quite large branches left, which do not necessarily need to be thrown into the trash. The most effective way to propagate lemons is by cuttings. At the base of the cutting, a cut is made obliquely and placed in a container with water for germination.

For quick rooting, seedlings are dipped cut side into special preparations that accelerate the development of the root system. They can be purchased freely in flower shops.

Using cuttings left over from lemon trimming is a simple and inexpensive way to get several plants from one. Caring for them at home is no different from caring for lemons grown from seed.

Pruning indoor lemons is not just a whim for gardeners, but a necessity for the plant. Correctly forming the crown can significantly increase the productivity of the lemon tree and its decorative qualities.

Low-growing trunks are excellent for growing indoors, from which it is easier to form a bush or a flat crown. Do not forget that the splendor of the crown does not depend on pruning, but on the quality of the substrate and the degree of its moisture.

Below is material on forming the crown of an indoor lemon. When I first posted it, it seemed to me that this was enough, but I was wrong - the topic is quite broad and not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance. So I decided to add a few more pages:

For those who want to understand the issue of pruning, I recommend looking through all the pages - they complement each other well, even though in some places the material overlaps.

There are many cases where indoor lemons, especially those grown from rooted cuttings, grew well without shaping. But still, in order for the tree to have a beautiful crown, it is necessary to constantly work in this direction - to guide its growth by resorting to pruning and pinching - removing emerging buds.

Natural branching of an indoor lemon tree.

A young tree initially produces one vertical shoot of zero order.
- in the 2nd year, lateral shoots of the 1st order may already appear.
- Usually branches of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th orders begin to develop within a few years. It’s these branches that they try to get quickly, because only on short side branches - fruits - flowers form, and then ovaries. If the growth of a lemon is left to chance, then the wait for the first flowers and fruits will be somewhat delayed.
This development of the lemon tree described above is primarily characteristic of grafted seedlings and seedlings. As practice shows, cuttings of lemons still prefer to bush on their own - already in the first years of life (sometimes there are exceptions).

Rules for forming the crown of an indoor lemon tree.

Pinching and pruning of branches is carried out throughout the growing season according to the principle: shorten all the branches, starting with zero (stem), force the tree to bush - you will get “fruits” faster.
- the mature stem of the seedling (zero-order branch) is shortened at a height of about 16-20 cm, leaving only a few well-developed buds directed in different directions. Subsequently, shoots sprout from these buds, of which 3-4, in turn, are left - these will be first-order branches (the future main skeletal branches of the plant).
- these branches (first order branches) are not allowed to grow beyond 20 -25 cm.
- shoots of the 2nd order are cut only 10 cm shorter.
- branches of the 3rd, 4th, 5th orders are shortened by 5 cm.
When branches of the 4th order have already appeared, the formation of the crown skeleton is completed.
It is important during the formation of the crown skeleton (lasts 2-3 years) to control that not just the top bud grows, but 2-3 more at the same time. If this is not the case, then it is better to remove this single shoot. “remove”, but do not prune the branch - remove the unwanted shoot as soon as it begins to grow from the bud.

There is a difference between "delete" and "trim". Trimming when shaping for indoor lemon is not exactly what is needed. Firstly, it is “painful” for him, and secondly, it is irrational. To build its tissue, a tree needs a lot of time and a large amount of nutrients. In this regard, it is better not to allow such idle “work”, but to control its growth by pinching (pinching) - removing the unnecessary shoot at the very beginning of its development from the bud. It happens that a stubbornly growing bud needs to be pinched twice. It is also useful to apply pinching to the tips of all rapidly developing shoots - to save nutrients and more quickly ripen new growth.

Indoor lemon twists.

In addition to pinching and pruning, you need to pay attention to the sunlight exposure of the lemon tree. The plant should not be constantly in a constant position in relation to sunlight, otherwise it will not develop fully. If you treat a lemon tree like an ordinary flowerpot - for example, turn the plant with the opposite side towards the light; then the result will be the following: the leaves will curl, become deformed, or even completely fall off. As a result of the above action, the plants will grow very poorly and feel depressed for a long time.
What's the matter?
The thing is that in room conditions, the lemon tree is very conservative. The leaves of the plant seem to get used to a certain dose of light - illumination from a certain direction. In the event of a sharp change in light intensity, the metabolic processes that occur in plants are immediately disrupted, which in turn adversely affects the condition of the plant.

To rotate the lemon tree:
The following proven method is recommended - turn the pot with the plant 10 degrees every 10 days. As a result of such a small turn, the lemon tree will not experience sudden changes, and metabolic processes will proceed normally. Thus, in 1 year the lemon tree can be rotated 360 degrees - which in turn will ensure uniform development of the crown.

A little more about plant rotations.
The crown of a lemon tree can also be shaped into a bush. The plant itself will tell you how to do it.

Recently, indoor lemons can be found more and more often in homes. It is a not very tall tree that grows quite normally in an ordinary flower pot. But in order for it to be beautiful and bear fruit well, it should be pruned. This article is about how to prune a lemon correctly.

When to prune

There is a statement that it is necessary to prune a young lemon that was grown from a shortened cutting or seedling before the start of the active stage of the growing season at the age of one year. This is usually done in February. In this case, the home tree should reach a height of 20 cm.

At the same time, there is a slightly different approach to lemon pruning. In this situation, it is carried out in the spring, most often in March, and always before the start of the first growth. Typically, in the spring, lemon pruning is carried out during the flowering and budding period.

You can also find information that homemade lemons are pruned in winter. In this case, pruning is carried out after all the fruits have been removed. This pruning can also be done in the fall. At the same time, autumn-winter pruning of indoor lemon can replace spring pruning. This method will help increase the fruitfulness of homemade lemon.

It is believed that the best time to prune a lemon tree is spring.

It should be remembered that indoor young lemons should be trimmed only when necessary, since frequent and unnecessary pruning can only weaken them.

If you have an old homemade lemon tree, you can prune it for rejuvenation. In this case, weakened branches are cut to the maximum available distance in order to stimulate the growth of new young shoots.

With proper pruning, as well as timely and high-quality care, the lemon tree will bear fruit for a long time, and its life expectancy will noticeably increase.

In the absence of timely and necessary pruning, the lemon will grow with one trunk with no side branches, or as an ordinary dense bush.

Instructions

Since lemons are pruned mainly to form a crown, they do this according to certain instructions and rules in order to achieve the desired result. An indoor lemon tree should have the required number of skeletal main branches, overgrowing shoots and a large number of small fruit branches.

Lighting is very important for lemons, so it is necessary to prune the plant so that its leaves can receive the maximum amount of sunlight.

To form and properly trim the crown, the following rules exist:

You should start pruning a young tree only after it has grown to a height of at least 20 cm;
for pruning, the standard should be 10-15 cm in height, and in the case of a cutting plant, you can do without it altogether;
The lemon's nutritional needs, lighting and other biological characteristics should be taken into account. Because otherwise, trimming the crown will only result in a decorative tree that will not bear fruit.

Lemon pruning diagram

This process will also be shown more clearly in the video posted in the article below.

Features of branching and its effect on pruning

Also, in order to properly prune a lemon, you need to know the features of its branching, which are as follows:

lemon seedlings or occulant at the beginning of growth form only one single vertical shoot, which is classified as first order;
in the second year (or at the end of the first year) the formation of lateral shoots occurs, which are also classified as first order. They must be left in the amount of 4 pieces;
in the future, shoots of the second order will form on the side shoots of the first order, and so on;
after the formation of lateral shoots of the fourth order, the onset of the first fruiting is possible.

An adult and already fruit-bearing lemon tree has several variants of branches that begin to bear fruit in the first year, while others continue to grow and begin to bear fruit only after a year. It is also possible to form new shoots with only one apical flower. Sometimes so-called vertically growing “fatty” and non-fruiting branches are formed. In such a situation, there are two possible ways to get rid of such unwanted “fatty” shoots:

complete removal;
shortening by 25 cm and their degeneration into normal fruiting branches.

Only fruit branches, which are usually located in the upper part of the crown, are richest in useful ovaries. They are often placed horizontally, but can also occupy a hanging position.

During the growth and development of the lemon, as well as with proper care, the old branches gradually die off. To prevent them from taking on nutrients and minerals, they need to be trimmed. In this case, pruning is intended only to ensure that nutrients are correctly distributed and go only to young and healthy branches, as well as fruits.

Taking into account the branching characteristics of this indoor plant, the following instructions were developed:

It is necessary to start pruning with a shoot of zero order. It is pruned at a height of about 15 or 20 cm. In this case, you need to leave four well-developed buds;
from these buds the main skeletal shoots will form in the future. They should be directed evenly and in different directions;
in the future, they should be plucked or pinched at the moment when these branches have reached a length of about 30 cm (sometimes 20 cm is enough);
pluck out only excess shoots at the moment they appear;
if the shoots are useful and necessary, then they are pinched when the first 5 or 7 leaves are formed. Only pinch out the tops;
it is necessary to trim second-order shoots to a length of up to 25 cm;
subsequent shoots are usually shortened 5 cm shorter than the previous ones;
the formation and pruning of the crown skeleton is completed on shoots of the fourth order.

Nuances of crown formation

In addition to the instructions, there are also certain rules for pruning and crown formation of citrus plants. By following these rules, you can make future pruning much easier and significantly increase your yield.

Rules for pruning and crown formation:

pruning and pinching can be carried out throughout the growing season;
You can shorten all branches, but you should start from the trunk. This will help force the plant to take the shape of a bush, as a result of which fruit formation will occur faster;
the trunk can only be shortened by no more than 20 cm. In this case, it is best to leave only a couple of well-developed buds, which are directed in different directions;
shoots of the first order are not recommended to be shortened by more than 25 cm, and shoots of the second order - by more than 10 cm;
branches of subsequent orders (3, 4, 5) can be shortened only by 5 cm;
crown formation can be completed by pruning branches of the fourth or fifth orders.

During the entire process of crown formation (takes from two to three years), you should ensure that several upper buds germinate simultaneously. If this is not possible, this one extra shoot must be completely removed, but the branch itself must not be cut off. It is necessary to remove the shoot when it has already begun to grow.

Forming and pruning a flat crown is more beneficial for the lemon tree, since it allows it to be most optimally placed on the windowsill.

For such a crown, there are the following instructions for its formation:

at the very beginning you need to bend, trim and guide the branches that grow deep into the room and orient them in the direction of the window sill;
at the moment when the width and height of the plant crown reaches the boundaries of the window socket, hard pinching or pruning is used.

As a result, a living “curtain” is formed, and the tree itself begins to bear fruit more actively.

Video “Pruning a homemade lemon tree”

In this video you can see how to properly prune without damaging the tree.

Video “How to graft a lemon grown from a seed. We graft an adult indoor lemon"

Plodovie.ru - all about the garden and vegetable garden

Lemon is a popular indoor fruit-bearing plant. Caring for it is not difficult, but you need to follow certain rules for growing this tree. Pruning is an essential part of caring for indoor lemons. It allows you to give the tree a decorative appearance and ensure long-term fruiting.

Do I need to trim lemons at home?

When growing lemons indoors, pruning is mandatory. Lemon is a large plant. Outdoors, its height reaches 8 m. In a room, the height of a lemon should not exceed 2 m.

Despite modern compact varieties of indoor lemons, which are distinguished by their small height, you still cannot do without pruning. This procedure is carried out for a number of reasons. Here are the most basic of them:

The tree is given a decorative appearance, and its crown is given a certain shape;
Pruning ensures the growth of new side shoots and prevents the tree from increasing in height, which promotes fruiting;
A properly formed crown ensures a long life of the tree and regular fruiting;
Pruning can be used to rejuvenate an older specimen.

When can you prune a homemade lemon?

There is no consensus among experts about when it is necessary and best to prune a lemon at home. Some recommend pruning lemon trees in early spring. There is also an opinion that if you prune indoor lemons in autumn or winter, this will ensure greater yield. And some people believe that lemon trees can be pruned all year round.

Most often, formative pruning of lemons is carried out in early spring.

Its goal is to give the tree crown the desired shape and ensure branching of shoots and growth of fruit branches. This pruning is not carried out every year, but when necessary. You cannot prune the lemon too much or too often, as this depletes the tree and can even lead to its death.

Old trees are also pruned in early spring.

This is a severe pruning in which old branches are removed so that the tree grows as many young branches as possible. Sanitary pruning is carried out in the fall after all the fruits have been removed from the tree.

At the same time, all dry and damaged branches are removed. Weak and “fatty” shoots are also removed. Fattening shoots or tops can be cut out completely or shortened by ¾, since in the future such a shoot may grow into a fruit branch.

First pruning of a lemon tree

The first lemon pruning is carried out in February during 1 year of the plant’s life. At this time, the young plant does not yet have side shoots, but only a straight trunk. The first pruning of a lemon forms a trunk and ensures the appearance of several side shoots.

To do this, you need to examine the trunk of a young tree and find dormant buds on it., from which the branches of the plant will appear. It is best if there are 3 or 4 buds and they are located in a circle at the same height.

Then an incision is made 1-1.5 cm above them and the upper part of the trunk is removed. The lower part remains for the trunk and future crown. Cut the trunk 20-25 cm above the soil level. The work is carried out with sharp garden pruners. After the operation, the sections are filled with garden varnish.

How to properly trim indoor lemons

There is a generally accepted scheme for pruning indoor lemons, which is most effective in forming the crown and growing fruit branches. In order for lemon pruning to proceed correctly, you need to know such a thing as the branching order of the tree.

So, a shoot of 0 order is a tree trunk. Several main branches extend from it - shoots of the 1st order. In turn, shoots of the 2nd order are formed on them, and so on. The tree grows fruit branches, starting from shoots of the 4th order and higher.

To form the crown

The beginning of crown formation is the initial pruning of the shoot at level 0, which is described above. Next, how to properly trim a lemon at home is clearly demonstrated by the diagram:

If during initial pruning the length of the trunk or shoot of the 0th order was 20 cm, then when growing shoots of the 1st order, they are shortened so that their length is 25 cm;
Pruning shoots 2nd order carried out when they have grown to a length of 20 cm or more. Their length after trimming should be 20 cm;
Shoots of each subsequent order branches should be 5 cm shorter in length;
Formation ends on shoots of the 5th order, the length of which is 5 cm.

The formation of the crown of a lemon tree must be completed before it begins to bear fruit. Otherwise, the fruit flower buds will be removed and the tree will not bear fruit all season.

For abundant flowering

Proper formation of the crown of a lemon tree contributes to its abundant flowering. After crown formation is complete in early March, you should not expect flowering right away. The skeleton of the crown is quite branched, but there are no fruit branches on it, on which flowers and fruits are formed.

For fruiting

The formed crown of the lemon tree will ensure its abundant flowering. But you need to remember that if there are a lot of flowers, the plant can shed the ovary. Also, many small and low-quality fruits may form on it, which will lead to a lack of flowering and fruiting next year.

The blooming lemon is carefully inspected, and excess flowers are removed.

Ideally, on each 5th order branch there should be no more than 3-4 ovaries. Therefore, the largest and strongest flowers are left, and the rest are cut or plucked. If there are a lot of flowers, you can completely remove the fruit branch with flowers and buds.

By removing excess flowers and buds, you don’t have to worry about the ovary falling. This kind of pruning of lemons for fruiting at home during flowering will ensure a good harvest of large and high-quality fruits.

For propagation by cuttings

Usually when pruning a large overgrown tree with a large crown Many cut branches are formed, from which cuttings are cut for rooting. No one specifically prunes a lemon so that it grows quickly.

However, if the plant produces weak growth, then its crown slowly increases in size, and, consequently, after pruning there is little material left for rooting. There is a way to make lemon tree shoots grow faster.

Lemon branches begin to grow faster if the fruit branches are removed from them.

This is what they do if there are too many of them. If you remove these branches, growth buds appear on the shoot in the spring. The branch begins to grow and branch intensively. Thus, by removing the fruit growth, you can grow the crown in a short time, and then trim it, obtaining many cuttings for rooting.

Anti-aging pruning

You can prune an old lemon when the tree gives a little growth. These are usually very old lemon trees. They can be rejuvenated and their intense flowering and fruiting can be extended for several years.

Rejuvenating pruning of an old lemon affects only branches of the 3rd order and above.

The main branches of the crown skeleton, if they are alive, should not be touched. All branches of order 5 and higher are completely deleted. When rejuvenating pruning, it is necessary to completely remove old, dry and weakened branches.

All shoots growing inside the crown are also cut out. Typically, rejuvenation pruning results in the loss of a large number of branches. But after this, the tree’s growth increases significantly, and it quickly restores its crown.

After the anti-aging pruning has been carried out, it is necessary to feed the lemon with organic fertilizers. You can also use special fertilizers for lemons with a large amount of nitrogen so that the tree grows green mass faster.

What is the difference between pinching and trimming?

Pinching and pruning lemons are different methods of shaping the crown of a tree. They are almost identical, but there is a fundamental difference between them. Pinching an indoor lemon is the same as pruning it, but its purpose is only to destroy the growing point.

Pinch with nail scissors if the branches are not thick, and with sharp pruning shears if the branches are thick.

Pruning a lemon involves not only destroying the growth point of the shoot, but also shortening it. You can trim any shoot to any length. The rest of the shoot should send out side branches and bloom after a while.

Pinching differs from pruning only in the level at which the shoot can be cut. If you need to shorten it by 2/3, 1/3 is trimming. Pinching allows you to get by with only a slight decrease in green mass.

How to pinch a lemon correctly

The technology for pinching lemon shoots is simple. It is not much different from pruning. For this procedure you will need scissors or a small pruning shears, as well as garden varnish. Pinching a shoot means shortening it by 1-2 cm along with the growth point. Then, over time, numerous side shoots will appear on it.

Before work, equipment must be carefully prepared. Scissors and pruning shears - disinfect in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Using scissors, cut off the most tender part of the shoot - the growth point with 1-2 leaves. But there are times when the scissors do not take the hard shoot. In this case, you can use garden pruners. After removing part of the shoot with the growing point, you need to treat the cut so that it does not get infected. To do this, the sections are covered with a small amount of garden varnish.

Lemon care at home after pruning

After trimming your homemade lemon, you need to process all the cuts. To do this, use garden varnish. If this is not done, pathogenic bacteria and fungi can enter the wounds. A pruned lemon tree is best placed in partial shade.

In bright light, a damaged plant may drop its remaining foliage.

The lemon should remain in partial shade for at least 2 weeks, or better yet, until growth begins. After pruning, you need to water the plant as usual. The temperature of the lemon must be at least 20ºС.

Do not increase the humidity in the apartment, since a damaged plant will certainly rot in humid air.

It is very important to feed the plant after pruning. Lemon responds very well to feeding with a weak solution of mullein. You can also use liquid specialized fertilizers for citrus fruits with a high nitrogen content.

How to form a crown by pinching

You can shape the crown of a lemon not only by pruning, but also by pinching it. You need to pinch the shoot when it has reached the desired length, but not later. Therefore, you need to gradually form the lemon crown by pinching throughout the year.

The first pruning is also replaced by pinching when the trunk of a young tree reaches a height of 20-25 cm.

After this, the tip of the shoot, along with the upper leaves, is pinched. Further, when level 1 shoots appear on the trunk, they are also pinched, and precisely when their length becomes 1-2 cm longer than the generally accepted norm, namely, a length of 25 cm.

Then, gradually, as the shoots grow, they need to be pinched. This is how the crown of a lemon tree is formed without pruning. This is better for the tree, since pinching occurs gradually, 1-2 shoots at a time, so damage to the plant is insignificant.

Lemon can be grown indoors from a seed or from a cutting. The first option is much more expensive than the second. In addition, a specimen from a seed most likely does not inherit the characteristics of the varietal plant.

It can grow very large and will need to be heavily pruned to grow indoors.

If you grow a lemon from a cutting, the cutting must be cut from a varietal specimen. Then a real indoor compact lemon will grow in the apartment, which will not need to be grafted to bear fruit. Caring for indoor lemon is not difficult:

It does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil and drying out of the earthen coma;
Watering it should be regular;
The temperature and humidity in a city apartment are completely suitable for growing lemon;
As it grows, it is necessary to form the crown of the plant. This can be done by trimming or pinching.

But the main thing is that the formation of the crown is a necessary stage to ensure abundant flowering and fruiting of lemon.