Patio Lemon Tree (Citrus limon)

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Plant Details

Category: Container

Light: Full Sun

Bloom Season:

Height: 6-10' /

1.8-3m

Space: 3-6' /

0.9-1.8m

Zones: 9, 10, 11, 12

Lowest Temp: 20° to 30°F /

-7° to -1°C

Colors: Grown for Fruit

Basic Care

Locate the tree away from the shade of larger trees or buildings. Place it where the branches will be accessible from all sides so fruit can be easily harvested as it matures. Best in fertile, well-drained soil. Keep soil moist, watering freely in dry weather. Remove fast-growing suckers that sprout from the root area around the main trunk.

Water

Keep well-watered.

Soil

Fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil.

Feed

Apply slow release fertilizer for citrus trees in the spring.

detailed care guide →

Attracts Pollinators

Fragrant

Ornamental Flower

Culinary

Containers

Borders

Features

Patio lemons produce the same fruits as landscape lemon trees but with the portability of a potted plant. That means the tree can be conveniently located by a door, on a patio, deck, or even a balcony. Place where the sweetly scented flowers can be enjoyed and the fruits can be easily picked. Potted trees are perfect for defining spaces to create privacy, add a dimension of height among other patio planters, or simply bringing a big-landscape feeling to small spaces.

Uses

A great plant for large patio containers where the fragrant flowers can be enjoyed and the fruit easily picked. A pair looks beautiful placed on either side of a gate or entranceway. Can also be grown indoors if space and ample sunlight can be provided.

Patio Lemon Tree (Citrus limon) Care Guide

Start with a good quality, commercial potting soil. These are usually lighter in weight than topsoil, sterile and pest-free. Many are available with a mild starter fertilizer in the mix.

Select a container with a drainage hole or be prepared to drill holes for drainage if there are none.

Prepare the container by filling with potting soil up to 2” (5cm) from the rim of the planter. Remove the plant from its pot or pack. If plants are in a pack, gently squeeze the outside of the individual plant cell while tipping container to the side. If plant doesn’t loosen, continue pressing on the outside of the container while gently grasping the base of the plant and tugging carefully so as not to crush or break the stem until the plant is released. If the plant is in a pot, gently grasp the base of the plant, tip it sideways and tap the outside of the pot to loosen. Rotate the container and continue to tap, loosening the soil until the plant pulls smoothly from the pot.

Make a small hole in the soil slightly larger than the root ball either by hand or using a trowel. Insert the plant into the hole and press soil firmly around the roots and just covering the root ball. When all the plants are potted, water thoroughly to settle the soil and give plants a good start.

Plan ahead for plants that get tall and require staking or support cages. It’s best to install cages at planting time, before the foliage gets bushy. Vining plants require vertical space to grow, so provide a small trellis that allows the plant to grow freely and spread.

Plants in containers can dry out quickly, depending on the weather, and may need water more frequently than plants in the garden bed. Check the soil moisture with your finger. If the top 2-4” (5-10cm) of soil is dry, or plants are wilted, it is time to water.

Apply water at the soil level if possible to avoid wetting the foliage. Water the entire soil area until water runs out the base of the pot. This indicates that the soil is thoroughly wet.

Most container plants can be pruned freely to maintain the desired size and shape. Keeping the foliage trimmed also keeps the plants looking neat and tidy, encourages the plant to develop more side-shoots and flowers, and reduces the demand for the plant to develop a larger root system. This is important since the roots are in a confined space.

Remove old flowers to keep plant looking healthy and prevent seed production that drains the plant’s energy at the expense of forming new flowers.

Some plants are grown only for their attractive foliage (such as coleus, dusty miller and flowering kale). The flowers are not particularly attractive so any buds that appear should be pinched off to keep the foliage looking its best.

Fertilizers are available in many forms: granulated, slow-release, liquid feeds, organic or synthetic. Determine which application method is best for the situation and select a product with a nutritional balance designed to encourage blooming (such as 5-10-5).

Too much fertilizer can damage plants so it’s important to follow the package directions to determine how much, and how often, to feed plants.

Slow-release fertilizers are an especially good, care-free choice for container plants. A single application can often provide plants with the proper level of nutrition all season long.

Companion/Combination Plants

4 Comments

Ellen on June 30, 2023 at 5:49 pm

I bought a patio lemon bush. There are several lemons on it which first appearance was 5/1 it is June 30 was wondering how long to ripen. Mine are the size of golfballs and very green.
Thank you
Ellen
Reply
- My Garden Life on July 2, 2023 at 6:39 pm
  
  Hi Ellen,
  Patience is required when waiting for lemons to ripen since it can take as long as six months. Minneopa Orchards has an article with more details on When is the Right Time to Pick Lemons that you might find interesting.
  Reply
Debbie W. on July 7, 2023 at 12:22 pm

You say to “remove fast growing suckers that sprout from root area”of my (container)lemon tree. I’m not sure what these things look like or if I even have them.
Reply
- My Garden Life on July 7, 2023 at 3:23 pm
  
  Hi Debbie,
  On a grafted citrus tree, a sucker is any stem emerging from below the knobby area around the base of the plant where the top of the tree (the preferred variety) has been grafted to a different variety of rootstock (a variety chosen for the vigorousness and durability of the roots). Anything sprouting from the area of the rootstock is not the fruit variety that you want to grow and allowing the suckers to grow just depletes energy and nourishment from the top of the tree. You want all of the plants efforts to go to the top of the tree. This article from The Yard Posts has several photos showing suckers on citrus trees and has other information specific to citrus you might find useful.
  Reply