Learning how to grow a lemon tree from seed is surprisingly rewarding and easy.
While lemon trees tend to bloom outdoors year-round in warm, sunny regions, they can also be grown indoors as edible houseplants in cool-season climates. If you love drinking lemonade or using lemon juice in your cooking, having your own lemon tree at home is a great way to save on groceries.
Additionally, a lemon tree will bring a delicious and refreshing aroma into your home. Let’s get started!
To grow your own lemon tree, you will need the following:
- An organic lemon because non-organic lemons often contain seeds that do not germinate
- Fertile loam, preferably containing peat, vermiculite, perlite and natural fertilizers
- A planting pot six inches wide and six inches deep (will be used for germination)
- A seedling pot approximately 24 inches wide by 12 inches deep
- A sunny indoor growing area and possibly a growing lamp
Follow these steps to grow your own lemon tree:
- Moisten the potting soil so that it is moist, but not soggy, throughout.
- Fill the smaller pot with soil, up to an inch below the rim.
- Cut your lemon and remove a seed. Remove all the pulp from its surface. A good way to do this is to simply suck it until it is clean.
- Don’t delay planting. The seed should still be moist when buried in the soil. Plant the seed about half an inch deep in the middle of the pot.
- Gently mist the soil directly above the seed with water from a spray bottle.
- Cover the pot with clear plastic wrap, seal the edges with a good rubber band and poke small holes in the top with a pencil.
- Place the pot in a warm, sunny location.
- Spray more water from time to time, without letting the soil dry out. Don’t make puddles though. Just keep the soil slightly moist.
- After about two weeks, when the shoot emerges, remove the plastic covering. If you need additional light for your lemon tree, you can use a grow light to supplement the sunlight.
- Care for the young plant by keeping the soil moist, making sure it gets at least eight full hours of light per day, and giving it moderate doses of organic fertilizer.
- Monitor your plant to make sure it is not attacked by insects or diseases. Prune brown and dead leaves if necessary. Use pesticides if you must. Protect your new lemon tree!
- When the plant outgrows its small pot, move it into the larger pot. You will follow pretty much the same procedure when you replant it as you did when you first planted it. Younger plants need more water than older plants, but they all need adequate water. Don’t starve your poor plant after all that growing work!
How to Successfully Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed
If you follow these instructions, you will eventually end up with your own lemon tree.
And while you can always buy a lemon at the market, the educational experience of growing your own lemons will be worth it. You’ll also be able to enjoy lemons fresh off the tree to your heart’s content, and you’ll have grown a great addition to your home decor.