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Can i grow meyer lemons indoors without a lot of light?

14 years ago

Hi

just wondering i have a couple of meyer lemon seeds and have a couple of pots in my house. Unfortunately the only window i can use is an east facing window. In summer it probably gets 2-3 hours direct sun and 2-3 hours of indirect light. Is it possible to grow a meyer lemon tree in these conditions?

thanks

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Comments (9)

User
14 years ago
You might be able to get a lemon to hold its leaves in that environment, but it probably won't flower or fruit. If you supplemented the natural light with artificial that would help. You could of course just have them in that room over the winter months and outside for the rest of the year (someplace in full sun). They won't mind that low light condition over the winter and should hold their fruit inside over the winter. Good luck!
meyermike_1micha
14 years ago
While at the same time just make sure you do not use a soiless mix or soil that stays wet for long. And make sure to let your soil dry out well between waterings to avoid root rot..:-)
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Well, it says will require less watering which worries me. It may be a great mix for annuals? Don't you have access to pine bark? You could make your own.....How about a Lowe's...Do you have one near by? You do have plenty of options. It just depends on how much work you want to put in this. If you understand the concepts of mixes in containers, it will drive you to look for the best, make your own, or make do with what you are stuck with. I am not particularly fond of most bagged mixes with too many fine particles since they collaspe fast, draw bugs, hold to much moisture too long, suffocate roots with in a short time, deprive roots of much needed oxygen, accumulate salts, limit your frequent waterings, and the structure of it may start out fine, but fall apart with a short time. Of course the roots of a plant is the heart of it. So making your roots as happy as can be is a good start, especially with citrus. Let me know what you come up with, please. If you are limited to a bagged mix, you could always amend it to meet your trees requirements to remain healthy and strong. Here is what helped me understand how mixes work in containers. I hope this helps you decide what to do, use, look for. Mike:-) Here is a link that might be useful: Container Soils-Water Movement
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Imo, 2-3 inches of space around the roots is sufficient for at least a year for that size plant. There can be a problem putting a small root ball into a very large amount of potting mix, if the roots don't fill that whole space within a year, the soil not filled with roots can stay too wet. Potting mix works best when filled with some roots but not too many. I know it's kinda a Goldilocks thing, not enough soil, too much soil, just the right amount of soil!,lol, but I think 2-3 inches for you should be fine for the next year. After that year, gently slide the plant out a little to see the roots, if they've filled up the pot all the way to the edge and you can still see about half or more of the soil between the roots it's still good for a few more months. If you see mostly roots and very little soil, then it's time to repot again. And just up one or two next sized up pots. I agree with Steve on the drain holes though, most pots don't have enough. It will hurt nothing and benefit the tree a lot to add more drain holes. I think your dwarf spruce had more issues with just being inside than any watering problems. Pretty much all conifers do not do well inside. Even though they sell dwarf spruce as indoor live Christmas trees, they need to go outside after Christmas. Two to three weeks is about all they can tolerate being inside. They do just fine in the snow. You will find growing your Meyer lemon inside challenging at the very least. Like spruce, they also prefer being outside, but can't deal with snow, so many folks in cold areas do over winter them indoors. However those 3-5 months inside can be very stressful for the citrus trees, and they then get to recover outside all during the warm months. Also, Meyers are notorious for dropping leaves when it's moved to a new location, especially a lower light location, which indoors will be, even in front of the window. So don't panic if it does lose leaves, it will grow new ones which will tolerate less light. It's how it copes with a new environment. You will need to be careful to not over water it until the new leaves emerge. Not saying you can't do it, but it won't be as easy as say a philodendron. Light, light and more light will probably be your biggest issue. Second may be insect issues, if the tree isn't totally clean of them before you bring it inside. Check it very carefully, and use a magnifying glass as mites are really small. I'm sure others here who have grown them inside will have more advice for you shortly. Good luck with your tree. :)
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John hello..See if you can try to grab the concept of growing trees in a pot? Your goal is to keep your mix open and porous as much as you can for as long as you can until your next re pot. It also helps to aerate the mix often which allows oxygen to get to the roots more often. In turn you avoid root rot, fungal issues, gnats and a host of other surprises.. If you use 'Organics' in your mixes, not only is it not readily available to the tree, but it will eventually clog your air porous mix and catch you off guard. It will not provide all the important nutrients your tree needs at once but only certain kinds and in the end, you will be caught of guard and your tree will decline in vigor all of a sudden. My goal is to ALWAYS use water soluble fertilizer which provide nutrients right away without the fear of clogging up my mixes, and trust me, 'Organics' with clog up your mixes and will further speed up decomposition of an open mix which can cause compaction...Do you understand where I am coming from? Those 'Organics' seem to work for a while, and then like a firestorm, always catch people off guard with a host of nutrient problems for 'containerized' trees... Most here have found out that' Organics' do much better in the ground with reliable microbes to make them available to life in the dirt.
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Temp is just one variable. I would spend the money on an infrared thermometer. Keep an eye on the temperature of the leaves. The fan is a double edged sword. Of course it cools the leaves but too much fan will also dry them out if the air is dry. I use a dyson fan because it is more like natural wind. Looks like a nice Window Alex but it is a lot easier to bring the citrus outside in the spring and summer. When you bring it outside it becomes stronger and has a better chance of overwintering successfully. An article you might get some ideas from. https://www.gardena.com/int/garden-life/garden-magazine/everything-you-have-always-wanted-to-know-about-citrus-trees-and-overwintering-them/
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kurite
Original Author
14 years ago
Wait so i shouldn't use a 50/50 pearlite and peat moss soil? What about fro growing natal plum indoors?
badsmerf
14 years ago
That isn't a great mix at all. Head over to the container forum and read the water retention thread by Al. He has some excellent information about soils.
meyermike_1micha
14 years ago
Bad smerf is right...
If you are in zone 5, unless you know how to work with a soiless mix with that much peat, you might want to avoid using that mix for your zone area.

Besides, even if you know how, you won't be able to stop the fast collaspe of that mix while your roots suffocate withing weeks of using it, and as a PWT forms if is hasn't from the start.
If you find it takes more than 3 days for your mix to dry, I would consider a different mix asap..

There is the 5.1.1. and gritty mix that I use that have made it possible for me to grow anything I once could not, even citrus.

If you are desperatly in a rush and can't seem to put a mix together, then just strain out most of the peat in your bagged mix, and stick with mostly bark fines, a pinch of peat, and extra perlite..

Then for the spring, I would seriously consider the 1.1.1 mix...

Let us know how it works out for you..

Mike
tsmith2579
14 years ago
I use a very sandy loamy soild which comes from the local creek banks. It washes up on the creek banks when the creek overflows. Real dirt and real fruit.
meyermike_1micha
14 years ago
And..lol

The medium he's growing in is not the issue, it's the lack of nutrients and why?

What do you use to keep yours healthy in this type of "medium"..Help him will ya..lol

How are you anyway..Good to you tsmith..:-)
meyermike_1micha
14 years ago
Sorry...My bad....

I thought this was a different thread and therefor the above last post I left....Ignore it...lol. Thought I was on this thread....

Here is a link that might be useful: wrong thread
mmeverett
14 years ago
I live in the Pacific Northwest and bring my potted citrus in each winter. Usually, I just put it in a poorly lit corner with an incandescent and minimal watering. Yes the fruit will hold, and I have an orange tree that will even bloom under those conditions ( much to my surprise ), but will not set fruit ( not to my surprise ). Don't let them get TOO dry, though. However, this year, I brought them into the living room and set up a lot of grow lights. I have two very small Meyer Lemons, one of the original type and on improved. Both are sharing 24" fluorescent grow lights with other plants, and both are blooming. You can buy these 24" fixtures, including the bulb for $10 or less at Walmart or sometimes the supermarket. The light usually has a reddish color. You can replace the bulb, and if you do, get a sunlight bulb, or, if you want to spring for it, a full spectrum bulb (garden shop).

If you have a lot of space and want a bigger indoor garden, get a 48" shop light which holds two bulbs. Put in one sunlight bulb and one daylight bulb ( which will look blue next to the sunlight bulb ). Suspend this from a chain and hook in the ceiling. This gives a good light combination.

Incidentally, YOU TOO will enjoy these lights, especially on dark winter days.

If you are growing them with a lot of light, though, check the soil constantly. They can use a lot of water -- just don't over water.

I don't know whether these can self pollinate. Maybe someone could tell me?

Mona Everett

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