How to feed homemade lemon during flowering. The better to feed a lemon at home. How to Fertilize Lemons

Lemons grown at home have root system about forty times smaller in size than the same plants grown outdoors.

It is for this reason that indoor citrus fruits should be fed regularly a small amount of nutrients.

Excessive fertilizers adversely affect the development of the lemon. How to properly fertilize a lemon so that it grows well, does not get sick and brings a fairly high yield?

Many people who grow lemons sometimes think about how to feed a lemon at home.

The type of feeding is quite simple to determine.: you need to pay attention to the color of the leaves of the plant, the growth of its shoots, as well as the color and size of the fruit. Depending on the condition of the tree, phosphorus, nitrogen or potassium should be added.

So, if there is not enough nitrogen in the soil, then the leaves have an underdeveloped appearance and a faded color, the yield of lemons is small, and the fruits are small in size.

If there is not enough phosphorus, then there is a violation of material exchange. As a result, the leaves begin to fall off, the fruits develop rough and often even ugly. We talked in detail about why lemon leaves fall and how to stop it.

Fasting for potassium compounds leads, as a rule, to an increase in the size of the leaf blade and their strong folding.

In addition, the yield is noticeably reduced and the fruits are light in weight.

Chlorosis develops when there is a deficiency of an element such as iron.. At the same time, the leaves turn pale, turn yellow, the fruits begin to lose color saturation and fall off in an unripe state, and the upper part of the branches usually dries out quickly.

Not enough calcium leads to weakening of the tree. The leaf blade is covered with small spots and falls off. Over time, the shoots die off.

The absence of the following elements negatively affects the condition of the lemon: copper and magnesium, zinc with boron, as well as other trace elements.

For , it is very important to introduce mineral nitrogen fertilizers into the substrate. Typically, gardeners are advised to give preference to ammonium nitrate, used in the form of a half-percent solution.

So, it is necessary to prepare top dressing of the following composition: two tablespoons of fertilizer per bucket of water. Often it is brought into the soil along with potassium salt (twenty grams of potassium salt and fifty grams of ammonium nitrate are added to a bucket of water). If the plant grows on alkaline soil, then it is better to replace the saltpeter with ammonium sulfate. It will take one and a half times more.

Phosphorus fertilizer for lemon is superphosphate. Sometimes, before such top dressing, it is recommended to add fifty grams of the substance to a liter of water and boil for half an hour so that the fertilizer dissolves well. The solution is then diluted in a bucket of water. The combination of superphosphate with compost or manure affects the condition of the tree favorably.

As an organic fertilizer chicken manure is used, as well as humus and slurry. Fresh manure is poured with water for ten days, then diluted with enough water to make the composition of the solution weakly concentrated. A few grams of potassium salt and superphosphate are added to the liquid.

If bird droppings are taken, then it is better to use pigeon or chicken.

It should be noted that indoor lemons respond well to all types of organic fertilizers. However should not be entered at the same time.

It is necessary to determine what exactly the plant needs in a particular period. It is worth feeding a lemon by applying a moderate amount of this or that fertilizer. Otherwise, the tree may be severely damaged.

It is very important to apply to the soil from time to time potassium permanganate- the most optimal lemon growth stimulator. It will be enough just one or two grains the size of a grain of millet. No less effective is a soot solution with a concentration of one handful per ten liters of water.

During a period of intense growth the tree should be regularly fed with complex mineral fertilizers. This usually needs to be done twice a month.

What is the need for top dressing of lemon during the fruiting period? When fruiting, the plant especially needs complex top dressing. Fertilizer should be applied every ten days, choosing both micro and macro elements. Mineral fertilizers of lemons are recommended to be alternated with organic tinctures.

Lemon is a citrus, evergreen plant that is characterized by almost uninterrupted growth.

In this regard, they constantly need a sufficient amount of nutrients throughout the year. Top dressing for indoor lemon should not be carried out occasionally, but regularly.

How and how to fertilize indoor lemon at home, you can learn from this video.

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Lemon at home looks like a small tree with dense dark green leaves with a shiny surface. Indoor lemon blooms over a long period of time and produces fruits that are slightly smaller in size than store ones, but just as healthy, fragrant and palatable. From one such tree, with proper care and ideal conditions, you can collect 18-20 fruits.

Proper care of citrus fruits consists in timely moistening of the soil, regular fertilizing, maintaining the required level of air humidity, lighting and temperature conditions. Full growth and development, as well as the future harvest, depend on compliance with all the requirements of the plant. With insufficient nutrition and untimely application of the necessary fertilizers, at a certain stage, the lemon will definitely give a “signal” in the form of falling flowers, ovaries, or fruits just beginning to form. Without taking any rescue measures, the lemon may die.

Abundant watering is one of the most important rules for caring for an evergreen. Irrigation water should not be cold and must be separated. But watering not only helps to moisten the root part and grow the crop, irrigation water also flushes out useful substances, passing through the entire earthen clod. Nutrient deficiencies mean a minimal and poor-quality crop. Lemon requires additional feeding with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus for all twelve months. For example, with poor growth and abundant flowering, nitrogen is needed, and with poor flowering and rapid growth, phosphorus.

Nitrogen-containing fertilizers

Nitrogen is a vital substance for citrus fruits, on which the growth of the leafy part and the quality of the stems, full flowering and ovary formation depend. With its deficiency, external signs appear on a room lemon: yellow leaves, pale and scarce flowering, ovary fall, growth retardation or cessation.

Phosphorus-containing fertilizers

Phosphorus is a nutrient that affects the formation of fruits, their further quality and external characteristics. Its insufficient amount is indicated by leaves that change their green color to brown, then gradually dry out and fall off, and irregularly shaped fruits with a thick, rough peel.

Fertilizers containing potassium

With a lack of potassium, the entire blow, first of all, takes the leafy part of the plant. The leaves change their green color to bronze-yellow. Their size increases significantly, the surface can be covered with small light spots and droplets of gum. With a prolonged shortage of this useful substance, the plant sheds foliage and dies.

Experienced gardeners recommend the use of complex fertilizers, which contain all the nutrients necessary for lemon - this is not only potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen, but also a large number of microelements important for proper growth and development. Such top dressing is especially important from the beginning of May to the beginning of November. Mineral fertilizers can be applied alternately with organic ones. For example, organic top dressing with 1 part bird droppings (or manure) and 9 parts warm water has proven itself well.

Water the plant before fertilizing. Fertilizing should not be applied to dry soil. The nutrient solution is introduced gradually in small portions until it saturates the entire earthen lump. Its temperature should be as close as possible to the temperature of the soil mixture in the container with lemon.

The quality of the crop depends on the attention and care of the plant!

How to feed indoor lemon (video)

The most common exotic plant that can be grown at home is the lemon. It is unpretentious, but needs regular feeding. With a lack of nutrients, citrus gets sick and dries.

Nettle decoction - a folk remedy for feeding lemon

Signs of nutrient deficiencies in the soil

Homemade lemon is grown in a pot, the supply of nutrients is limited by a set of soil. Gradually, the plant draws all the nutrients from the soil. Before fertilizing, you need to figure out what exactly the flower is missing.

If homemade lemon lacks nitrogen, then the leaves turn pale, the turgor of their tissues gradually decreases. Young shoots, due to a lack of nitrogen, slow down their growth and development, and flower ovaries do not form.
With a lack of phosphorus in a plant, stagnation in fruiting and flowering is noted. Single inflorescences are formed or not formed at all. The leaves turn black and fall off, fruits of irregular shape are formed.
Due to the lack of potassium, the lemon tree suffers from chlorosis, which causes a gradual lightening and drying of the leaves of the tree from the edge to the base. The fruits of the plant ripen slowly, and after full ripening become unsuitable for food.
It is difficult to determine the lack of calcium, since external signs are limited to the lack of growth of the upper shoots and their gradual death. It is this element that affects the development of the root system of the plant.

Yellowing leaves - a sign of a lack of nutrients

The main types of dressings

If a novice florist does not know how to feed a lemon at home, then you should refer to the specialized literature on citrus fruits. Advice on caring for and feeding the plant can also be obtained from the store where the plant was purchased. All fertilizers needed for a homemade lemon tree are divided into two groups:

mineral complexes.
organic nutrients.

But before fertilizing, it is necessary to inspect the plant and identify a nutrient deficiency. If top dressing of a lemon is a preventive measure, then you should choose a complex fertilizer rich in composition.

Mineral fertilizers for feeding lemon

Among the mineral fertilizers used to feed homemade lemon, ammonium nitrate stands out. It is able to saturate the soil with nutrients and completely eliminate nitrogen starvation of the plant. It cannot be applied to the soil in its pure form, it is necessary to prepare a 0.5% solution. Often, ammonium nitrate is additionally enriched with potassium salt.

Among phosphate fertilizers, superphosphate is ideal. Its main feature is poor solubility in water for both ordinary superphosphate and fertilizer in the form of granules, so most flower growers prefer not to turn superphosphate into a solution, but to apply it to the soil in solid form. The introduction of superphosphate into the soil can improve the taste of fruits and significantly improve the condition of the root system of the plant. You can also feed lemon with double superphosphate, but before use, it is necessary to deoxidize the soil, for which wood ash or ordinary chalk is used.

Flower shops sell ready-made mineral fertilizers of complex action, used for preventive plant nutrition and with a lack of nutrients.

If a beginner grower does not know how to fertilize a lemon, then it is worth purchasing such a complex. Often flower shops sell mixtures for spraying citrus fruits based on potassium permanganate. They help to make up for the lack of manganese, eliminate disturbances in the vascular system of the leaf. For spraying, you can also use ordinary potassium permanganate powder, diluted with water.

How to properly fertilize:

Only during the growing season, when the plant is ready to take in nutrients and use them in growth.
A year-round fruiting plant is fertilized not only from March to September, but also during wintering.

Superphosphate - the optimal mineral fertilizer for lemon

organic nutrients

Among organic fertilizers, flower growers most often use:

Fermented cow dung (mullein).
Diluted bird droppings.

Cow dung is rich in nutrients, a solution based on it is able to saturate the soil in a pot of lemon with everything it needs. They take fresh cow dung and fill it with warm water, close the container with manure with a loose lid and leave to ferment in a dark, cool place for 2 weeks. The infusion is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. For better efficiency, a little potassium salt and superphosphate are added.

As a fertilizer for indoor lemon, pigeon or chicken droppings are used. They take a kilogram of non-dried bird droppings and pour 10 liters of water. If dry litter is used to prepare the solution, then take 0.5 litter per 10 liters of water.

Bird droppings are a nitrogen-rich nutrient and should be used immediately, otherwise most of the nitrogen will escape. It is easy to care for a lemon at home, but it is more difficult to feed it with a fresh solution of pigeon droppings, so flower growers are increasingly using ready-made mineral complexes or folk methods.

Bird droppings - nitrogen-rich fertilizer

Folk remedies for feeding

Lemon care at home is simple, because citrus fruits love moisture, sunlight and the absence of temperature changes. Fertilizers play an important role in plant growth. It is not necessary to purchase fertilizers in stores or breed cow dung, there are proven folk remedies that help saturate the soil with nutrients:

Quinoa or river silt will make up for the lack of nitrogen in the soil. Dried sludge is crushed into powder and poured over the soil into a pot of lemon. Quinoa is also crushed and poured over the ground.
Nettle decoction. Spraying them helps not only get rid of pests, but also enhance the growth of young shoots.
If a homemade lemon has a lack of potassium or phosphorus starvation, then wood ash must be used to replenish nutrients. It can be added to the soil when transplanting a plant or prepare a nutrient solution. Take a teaspoon of wood ash and dissolve it in a liter of water.
An excellent tool that can make up for the deficiency of phosphorus in the soil is bone glue. You can buy it in dry form at a gardening store. Bone glue is used as a liquid fertilizer, before use it must be diluted with water (2 kg of glue per 1 liter of water). The mixture is boiled over low heat until it becomes liquid. Then the solution is cooled and filtered. Water the lemon tree in small portions several times a day with an interval of 2-3 hours. After watering, the soil in the pot is loosened.
Tea brew. It contains a large amount of nutrients that compensate for the lack of manganese, phosphorus, calcium and copper. But the concentration of nutrients in the used tea leaves is extremely low, so it is not recommended to use it as the main fertilizer.
Coffee grounds are rich in nutrients such as magnesium, nitrogen and calcium. To prevent nitrogen from evaporating from top dressing, it is necessary to use fresh tea leaves.
Sugar is used to enhance the growth of young shoots and saturate the soil with glucose. It can be used as a dry lemon fertilizer or as a solution. A small amount of sugar is poured onto the surface of the soil before watering, or a few teaspoons are dissolved in water. It is necessary to feed the plant with sugar no more than once a week, otherwise the plant will be oversaturated with glucose and this will negatively affect its growth.
Crushed eggshell. For the preparation of top dressing, chicken eggshells, crushed into powder, are used. Sometimes a few tablespoons of starch are added to it for better absorption of nutrients by the plant.

Growing a lemon at home is the dream of many flower growers. It is not difficult to germinate a bone, in just a couple of weeks a sprout will appear. But to grow a full-fledged tree out of it - strong and beautiful, is quite difficult. Such a plant is very sensitive to environmental conditions, but with the right approach, you can cope with this.

A lot of light and water, heat and humid air are the main conditions for the normal growth of citrus. But no less important is what nutrients the plant receives. Purchased soil is enough for 3 - 5 months, then you need to recharge so that you have enough strength for growth and development. You need to know exactly what and how to add to the ground, so as not to get the opposite effect.

Substances necessary for lemon

In order to grow a citrus plant at home, and even more so if the goal is to achieve fruiting from it, it is necessary to provide the plant with good nutrition. First of all, lemons need nitrogen, more than other trace elements. But it’s not worth feeding the plant with nitrogenous fertilizers alone, you should keep a balance - you need phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, and magnesium. Ideally, there should be twice as much nitrogen in relation to other elements.

Top dressing of indoor lemon can be carried out using ready-made mixtures. They can be purchased at a flower shop. Such compositions already contain all the necessary trace elements in the required quantity and ratio. Additionally, you can add a little fresh manure to the citrus soil. When rotting, nitrogen is released in large quantities, which is so necessary for such plants.

Alternatively, when transplanting a tree, you can mix the finished soil with horse manure in a ratio of 1: 3. Such a mixture will last the flower for about six months, then additional feeding will be required. Liquid fertilizer will perfectly cope with this task, or you can take mineral top dressing. In the latter case, it is imperative to dilute the granules with water (1-2 g per liter of water), otherwise the lemon roots will “burn out”. And this, of course, will lead to the death of the plant.

Nutrient application

Folk remedies for feeding

In the event that it is not possible to purchase ready-made dressings, or for some reason there is no desire to use them, you can use folk remedies. Similar mixtures and substances have been used for many decades, and will help create suitable conditions for lemons at home to develop.

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The best "food" for citrus fruits

There are some more interesting options on how to nourish a lemon at home: pour diluted milk, bury a fish head (fresh) in the ground, insist a banana peel in water, use water after washing meat, and the like. But such a fertilizer should be used with extreme caution, since organic matter can rot. And this threatens not only with an unpleasant odor, but also with the appearance of midges and even the death of the plant. Those methods of feeding lemons that are given above will be quite enough to make up for the lack of some trace elements.

As for the frequency of feeding citrus, it is recommended to carry it out from the beginning of spring to mid-autumn once every three weeks. Additionally, fertilizer can be applied after transplantation or after rooting of a young sprout. For the winter, top dressing should be stopped, the plant is at rest and it does not need additional nutrition as much as during active growth.

How to understand what is missing?

Sometimes it also happens that all the necessary conditions for the growth of a room lemon are created, additional nutrition is brought in on time, but still it does not grow, the leaves fall off and other unpleasant things happen. Perhaps this means that the citrus lacks some elements.
And it is not at all necessary to conduct experiments on a green pet, changing the fertilizer and its amount, it is quite possible to determine by the appearance of a lemon what exactly it needs. Accordingly, it remains only to increase the dosage of this substance, and the tree will again look great.

Secrets of growing exotic citrus trees

If you notice negative changes on a lemon in time, you can take the necessary measures and prevent the disease and death of the plant. In general, if you strictly observe the frequency and dosage of fertilizer, then such problems should not arise.

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