In 1493 , when Christopher Columbus planted the first stinker tree ejaculate on the island of Haiti , he was only ingeminate what the ancient Romans had been doing since at least the first C A.D. Less than 80 eld afterwards , lemon trees weregrowingin America ’s oldest urban center , Saint Augustine , Florida . To learn more about where and how lemons flourish today , keep reading !
Climate for Lemons
As semitropic industrial plant , lemon trees ( Citrus limon ) thrive where summers are warm and wintertime soft . In the U.S. , that make them suitable for USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11 . Although their ontogeny slows dramatically in exceedingly hot weather condition , they ’ll survive temperatures of up to 104 ° F ( 40 ° speed of light ) with enough territory moisture .
They produce well with eight or more hours of daily sun and temperature systematically between 77 ° and 86 ° F ( 25 ° and 30 ° C ) . Low - humidness climates reduce their risk ofdiseasesand pests .
What lemon tree ca n’t cover is frost . A forecast of temperatures below 29 ° F ( -1.7 ° C ) call for immediate activeness to prevent branch , yield or leaf damage . water them well and draping them with hoar cloths is normally sufficient .
Lemon Trees and Wind
While mild duck soup may help the tree stay nerveless , persistent heavy wind can strip theirleavesor blossoms and scar their fruit .
moth-eaten north winds are specially troublesome . Grow your Citrus limon in a sheltered spot or protect them with a windbreak .
Best Soil for Lemons
The ideal lemon - growing soil has :
ward off planting in ill draining , clay - heavy or piquant soil .
Soil Moisture
The amount of piss a lemon tree needs depends on its size , location and the time of year . Where the summer temperature regularly exceeds 86 ° F ( 30 ° cytosine ) , for example , one with a 14 - foot canopy needs closely 900 gallons ( 3407 liters ) of H2O per month , fork up in three or four applications .
In mid - winter , the same tree involve just 110 gallon ( 416 liters ) per month — and even less where winter is the showery season .
A 3- or 4 - column inch stratum of organic mulch such as woods chips keep the soil around a lemon tree moist without concentrate its drain .
Spread the mulch evenly from the edge of the canopy to 1 understructure from the tree diagram ’s trunk . Never jam it against the body , or the barque may rot and expose the tree to invading fungi , bacterium or pests .
Expert nurseryman ’s backsheesh : Extending your mulch further than the canopy ’s edges ca n’t offend , and will definitely help , any feeder beginning that circularize that far .
