Ever wanted to grow a citrus tree but thought you had to move to California or Florida to make it happen? You don’t have to live in a sub-tropical climate to enjoy the tangy, sweet and sour fruits of your labour!
With the proper care, there are plenty of dwarf varieties that will allow you to harvest lemons, limes, and oranges right from your Southern Ontario living room. Here’s how it works.
There are a few citrus tree varieties that we would recommend to grow indoors as a houseplant. Here are some of our favourites!
– Dwarf Meyer Lemon Trees produce a sweet little cross between a mandarin orange and a lemon (so it’s a little less sour than a traditional lemon). They will bear fruit from roughly late November until early spring.
– Dwarf Lime Trees, like the Kaffir Lime, are also ideal for growing indoors. The Kaffir Lime is prevalent in Asian cuisine in particular.
– Calamondin Orange Trees produce a beautiful fruit that is a cross between a tangerine and a kumquat. They tend to bear fruit within their second year, and their lustrous green leaves have a lovely citrusy aroma.
We recommend purchasing a citrus tree that is already about two to three years old to ensure that it will bear fruit sooner rather than later.
Patience and lots of natural light are your best friend when growing citrus indoors. They have a couple of particular needs, but nothing that even an amateur gardener can’t handle with the proper instructions.
1) Ensure that your citrus tree’s pot has good drainage and is deep enough to balance the tree out once it grows a little taller, in turn becoming more ‘top-heavy.’
2) Opt for slightly acidic soil which has lots of organic matter. You can pick up soil designed explicitly for cacti and citrus trees, or you can try adding sand to a regular potting mix.
3) Choose a south-facing window if possible, as these tangy babies need about eight to twelve hours of sunlight a day, which can be challenging in the shorter, dark days of winter here in Southern Ontario.
4) Citrus trees will not thrive if they are exposed to drafts regularly (cool or warm) or in a place where the temperature fluctuates a lot.
5) Try not to let your soil dry out completely, but don’t let it sit with ‘wet feet’ for too long either. Moisture meters (which you can grab at our garden center) help manage soil moisture levels.
6) Using a high-nitrogen fertilizer, you will want to feed your indoor citrus tree every three weeks throughout spring and summer and about every six weeks in the fall and winter.
7) Take advantage of the gorgeous, long, bright sunny days here in the summer; be sure to transition your citrus tree outdoors gradually to avoid shocking it.
Here are a few common problems you might encounter with your citrus tree and how to remedy them.
Yellow, drooping leaves are often a sign of overwatering, which can be a death sentence for a citrus tree. It is imperative that citrus trees have plenty of drainage and never sit in standing water for longer than twelve hours.
Curled leaves are a sign of underwatering, which can also be harmful to a citrus tree. It is best to water deeply while still ensuring that it is not left to stand with ‘wet feet.’ We recommend watering about once a week, allowing the water to drain from the drain holes in the bottom of the pot and then watching how long it takes for the soil to dry out. From there, you can create a watering schedule for each season.
A plant dropping leaves means that the water temperatures are too cold for the plant to absorb nutrients. Yep, you read that right: citrus trees hate cold water! Be sure to let water sit at room temperature before watering.
Ready to grow your very own citrus tree indoors? Visit us at Royal City Nursery! We’ll help you pick the citrus tree of your dreams, the suitable soil, fertilizer, and whatever else you need to start experiencing the wonder of growing citrus trees right here in Ontario!
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