How and how to feed lemon in the home

Growing a lemon tree at home is not difficult. A beautiful exotic plant will not only decorate the interior, it will saturate the air with phytoncids in the room and give to tea a fragrant fruit rich in vitamins. But in order for the lemon to develop and bear fruit, it is necessary to feed it.

Why a lemon top dressing

At home, hybrid varieties are usually grown, specially created by breeders for growth and development on a window sill or in a warm, well-lit room.The root system of a medium-sized tree is approximately 40 times smaller than that of greenhouse lemons.Therefore, for normal growth and fruiting, the lemon must receive nutrients from outside, not periodically but regularly.

On the branches of the lemon at the same time can be flowers, ovaries, ripe and ripe fruits. That is, the root system must provide the tree with a huge amount of nutrients. Otherwise, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, the tips of the shoots wither, the fruits become shallow, coarse, often fall off in an unripe state.

How to apply fertilizer for lemon at home

Since the root of the lemon is not very large, it can not be overloaded with fertilizers. Lemon likes frequent, but not abundant watering and feeding. ATAbout the time of spring-summer fruiting and active growth, approximately from the beginning of March to the middle of autumn, the plants should be fertilized every 2 weeks, and the rest of the time - once a month.More precisely, the frequency and amount of fertilizing must be solved independently, depending on the condition of the plant, its magnitude and the number of fruits on it.

What fertilizers are needed for citrus trees?

How can we accurately determine whether a lemon is currently needed, and what substances it lacks in order for it to grow up healthy, bring good yields? It turns out that it is not difficult to do this - we must carefully observe the leaves, side shoots and fruits.If the leaves turn yellow, crumble, lose gloss and gloss, the tops of the shoots wither, the flowers and unripened fruits fall off, which means that the plant is starving.

The most basic substances that a lemon needs are phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium. In addition to these, iron, sulfur, copper, magnesium, zinc and boron are occasionally introduced. Nitrogen should be twice as much as phosphorus and potassium.

How does the lack of each of the substances affect the lemon?

Nitrogen- promotes the full growth and development of the plant, respectively, its lack leads to growth retardation, depression. On the old leaves appear yellow spots, and then they completely turn yellow, the young leaves become pale green, the fruits are very small, the yield is low.

Phosphorus.Its deficiency leads to a disruption in metabolism, leaves become dull, lose gloss, fruits - coarse, very dense, ugly shape.

PotassiumIs also one of the most important microelements; The lack of potassium salts leads to an anomalous increase in the size of the leaf and the appearance of a strongly pronounced folding. The plant strongly inhibits growth, during the flowering leaves fall, as there is not enough food, the crop is low, the fruits are small, the skin on them is very thin. With high soil moisture, sticky dew appears on the leaves.

Iron. The lack of this element leads to the development of chlorosis - the leaves gradually turn pale, dark veins appear on them, the fruits also turn pale, their growth slows down, they fall off in an unripe state. The upper parts of the shoots do not receive any food at all and dry up.

Sulfur, manganese, boron, calcium, copper - the absence of these trace elements affects the condition of young leaves and shoots, yield and quality of fruit.Lack of calcium - the leaves are wrapped and lowered, the tips of the young shoots become discolored.

Strongly expressed pattern of veins on pale leaves - manganese lacks. The prolonged absence of copper in the food leads to a permanent withering of the upper part of the crown.From lack of boron, the leaves begin to twist,pale, some appear watery spots, veins crack and wither. On the fruit of the lemon appear dark spots and clots of resin.

Sources of useful substances during the period of active growth and fruiting

Lemon is an evergreen tree that grows throughout his life, which is why the plant needs constant regular feeding. Room lemon is usually very responsive to all types of mineral and organic fertilizers, but they can not be simultaneously applied in any way, as this can damage the plant more than to help.

As already mentioned, the active period of development and growth of the lemon tree falls on March-September. At this time on the branches there is everything - from flowers to ripe fruits. Therefore, the most relevant in this period will be complex fertilizers. It is better for novice growers to buy ready-mixed complex top dressings and follow the instructions for putting them into the soil.

In addition, at home, you can very easily, with affordable means to fertilize lemon:

• nitrogen sources- ooze or crushed leaves of quinoa; they replace the top layer of soil in pots with lemon; if you prefer saltpetre, then you need to water the plant,% solution;
• phosphorus- An excellent source is carpentry (bone glue); 2g of glue to mix with 1 liter of water and boil for 30 minutes, cool, pour lemon, through half an hour the soil is well loosened up; It is good to add superphosphate to the slurry during fermentation (50g per 10l) and then feed it solution;
• calcium + phosphorus + potassium- conventional wood ash serves as a full-fledged citrus fertilizer, the norm is 1 tbsp. spoon on 1 liter of water;
• tea and coffee groundscontain many useful microelements - magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, iron; of course, their numbers are not enough for a full nutriment of the tree, but as an auxiliary fertilizing is quite suitable, only it is necessary to watch, so as not to start up black midges;
• not a strong solution of potassium permanganateat the same time it will feed the plant and decontaminate the soil, only water it for the night, as in sunlight the solution quickly pales and loses its strength;
• organic fertilizers- manure, chicken or pigeon droppings, which must be diluted with water, fermented for 10 days, and then add water, leading up to weak concentration, and watering plants; It is necessary to take into account that fresh manure is more useful, because as a result of fermentation is enriched nitrogen.

Of course, you can buy specially balanced complex fertilizers for citrus crops - beginners will be easier to monitor the health of pets.

The optimal fertilizer application scheme

So, if you want to grow a healthy tree and receive stable yields, you will have to look after the lemon all year round,observing the necessary periodicity of additional dressings:

• March - once in 10 days watered with slurry (100g per 1l) + 5g of superphosphate per 1 liter of water;
• April - 3 top dressings - superphosphate (5g x 1l), potassium sulfate (3g), a complex of microelements (1g x 1l);
• May - urea (, g), superphosphate (5g), complex fertilizer (1g);
• June - urea (, g), potassium sulfate (3g), superphosphate (5g);
• July - chicken or pigeon droppings (40g dry wool per 1 liter of water), boric acid (, g х1л - foliar top dressing), slurry;
• August - manganese-acid potassium (,% solution), a complex of microelements;
• September - February - once a month for 1 g of complex fertilizers with microelements.

To choose fertilizers or improvised means is your business, the main thing is to feed lemon in time, to monitor it health, do not overdo it with "useful substances and your pet will respond with a harvest of fruits rich vitamins.