Lemons would have to be one of the most popular fruit trees grown in home gardens around Australia. In my experience, they are also the most troublesome of citrus trees to grow, subject to all manner of insects, diseases and nutrient deficiencies. Having said that, a well-grown lemon is a generous tree capable of bearing loads of fruit. The trick is to lavish your tree with love. Feed it often, be vigilant against problems, and it will repay you handsomely. Here’s my guide to caring for lemons, season by season, starting now.
AUTUMN
A lot of attention is given to lemon trees in spring and summer, But gardeners shouldn't slackerns off in autumn. A bit of effort now will see your fruit safely through to harvest in a couple months' time.
- Fertilise your tree in early autumn with pelletised chook manure. Don’t go overboard. A quarter of a bucket per tree is plenty.
- A foliar feed of seaweed extract applied every couple of weeks (read pack for recommended levels) will help toughen foliage against frost. For maximum effectiveness, spray foliage first thing in the morning.
- Keep up the water during dry spells. If drought has been an issue, apply an organic soil wetter to prevent the soil from becoming hydrophobic.
- Remove any weeds or grasses that are invading the area below the canopy and top up the mulch, keeping it clear of the trunk.
Winter
Hooray! Your tree has survived the toughest months of the year and has reached the main lemon harvest period for "Lisbon" and "Eureka" cultivars.
- Pick your lemons when they’re fully coloured, using a pair of secateurs to snip them off the branches. Be aware that some citrus trees, most notably ‘Meyer’, bear fruit all year round. Lemons will, however, last for months on the tree and this is the best way to store them until needed.
- Winter is the ideal time to prune, after the fruit is harvested. Start by removing dead or diseased wood. The aim is to open the canopy to facilitate airflow through the foliage. Old trees can be rejuvenated by skeletonising.
- Fertilise your tree after the fruit has been harvested, this time with blood and bone. Apply a top-dressing of compost to about 5cm thick.
- Pests aren’t much of an issue in winter, but it is a good time to check for borers in the trunk and branches. Look for sawdust ‘frass’ and a small hole. Poke wire into any holes to kill the grub inside. Also, citrus gall wasp cause swellings to form along branches. Prune off and destroy affected branches before the adults hatch out in August, and hang traps in the tree to help control any wasps you have missed.
Spring
Once the days start to lengthen and the weather begins to warm, Your lemon tree will burst into life, Putting on a flush of new foliage followed by a blossoming of wonderfully scented flowers.
- Your tree will be hungry now so feed it with pelletised chook manure at a rate of half a bucket per established tree (halve this for young trees). Apply it once the fruit is fingernail sized. Any earlier and the flowers/fruit might drop off. Apply rock minerals at the rate of a handful per square metre.
- Give your tree a watering once per week in dry spring weather. Citrus have shallow root systems and a regular light watering is better than an occasional soaking.
- Apply mulch after you have finished fertilising and watering. Sugarcane, pea straw and lucerne all do a great job of keeping roots cool and moist. Avoid piling mulch around the trunk of the tree to prevent collar rot.
- Keep an eye out for aphids and stink bugs. Horticultural oil works well on aphids, but to control the stinkers, try shaking them off the tree into a bucket of soapy water.Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from their excretions. Stop ants from farming aphids and scale by putting a sticky collar around the trunk.
- If fungal diseases are an issue, spray trees with a potassium bicarbonate-based spray such as eco-fungicide or copper hydroxide when fruit is pea sized. Note: Copper sprays will damage soil fungi and the fragile soil web balance so follow up with compost to replace fungi. Spraying will help prevent problems such as citrus scab and anthracnose.
Summer
There's not much to do in summer besides watching your fruit swell and protecting your tree from pests.
- Fertilise at the start of the season with an alternative to chook pellets such as blood and bone. Apply blood and bone at the rate of a double handful per square metre.
- Be vigilant against leafminer and scale pests. Clean them up with oil sprays (never apply oil during the heat of a summer day unless you want to eat fried citrus foliage).
- Correct nutrient deficiencies. Iron deficiency (seen by the yellowing of young leaves) is common and can be corrected by applying iron chelates. Give your tree some seaweed extract to help provide micronutrients.
- Water your tree once per week during dry spells. Underwatered citrus trees tend to produce, small, woody lemons without much juice.
Top Lemon Cultivars
Characteristic : Very popular. Large, productive, thorny, and resilient. Fruit has a large nipple.
Harvest time : Winter
Characteristic : Attractive because thornless. Smaller tree with sweeter fruit. Suits all climates.
Harvest time : Year-round
Characteristic : Medium to large, mostly thornless tree with thin-skinned fruit. Suits warm and cold climates.
Harvest time : Mostly winter but can be year-round.
Characteristic : Large, productive and thorny. Likes warmth.
Harvest time : Mostly summer/autumn but can be year-round
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