growing-lemon-trees-in-arizona
Written by webtechs

Growing Lemon Trees in Arizona

GROWING LEMON TREES IN ARIZONA

GET A FREE ESTIMATE TODAY!

Arizona is a wonderful place to grow citrus plants, which is why so many home owners and commercial growers are producing such high quality citrus fruits. You really can grow some of the best citrus in the world in Arizona’s warm and dry climate. Oranges, Blood Oranges, Tangelos, Grapefruits, Tangerine, Lemons, Limes, Kumquats, Pumelos, and mandarins are just some of the citrus varieties that can thrive in Arizona. While there is a large array of available citrus to grow, we are going to focus on lemons and how to grow them effectively.

WE WILL OUTLINE TIPS AND INFORMATION ABOUT VARIOUS ASPECTS OF GROWING STRONG, HEALTHY AND FRUITFUL LEMON TREES.

GROWING LEMON TREES OUTDOORS

The first and most important decision when it comes to planting your lemon trees is the location you want to plant them and the available sun exposure. Being that lemons are more sensitive to cold temperatures, which is why giving them full sun exposure is ideal and necessary for lemon trees to grow adequately. You will find the best sun exposure spots on the south side of your home most times, depending on any coverage from large trees that may be present. While not a big problem in Arizona, frost can be devastating to lemon trees and a good way to mitigate any risk is to plant the lemon trees close to your house.

WATERING YOUR TREES

Making sure that the tree is moist when you are planting it is extremely important, but after planting you should ideally water your plant in a slow and deep fashion one time a week during the summer months and two times a week the rest of the year. The reasoning for this is citrus trees and plants that are established in the soil do well when the soil is slightly dry between watering sessions.

GENERAL CARE AND PROTECTING AGAINST FROST

If you know there is a chance for frost to develop, you should cover you young lemon trees. Burlap and frost cloth are great for protecting your lemon trees. Never use plastic to protect you citrus from frost as it is vastly inadequate, so if you don’t have burlap or frost cloth a sheet or blanket will protect your citrus well. Once temperature rise above freezing again, uncover your plants and allow them to soak up sunlight until the temperature drops again. A good way to help cold sensitive citrus such as lemons and limes is to grow them in pots on your patio. They can still flourish and produce fruit when potted. This method is effective because you can bring you pots under the patio cover or even indoors when it starts freezing outside.

FERTILIZATION METHODS

The best method of fertilization for lemon trees is to fertilize three times annually, ideally in February, May and September. Slow release, organic fertilizers are the best way to go.

SOIL FOR LEMON TREES

Lemon trees adapt extremely well to desert soil to the extent that they can thrive in soil dug up from your yard, so long as the soil isn’t too rocky. A good way to keep the roots of your tree moist is to lay down a layer of mulch that is several inches thick that runs out to the drip line used for watering. If you do have rocky soil you can mix mulch at a ratio of 70%/30% which will greatly enhance your lemon trees ability to soak up nutrients and thrive.

While these citrus plants can readily adapt to almost any kind of soil, lemon trees prefer soil that is slightly acidic and well drained. This preference for well drained soil lends itself to planting lemon trees slightly above ground level. This can be done by digging a shallow hole that won’t engulf the entire root ball on the bottom of the tree. Replacing the soil and adding mulch will create a near ideal environment for your lemon tree to flourish.

SUN EXPOSURE AND HEAT

Citrus plants require a lot of sunlight in order to produce fruit and high temperatures are the key to your plants producing sweet fruits. This is especially true for lemon trees. If you prune your trees in order to expose the trunk, you should consider wrapping the trunk or painting it white in order to prevent it from suffering from sun burn. If you are going to go the paint route, use tree paint or dilute household paint with 50% water. Speaking of sun damage, seeing some leaf scorch toward the end of long and/or hot summers is perfectly normal and should not be seen as a red flag. This scorching will be more apparent on younger lemon trees, which can be avoided by shading your younger trees during the hottest months. This is a helpful measure, but is by no means necessary.

GROWING LEMON TREES INDOORS

As mentioned earlier, lemon trees can thrive when they have been potted. This lends them to being great plants to grow indoors. The same principles that apply outdoors apply to indoor lemon trees when it comes to having your plant in an environment that can be well drained and has room for adequate growth of the tree along with having a slight acidity in the soil. Indoor lemon trees usually max out at a height of about 5 feet.

You need to make sure your indoor lemon trees receive plenty of sunlight as they need a full day’s worth in order to grow to their full potential and to produce quality fruit. You can place your trees outdoors during the warmer times of the year; bringing them back in overnight or once the weather starts to shift back to colder temperatures. Doing this will help them produce fruit as they will get into a more natural rhythm with day and night cycles. Placing them outdoors will also allow your lemon trees to be pollinated by bees.

BEST LEMON TREE TO GROW IN ARIZONA

The lemon tree species that adapts the best to the AZ climate is the Eureka Lemon Tree. These trees produce lemons with great acidity that possess very few seeds. The lemons also hold onto the tree very well, which means they won’t be falling off your tree and littering your floor.

LISBON LEMON TREES – Lisbon Lemon trees also produce great lemons and acclimate well to Arizona’s desert climate. They grow well during the desert winters.
MEYER LEMON TREES – Meyer Lemon trees are a dwarf variety the looks like shrubbery due the green foliage they produce. The sugar level of the lemons makes them a favorite of chefs.
PINK LEMONS – Pink Lemons also grow well in the AZ desert climate and add an aesthetic twist with their white and light green foliage.

CITRUS & LEMON TREE TRIMMING

If you’ve got a citrus or lemon tree our team offers professional trimming and pruning services. We will help ensure you get the best quality of lemons, oranges, limes, or other fruit possible. We know tree varieties intimately and how to care for them properly in the heat of Arizona. For more information about our fruit and citrus tree trimming please give us a call.

Lisbon-Lemon-Tree-Care
Written by webtechs

Lisbon Lemon Tree Care

LISBON LEMON TREE CARE

GET A FREE ESTIMATE TODAY!

Lisbon lemon trees are quite popular in Arizona. Lisbon lemon trees can tolerate harsh heat and windy conditions but are somewhat “frost sensitive”. Luckily Arizona doesn’t get must frost, so planting and harvesting a Lisbon Lemon tree in Arizona is very possible and with the right tree care your lemon tree can grow up to 30′ tall. So, get ready for Lisbon Lemon tree care tips from the experts at Phoenix Trim A Tree.

PLANTING YOUR LISBON LEMON TREE

Make sure and plant your Lisbon lemon tree in a area where it can receive full sun. Soil should drain easily as lemon trees do not grow well in standing water. If you live in a colder part of Arizona, such as Flagstaff, you are going to want to grow your lemon tree in a container that can be moved inside your home during the winter months.

HOW MUCH MULCH DO I NEED FOR PLANTING?

The root zone should be buried in 4-6″ of mulch. Mulch will reduce the amount of moisture loss and reduces the amount of weed grown around the base of the tree.

LISBON LEMON TREE CARE

Lemon trees need sun, water, fertilizer and pruning just like every other plant. Read about how to water your lemon tree, protect them from the cold, fertilize them, and how to prune and harvest your lemons.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I WATER MY LEMON TREE

Lisbon lemon trees need to be watered regularly, especially during the first 3 years, or their 1st growing season as experts would call it.

WATERING DURING THE SUMMER – Water your Lisbon tree once a week during the summer months.

WATERING THE REST OF THE YEAR – For the rest of the year, only water your lemon tree every other week.

WATERING AFTER THE FIRST YEAR – You can reduce the amount of watering after the first year to prevent over watering.

LEMON TREE FEEDING/FERTILIZER

Lemon trees in general need a hefty supply of food (nutrients) to have healthy growth. Although, you won’t use a general fertilizer for Lisbon trees, you are going to want to use a citrus fertilizer that is made for citrus trees. You should re-fertilize your tree 2-3 during the growing season. The first re-fertilization should take place in spring. You’re going to want to fertilize before the new growth comes, not after, and then again at the beginning of September. If you are growing your lemon tree indoors, you are going to want to re-fertilize every month during the hot months to keep the soil moist and rich.

LISBON LEMON TREE PRUNING

STEP 1 – Choose the proper time to prune
STEP 2 – Remove all fruit from the tree
STEP 3 – Prune any branches that are damaged or diseased all the way back to the base
STEP 4 – Cut any branches that are smaller than the diameter of a pencil
STEP 5 – Prune suckers as they appear at any time

Usually, trees are only pruned during their dormant periods but lemon trees don’t have one. So, you should only prune or shape your Lisbon lemon tree during the cold months while the tree growth has slowed. Also, any suckers on the trunk of the tree should be removed. Also, to produce larger lemons, pinch off excess lemons while they are still tiny and leave 4-6″ between them. Read Wiki How’s Article on “How To Prune A Lemon Tree: 12 Steps (with Pictures)” for more information about pruning your Lisbon lemon tree.

PROTECTING YOUR LEMONS FROM THE COLD

As we learned above, Lisbon trees are sensitive to frost. Cold temperatures are one of the only things that can kill your Lisbon tree. Use Christmas lights strung through a canopy to provide extra heat during the cold months. For the coldest months, you can wrap your canopy in a blanket for additional heat.

HARVESTING YOUR LEMON TREE

Lisbon trees usually produce fruit within 3 years of planting.

IN CONCLUSION

  • Plant Your Lemon Tree In A Sunny Area With Good Drainage
  • Plant Your Lemon Tree in 4-6 inches of mulch
  • Water your lemon tree every week during the summer months and every other week after that
  • Feed your lemon tree nutrient rich citrus fertilizer
  • Only prune your Lisbon tree during the winter months
  • Protect your lemon trees from the cold, it’s the only thing that can kill them

Thank you for reading “Lisbon Lemon Tree Care” by Phoenix Trim A Tree. If you haven’t done so already, make sure and check out our post “Growing Lemon Trees In Arizona” for more information.

LISBON LEMON TREE CARE SERVICES