Some lemon trees are much better performers in gardens than others. Choosing the best lemon tree to grow depends upon your usage, location, climate and growing conditions.
Varieties and strains of lemon trees include the ‘Eureka’, ‘Lisbon’ and ‘Improved Meyer’ lemons. Lemon trees do not have a dormant phase in the winter and tend to produce flowers throughout the year so are vulnerable to cold weather. The ‘Improved Meyer’ is slightly hardier than true lemon and makes a better choice for home gardeners in a cold climate.
Ideal Lemon Strains and Varieties for Your Location
Australia
The ‘Eureka’ lemon tree is considered the best lemon tree for most areas of Australia. For cooler climate zones of Australia the ‘Improved Meyer lemon’ tree is also popular as it is the most cold-tolerant of all lemons.
United States
Florida
The ‘Improved Meyer’ lemon is the preferred variety for home gardens as the ‘Eureka’ and ‘Lisbon’ varieties are susceptible to citrus scab.
Southern California
The ‘Lisbon’, ‘Eureka’, Variegated pink ‘Eureka’ and the ‘Improved Meyer’ lemons are popular in Southern California. The Lisbon has cold resistance and is very heat tolerant. On the coast, trees can bear some fruit year round. ‘Eureka’ lemon trees bear fruit year round on the coast, fall and winter in the low desert valleys, and winter to spring production in the inland Riverside areas. Variegated Pink – a mutation of ‘Eureka’ that has variegated (green-and-white striped) leaves and immature fruit striped green and cream, mature flesh is light pink plus the tree itself is smaller making it very garden-friendly. ‘Improved Meyer’ lemon trees bear fruit year round.
Texas
Lemon trees growing outside the Lower Rio Grande Valley are at a distinct disadvantage with regard to climate, i.e., winter almost always will be accompanied by one or more freezes. Lemon trees are subtropical to tropical in nature; thus, they may suffer severe damage or even death because of freezing temperatures. However, there are some lemons that have sufficient cold-hardiness to sustain some freezing conditions
If you live in coastal and southern Texas and are willing to put in the effort to provide cold protection for young trees, and sometimes even mature trees, you can successfully produce citrus fruits including lemons. The ‘Improved Meyer’ is popular in Texas due to it having fair cold-hardiness. The ‘Eureka’, ‘Lisbon’ and ‘Ponderosa’ lemon varieties are also grown but are less popular due to their poor cold hardiness.
Generally, lemon trees are smallish in size and produce lemons throughout the year. Lemon fruit is yellow, sour to acidic and oval in shape. Lemon trees do not have a dormant phase in the winter and tend to produce flowers throughout the year. As a result, they are more vulnerable to cold weather than oranges and will shed foliage in the temperature drops below 28F (-2C). The ‘Improved Meyer’ is slightly hardier than true lemon and makes a better choice for home gardeners in a cold climate.
Lemon Tree Strains and Varieties
‘Eureka’ Lemon Tree Strain
The ‘Eureka’ lemon tree originated as a chance seedling in California, USA. The fruit is bright yellow with rougher skin than the Meyer and ‘Lisbon’ varieties. The lemons have high juice content and taste sharply acidic. The ‘Eureka’ is more favored than the ‘Lisbon’ as the trees are free of thorns and have seedless fruit produced throughout most of the year. It grows to approximately 4m tall however it hates vicious cold snaps. It is most suitable for home gardens, particularly where there are children as they will not be scratched from thorns. They start producing fruit at an early age and bear for a long period of time. Young ‘Eureka’ trees may produce so many fruit that they damage the tree, so the grower must remove excess fruit.
‘Lisbon’ Lemon Tree Strain
The ‘Lisbon’ lemon tree is a very vigorous variety that can grow to a large size, with upright branches and dense foliage. It originated in Australia and was thought to have been introduced to Australia by the Portuguese. The fruit is smoother than the ‘Eureka’ with a pronounced nipple at the end and a short neck. Fruit is produced mainly during the winter period with a smaller crop over summer. The main disadvantage of this variety is its extremely sharp thorns although thornless varieties could be available soon. The ‘Lisbon’ is popular in Arizona and California. The tree is more cold-tolerant than others.
‘Meyer’ Lemon Tree Strain
The ‘Meyer’ lemon tree was named after the American plant explorer, Frank Meyer who introduced it from China in 1908. It is considered to be a hybrid between a lemon and a mandarin or an orange. The foliage is similar to lemon but the fruit is more rounded, with light orange-yellow skin. The ‘Meyer’ is excellent to grow in pots as it tends to be smaller growing than other lemons.
The ‘Meyer’ lemon tree is a thornless tree that produces fruit throughout the year that are mildly acidic and can be eaten without the sour taste of most lemons. The grated skin (zest) is of inferior quality to other lemons. The single crop ripens early but holds well on the tree for several months. It is very frost hardy and tolerant of cold conditions. Only purchase ‘Improved Meyer’, as the original ‘Meyer’ harbors Tristeza virus.
Citrus
Did you know that the most fashionable citrus tree at the moment is the lime tree? Demand for varieties like Tahitian and Kaffir has built up significantly over the last few years, probably because they are so popular in Asian cooking. Limes are an excellent source of Vitamin C and provide a great substitute for lemons. They can be used for seafood dishes, chicken, meats, drinks, desserts, cakes, biscuits and marmalade.
Lime trees are frost sensitive, small and leafy, and grow to 10 feet (3 meters) with smallish, generally round yellow to green fruit at maturity. Limes have the highest requirement of all citrus varieties for heat. Tropical and subtropical areas suit them best however you can grow lime trees in cooler climates as they can tolerate light frost. Ensure they have a sheltered position, fully sunlit throughout the day and protected from cool winds.
There are distinct varieties of lime trees which are grown extensively. These are the small-fruited acid or sour limes (Citrus aurantifolia) and the large-fruited acid limes (Citrus Latifolia). Other limes are the Indian or Palestine Sweet lime (Citrus limettioides), the Rangpur lime (Citrus limonia) and the Kaffir lime.
The Tahitian lime is the best lime to grow in a container as the West Indian lime tree has vicious thorns and needs much higher temperatures than the Tahitian lime.
Tahitian or Persian lime (Citrus aurantifolia) Strain
This variety is the best lime for a cool climate. It has very few thorns and produces very juicy fruit all year round. The plants grow to around 3x3m (10×10′) tall, and they do well in the garden or in pots. The seedless fruit is small and green when ripe, although it can be left on the tree until it turns yellow. Tahitian limes are easy to grow.
West Indian or Mexican or Key lime (Citrus aurantifolia) Strain
This lime tree is has sharp thorns and grows to 6-13 feet (3-4m) high if grafted to Trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliate) rootstock, but taller when grafted to other rootstocks such as Citronelle. This variety prefers tropical to semi-tropical climates and is frost sensitive.
The fruit are small, round to oval, with a small nipple, many small seeds and a strong flavor. The skin is slightly rough and pale green at first, turning light lemon in color at maturity. Fruit are produced year round and when mature, they fall from the tree and are picked up from the ground for use.
Kaffir or Makrut lime (Citrus hystrix) Strain
This lime tree is a variety grown mainly for its aromatic leaves rather than the fruit. Kaffir limes will reach 1.5 meters (5′) tall, but because the leaves are constantly being picked for cooking, the trees usually remain small in size. They have large sharp thorns and also grow well in containers. They prefer tropical conditions but can be grown in cold climates if protected from cool winds and given plenty of sunshine.
The dark, glossy leaves of the Kaffir look like two separate leaves joined together. They are an essential ingredient of many Thai recipes, including curries, fish dishes and soups. The flesh of the fruit is usually thrown away, but the rind and zest is sometimes used.
Best climate to grow Lime Trees/Lemon Trees
Lime trees grow well in the warmer climates. They also grow in cooler climates, but protect from frost when young.
Lime Tree Care
A position in full sun is best for lime trees. Keep trees well watered when the fruit is forming in spring and early summer. Water well before and after fertilizing. Keep the area beneath your trees free of grass and weeds. Mulch with compost or other organic material, but make sure that the mulch does not touch the trunk of the tree
Listen to any radio gardening talk-back program particularly in the U.S. and Australia, at any time of the year, and you will undoubtedly hear a question about a lemon tree, orange tree, lime tree, mandarin tree, grapefruit tree or any other variety of citrus tree. Citrus trees, especially lemon trees, have become a national obsession in Australia and the U.S. information on how to successfully grow and care for them is always welcome.
Taking care of citrus trees involves staking, mulching, fertilizing, watering, pruning and identifying and fixing pest and disease problems as follows:
Staking Lemon, Lime and Citrus Trees
In windy exposed sites, some staking will be needed to stop your citrus tree moving excessively. Insert two stakes, one each side about 8 inches (20 cm) from the trunk. Place a flat band of material (or old hosiery) around the stake and stakes in a figure 8. This will allow some flexibility while the tree root system establishes during the first 2 to 3 years.
Mulching Lemon, Lime and Citrus Trees
Mulching the soil can add nutrients, deter weeds, conserve moisture, help to spread and retain water and protect the roots of your lemon tree.
Mulch from a couple inches beyond the canopy to a few inches from the trunk. Do not mulch right up to the trunk—give it a little room to breathe! Cover the area under the canopy with 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) of mulch. Under normal circumstances you should need to re-mulch every six months, but if your washes or blows away in stormy weather, go ahead and re-mulch right away. Do not use pine bark nuggets as they can attract ants, and do not use any inorganic material for mulch.
Fertilizing Lemon, Lime and Citrus Trees
Citrus trees need high-quality compost plus a number of trace elements to meet their specific nutritional needs. Citrus trees in containers are susceptible to malnutrition even when planted in good compost, as every time you water some of the nutrients leak out, and they can only be replaced by you. You can recognize plants with poor nutrition by stunted growth, yellow leaves, and low or no fruit production. Happily, nutritional deficiencies can be easily addressed with soil amendments.
Watering Lemon/Lime and Citrus
Careful watering is of the utmost importance when it comes to lemon trees. Citrus trees need lots of water. They need a minimum of 3 to 4 cm (1 – 1.5 inches) per week from spring until fall/autumn. The way to see whether you’re watering correctly is simply to use a cup, turn on a sprinkler and see how long it takes to get 3 to 4 cm of water in the cup.
Pruning Lemon/Lime and Citrus
Lemon trees and other citrus trees don’t need as much pruning as other fruit trees do. While your trees are first getting established, limit pruning to just removing crossing or damaged branches. Because citrus fruits are so heavy, you’ll need to encourage strong branches that can hold them. In the spring, the main branches can be cut back to an outward-facing bud if you wish.
Pests and Diseases
One of the difficulties of growing citrus trees is that there are many insect or animal pests, various diseases affecting the plant, stem, leaves or fruit, and disorders such as split fruit skins and nutritional deficiencies shown when a mineral deficiency is present in the soil.
You will find full details about caring for your lemon trees, orange trees, lime trees, grapefruit trees, mandarin trees and other citrus trees and great advice and photos on recognizing and correcting nutrient deficiencies in Grow Citrus: The Insiders Secrets to Growing Great Citrus