How to Grow a Lemon tree in a Pot
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How to Grow Lemon Tree in Pot
After a visit to Sorrento Italy in April of 2000, we were immediately smitten with all the wonderful lemon trees adorning the Italian coastline. All throughout Amalfi and Sorrento we saw gorgeous scenes of Sorrento lemon trees in terra cotta pots adorning house fronts, store fronts and cobblestone alley ways.
We knew right there and then we wanted something equally picturesque in our backyard. So, we planted a lemon tree in a container and want to show you how to grow lemon tree in pot.
We really wanted to bring back a Sorrento lemon tree to the USA, but because we didn’t feel like smuggling anything into the country, we opted for the next best option possible – a Eureka lemon tree. This Eureka is studded with fruit and it’s extremely happy with its home in the urn shaped container. In winter, when the cool weather beckons the fruit to ripen, the lemon tree is an absolutely gorgeous scene to the garden.
This little lemon tree is our reminder of our trip to Italy and we’re happy to have it on our garden family.
Choose A Glazed Pot
Growing this lemon tree has a few challenges because the heat of the Summer season can quickly dry out the pot. If the tree is older and root bound, they’ll definitely dry out quicker, especially in the rustic looking terra cotta pots. They frequently will sweat out water which a glazed pot will retain. We’ve since transplanted it into the glazed pot seen in these photos and it is much happier. It takes consistent watering during hot Summer weeks to make sure that the tree stays hydrated and happy. Unfortunately there were a few occasions when we forgot to water our little lemon and the fruits became soft and dehydrated. The glazed pot helps but it can’t amend for neglect.
Watering Your Lemon Tree
To keep it consistently watered, we added a drip irrigation line to the pot. Now the lemon tree is in full fruiting cycle again because it’s getting the consistent water it needs to stay healthy. Another added step we’ve found to help keep in the hydration is to mulch the top of the pot. We use about 2″ of leaves which were left over from trimming our hedges. If you don’t have a way to put an automatic drip on the pot, then you have to be consistent in hand watering. What ever you do, make sure the lemon gets consistent water.
A word of warning on pot selection: if you ever think you may transplant out of the pot you are choosing, do not get a pot which tapers in at the rim like the one our Eureka lemon tree is in. It will be very difficult to take the plant out without damaging its roots. Luckily this pot is large enough to be our Eureka’s permanent home.
Feeding and Fertilizing
Make sure to feed your lemon tree with a good organic fertilizer. Think of all the baby lemons the tree needs to nurture, so make sure to give your tree great food and nutrients. Citrus need nutrients and since there is nowhere for the roots to go outside the pot, it is even more important in citrus planted in pots.
One key feeding tidbit we’ve found, citrus can’t absorb zinc and phosphate at the same time. We were getting yellowing in between the veins of the leaves, usually a sign of nutrient deficiency (commonly either zinc or manganese in our area). Most fertilizers didn’t seem to help until we found this knowledge from a university’s research. After checking labels and finding a fertilizer which didn’t have phosphate but did have zinc and manganese, the tree almost immediately starting looking better. They still do need some phosphorus (phosphorus is the element – phosphate is a salt containing phosphorus – you’ll see them both used in labeling), but we’ll make sure to vary the feedings at least 6 weeks apart.
Full Sun or Part Full-Sun?
We found that placing the lemon in full Southern California sun all day long, especially in Summer, is too much. Our citrus we have planted in the ground can handle the full day sun, but it was too much for this potted lemon tree. The heat is intense and stresses it out. So we moved it to a section of the garden that gets sun for about 2/3 of the day, then remains in shade. This combination worked best because the tree still was able to get great morning and afternoon sun until 2pm, but was able to avoid the intense late afternoon sun.
!! Check with Your Local Nursery. Can you even grow citrus in your area?
The best advice we can give you is to consult with your local nursery. Every growing region is different and growing zones can change rapidly even within 10 miles of each other. So head to your local nursery and check to see what variety of lemon tree grows well and ask for their advice on how you can best grow it for your area.
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This post was originally published in 2010 and republished in 2016 with updated information and tips. Have Fun when your grow lemon tree in pot!
I tried growing lemon trees last year some produce one lemon an it looked like a bell pepper are they suppose to look like that.
Deborah
Would these trees bloom in a 10b zone? I live in Miami and would love one of these, but I noticed that you said the cold weather makes it bloom. Maybe it would have the opposite effect in our heat?
would this work with an orange tree as well
We are pretty sure it would with a dwarf variety, but you might want to double check with a local nursery before buying your tree.
I would like to have more than enough lemons, strawberries, blueberries and apples, for my family (and for me to use when baking items to sell, but not so many that I can’t keep up with them. Would you have a suggestion for how many I should plant? I am a family of 3.
We would love to help, but that is almost impossible for us to easily reply. It all depends on your growing conditions, how you prune, how adept of a gardener you are, the variety you grown, etc… Too many variables. The best would be to chat with your local nurseries, keeping in mind how much you envision quantity wise of being able to use. Personally we can never grow enough of any of those.
I live in zone 9 Northern calif. Got a dwarf myer lemon. Took it several yrs to bloom but now
I have great lemons around oct nov. The less you mess with it the better. I use the dry citrus
fertilizer on it. I just tried planting some of the seeds like they showed on pintrest . It took a couple weeks but they came up. I have 9 little trees now.
Thanks for sharing. I have a lemon and a lime in containers and they don’t do too well. I appreciate the tips and look forward to healthier trees.
On the subject of removing the tree from the pot without damaging the roots if you ever had to… smash the pot and then lift it out as best you can from the pieces, if you love your little lemon tree as much as I do, the tree is precious, the pot is just another mass produced pot, not worth damaging the tree for!
I love your site! I came across the lemon container on Pinterest and wanted to ask a question. I live in southwest Florida–probably the most suitable climate for growing citrus–but I have a Meyer lemon tree I am keeping in a container as well. I can remember as a small child one of my (most dreaded) household chores being to go outside and pick up the fruit that had fallen off the citrus trees we had in our yard, and I hated it! 😉 I had always heard the container would dwarf the tree a bit, and it is much easier to prune and keep at a tidy height. Anyway, my question is this: does one need to have two or more citrus trees in order for the trees to pollinate one another, or is having one sufficient? My lemon tree is probably going on three years and we have yet to notice any fruit. I’m beginning to wonder if we should add a second in order for pollination to occur?
Thanks for any insight, and thanks for a wonderful website! You’ve provided so much information, and I love that people commenting are enthused about trying citrus as well! 🙂
As far as we know, most of the varieties we’ve seen have been self-pollinating so you wouldn’t need a second tree. However in our books, you can never have too much citrus! 😉
T & D
Great info, thank you. I have two Meyer Lemon trees in pots that we’ll bring inside in the winter (we live in south-eastern WI). We also added three Fig trees and one Olive tree.
Thanks! I found a pot that I like but it’s 14’H, 18’W and 18’D, do you think that would do or it’s too small for growing my lemon tree? Thank you!
Your Eureka tree is absolutely beautiful! I’m moving to a new apartment and have been researching about it, and came across your post. I can’t wait to have my Eureka lemon tree on the balcony. Where did you get the terra cotta pot? I’m looking for something similar. Thanks!
Thanks! Good luck on getting your tree. It has been a while, but I believe we either got the pot from one of two local places: The Plant Stand or Roger’s Gardens.
I have a myerson lemon tree and my lemons barely start growing than they turn black and fall off can’t figure out wht we are doing wrong, too much water or not enough?
For the past five years I’ve raised the two tiny lemon trees (12-inches high with a tiny root ball) I bought from a vendor at the Miami Airport into 4-foot trees that have never bloomed and, hence, never borne fruit. What’s wrong? In plastic pots appropriate for their size, they appear happy, with lots of yearly growth and tons of dark green leaves and sharp thorns. I leave them outside from spring until the first frost. I live in Washington, DC. Will they ever bear fruit?
There could be several things causing this. This garden forum has very knowledgeable people explaining several of the potential causes. It is possible to raise and get fruit out of lemon trees by moving them indoors during chances of freezing temperatures, especially if the trees appear healthy under your current care. We only have experience growing the citrus here in So Cal, so don’t have any definitive answers for you from our knowledge. Good luck!
T & D
I loved your photos! I have had a patio Lemon tree for about 6 years. It only grows about 6 or so lemons a year and they never fully ripen. The leaves are beautiful and it looks healthy.
Hi I came across your blog from pinterest. Your tree is gorgeous and I thank you for all of your tips. I’m looking to buy my husband a lemon tree as a gift when he comes home from deployment in april. Is there any place that you would reccomend buying from online? I’ve only found Meyer lemon trees.
Thank you!
Hi Michele,
Thank you so much. We haven’t ordered any trees online yet, but have heard good things about Four Winds. On a garden forums we’ve seen a few others mentioned as well. If you have a local nursery, even Home Depot or Lowes nearby, they may be able to special order you one as well. Good luck.
Hi there, I’m from Adelaide South Australia and have a eurika lemon tree in half a wine barrel. I was wo.dering how big should our drainage holes be. We put about 6 in and they are about 2cms in diameter. Is this big enough. We layered gravel first then a mix of sand and gravel then a layer of potting soil mixed with mulch.
Hi Helen,
That is about the same as what we drill into our bigger pots. Occasionally after several years you may have the roots plug the holes, but with the wine barrels it is easy to drill an extra hole a few cm from the bottom on the side if that happens. Good luck with your tree! We had to add an extra Eureka lemon to the garden last year because we love them so much. The oil content in the rind is so much fresher than anything we can buy, even from the best markets.
PS. We’ve found with the trees in our wine barrels that we need to water them a bit more than a ceramic pot. The water will evaporate from the soil faster.
T & D
I love your tree! I’ve had one in a pot for about 4 years now, and every year we get about 3 or 4 wonderful lemons. How do you get soooo many lemons on your tree. I would kill for that many! The few we do get are the best tasting lemons I’ve ever had, but just not enough of them. We live in Kansas and it gets very hot in the summer and we bring it inside in the winter in a sunny location. We fertilize and water regularly, and yet skimpy lemon production. Any tips?