How to maintain a lemon tree in winter?

the lemon part of the big family citrus and produces small green or yellow fruits, all year round. He likes Sun and brings a touch of exoticism both inside and outside. In winter, it will enter a period of dormancy. Here are some tips for keeping your lemon long years.

Protect the lemon tree from the cold

If you are growing a lemon tree outside, watch out for the onset of cold weather. In the south of France, he will be able to stay outside, bundled up in winter protection. Everywhere else, bring it into the shelter. The lemon tree will not withstand temperatures between -2 and -5 ° C. It is more reasonable to take it to safety as soon as the weather report announces 5 ° C.

If you grow it in the ground or in a large pot or an untransportable container, you will have to protect the aerial parts as well as the roots. Protect it with a veil or a wintering cover, both the branches and the pot and mulch around the pot. Move the pot away from the elements, along a wall or fence. It is advisable to remove these protections on a beautiful bright day to ventilate it.

If the pot is portable, prefer to reserve a place for it in a cool room between 5 and 12 ° C or a shelter outside gel between 3 and 8 ° C. Take it out as soon as a beautiful winter day comes to an end nose and bring it home in the evening.

Bathing the lemon tree in natural light

After enjoying the heat all summer, continue to bring light to your lemon tree. Place it in front of a Bay window or a window in a cool and not very heated room, or in a greenhouse, an orangery or veranda.

Hunt pests and diseases of the lemon tree

a air too dry and overheated caused by heating may be favorable to the onset of disease or parasites. Take a good look at the foliage. From the first signs of mealybugs orspiders red, remove them by spraying a mixture of water and black soap. You can also see a black deposit on the leaves. This is sooty mold, a mushroom which can be cleaned with a cloth soaked in water and black soap.

Caring for the lemon tree in winter

If your lemon tree is losing its leaves, which are turning yellow and drying out, move it to another room. The air is just too dry for him.

Water the potted lemon tree moderately in winter, once or twice a month, just to prevent the soil from drying out and do not add fertilizer during this rest period. For lemon trees grown in the ground, stop watering all winter. Water and fertilizer inputs can resume at the very end of winter, as can pruning.

At the end of winter and if only your lemon tree is cramped, plan to repot in a larger pot with special citrus potting soil. Once the last spring frosts have passed, you can bring out your lemon tree on the windowsill, the balcony or the terrace.