A day before Gordon and I resolved our issues with Ruby Fever, we had a fight. It wasn’t much of a fight – we rarely go all out after 26 years of marriage – but things were said, and the dissatisfaction with the state of the book, writing process, and publication schedules was expressed on both sides. In the middle of this Kid 2 called. She quickly determined that her father was irritated and asked me what happened.
A couple of hours later, we got a surprise visit from Kid 2, who brought us a lemon tree and carefully checked to make sure we were not divorcing. Parental divorce is very high on her lists of Things That Should Not Happen.
So we are now the proud owners of a Meyer Lemon tree.
Things I know about lemon trees: zip.
I’m reasonably sure that this tree will have to live inside for several months considering our last winter. I bought a moisture monitor to make sure I don’t overwater it.
It may need a grow light, because our house was built with Texas heat in mind. Most of it gets little light and is a bit cave-like. The study in particular is really dark, especially on an overcast day. Right now the tree is in the living room which eventually will have to be changed since blasts of cooler air when the doors are opened for the dogs won’t do it any good.
So, there might be a grow light that I need to buy. But my most pressing issue right now is the pot. What kind of pot? What size of a pot? Why are the pots so expensive? Do I need to get a drainable pot and how can I make that aesthetically pleasing?
All good questions.
I was going to show you my African violets, but instead imported 2 pics of Oliver by accident.
King of all he surveys.
Violets, right.
The orchids have been trying to bloom but it is taking them forever and I am suspicious that they are dying. Orchids do suicide blooms sometimes, because they think demise is near. This one particular one has been trying to bloom for weeks now. Oh well, we’ll see what happens.
Lemon trees need as much light as they can get, so be careful with your quality of grow lights! I use the GE Lighting 93101232 LED bulb on a pendant wire I hang from the ceiling with a pretty pendant cage. I think it’s the best output for the value (though it seems to have gone up in price), and the color isn’t terrible. If you don’t mind splurging, Soltech lights are great!
Higher-light orchids will fare well under this too! I’ve re-bloomed several Phalaenopsis under grow lights in the winter
???? you’re all delightful, & I love that Kid 2’s solution to any heavy (perceived or real) marriage tension is a lemon tree!
There is a terrific plant guy on TikTok. No idea if he has covered lemon trees of not but his suggestions are very practical and tend to use stuff you probably have on hand. @creative_explained. It looks like he has a web page, too. I have not visited it. I do not know him, I just enjoy his posts.
Fellow Texans I relate re plants vs light vs too much heat
Love your books
Not mad about the accidental animal pictures. Can always add more
Im glad your not divorcing. My husband and i are splitting. We have 3 little girls. I have no idea if we will get back together or continue on for divorce. Im drained. Sorry. Just throwing that out to the universe.
Set the orchids close to the lemon trees grow light. I’ve had orchids stay bloomed 3-4 months under the grow light.
I love that Kid 2’s response to parental tension is a lemon tree. Just brilliant. In terms of lemon tree growth – not sure how cold it gets in Texas but here in Melbourne, Australia our lemon tree survives all the temperature ups and downs. The big thing is the ph levels and acidity. My son researched – and now when his mates come over to visit and ask where the loo (bathroom) is located – he sends them out to the lemon tree. Totally true story. They are instructed to keep their backs to the house though (an awkward thing to do considering how close to the house the tree is) but his sister’s bedroom faces the garden sooooo ….
Your kids both sound so awesome and so much fun. How do you get a kid like that? Soul deal with the devil? Black market? I’ll give you 20 lemon trees for Kid 2 😀 😀 😀
Any day with a Sookie picture is a good day. More Sookie. Just a blog post of Sookie pictures. I’m here for it.
Wow. Your cat has almost a human face on him. He would probably make a better Cats movie then the last ones….
orchids need a temperature difference between day and night to spike. once it spikes (throws out that stem that is going to be a flower and not a leaf) try to keep it cool, if its warm, it basically tries to flower too fast and if its too warm, doesn’t do it at all. i leave my orchids outside until right before the first frost then i move them to the master bath/greenhouse which has lot of windows and isn’t as well insulated. After the spikes get significantly long , i’ll move them downstairs where its warmer and that is where they bloom. if they aren’t too warm, i’ve had mine stay in bloom for almost 4 months!
Hi Ilona,
Maybe you wish to take a look at these self-watering pots: https://www.lechuza.us/planters/
I keep my Meyer lemon, Kumquat, Limequat and Thai lemon trees in these pots (I use “Cottage Cube 40 cm”) and in their own special substrate “Lechuza Pon”.
The trees thrive and fruit for 4 years.
Watering is needed, when the indicator goes to the lower setting and stays there for a week. The Pon substrate prevents overwatering.
No need to wash the roots before planting – take the plant out of the old pot, set it into the larger Lechuza and fill the gaps with Pon.
Feeding is also easy – I use Lechuza own organic plant feed, twice a year in March and August.
In winter I use plant lights, because the trees stay in warm conditions and require more light than my windows can provide. In summer the trees stay outside.
This system finally allowed me to grow citrus trees – I tried several times before, unsuccessfully. Actually, I grow my fig trees, Oamacha hydrangea, all my house plants and even my orchids in this system.
I get no money for this recommendation. I am just a happy user 🙂
You should plant your tree now. We have a potted Meyer lemon tree that we will move into the garage for freezes. The February freeze kill many of our outdoor plants, including the ones in the garage, but the lemon did just fine. Its a tree and will be dormant in the winter. Non-tropical trees tend to handle freezes okay.
fyi, I would not recommend potting it like we did. It stunts it growth and lemon potential.
Speaking from many years of experience & a few years spent in greenhouses.
YES!!! A drainage hole is necessary. I always put my plants in terra cotta pots. They “breath” through the pores in the pot so it’s harder to over water. Not impossible, just harder.
Pot size: if It’s starting to get root bound (seeing roots starting to come out of the drainage hole)
Go 1 size up . Example from a 6″ diameter to an 8″ diameter. If It’s not getting root bound either leave in It’s pot or pick one about the same size. Also, I like miracle grow house plant potting soil.
Nobody knows why pots are so expensive. It’s a mystery of the umiverse.
It’s interesting to see the symbolism of lemon trees:
https://magickalspot.com/lemon-tree-symbolism-meaning/
“Even today, the lemon tree is still used to attract good luck and clear the air of negativity.”
Is your lemon a dwarf or full size? The difference is 5-7 feet and up to 10 feet for the full size. Meyers are a zone 8-11 plant–I’m not sure what zone you are in–but that is important only if the tree is planted in the ground. In Houston (where I live) we grow them in the ground. My sister lost hers in the Big Freeze but it was about 15 years old and loaded with lemons in season (enough for her and a small town). These are absolutely not house plants–they require a great deal of sun. You can grow it in a pot but if we have weather like last winter (an unlikely eventuality) be prepared to put it in a garage. We had snow in Houston a few years ago and my sister’s tree was fine.
Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the post.
Here in NC, USA my climate zone is too cold for lemon trees. However I had a banana tree in a big clay pot that migrated in and out until a certain 4 legged canine puppy came to live with me. There was an unfortunate excavation accident followed by a drag through dog door and around the yard. It didn’t survive the experience. Sigh
however, I am sure your local agricultural department can give you good advice on growing in your zone. If need be you can check with Florida agricultural department as citrus is a big agricultural crop for state.
Grow light is good idea. You need to check the specs on bulb to make sure you get the best for optimal health of your lemon tree. I would suggest assigning that to Gordon as different bulbs have different wavelengths and it can be a frustrating process. Different types of trees have different light wavelength requirements as well as temperature differentials.
Loved the 5th flower picture. ????
Wow, evidently Meyer lemon trees are very popular. I got several websites to check out information on. I planted an avocado seed in my flowers last spring, and its 2 ft tall now.
Only two FYI things, inexpensive pot water saucers are oil changing pans from the dollar store. I’m still looking for something for water saucers that will hold my Smart Pots, 25 inches across, so if anyone has some budget ideas I’d love to hear them. I used 2’x4′ cheap tarps gathered with rope through the eyelets last summer, tacky but effective and two pots fit in each one.
The other tip is to put bubble wrap around the inside of breakable pots in cold areas that freeze hard, if you plant directly into them. I asked about preventing breakage at a store where I was admiring some expensive pottery pots and that was her suggestion.
If you plant in a draining pot and place that pot inside a pretty
non-drain pottery pot any draining water would provide humidity for your tree. Building a rolling base sized to your pot would be a nice change of pace from RF.
I agree with the cheap clay pot advice, but keep in mind that those pots leech water so you want to put something under the saucer if it’s sitting on a hardwood surface or something you don’t want stained. The other thing you have to think about is as this tree gets bigger the pot/soil/tree will be very heavy. The day will come when you’ll need to put the pot on a plant dolly. I speak from experience. I have a sago palm that is sitting in a ceramic pot. It weighs about 120/130 pounds. There’s no moving this thing by myself any longer. Every time I tell my landscaper I want to move this pot he gets a look on his face like I’ve ask him to murder a puppy. Because I didn’t put a pot Dolly underneath it to begin with, when I did move it to one it took about half an hour at the most careful maneuvering I’ve ever performed with a plant pot. Just my two cents.
Love that picture of the “shrinking violet” smack in the middle of the group of violet pictures!
I was reading this post, enjoying the slice of life, and then… Oliver! I’m a cat person and he is super gorgeous! Catstruck… Also rereading the Innkeeper and I’m at exactly the point that Dina acquires her cat, who in my imagination looks just like Oliver.
I have had a Meyer lemon tree for many years. Sometimes the 3 ft tall tree gives me 12 lemons at a time! They eat a lot of citrus food, and I have only gotten lemons from the blooms when it has spent time outside and been pollinated by insects and birds.
Good luck! The flowers smell amazing even if you don’t get lemons.
I’m not a cat person, but I think I am in love with Oliver.
Sorry I don’t know anything about pot or vases or Lemon tree
In Florida I just plant all that stuff outside. Orchids along carport driveway because they get indirect light that way (on a trellis set up at edge of carport under carport roof). Lemon trees and Persian limes just anywhere in yard (persian limes for drinks, Key limes for dessert). Lots of water. That’s in the Tampa Bay area (actually just a mile from Madeira Beach in Pinellas county).
To be accurate, the Persian Lime in growing out of my deck in the back, just a few feet from seawall. So far, so good.
I seem to recall having had a citrus tree survive a New England winter in the trunk of my car…
Oliver is gorgeous. I know nothing about growing lemons, or anything else, inside, except they do need a lot of light so you’ll want to keep it outside except when it’s going to drop below 45 to 50, probably. Not sure on the cutoff for a potted tree. Only time I grew Meyer lemons was outside in zone 8 and they did survive the winters in NW Florida for a while, so if planted in the ground you have more grace than in a pot.
Love your beautiful violets, you must have a green thumb. My uncle used to grow lemon, orange and lemonade trees. Lemon trees need a lot of light so will probably need a grow light if your house is as dark as you suggested. They also need very good drainage and a nitrogen rich fertilizer. The planting guide on the label should give you an idea of how big your plant is going to get so you can pot into a large enough pot, don’t one size up or you will be having to replant as it grows. I’ve only seen lemon trees in quite large pots that are too heavy to move easily.
Used coffee grounds are good for citrus, also stone fruit and roses.
I don’t know if you can still find them,but my grandad would use old-school Christmas lights to protect his plants during a freeze. (The big ones that give out just a little heat)
I love having a lemon tree. Good luck ????
You should totally search grow lights + pot and see what types of online businesses advertise to you after that.
If you like growing things have you seen the Farmstand by Lettuce Grow? I am in the DFW area and have been so happy growing lots of flowers and lettuce among other things. You can use it indoors with grow lights – prop it up near your lemon tree.
Oliver looks to be thinking, ” The pot should be big enough for me to poop in, of course…” Because cats…
I would get one of the half wine barrels and a furniture moving dolly. It would have enough room so the roots won’t get impacted and the dolly will allow you to roll it out onto the patio when spring arrives. Think of it as your own medieval orangery.
Looks like there’s a lot of good advice on your tree! I just wanted to add:
I have friends who are full time RVers who stay down in extreme South Texas in the winter; the campgrounds they stay at have citrus trees planted among the campsites, and they can walk out and pick fruit off the trees.
Pardon my terseness, I work as a technical writer. ????
Meyer lemons are a hybrid of an orange and a lemon, if I recall correctly.
Yes, you absolutely need a draining pot, preferably a terracotta one. Limonaeas (sp?) are common in the Mediterranean, still.
Try bottom watering to reduce overwatering, theoretically this makes it so the soil only absorbs so much water. I’ve had good luck with it for my pass along plant (aka Chinese money plant), fig tree, and other indoor plants.
Now I understand why Curran is grey
It’s interesting to read all the comments from my neighbors in Texas whose pots dry out requiring daily watering. I am in Houston and grow a lot of flowers in pots because the pool takes up so much room. You can buy water holding crystals to mix in the soil (also water holding fabric — cut to fit) that makes all the difference. Kinsman is a great website and has both. Professional landscapers know all about these products but for some reason most home gardeners don’t know they exist. You use a very small amount of the crystals in the bottom 2/3’s of the pot. Kinsman also sells a water holding material that you can inject into existing pots (like a caulking gun).
The lemons will like the warmth and will need a lot of light. I don’t think your winters are too bad so unless it gets unseasonably cold they probably can actually go in ground. You will definitely want a pot with drainage- they will need sandy well draining soil.
Oliver looks like I imagine the “Ripper of Souls” cat looks in the innkeeper series
Bingo! Oliver is indeed the inspiration behind Olasard ????.
We keep our lemon and lime trees in pots outside and then in a small greenhouse in the backyard with lots of friends and a heater. Surprisingly they survived the winter blast with no heat for 24 hours when the power went out and the lemon tree currently has 6 huge lemons trying to finish ripening before the first frost. We are just north of Austin. So all this to say, they can be a pain and delicate but also hardy and resilient. They don’t need as much water in winter bc they aren’t actively producing. Good luck! And try putting several other plants around it so they share humidity.