In April I purchased a 2-3 year old Meyer's Improved Lemon Tree. I potted the tree with some mid-range soil and had it in almost full sun outside my house, Columbus, OH. With fall approaching, I am wondering what to do with my tree.

1. When should I bring it indoors?
2. I have no wear inside to put it that it will get direct sun, what kind of grow lights should I get?
3. When should I repot, what type of soil should I get?
4. Are there any nutrient supplements I should add to the soil?

Thank you in advance, I am very new to gardening and want my lemon tree to flourish I am not sure if it matters, but it has 15 or so lemons that are around 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter.


I know this is a citrus forum, but I also have a edible date palm, hibiscus, Chile pepper, and aloe plant that I am not entirely sure what to do with. Help would be appreciated for any of the above. Thanks again!

Hi Matt, Welcome to the forum. My best advice is use the search button at the top of the page to learn from some of the past threads and post about potting mixes, fertilizing, and winter care.

There is a "sticky" thread under the container forum on winter requirements that will answer many of your question about winter care, but bottom line is you don't want direct sun unless your roots are at least 64F (measured by a soil thermometer).

Matt welcome to the forum. Date palms are awesome hardy palms. I wouldn't consider them good house plants as they have wicked sharp leaves that get worse as they get larger.

There is also a palm section on this forum.

I have been looking through some old forums and I cannot find anything on what type of grow lights to use...any suggestions? Maybe even a link!

Also, any thing to warm up the soil that is not as tacky or expensive as the warming pads?

You only need light to maintain growth during the winter. If you are only trying to sustain the tree, supplemental light is not necessary. The cheapest form of heat is the small Christmas lights wrapped around the pot. I used 2 wraps of a garland type string (2 to3 lights per inch) and it raised the soil temp by about 15 F. You only need to heat the soil if the tree will be exposed to direct sun or intense light.

The main cause of winter leaf drop is exposure to sun or intense light while the roots are cold. Anything below the low 60s F can cause problems, but 55 F is absolute zero to citrus roots-- they cannot provide any moisture to the leaves at that point. That is OK as long as the leaves are also cool, but when exposed to direct sunlight or intense artifical light they will die.

If you do not desire your tree to achieve continual growth throughout the winter your tree possibly will not require any additional illumination. However, keep the root zone at least at 64F to insure good foliage health. Actually, if your tree will not be receiving ANY direct sunlight on the leaves, you might not even have to heat the soil. However, a risk of partial or complete leaf drop could exist by not heating the root medium. If you wish to achieve an additional five months of OPTIMUM growth throughout the winter months (November - March) than keep the tree's root zone near 80F and light the tree with a HD light. HD lights should be quite easy to find. I have one special citrus tree, a Marisol Clementine, that I continually heat and light every night (7 days a week) from sunset until 10:00 PM throughout the fall, winter and spring. The tree has produce five full growth flushes every year since the tree was planted. Normally a citrus tree growing outside the citrus built will only have two full growth flushes, and on occasion perhaps one additional minor flush per year. I have never permitted this tree to produce any fruit, (3-years) which would have restricted its growth, because I am only interested in premium growth at this point. After three years the tree is now over 6-ft. tall, and 5-ft. wide. I might let the tree bloom and fruit this spring, or I might wait one more year. If I wait one more year the tree should be over 8-ft. tall and 6+ feet wide. This tree is growing in Colorado. There is a picture of this tree on this forum taken on its second birthday. Good luck with your tree. - Millet

What watt and lumen's would you recommend for the HD light?

I use a Hydro Farm HD Lamp. 120V, 2.6A 60HZ It uses a 250 watt metal halide M58 type lamp. I adjust the lamp lower and lower as the tree adjusts to the light until it is 2-3 inches above the trees top. I start at 10 inches above the tree, and drop it 2 inches every other day when I first begin its use for the season. You can go to Hydro Farm's web site and check out all of their lamps. Change the bulb once a year, even if it is not burnt out, as it slowly loses it strength. Good luck to you and your tree. If I can be of any further assistance, just ask. - Millet

Thank you very much millet, very informative posts. Two more questions if you do not mind.

1. Would you recommend any type of fertilizer?
2. What would you recommend to keep the roots above 64F? I do not want to get the pads because they are pretty tacky and I have 6 separate pots to heat...Is there anything similar to a stick you can put in the dirt that will keep it warm or something like that?

Matt ask............Is there anything similar to a stick you can put in the dirt that will keep it warm or something like that?.............
Matt, I don't know the answer to the above question, but it would be an idea worth further investigation. I use thin flat plastic heating tapes that are also waterproof, that range from 6 feet long up to 20-feet long. The tapes are either 12 inches wide or 15 inches wide. Each tape can be regulated from 60F to 110F by a transformer. Each transformer can regulate 4 tapes. I can heat a lot of containers at one time. The only other method that I know is using Christmas Lights. However, your idea of a heating rod is a good idea, you should look into it further. - Millet

Over the years I have changed fertilizer programs for my trees. I settled on using Osmocote slow release 17-7-12 W/trace mineral. The fertilizer is slowly released every time the tree is watered, according to the temperature of the root zone. Therefore more fertilizer is release in summer than in winter. From May to the end of August this type of Osmocote will last two months. During the winter when it is cooler, it releases nutrition for 3-4 months. I have found that slow release fertilizers grow a MUCH BETTER TREE than does using water soluble fertilizers. Much of the reason is due to the very high solubility of nitrogen, and a some what high solubility of Potassium. Therefore when a container is watered with pure water in between each fertilizing, much of the nitrogen is leached out of the root zone, and quite a bit of the potassium is also leached away. Therefore, the tree is always in a feast or fast delima, and growth is slowed. - Millet

Very informative Thread Guys, Thank you all you've answered several of my questions already. again Thanks

I have been using Bandini Citrus Food 16-4-8 on my Eureka Lemon trees that are 5 years old in 3 gallon pots. I have been using Bandini for about a year. I read about it on the internet and it has made lot of difference in the growth. I use a small teaspoonful every three or four months. You can get it at any ACE hardware store. IF you do not live in a citrus state your local store will have to order it. I live near Millet in Colorado and ordered mine locally.They got if from a Las Vegas warehouse. It only comes in a 5 gallon bag.

.......one small teaspoonful every three or four months".......

One small teaspoonful of any type fertilizer, no matter what formulation, once every 90 to 120 days will not come close to supplying the nutrition requirements of a citrus tree. If your tree is doing as well as you believe, the nutrition is coming from other sources, such a natural solutes in your irrigation water. But definately not from only 5-9 grams of Bandini every 120 days. - Millet

How much would you recommend using then?

Also, do you think I need to repot my lemon tree into a larger pot?
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