Grow Citrus Indoors for Fresh, Beautiful, Delicious Décor!

You can’t beat fresh-grown oranges, lemons and limes when you want to add a burst of sweet-tart flavor to your juices, pies, and homemade sorbet to keep you cool this summer. But you don’t have to live in Florida or Southern California to grow your own citrus!

Growing your own indoor citrus trees is easier than you might think, and your décor and your palate will both thank you. Read on to learn more!

Step One: Choose your Trees

The best indoor citrus trees are specially cultivated dwarf varieties, which have been grafted onto smaller plants so the trees won’t grow too large. The most popular indoor citrus tree is the dwarf Improved Meyer Lemon, which is well-adapted for indoor growth and produces a delicious fruit that is sweeter than the average lemon.

Meiwa kumquat, Kaffir limes, and Calamondin oranges are other citrus varieties that do well indoors. You can buy dwarf citrus trees at your local garden center, or order them online from a grower such as Four Winds Growers. Buy a tree that’s two or three years old so you can enjoy fruit soon.

Before you buy a citrus tree, keep in mind where you plan to put the tree. While all citrus trees need plenty of sunlight, sweeter fruits such as oranges and tangerines need more heat and sun than more tart fruits such as lemons or kumquats.

Step Two: Plant your Indoor Citrus Trees

When your tree arrives, plant it in a planter that is only about 2 inches bigger around than the tree’s root ball. Make sure the planter has a drainage hole, and place a saucer under the planter to catch any extra water. Fill the planter about 1/2 –full with potting soil.

Gently massage the root ball to release the roots, place the root ball in the pot on top of the potting soil, and fill in more soil around it until the roots are completely covered. Don’t put any soil around the trunk.

Gently pat the soil down, and water the tree thoroughly.

Step Three: Nurture and Enjoy!

Now that your citrus tree is settled into its new home, the proper care will help you wind up with lots of fresh, juicy fruit instead of a sad, wilted tree.

First, your citrus tree needs lots of sunlight. Most citrus trees do best with 10 to 12 hours of sunlight per day, but they need at least 5 hours of direct sunlight.

Martha Stewart recommends placing citrus trees in a south-facing window and supplementing with a grow light during the winter if necessary.

Citrus trees also need plenty of moisture. Regular watering and misting will keep your tree healthy, although good drainage is also important to prevent root rot. Loamy potting soil will drain well and will be more likely to have a pH in the 6 to 7 range that is best for citrus trees.

You can either make a mixture such as the one Apartment Therapy recommends, which is 1 part sand, 1 part peat, and 1 part bark, perlite or vermiculite, or buy a potting soil that’s specially-formulated for citrus trees.

With lemon trees, when a cluster of tiny lemons appears, pick about 2/3 of them. This will allow the remaining lemons to grow larger.

When your trees start bearing fruit, savor your harvest with recipes such as this refreshing orange sorbet, or this sweet-tart lemon sorbet.

Happy harvest! Stop by our website for ways to spend more time gardening and less time cleaning.

Photo courtesy of  Michelle Ramos, Quinn Dombrowski, Dodo-Bird and Denise Cross