A potted lemon tree (Citrus x limon) is a total showstopper on any balcony, especially once it starts sporting bright fruit and reaches a decent size. If you’re looking to speed up that growth and get your tree looking lush, it’s all about giving it the VIP treatment.
Growth Rate
How fast your lemon tree grows really comes down to two main things:
- Location
- Care
The Right Spot
To get that vigorous growth we all want, your lemon tree needs:
- Plenty of warmth
- Tons of direct sunlight
During the summer, make sure it has a prime, full-sun spot on your balcony. If it’s stuck in a spot that’s too dark or too chilly—whether indoors or out—the little guy will barely grow at all.
Care and Maintenance
The real secret sauce to growth is fertilizing. A lemon tree is a heavy feeder; it’s only going to put on noticeable size if it has a steady supply of nutrients.
If you skip the fertilizer or only do it once in a blue moon, growth will slow to a crawl. Some people actually suggest “starving” the tree to keep it small, but I’d only recommend that if you’re really tight on space. Just a heads-up: a tree on a “diet” won’t produce as many lemons. When nutrients are low, the plant goes into survival mode and puts all its energy into its leaves rather than fruit.
Of course, proper hydration is key too. If you swing too far in either direction with water, growth becomes the least of your worries—the tree might not make it! Watering too much leads to waterlogging, which rots the roots. On the flip side, if you let it get bone-dry, your tree will simply dry up.
Growth Habit
Left to its own devices, Citrus x limon has what we call a “straggly” growth habit. This means it doesn’t naturally grow into a perfect, rounded canopy; instead, it tends to shoot out branches in all sorts of directions.
If you aren’t a fan of that wild look, you can use “training cuts” (pruning) to help it form a more shapely crown. But pruning isn’t just about aesthetics! If you give it a light trim every year, the tree will grow back bushier and fuller, which helps hide that naturally awkward shape.
And don’t let the term “little tree” fool you—if it’s happy, a lemon tree can eventually reach heights of up to 15 feet!
