Lemon trees (*Citrus x limon*) are becoming a huge hit on patios and balconies everywhere. They bring that gorgeous Mediterranean vibe right to your doorstep, and hey, who doesn’t love homegrown lemons? Since buying a full-grown tree can be a bit pricey, I always recommend trying to grow your own. It’s a fun project and super rewarding!
Propagation
You can start your new lemon tree journey using two main methods:
- Cuttings
- Seeds
Cuttings
Growing from cuttings is definitely the easiest way to propagate a lemon tree. If you want the best results, aim to do this between June and September.
Taking the Cut
You’ll want to take your cuttings from a healthy “mother plant” that has already flowered or produced fruit. This gives your new little tree a much better chance of doing the same. Look for one-year-old shoot tips (called softwood cuttings) that don’t have any flowers or fruit on them yet. Here’s the plan:
- Cut the tips to a length of about 4 to 6 inches.
- Make the cut just below a “sleeping eye” (a leaf node).
Planting
To give your cuttings enough room to develop a strong root system, give each one its own 5-inch plastic pot with drainage holes. Here’s your step-by-step:
- Strip off all the leaves except for the top pair.
- Dip the bottom end into some rooting hormone.
- Create a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot using gravel or broken terracotta shards.
- Fill the pot with seed-starting mix (leave about an inch of space at the top).
- Moisten the soil.
- Poke a hole in the center.
- Insert the cutting so about two-thirds of it is buried.
Location and Care
- Keep your cuttings indoors in a warm spot with partial shade.
- Pop a clear plastic bag over the pot and cutting to create a mini-greenhouse effect.
- Open the bag briefly every day to let in fresh air and check for any mold.
- Keep the soil consistently moist using filtered or rainwater (lemons aren’t fans of lime-heavy tap water).
If you see a new leaf sprouting at the tip after about six to eight weeks, congratulations—your cutting has taken root! You can take the plastic bag off now. Keep it in that semi-shaded spot until the roots have filled the pot. Once you’ve repotted it into a larger container with high-quality citrus soil, you can start treating it just like a grown-up lemon tree.
Lemon Seeds
[Growing a lemon tree from a seed[/link] is actually pretty simple, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, not every seed is going to sprout. Second, there’s no 100% guarantee that a tree grown from a seed will actually flower or produce fruit—and you won’t know the answer to that mystery for several years! To hedge your bets, I suggest planting seeds from a few different sources. Ideally, use seeds from your own homegrown fruit if you have them!
