The lemon tree is a very, very productive tree. If it is healthy, it can bear so much fruit that its branches can break due to not supporting the weight. In fact, to prevent that from happening, it is recommended to prune it, since in this way a slightly smaller but higher quality harvest is guaranteed.
However, it is curious because sometimes our beloved plant only takes leaves and grows, but nothing else. "Why is my lemon tree not bearing fruit?" We asked ourselves. Well, the reasons are most likely to be found in the care we give it.
When does the lemon tree bear fruit?
But before getting into the matter, you have to know the answer to this question, since it is possible that your tree does not give lemons simply because it is not the season. Well, the lemon Tree, whose scientific name is Citrus x lemon, is an evergreen tree (rather a small tree since it does not usually measure more than 5 meters) that blooms in spring and bears fruit shortly thereafter, in summer and into fall.
In any case, nowadays it can be harvested at any time of the year if the weather allows it, but it will be from May to October (in the northern hemisphere) when most of the fruits will be harvested.
How long does it take for a lemon tree to bear fruit?
Another reason why your lemon tree does not bear fruit may be because it is young. A tree from seed will take an average of 5 years, while if it is grafted, it will take less time: around 2 or 3 years after the graft has been performed. But this is by no means an exact science.
Why is my lemon tree not producing lemons?
Whether your tree takes more or less time to bear lemons will depend on many factors. If we have ruled out age, let's see what the others are and what to do to make it bear fruit:
Climate
In hot climates, where frosts are not registered but there are no extreme maximum temperatures (40ºC or more), it can bear fruit earlier than expected and for longer.. To give you an idea, in my area, where summer can be very hot (temperatures over 35ºC and minimum temperatures of 20ºC or higher) and with mild springs and winters, the lemon trees are producing lemons almost all year round. But in colder areas, they will only do it in summer-autumn, or only in autumn.
Even so, you should know that the lemon tree withstands temperatures well between 40ºC and -7ºC (for a short time). It is, in fact, one of the most cold hardy citrus fruits known. But yes in your area the temperature drops below -7ºC, you must protect it at least one anti-frost fabric (on sale here), or in a greenhouse.
Water and nutrients
Image - Flickr / Catalina Gracia Saavedra
The lemon tree it is not a tree that withstands drought. Now, the ground should not be flooded either since otherwise it will rot. For this reason, if it is watered when necessary and if it is also fertilized during its growth, it is possible that the start of fruit production will be a little earlier.
How to know that the lemon tree lacks or excess water and / or needs nutrients? For these symptoms:
- Lack of water: the leaves turn yellow and the tips dry until they fall; if it has flowers, they abort; growth stops.
- Excess of water: the lower leaves turn yellow and fall; new leaves that grow may turn brown; the flowers fall; the earth looks very compacted, it can even come out green.
- You need nutrients: in this case, the leaves will turn yellow but the veins will remain green. This happens a lot when grown in alkaline soils, since its roots cannot obtain iron and / or manganese.
What is there to do? Well, if you need water what we will do is water of course. You have to pour water into it until the earth is well soaked. Likewise, we will have to increase the frequency of irrigation, at least temporarily (when temperatures drop and / or it starts to rain more often, it will be important that we readjust this frequency so that it does not have problems).
If what happens to you is that you have excess water, it will be necessary, on the one hand, to suspend the irrigation for a few days; and on the other, perform some anti-fungal treatment, since these microorganisms like very humid environments, and could seriously damage the lemon tree. In addition, if we have it in a pot, it will be highly advisable to remove it and wrap the root ball (roots) with absorbent paper for a day so that it has a better chance of recovering.
And finally, if you need nutrients, we will fertilize it with a citrus fertilizer following the instructions for use (get it here). But not only that: if the soil in which it is growing is alkaline, it will be very, very important that we continue to fertilize it with that product every spring and every summer, as this will prevent it from happening again.
Virtual
By space we mean what you can have in a pot or in a garden. Trees grown in containers generally take longer to bear fruit than those grown on land. Likewise, if its roots have already occupied the entire pot, its growth will slow down and, also, the production of lemons will be delayed.
For this reason, If we have it in a pot, it is necessary that it be of an increasing size every so often (2-3 years). The lemon tree can be grown in a container and bear fruit without problem, but if it is too small, its yield will not be what we would like. Likewise, a suitable substrate must be put on it, like this one they sell here for example.
Pests
If pests tend to attack it, it will take longer to bear fruit. The most common in lemon trees are: cottony mealybugs, aphids, leaf miners and spider mites. All of them, except the miners, are sap suckers, which are found on the underside of the leaves, especially in the tender ones. In the case of miners, what they do is dig tunnels inside the foliage, destroying it.
How to remove them? It is advisable to do it with products such as diatomaceous earth (for sale here), potassium soap (for sale here) or neem oil (for sale here). These are natural, so they won't harm the environment. But if we see that they have spread a lot, it is best to choose specific insecticides, such as these that you can find in the links: for the mealybugs, aphids, miners and for the Red spider.
Management
Image - Wikimedia / MPF
When the lemon tree lives in very humid environments and / or when it is watered too much, it becomes vulnerable to certain diseases:
- alternariasis: it is a disease that is transmitted by the fungus Alternaria when the tree has too much water. The symptoms are similar to those of overwatering, namely: the leaves turn yellow, brown spots appear and finally fall.
- Penicillium: it is a fungus that causes the appearance of white spots with greenish tones on the rind of the fruits.
- Psoriasis: it is caused by a virus that causes shedding of the bark, sometimes also causing gum.
- Viruses and viroids: there are mainly two: the exocortis that causes the appearance of vertical cracks and scales on the trunk, as well as dwarfism; and the sadness virus that is transmitted by aphids and that causes premature leaf drop and weakening of the tree.
How to treat it? If the disease is caused by a fungus, then the tree must be treated with a fungicide.. An effective and natural one is copper (you can get it here), which should be sprinkled around the trunk and watered. But if it is very weak, it is more advisable to opt for a chemical fungicide, such as this.
In the case of viruses, unfortunately nothing can be done, just uproot the affected tree and burn it.
What if nothing works?
If, no matter how much we take care of the lemon tree, it still does not bear fruit even though it is the right age, we can still do something else: fertilize it with a fertilizer that stimulates flowering, that is, the production of flowers. For example, this one they sell here It is organic, so it can be used even in organic farming.
In the case of choosing to use it, we will have to stop fertilizing it with citrus fertilizer, since otherwise we would be adding too much compost, and we could lose it.
Has it served you? I hope that with these tips your lemon tree will bear fruit.
Hello! I traded in a lemon tree 3 years ago that was already 3 years old in a pot, with its roots very tangled. I planted it in the ground but it doesn't grow. It was recently attacked by snails, I think, and it was left without leaves. Now it has a new bud, but it is there, it neither grows in size nor dies. What could I do? Could it be because he had tight roots as a boy? Must be 5 or 6 years old. It is 30 cm. High. Thanks for your help!
Hi Viviana.
That's probably why, yes. Give it time, and little by little it will take root well in the ground.
Greetings.
Hello, how are you doing? I have a lemon tree that is with small and marbled lemons.
I would like to know how I should do to prune it?
This variety is supposed to give lemon all year round and that is not happening.
How can I know if the soil is alkaline? So I know what kind of fertilizer to put.
Thank you
regards
Hello Natalia.
We pass you the information you request: lemon tree care, and alkaline soil characteristics.
Greetings.
Hello, I bought grafted mandarins, I don't know if they are from this fruit or not since I see large thorns ... The problem is that some of the twigs gradually turned brown to the point of looking completely dry but the base is green ... For what is this?
Hi Patricia.
How often do you water it? The mandarin wants moderate waterings, about 3 times a week in summer, and less the rest of the year.
It is also important to know if it has any pests that are harming it, so I recommend you look at its leaves to see if it has any insects, such as mealybugs that are quite common in these fruit trees.
Greetings.
I really liked it and I have learned a lot about caring for my lemon trees.
Thank you very much for this publication and my sincere congratulations.
Thank you very much for your words, Lino Santana.
We are glad to know 🙂
Greetings.
An elderly man next to my rural property, seeing that my lemon trees were hardly bearing fruit, said to me "Beat him up in winter." And then he told me, grab a broom and hit it not very hard. I did it with my three lemon trees and at the time, they were filled with lemons. I started to think why it would be and an explanation, it could be that the tree, when feeling attacked, produces more fruits, as a means of saving the species. Later, talking to old people from the countryside, they told me the same thing.
Hello, Marcelo.
Let's see, I think it's a bit of a coincidence. In other words, plants can react by producing flowers and / or fruits in situations of maximum stress. For example, it may happen - it has happened to me - that you have a cactus that is bad and that it starts to bloom out of season with a single purpose: to pollinate the flowers and produce fruits with seeds.
But I don't know to what extent hitting a tree contributes to its bearing fruit.
Greetings.
Hello, I am 6 from Venezuela, Portuguese State .. warm area all year round. In my case, I have a lemon tree planted more than 6 years ago. The first two years it took a long time to stick and start to grow. Later it grew and is a tree of about 3 meters but despite the fact that its leaves have a strong smell of lemon, unfortunately it does not bear fruit despite the time. What do you recommend me??
Hello Miguelulises.
You may be running low on compost. Are you paying it throughout the spring and summer? Fertilizers such as cow manure or guano can be very useful.
Greetings.