You may be surprised to learn that you can easily grow your own citrus trees in the UK – no tropical climate required! Whether you want to try your hand at traditional favourites such as lemons, limes and oranges or some of the more unusual varieties like calamondin, caviar lime or yuzu, there’s a zesty fruit for every occasion. Here’s how to grow citrus trees at home.
Where to grow your citrus trees
Image: Citrus tree ‘Lemon Eureka’ from Suttons
Citrus trees grow best in a sunny greenhouse, conservatory or windowsill with a minimum temperature of 4ºC (38ºF). If the indoor atmosphere is quite dry you might find that the plant suffers from leaf drop. If that happens, simply stand it on a saucer filled with pebbles and water, and move it away from radiators. Through the warm summer months, citrus trees will also thrive outside, provided they’re placed in a sheltered, sunny position.
How to care for your citrus trees
Image: Citrus Plant ‘Mandarin’ from Suttons
When your citrus trees arrive, remove them from the packaging immediately and water if necessary. Your plants have already been grown on to fill the pot provided, so you can enjoy them as they come or plant them into larger pots as required.
- Water thoroughly each time the surface of the compost becomes dry.
- In the summer months, your plants may need to be watered daily during hot weather.
- In the cool winter months, this might be reduced to fortnightly, or just enough to keep the roots moist. Don’t allow the compost to become waterlogged as this will kill the roots.
- Feed your plants weekly during the spring and summer with a citrus fertiliser or seaweed-based fertiliser to promote fruit growth.
- Citrus trees don’t thrive when there are high salt levels in the compost. Take them outside twice a year and drench with lots of clean water to prevent any build-up of excess fertiliser salts.
- To encourage a bushy plant and to maintain a good shape, trim your plants just as the new growth starts to sprout in the spring.
Harvesting your citrus fruit
Image: Citrus Plant ‘Kaffir Lime’ from Suttons
Citrus plants are very rewarding to look after and provide plenty of interest. Delicate foliage make them an attractive houseplant, and the small scented white flowers that appear in spring are followed by zesty fruit. With the correct conditions, the fruit grows steadily over the next six months until it’s ripe enough to eat. The fruits can be picked off or left on the tree for ornamental purposes.
Citrus trees make an attractive addition to conservatories, sunny windowsills or greenhouses and, provided you keep them sheltered, can happily spend summers on a bright patio. See our full range of fruit trees and soft fruit plants here.
Lead image: Citrus ‘Calamondin’ from Suttons
Last Updated on November 8, 2024 by Suttons Horticultural Team
My lemon tree is dropping its leaves I have misted the leaves I cannot see any pests it is at present in the conservatory which is unheated is there anything else I can try
Yuzu is a cold hardy citrus tree which can survive temperatures below freezing, even down to -10ºC. However, cold hardiness is not an exact science and plants in pots and young trees will be more vulnerable and especially resent winter waterlogging. Whilst the plant is young, I would avoid temperatures below freezing without coddling it too much. Keep it in a cold greenhouse where the cool temperatures will promote flower formation. As the tree matures you can experiment with gradually exposing it to lower temperatures whilst ensuring that the potting medium is well-drained and the plant is protected from excessive winter wet. Keep it in a rain shadow in the lee of a wall or place something over the soil to deflect the rain. It is the combination of cold and wet which tends to kill semi-hardy plants rather than the cold alone.
My daughter brought me one of your yuzu lemon trees. It has been growing well outside in a sunny sheltered spot. At what temperature should I bring it indoors