Anyone had any luck with Lemon and Lime Trees?

[StaryD]

Just a quick question to you guys out there.
My other half really wants to get a Lemon and a Lime tree (as we use so many in our cooking).
Can anyone tell me the do's and don'ts of growing and caring for them as I have no clue (or indeed post a link to where I can find out more about them).

[Pineberry]

I have 4 lemon trees, but i am not an expert I only got them last year.

All I can say winter lemon trees need rest period like other trees, and have to be kept in the cool area NO heating ( or they drop leaves and will not fruit.) lemons can withstand few degrees of frost when large enough. On the label it says -3 tolerant.
Limes like more warmth.

Check out these links:
Global Orange Groves UK - The Choice For A Citrus Tree In The UK
Home Citrus Growers
Growing citrus trees | Farm In My Pocket | Farm In My Pocket

[Caldan]

I left mine out over winter (just patio ones in pots) and they very ill for it. Fleeced them but think it was wet rather Han cold that got them. Got them in dry non-heated light area now and so hoping will recover!

[veggiechicken]

Just a quick question to you guys out there.
My other half really wants to get a Lemon and a Lime tree (as we use so many in our cooking).

If you want the plants for the fruit - forget it. If you want it because its smells nice and you have the occasional fruit buy them.
I had a lemon "tree" for several years - it had one lemon the first year and that was it. Plenty of flowers though

[starloc]

Small lemon trees indoors in the house, look nice , generally dont produce much fruit due to the size, keep it in a greenhouse and it will be fine and produce fruit, indoors keep to a few rules and it will grow fine and fruit

The air must be humid, roots at about 25C if the plant gets light, best to keep them like this all the time with a thermostat heater mat and it will grow all year long, in the winter let the air in the room get very cold to below 12C , for a few hundred hours to get winter chill hours, they can still get warm during the day and the roots should get warm before any light gets on them in the day

No winter chill hours, no floweering, no humidity or incorrect fertilising and the flowers will fall

As the flowers start to form, start spraying every day with very dilute potassium nitrate in water solution to get more fruit to hold on the tree and not drop

They will survive, just in a cold place by a window that gets no direct sun, with no heating, but again watch the sun in the spring doesnt get them before the roots are warm

They will also survive and go dormant in a garage or shed with no light and very cold conditions as long as no frost gets them, as long as they warm up ( especialy the roots ) before they go in strong light, but warm roots do need some light!

In the UK , I keep my small ones indoors, and the large ones outdoors as they weigh about 300kg so too heavy to move , and the door isnt big enough, the big ones continuously fruit and flower all year long, they slow down in the winter but still grow , I get about 400 lemons a year off each lemon tree and about 100 mandarins from a mandarin tree, I use frost cloth, xmas lights and a standard 150wat bulb in the center to generate warmth to stop frost damage

I have left 20 small citrus trees assorted types of lemons, mandarins and oranges in a pit in the garden in Bulgaria, apparently they will be fine , I have a pit 8 foot deep, lined with polystyrene , painted black with a glass mini greenhouse type frame over the top, we generaly get -18C for some days but for about a month the usual temoerature is about -10C
I looked at them in the snow in February, they seemed fine, still growing, lemons hadnt gone soft ( usual problem with them freezing )

I havent watered the Bulgarian ones since October, they still dont need it, they like to be dry in the cold

Lime trees are a pain, too cold sensitive, they like lots of heat and need to be made flower by drought as cold makes them drop the leaves

[Jardiniere]

well that was an extensive answer from starloc so all I'm going to say is that I have a lemon and a lime which I keep in the verandah (small conservatory type thing) in the winter and outside on the terrace in the summer. Photo attached. I've had about 20 odd lemons each year or the last 3 years but the lime is newer and hasnt ripened any fruit yet - in fact we are beginning to think that its not a lime at all ...waiting?

[StaryD]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I think we are going to try at least a lemon this year and keep it in a pot to move it inside in the winter.