Lemon trees are known for thriving in warm temperatures; they have also become prominent in colder areas but you need to know the tips of watering lemon trees to keep them healthy.
For a lemon tree which you grow in humid areas, watering it is something you have to do as a must frequently.
In colder environments, caring for a lemon tree is tricky, so you need to pay much attention to it while it grows and knowing that watering lemon tree is vital to its growth.
Caring for your lemon tree is the primary determinant of whether it will be healthy to produce blooms and fruits. Watering lemon trees is one of the critical elements your tree needs.
Requirements for watering lemon trees
What makes watering a lemon tree tricky is that too much or too little water will kill the tree.
Young lemon trees need regular watering for up to two or three years. You can water every day for a newly planted lemon tree till after two weeks. After that, you will provide watering twice a week for the next six to nine months.
For maturing lemon trees, you can water whenever the soil dries up upon your check and confirmation.
If a tree is about four years and more, you can water it only during the drought seasons. If there is rainfall, then a mature, established lemon tree will thrive even with irregular watering.
So you are now asking yourself, how do I water a lemon tree?
1. Frequency of watering lemon trees
If your lemon tree is directly in the ground, you should water it at least once a week. Deep watering is the perfect mode of delivery during irrigation and ensures to soak the soil but not soggy.
2. Deep watering lemon trees
Deep watering aims to enable the soil to get enough water for the next seven to ten days when you water again.
If the lemon tree is in the container, check every time if the soil is drying out a little with your finger whether the mud sticks to it. If it comes out dry, then it’s a sign you need to water again.
3. Good drainage
If you are planting a container lemon tree, you need to check whether it has enough holes at the bottom before you water it. The holes will help in aeration during watering and allow the water to circulate evenly and drain properly.
Well, draining soils are also ideal because whenever you water them, they do not form mud. If the soil is sandy, it’s light, and watering will be easy because they will remain moist, which a lemon tree enjoys.
When the drainage is ineffective for a lemon tree, it will have wet roots, which will rot hence making the leaves yellow and fall off the tree.
4. Even watering for lemon trees
Whenever you are watering a lemon tree, you need to balance it to master your frequency. The trick is never to let your tree dry out entirely because it will drop its leaves.
Always check to make sure you water the tree when the soil doesn’t have a lot of stress, resulting from dryness. You might not see the leaf drop immediately, but after watering again is when it happens.
When your tree gets damage because of improper watering, do not worry because it’s not as bad. The moment you resume proper watering for the tree, it will return its leaves and eventually begin to bloom.
Watering lemon trees in pots
Container lemon trees are usually dwarf varieties such as Meyer Improved dwarf, Lisbon, and Ponderosa dwarf lemons. These lemon trees do not get huge, and they are the best to grow in the pots.
Even when you have limited space, growing lemon trees in pots gives you the flexibility to move or place them according to your environment’s expanse. Proper care is all you need for the container tree to grow and bloom.
Let’s see what watering requirements do a pot lemon tree need;
1. Proper drainage holes
Before planting a lemon tree in a container, make sure the pot has enough holes, allowing drainage to occur during the watering process.
The container will have more breathing space for the roots hence keeping the tree healthy.
2. Consistent watering lemon trees
With lemon trees, there must be a regular watering plan. If you forget and let the soil dry out, the pot lemon tree will drop its leaves faster.
Ground trees have the advantage of some natural moisture in the ground. For the container tree, you need to feed it frequently.
Drip irrigation system for watering lemon tree
Are you growing lemon trees for commercial purposes on a large scale? Drip irrigation is your answer.
You do not have to wait for rainfall or use manual watering methods for your lemon tree; the pipes can work for you.
A drip irrigation system is watering plants using PVC pipes to supply water to the plants. Technical people can help you hurry the PVC pipes into ditches and attach dripper pipes.
Benefits of drip irrigation
1. Reliability
With drip irrigation, you get to achieve safe and constant water production without relying on rainfall or suffering from drought conditions.
2. High productivity
This method helps to yield high productivity for fruit quality of about 30% more fruits.
3. More fruit production
When you avoid the lack of water recovers, the lemon trees get to bloom, so you expect a lot of fruit production in the growing season.
4. A proper amount of water
Drip irrigation allows the correct amount of water supply to the lemon tree. Chances of excessive watering are minimal with drip irrigation.
5. Can add fertilizers
You can mix the fertilizers in the water, which will flow through the pipes during irrigation. You will hit two birds with one stone—no need for coming back to apply fertilizers. The distribution of nutrients will be more efficient with drip irrigation.
6. Energy saving
Due to the low pressure from the watering pipes during irrigation, you save a lot of power than when you use the fast water irrigation methods.
7. Saves water
Drip irrigation is water thrift since it’s not released at once into the ground. The water drips slowly into the ground, giving the lemon tree enough and not pouring.
8. No seasonal growth
This method of irrigation enables planting your trees in every season of the year despite the climatic conditions. Even during the dry seasons, you can release water to the newly planted young plants, and they thrive.
Drip irrigation is mainly for large growers of lemon trees, so this is very helpful if you are among them.
How often to water dwarf lemon trees?
Watering dwarf lemon trees is more like container trees because it’s the dwarf varieties we plant in the pots.
Dwarf lemon tree varieties include;
- Meyer Improved dwarf lemons
- Eureka lemons
- Lisbon lemons
- Ponderosa dwarf lemons
These varieties have flexible growth characteristics; they are also sweet and have multiple benefits for you and your household.
Dwarf lemon trees also help to beautify your landscape at home because they do not grow tremendously.
While growing a dwarf lemon tree, your goal should be to keep them healthy and know how to care for it.
You should know when to water the tree hence avoiding chances of over flooding and destroying it. Too much water for a dwarf lemon tree will make it susceptible to fungus and other related infections.
Dwarf lemon trees need watering at least twice a week, depending on the humidity and how big the plant is growing.
Thorough watering is best for these trees till you see the water starting to drain out of the holes. If possible, you can avoid sprinkling watering and use a hosepipe.
Ensure you always check the soil to see that it’s still moist hence determining when to water again.
How to fix over watered lemon trees?
A lemon tree that receives excessive watering suffers root rot, which makes it susceptible to fungus. This tree is also most likely to have yellow leaves, deformation, and leaf drop.
Fixing a tree that is suffering the effects of over watering is relatively easy if you immediately act upon it.
Do these for your over watered lemon tree;
1. Move the plant to a shady area
Much as lemon trees desire full sunlight, you will first place it under a shade at this point. Your tree will slowly regain its strength, and when it begins to sprout, you can put it back in the sun for 6-8 hours daily.
2. Check the pot and ensure proper drainage.
Drainage for your container is essential. Even if it’s in the ground, make sure where you plant the lemon tree on a high basis to allow for proper water flow.
For the container lemon tree, make sure the pot has enough holes and put enough to help the water drain properly without flooding into the soils again. The grounds will become moist also if drainage is proper.
3. Change the pot.
You might have to re-pot your lemon tree to another container and make a new and fresh potting mix. Doing this will help the tree have a new start, and it will regain its strength.
4. Water after confirming the soil is dry.
Every time before watering a lemon tree with over watering issues, you need to make sure the soil is dry and ready to receive water again. You can fix your finger into the ground, and if the mud comes out on it, you need to give it more days to dry out.
5. Treat the ground with a fungicide
The fungicide helps deal with any diseases that have come due to root rot and encompass the entire tree. Once you treat those infections, the lemon tree will be healthy again and regain its energy.
6. Prune the tree during the early spring
Pruning will help the lemon tree do away with those branches that have infections, remove water sprouts, and any suckers off the tree.
With time, a lemon tree will recover from watering effects if you do as this article tells you to do. You will have your healthy tree back, and you won’t regret the fruits it will bear for you.
Conclusion
Lemon trees will stay healthy if you give the right amount of water. Check to confirm the soil is dry and due for watering. Do not let the ground become over dry to water again as the tree will drop its leaves when you water it.
Over watering will kill your lemon tree, and so will under watering. Please follow the guide above to water the plant appropriately.