Sweet lime tree growing and care is becoming famous in the U.S because it is less tart and more adorable and best for juicing.
Are you looking forward to growing sweet lime trees?
This article will show you the varieties of sweet lime and how you can take care of the lime trees.
Varieties of Sweet lime tree
Sweet limes lack acidity than other limes have. That is why it is more precious and lacks the tartness that other limes have.
There are two types of sweet limes;
1. Palestine(Indian) lime
This type of sweet lime is the most common fruit, almost round with a spherical underside. It has a greenish/orange-yellow color when it’s ripening. It has an inner pulp, pale yellow, with ten segments and very juicy.
Palestine is less acidic and slightly bitter to bland flavor. This sweet like tree is thornier than other lime trees. It bears fruits during the rainy season, unlike other lime trees.
2. Mexican sweet lime
This sweet lime is more yellowish-green in color. It’s aromatic and very juicy, too; its juice has a deep and rich flavor.
This sweet lime is small in size, and the tree is thorny like Palestine sweet lime. It’s also known as the key lime. It’s very sensitive to cold hence requires more heat to develop fruits.
Sweet lime tree growing and care.
Sweet lime tree has serrated leaves and nearly with wingless petioles. The fruit is yellow-green to yellow-orange, and it’s better to pick the fruits because they are ripe to prolong their shelf life.
Sweet lime is a hybrid of a Mexican type of lime and sweet lemon. It’s commonly grown in India, Egypt, Tropical America, etc.
In most parts of America, sweet lime is grown for personal use, unlike in other countries like India and Israel, for commercial purposes.
How to care for a sweet lime tree?
Sweet lime tree growing and care requires you to look at the following factors;
1. Location for sweet lime tree growing
You need to plant sweet limes on the south end of a building to enable it to get more warmth and protection from cold weather conditions. Put the sweet lime in a place where it can get full sun, and nothing around covers it.
Container growing of sweet limes is appropriate because if you need to move the plant, it’s easy to carry from one place to another.
2. Good Soil for sweet lime tree growing
Sweet lime tree growing and care needs a well-draining area since lime trees hate very muddy/soggy grounds.
If it’s in a pot, ensure enough holes to allow drainage to carry on and have the roots breathe properly and keep healthy.
The growth of the sweet lime will be proper if you add some organics and fertilizers as well.
3. Temperature
Watch out for the temperature so that it does not go below 50 degrees F.
At the same time, avoid the sweet lime from getting too much heat and have the soil dry out so much. It will not have leaf curls if the temperature is favorable.
4. Watering for sweet lime tree growing
Water the sweet lime tree at least every after seven days, once a week, if it’s directly in the ground.
If the sweet lime is in a container, water it every day, it depends on the rain and temperature factors.
If it’s summer, you might have to water it more frequently than if it’s winter.
5. Pruning
When you grow a sweet lime, cut off overgrown branches to give the tree room to breathe. Prune your sweet lime tree at least every year to avoid it from becoming too big and heavy for the roots to hold it firm.
6. Add fertilizers to sweet lime tree growing
While caring for a sweet lime tree, you need to add organic materials and composites to the soil and have the tree grow healthily. Fertilize three times a year in the fall of winter, early spring and again during late summer.
How to grow a sweet lime from a seed?
Wondering whether you can grow a sweet lime from seeds you have already, reading this is going to show you that it’s possible.
When you plant a sweet lime from a seed, the product might not be the same as the parent plant.
Sweet lime tree growing and care might also be challenging to get fruits from the new tree, but you have to keep taking care of the lime tree for proper growth.
If you want the plant to be identical to the parent, cut semi-hardened stems from the parent lime, insert them into a moist potting soil to root.
You can transplant the rooted cuttings to a container or garden when they are an inch long.
Steps to sweet lime tree growing
1. Have your seeds ready before sweet lime tree growing
When you want to grow a lime tree from seeds, the first step is to have the seedlings readily available for the process.
2. Prepare the seeds
You can peel off the lime seeds’ outer membrane, which you will soak overnight to have them fresh and germinate more quickly. The water will also help to moisten into the core of the origin rapidly.
3. Prepare a pot and water
Mix a small amount of water and potting soil to have the mixture moist but not damp or soggy. Fill the pot with the soil mixture but ensure good drainage holes in the container’s bottoms.
4. Put the seedlings into the container
Now you can push the sweet lime seeds into the pot to a depth of at least one-quarter inch and make sure you cover them with soil.
5. Cover the container for sweet lime growing
When you finish, cover the container in which you have put the seedlings and seal it with a plastic wrap to retain moisture so that you don’t have to add water during the time of germination.
In case you notice that the soil is getting dry, you can use a spray bottle to mist the soil lightly and restore the moist state. Please don’t make it wet in the process.
6. Keep containers in a warm place.
You need to ensure that the pots are warm to a temperature between 65°-75°F. Avoid placing the containers to direct sunlight to affect the sweet lime plants’ growth and development.
7. When the seeds germinate, remove the wrap.
Within three-six weeks, seeds will germinate. Once you see germination is taking place and leaves are beginning to appear, uncover the pot.
Find a place where there is no direct sun, but it has bright light to allow growth to take place.
8. Transplant if the plant is in a small container.
When leaves appear, it’s a sign of growth and development of a sweet lime tree. So you can move it to a bigger container or a garden and continue taking good care of it and watering it when the ground gets dry.
Sweet lime benefits
Sweet lime is usually available in all seasons. It has a sweet and sour tasting fruit, and it’s consumed mainly in a beverage more than whole fruit.
Sweet lime acts as a natural coolant to the body because of the health benefits it has. It has low calories with less than 43 calories with fiber, Vitamin C, potassium, iron, calcium, and copper.
Some known benefits include preventing stroke, body hydration, improving the joint’s health, and different beauty benefits.
Here are the top health benefits of sweet lime
1. Sweet lime aids digestion
There are more flavoring in this lime fruit, which helps in stimulating the secretion of digestive juice and acids. When there is improved bowel movement due to the simulators’ aid, the toxins are easily flushed out.
Even when you have digestive complications like diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea, sweet lime is the number one fruit to take and get your digestion back to normal.
2. Helps when you lack vitamin C
When you take sweet lime, you remove and prevent lacking vitamin C, which brings scurvy. If you get frequent attacks of cold and flu, then take sweet lime juice or the fruit.
Ulcers in the mouth and tongue, bleeding gums, and bad breath can all go away if you take the juice or chew the sweet lime ground.
3. Sweet lime boosts the immune system.
When you drink sweet lime juice, you strengthen your immunity because the flavoring limousine glucose contains anti-cancer, antibacterial, antioxidant, and detoxifying properties.
It also helps in improving blood circulation and boosts your immune system. Sweet lime helps in fighting cancer cell formation.
4. Keeps your hair & skin healthy
Because sweet lime is rich in vitamins, it strengthens the hair, treats dandruff, and works on split ends. It’s the right choice for beauty therapists that are looking at making your hair better.
If you have dry skin and need to improve skin tone and glow, sweet lime acts as a natural moisturizer and promotes healing if your skin goes through some damage.
It clears acne, out pigmentation and provides radiant and glowing skin. If you are preparing for a party and want to see your face glow, make a sweet lime face scrub(mix with honey and water), and it will open your pores, making the skin look youthful.
5. Works on dehydration
Because sweet lime contains vitamins and minerals, it’s healthier than carbonated drinks. It can satisfy your thirst alongside hydrating your body. It will give energy to your body and lessens the stake of dehydration.
Even when you suffer from sun-stroke sweet lime can help in treating it.
6. Bone health
Since sweet lime contains calcium, strengthening the bones, when you take the fruit stimulates the cell, building the bones.
Vitamin C helps in relieving inflammation and swelling, which will, in turn, treat symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
7. Effective in treating eye infections
Since sweet lime contains antioxidants and antibacterial properties, it can treat eye problems like cataracts and glaucoma.
8. Cleanses the kidney
Suppose you have a higher concentration of potassium. In that case, the sweet lime juice can help cleanse the kidneys and reduce urinary bladder infection risks.
Since it’s high in antioxidants, it flushes out uric acid from your body hence treating gout.
Final thought
Sweet lime tree growing is perfect for juice and have many benefits suitable for a healthy body and prevent infections from attacking your body. Suppose you choose to grow it in your backyard. In that case, you are making a wise decision because you will have one of the wealthiest flavoring fruits available to you.
FAQs
ellow sweet limes are delicious because they are ripe and ready for picking while sweet green limes may not be ready and have not reached their full sweetness yet.
Sweet lime tastes sweeter than orange. That’s why most people prefer the latter. Oranges have a sour flavor.
Put the young sweet lime plant or seeds in a small container, and you can transfer it when it is grown. Plant the sweet lime during the rainy season and make sure to water it appropriately. If it’s summer, then water it daily not to have the soil dry out. Use nutrients to keep the soil fertile and have proper growth.
Sweet limes cross between Mexican limes and sweet lemons. They are adorable when overly ripe and look similar to regular limes.Sweet limes are more yellowish-green in color and can last up to two weeks in a refrigerator.