When life gives you lemons!

Lemons can be easily grown at home in ample quantities by following some very useful tips and methods.

When it comes right down to gardening at the backyard of house, the lemon happens to be one of the most sought-after options, particularly for food lovers and cooking enthusiasts. From garnishing a variety of dishes to adding a tantalising taste to the meals, the lemon is a must-have condiment both for main courses and side dishes, be it a squeeze over an oily Nihari, a plateful of appetizing Haleem or be it a healthy crunchy portion of salads. A cold lemonade as well as it local but salty variant ’Shikanjbeen’ provide us the required nutrients in a sweltering afternoon.  For South Asian dishes, honestly speaking, lemons have the same importance as green peppers and coriander and mint leaves, and even more.

Called ‘Limun’ and ‘Nimbooda’ in Urdu and Hindi languages, lemons can be easily grown at home in ample quantities by following some very easy tips and methods as mentioned below.

Type of plants

The first step to grow a lemon plant is to plant lemon seeds, a process which is quite long and time-consuming. On an average, for instance, it takes a period of 4 to 5 years for a lemon plant to start producing its fruits, a significant amount of time when most people tend to give up their gardening hobby before it turns into a full-blown habit. For this reason, it is better to purchase the lemon plant from a nearby nursery. In Karachi, many varieties of lemon plants are easily available, including the local variety of kaghazi lemons, desi lemons, eureka, seedless and Chinese lemons. The presence of more thorns on the plants, the underlying texture of the lemon skin and size of the plant helps one differentiate lemon plants from the others. Locally, these varieties are grafted over wild citrus plants. As shown in the photographs, the writer has more than a dozen lemon plants at home,  producing us lemons for more than 7 years.

How to pot

Lemon plants are usually available in a small pot of a 4-inch size or in a plastic bag. Potting and shifting of the plant in the kitchen garden can go a long way in actually getting a lot of lemon harvests. First of all, the diameter and the length of the pot should be at least 12 inches. Before shifting the plant, put in a 2-inch layer of soil at the base of the pot, possibly along with a  layer of crushed egg shells and dried banana peels, used tea, decomposed cow manure and tripe fertilizer. All the added elements will help the plant to increase foliage, grow more leaves and flourish quickly. Now, the plant can be shifted to the bigger pot. However, it is essential to keep removing already dried twigs or branches on the lemon plant now and then.

Watering and sunlight  requirements

The plant should be watered only to the extent of keeping the soil moist. In place of showering the plant and watering directly on the stem, the plant must be watered from the sides of the pot. Premature fruit dropping occurs due to excessive watering. It is also necessary to water the plant at regular intervals, however, the watering quantity needs to be gradually decreased when flowering and fruiting begins.

For its sufficient exposure to sunlight, there is no need to keep the pot under a shade and it must be kept facing the sun till 1 pm.

Fertilisers for plant nourishment

As the lemon plant continues to settle in the new soil, it is recommended to add a fertilizer weekly, such as compost tea, to the plant. For this purpose, fish scraps, which are generally thrown away, can also be used. The scraps can be placed and covered with the soil after digging up a half to a 1-inch layer of soil around the plant. Always place the fish scraps deep in the soil so that its odour does not attract any cats, mouse or other rodents, which may dig it up while destroying the plant as well.

How to a avoid pest attack

Lemon plants are relatively from pest attacks. However, when new leaves grow on the plant, butterflies might pay a visit but as such they don’t cause any significant damage. To play it safe nonetheless, the Organic Neem Oil pesticide can be sprayed on the leaves, under-leaves and stem to avoid any potential pest attacks. This procedure can be repeated every 10 to 15 days depending upon the severity of the attack.

Fruiting and harvest

In favourable weather conditions, a lemon plant takes about 6 months to grow in a plastic bag just a period of 3-month in a small pot by adhere to the above-mentioned procedures.

Lemon plants are of perennial variety and keep producing fruits throughout the year. The summer is an exception as when lemons ripen in this season earlier than the winter.

The writer is a physician and avid traveller. He hosts a  YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic farming and kitchen gardening in Pakistan. He tweets @Ali_Shahid82 and can be reached at [email protected]