Lime tree

How to grow Lime tree growing conditions and care:

Well-drained soil, better loamy soil, moist soil in the fruits season and better to put mulch

How to care:
Design for easy to pick the fruits (when there are thorns it’s important but not all cultivars have thorns), add to the soil, organic matter, humus and fertilizer, in location with hot summer sun that the main trunk is expose to the sun better to better to whitewash (lime paint)

What is the best way to start growing:
Plant / Seed / Cutting / Air layering

Is it necessary to graft or cutting?
Yes, necessary to ensure the existent of the fruits and quality of the fruits and there are different parameters: size, taste (sweet, sour or something in between), juicy or dry, amount of seeds or seedless, season of the fruits (different cultivars have different dates for the fruits), better to graft more than one cultivar or more than on citrus.

Cutting need to use for the base of the tree for: disease-free, base that fit for different soils, resistance for drought, base that won’t resist for grafting or specific cultivar for the fruits.

Difficulties/Problems with growing Limes plant:
Thorns

Planting season:
Spring to summer in hardiness growing zone 8-10a, spring or autumn hardiness zone 10b-11a, possible also in summer and winter the main problem it’s hot and cold days that might cause future problem and even kill the plant, hardiness zone 11b+ planted all year

Pests and diseases in Limes plant:
Citrus leaf miner, aphids, citrus foot rot, ant, citrus gummosis

Pruning season:
All the year

How to prune a Limes plant:
Dead branch, cross branch, too much growth density

Size of the plant?
2-10 m, 6-30 feet, can keep it small as dwarf in the size 1-2m, 3-6 feet (40-80 inches)

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Medium growing

Water requirement:
Average amount of water, usually the plant need more water in the fruits season, but usually it’s when there are rains and if raining season delay need to increase the amount of water that the fruits won’t be dry and won’t explode.

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun and possible to grow in half shade in the right care but will produce less fruits

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No, but possible to grow next to window with sun that possible, grow it as dwarf tree and will take more time to get fruits

Growing is also possible in a pot, planter, flowerpot or containers:
Yes, when grow in container need to choose the desirable container if it’s small plant it directly if it’s a big container bigger than 100% than the root ball consider start to grow with small container, better to switch the soil once in few years, when start to grow check that the graft of the tree not too much high and choose plant that can grow as dwarf tree or to grow it as bonsai.

Blooming information

Bloom season:
Most of the year

General information about the flower
flowers are white with yellow stamen

Thinning / Deadheading of Limes plant Blossom:
the first year should thinning the flowers,

Pollination is done by:
Bees

Edible Fruits

Fruit harvest season:
Most of the year

Pests or diseases in Limes fruit:
Citrus stubborn disease, citrus black spot, Alternaria

What can be done with big quantities of Limes fruit?
Eat, juice alcohol, the rind used fragrant, fruit leather, sugary rind

Work requirements on the fruit:
Pick up (sometimes cut brunches that grow into the fruit)

How long does it take for a Limes plant to bear fruit?
2-3

Ripening of fruit
Possible to pick up the fruit before and let them ripening them in the house (or even to use them)

Subspecies

Kaffir Lime tree – tree or shrub, the leaves are edible, fruit size ~3-5 cm’ and color is green, yellow with sour taste.

Finger Lime tree – shrub or small tree, fruit size ~3-10 cm, the pulp is small round cells, fruit colors: yellow, write, red, green, it can be sweet / sour or something in between. Rind appears in green, red brown, orange or black.

Key Lime tree – tree, fruit size ~3-5 cm’ and color is green, yellow, with sour taste. The rind color: green sometime green-yellowish

Persian Lime tree – tree with thorns, sour fruit, the size ~4-6 cm’ and color is green with little bit of yellow. Some cultivars are seedless. The rind is thick in green color.

Sweet Lime tree – tree, fruit size ~13-24 cm’ and color is yellow/white, it is sweet something with a little sour. Rind color is yellow.

How to grow Lime tree from seeds

Sowing requirement:
Moist soil, well-drained soil, 20-27C temperature and better in sunny location

Saving and care seeds until sowing:
Dry, dark location in room temperature

Sowing season:
Spring to early summer (possible also summer to autumn)

How to plant:
Planting in soil that keep moist, cover the seed lightly

Planting spacing:
Better in separate pots, direct on the place 3*4m (10*13 feet), for transplant 5*5 cm (2*2 inches)

Depth of Sowing:
2cm (1inches)

Conditions for seeds germinate:
Keep the soil and don’t let it dry, rich soil and sunny location

Watering requires for Seeds:
Average amount of water

Germination time:
2-4 weeks, but can take longer

Condition of seedling:
If there is Citrus leaf miner in one of the trees in the area, better to put it in greenhouse or indoor to protect the tree, young tree very sensitive to citrus leaf miners, better to cover the soil with mulch.

Scientific name:

Citrus