Growing lemon at home is a pretty popular activity. This subtropical plant requires special attention and does not respond well to errors in care. One of the important stages of lemon farming is its regular transplantation.
Key Aspects of Home Lemon Transplant
Strictly speaking, a transplant should be considered such an operation, which is associated with a complete replacement of the soil and exposure of the root system of the plant. For lemon, this may be needed only in case of root disease, soil contamination with fungi or pests. After such a transplant, the lemon will take time to root, which, of course, will slow its growth.
Lemon will need a transplant only in case of root disease
In most cases, with a planned transplant, a method of transferring to another container with a lump of earth on the roots is used. When the operation is carried out carefully, the plant will not even notice this, since the roots will not be affected.
How often to transplant a lemon
The first transplant should be carried out after the purchase of the plant:
- if the roots have already appeared from the drainage holes, then it is impossible to delay the transplant;
- if the roots are not visible, and the plant is very small, then you should wait until the roots master the entire space inside the pot.
To see this, the soil is abundantly watered and after a while they gently try to remove a lump of earth from the pot from the plant. If the lump is dense, roots stick out from it over the entire surface, then it is time to transplant the plant, and if the lump is loose and falling apart, then you still need to wait.
If the earth lump is dense, with protruding roots, then it is time to transplant the plant
If the smell of rot comes from the soil, it should be replaced completely with washing the roots and disinfection with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
As a general rule, a lemon needs a transplant 2-3 times in the first year of life. At the age of two to five years, he is transplanted once a year, and in the future the interval of transplants is 2-3 years.
Is it possible to transplant blooming lemon and lemon with fruits
Of course, disturbing a tree with fruits and flowers is undesirable, but the lemon often blooms and bears fruit all year round and has to be transplanted with flowers or fruits. If you do this as carefully as possible by transshipment with a lump of land, then there will be no harm.
Flowering lemon tree can be carefully transplanted by transshipment.
In the event that an emergency transplant with flushing of the roots and replacing the soil is required, the flowers and fruits must be removed so that it is easier for the plant to take root in new conditions.
How to transplant a lemon at home
Transplanting a lemon is not a complicated process. Even a novice can cope with it.
Transplant Dates
The best time for transplantation is mid-February and mid-August - these are transition periods between the active phases of plant growth. If for some reason a complete replacement of the soil and drainage is required, then it is best to do this as soon as possible.
In the case of transplantation by means of transshipment, compliance with these deadlines is not so critical, but it is still not worth it in May-June and in November-December.
Favorable days for a lemon transplant
For those who adhere to the lunar calendar in caring for plants, we note that a lemon transplant should be tried on a waning moon. And the most favorable days for this in 2019, according to astrologers, are as follows:
- January - 1-5, 22-31;
- February - 1-3, 20-28;
- March - 8, 9, 17, 18;
- April - 24, 25;
- May - 4, 5, 21, 22, 31;
- June - 5-8; 13, 14;
- July - 25, 26;
- August - 21, 22;
- September - 18, 19, 27;
- October - 3, 4, 12-14;
- November - 4, 5.
Pot selection
Do not underestimate the importance of choosing a pot for planting and transplanting a lemon. Its size is especially important:
- if the pot is too small, then the roots in it become crowded, they have nowhere to grow, the development of the plant is suspended;
- when the pot is too large, when watering the plant does not consume all the water - as a result, it stagnates and sours, which leads to various diseases.
You should choose pots that exceed the size of the root system by 3-4 cm. With each transplant, a pot of larger diameter and height will be required.
When choosing the height of the pot, one should take into account the fact that a drainage layer will be laid on its bottom.
There are several types of pots suitable for growing lemon:
- ceramic pots are convenient in that the clay absorbs excess moisture, and when the soil dries, it gives it back, that is, the pot serves as a battery of water; before planting, such a pot should be soaked for 2-3 hours in water in order to charge it with moisture and so that it does not drain the soil during planting;
Ceramic pots are convenient in that clay absorbs excess moisture, and when it dries, it gives it back
- plastic containers do not absorb moisture, so they need to be laid more drainage - up to half the volume; containers made of white translucent plastic must be wrapped with a light-protective material (black film, dense fabric, foil, etc.), otherwise the soil will be covered with moss, which will damage the lemon; pots made of plastic are convenient for transplanting lemon in the first years of life, since they are relatively cheap and can be purchased in different sizes;
You can purchase large quantities of plastic pots with incremental sizes.
- for tall adult plants, it is better to use wooden tubs, tapering downwards: for such a capacity to last longer, the material for it should be pine, or even better oak, and the inner surface of the tub should be burnt before planting with a blowtorch to disinfect and increase its resistance to decay.
Transplant soil
Lemon planting / transplanting nutrient mixture is easy to prepare yourself. To do this, simply mix the following components:
- chernozem (imported, not from the garden) - 2 parts;
- turf land from a meadow or planting - 1 part;
- well rotted dry humus - 1 part;
- coarse-grained river sand (washed, without clay inclusions) - 1 part.
Before use, this mixture should be disinfected by calcination or heating in a water bath for an hour. If this is not possible, then it is better to use purchased soils with neutral acidity.
For transplanting lemon, you can use the prepared soil from the store
Step-by-step instruction
Consider two options for transplantation. A simpler and more frequent case is transshipment of a lemon with a clod of earth:
- A drainage layer is placed in a new pot. The best materials for it are: beaten red brick, beaten ceramics, expanded clay. The drainage holes are covered with convex shards, then the rest of the material is laid starting from large fractions and ending with small ones. The layer thickness should not be less than 5 cm, and in the case of using plastic pots this layer is 30-50% of the height of the container.
The drainage layer in the pot must be at least 5 cm
- 2 cm of peat, moss or dry humus are poured over the drainage, and then 3-4 cm of nutrient soil.
- On the transplanted plant, a label is attached on the sunny side.
- Water the lemon abundantly and after 10-15 minutes, carefully remove it from the pot with a lump of earth, being careful not to destroy it.
- If dried roots are found, they should be trimmed.
- Put the plant in a new pot so that its level relative to the edge remains the same. If necessary, add soil to the bottom of the pot.
The plant is placed in a new pot so that its level relative to the edge remains the same.
- The space around the earth coma is covered with soil, carefully tamping it with your hands and leaving no voids. In this case, the root neck cannot be filled up.
- Watered lemon with warm water and after shrinkage of the soil pour the right amount.
After planting, pour lemon with warm water
- To reduce the stress received by the plant as a result of transplantation, you can spray its crown with Zircon solution and cover it with a bag to create a greenhouse effect.
Zircon will help the tree recover after transplanting
- For 5-7 days, the pot is placed in a slightly darkened place, and then returned to its former position with the same side to the sun as before. If the lemon was covered with a bag, then it is removed.
In the case when a transplant is required with a complete replacement of the soil, the procedure will be as follows:
- Prepare a new pot with drainage and soil in the same way as in the first case.
- Lemon in an old pot watered abundantly. After a while, they take out a plant with a lump of earth and place it in a wide basin. Carefully free the roots from old soil and drainage, being careful not to damage them.
- Rinse the roots in a suitable container with water until the residual soil is completely washed out.
Lemon roots completely free from soil to replace it
- Inspect the roots: if sick, dry or damaged are found, they are cut out with a pruner. In cases where when trimming the volume of the root system has decreased significantly, the pot for planting should be chosen smaller. Sick roots can be distinguished by dark brown or black color, at the cut they also have a dark color, their bark is dry, peeling, easily removed. Healthy roots are light, yellowish, on the cut - white, the bark is elastic, firmly holds on to the roots.
- Dip the roots for a few minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then sprinkle the slices with crushed charcoal or ash.
- After that, plant the plant in a new pot according to the rules described above and add soil as it settles.
After replacing the soil, the lemon is not fed for a month until completely rooting.
It is difficult to move tall old trees from one tub to another, this requires special devices - levers, blocks, winches, so it is better to limit yourself to partial soil replacement:
- Carefully take out the old soil to about half the capacity, being careful not to damage the roots. It can be easily washed with water from the shower.
- Then fill the vacant space with fresh nutritious soil mixture.
Video: Citrus Transplant
//youtube.com/watch?v=1n3m3p705y8
Transplanting indoor lemon is carried out regularly throughout his life. If you approach this work responsibly, the plant will tolerate it calmly, without unnecessary stress, which, in turn, will ensure good growth of the tree, its healthy decorative appearance, abundant flowering and fruiting.
