What Your Lemon Tree Needs in April for It to Thrive and Produce Large, Plentiful Fruit

Lemon trees bring instant joy to any interior, balcony or outside space. With their glossy evergreen foliage, fragrant blossom and head turning fruit, they ooze warm vacation vibes and lift spirits with their sunny charm.

Originating from North Eastern India and China, these plants thrive in subtropical climates where they receive full sun and enjoy well draining soil. Suited to growing outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11, where they can reach a spread and height of 10-15ft (3-4.5m) wide and 10-20ft (3-6m) high, they can also be successfully nurtured in a container indoors.

Discovering how to grow a lemon tree indoors is a challenge many novice gardeners want to try and are delighted by when the first fruit appears. A fascinating addition to any plant collection, keep citrus plants in good health by following these monthly tasks. (And in case you don't have one yet, this beautiful Meyer Lemon Tree is currently half price at Fast Growing Trees.)

Kickstart Growth With A Energy Boosting Feed

Although often seen as daunting, citrus tree care, and knowing how to fertilize a citrus tree is really no different to feeding any other plant. The trick is to use a specialist feed at regular intervals and you will be quickly rewarded with noticeable results.

'You can fertilize citrus trees with a citrus-specific or a balanced fertilizer, generally every 4-6 weeks during the growing season(spring to early fall),' says plant expert Paris Lalicata. 'Adding a slow-release fertilizer specifically designed for citrus trees can also help provide nutrients gradually over time as the trees grow.'

To keep this task simple and hassle free, Paris recommends using The Sill's Lemon Tree Care Kit since it has a full year calendar of feeding with both slow-release fertilizer and liquid soluble fertilizer like trace elements and calcium to support flowering and fruiting.

'I’ve been using this for the past year on my own lemon tree and it’s flowering like crazy and has little lemons on the way!' she adds.

Paris Lalicata

Paris has been with The Sill for almost five years and heads up Plant Education and Community. A self-taught plant expert with over ten years of experience growing houseplants, she currently maintains an indoor garden of more than 200 plants in the northeast. Her passion is making plant care more digestible for budding plant parents and sharing the many benefits of having plants indoors.

Time To Repot Your Lemon Tree

April is the perfect time repot a lemon tree and it's a pretty simple task.

'Signs that a plant needs repotting include roots emerging from drainage holes, water passing through quickly, or the plant becoming top-heavy and unstable,' says plant expert Annie Morton. 'The best time to repot is in the spring, when plants are beginning speedy active growth.'

Use a pot that is 25% larger than the old one. 'Increase pot size by only one step to avoid excess moisture retention, which can cause root rot,' cautions Annie.

Add a generous layer of horticultural grit for good drainage and fill a quarter of the container with a free draining, slightly acidic potting soil. Miracle Gro Cactus Citrus Potting Soil from Amazon works well. Soak the soil and let water drain through, before carefully moving the plant it into it's new container.

The top of the plant's root ball should sit 2 inches (5cm) below the rim. Fill any gaps around the plant's root ball with soil, firming it as you go, until the soil level reaches the same point on the main stem. Water thoroughly and let drain.

Annie Morton

Move Your Indoor Lemon Plant Outside

As heat loving, sub tropical natives, citrus plants prefer to bask outside in the full warmth of the sun. In many regions, April is the perfect time to reacclimatise indoor lemon plants back into the outside world, as plant buyer Katie Sunderlage explains.

'If indoors, once the threat of frost is passed, start to transition the lemon outdoors, providing full sun, at least 6-8 hours, during the day,' says Katie. 'Bring back indoors overnight so the tree can slowly acclimate to the outdoor climate again. Once temperatures are consistently above 60-65F during the night and during the day, the tree can remain outdoors full time.'

Katie also adds, 'If temperatures aren’t warm enough to move outdoors, keep the plant indoors in a south facing window that gets plenty of sunlight.'

Katie Sunderlage

Operations Manager at Holland Group, managing the customer service department and purchasing. Katie has been in the green industry since 2005 in the Greater Milwaukee area, earning her degree in Horticulture in 2008. She has been able to share her love for plants working in multiple garden centers, in sales positions and most recently in an online retail platform at Holland Group.

Check New Growth For Aphids

As much as we like to see fresh growth on our citrus plants, so do pesky aphids. Capable of reaping foliage havoc and damaging the health of your lemon tree, it's worth staying vigilant.

'Start to check for any pests on any new growth. It’s much easier to use preventative measures or treat any pest problems early to maintain a healthy plant throughout the whole season,' advises Katie.

Annie adds, 'While out watering, be sure to check the undersides of young leaves, around flower buds, and shoot tips, as aphids prefer soft new growth. Early detection allows for simple removal; a strong jet of water is often sufficient. Hoselink's spray nozzles offer a powerful jet setting to remove aphids without damaging the plant.'

Try Hozelock's Multi Jet Spray Gun Plus from Amazon for easy to use and versatile spray options.

Step Up Regular Watering

One of the best fruit trees to grow in pots, watering is a critical factor. Like all citrus trees, lemons dislike their roots sitting in waterlogged soil and their watering requirements vary depending on the season and weather. Knowing more about this plant's growing habits, it's climate and nutritional needs, will all help take the guesswork out of watering.

'In most cases, water deeply but less often to encourage deep root growth and improve resilience. In summer, garden borders typically require watering two or three times per week, while containers may need daily attention during hot weather,' says Annie.

'Depending on conditions in the environment, you’ll most likely see yourself watering a lemon on a weekly basis, sometimes a few times a week if the plant is placed on an outdoor patio during the warmer months,' continues Paris.

'The best way to check if it needs water is by feeling the moisture of the soil, which you can do with either your finger or a moisture meter. Once about the top few inches to half the soil dries out it’ll be best to give it a thorough soaking to evenly saturate the soil.'

The way you water is crucial and 'the watering method is just as important as the frequency,' explains Annie. 'Water at the base of plants to keep foliage dry and reduce fungal risk.

Using a soaker hose delivers water directly to the root zone and minimizes evaporation.' Find Hoselock's 10m Porous Soaker Hose at Walmart.

Citrus plants can be sensitive to certain minerals found in tap water, including chlorine and fluoride, so you may need to reconsider before watering. 'You can use tap water, and leach the soil periodically if you have harder tap water,' Paris explains. 'Or you can use a more filtered water or rainwater- the choice is yours!'

Check for water hardness with these simple test strips from Amazon.

With the growing season well underway, it's hard to stay on top of every plant's needs. Let us help with some no-nonsense guides, such as knowing what to do with tomato plants in April and what to do with strawberry plants in April.

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