Gardening

[doublel]

Your lemon plant looks much better than mine...mine has 2 green lemons...and only a branch or 2 of leaves....

[DMH]

image.jpg

Iced tea time.

[DMH]

Your lemon plant looks much better than mine...mine has 2 green lemons...and only a branch or 2 of leaves....

Laura, I have two plants. One of mine is just as you described. Have you wintered yours over yet? I am hoping to keep them alive indoors. Any tips?

[RD]

I like to eat them sliced or like an apple with a tea chaser.

RD

[doublel]

Donna, I have 1 lemon and one orange and this will be their 3rd winter indoors. I really haven't had any troubles, basically put them in your sunniest window, don't over water, they really do like the dry out. I sneak mine outside on any day it gets over 50 degrees. Really tho, they do pretty good with very little stress, at least mine have.

[Dode]

Walipini type greenhouse.... google it.

[DMH]

Donna, I have 1 lemon and one orange and this will be their 3rd winter indoors. I really haven't had any troubles, basically put them in your sunniest window, don't over water, they really do like the dry out. I sneak mine outside on any day it gets over 50 degrees. Really tho, they do pretty good with very little stress, at least mine have.

Laura, my little lemon trees are struggling. Dropping leaves like crazy. I do not have any South facing windows, so they are in the window facing west. We have not had much sun this winter so I have been thinking of putting them under grow ligths.

[doublel]

Mine aren't doing super either, they are very sad about winter. How's your watering schedule? They drop a lot of leaves if they are too wet.

[AD]

Mine are already blooming.

[nichevo]

Mine are in the garage with limited sunlight and I only put them outside occasionally. They drop all their leaves but seem to do ok in the Spring when I put them back outside. Of course, our Spring comes sooner than yours.

[Dode]

Can you use full spectrum fluorescent light tubes on them for just a month or two? Maybe you could teepee some shop lights around them. Right now I'm using some 48" tubes across a fish tank, in which I started some lettuce seedlings a week ago. The pic at the bottom is 6 day seedlings. Btw, I'm planning to add some radish and bunch onion. Each light tube lit for 14 hours a day is $1.68 per month at 10 cents per kilowatt-hour.

[DMH]

Dode I moved one of my trees downstairs under a fluoescent light tube that I have my geraniums (which are still blooming) and a mandavilla that I was trying to save. I might have moved it to late, we'll see. This is the first year for the lemons and the grow light. (learning curve) I have some of my succulents down there, some in the window by the lemon tree and one on the kitchen counter by the stove. The one by the stove is doing the best!

Great idea for the lettuce and radish!

[AD]

Here is a fertilizing guide for citrus

http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/pubs/MC91.pdf

[Dode]

I've decided to keep a journal on the fish tank experiment. Right now I'm running 4 lights, so that's $7/mo. Theoretically, I could plant 2 seeds every week and start harvest on the 6th week or sooner. Then, keep the pattern going indefinitely. I would reap 8 heads/mo at a cost of $7 + whatever the shop lights and tubes cost over an 8 ear period of time...... just figured it and it is 49 cents/year for the 2 lights and 4 tubes. It looks like I would be getting 2 heads of lettuce per week (1 curly and 1 Romaine) at a cost of $7/mo instead of grocery store price of $20.

I bet I could make a frame to hold 3 single tube shop lights vertically, to surround a citrus tree. Would the cost of the electricity $3.50/mo for 5-6 months defeat the purpose?

[AD]

Its organic and you have learn a valuable skill.

Have you considered soil conditioning/fertilizer? You will need something to sustain the crop.