Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Citrus Fruits in the Home Garden
Although Citrus is a subtropical genus, fragrant and flavorful citrus fruit can be grown almost anywhere. From lemons and limes to oranges and grapefruit, citrus trees are fun and rewarding plants to grow—but not without some work! Here’s how to grow citrus trees at home.
About Citrus
Citrus plants are native to tropical and subtropical regions of southern Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific, but have been brought to all corners of the globe thanks to human cultivation. These woody plants range in size from small shrubs to large trees, and their fruit is just as variable in size and shape—just take a walk down the fruit aisle at your local supermarket! Standard-size grapefruit and orange trees can grow 18 to 22 feet tall, whereas dwarf citrus varieties only grow 8 to 12 feet tall (or smaller, if kept in containers).
Gardeners in the warmest parts of the United States (USDA Hardiness Zones 8-11) can grow citrus outdoors year round, while colder-climate gardeners (Zones 7 and colder) should consider growing lemons, oranges, limes, and other dwarf citrus trees in containers to enjoy fresh citrus fruit, too. Read more about growing citrus in containers here.
Most citrus varieties are self-fertile, so only one tree is typically needed for fruit production. On average, fruit bearing begins when the trees are between 3 and 6 years old. However, exact timing will depend on the type of citrus, the cultivar, your climate, the health of the plant and its care, and other factors. Flowering is not seasonal, but occurs during warm weather and regular rainfall. In fact, flowers and fruits may appear on the plant at the same time!
When to Plant Citrus Trees
- Early spring is the best time to plant citrus trees outdoors in the parts of North America where they can be grown outside (Zones 8-11), since they’ll have the entire summer to settle in before cooler weather arrives. If frosts occur in your area, wait to plant until a spring frost is no longer a threat.
- In the citrus belt (a loosely defined area including southern California, parts of Arizona and Texas, and Florida), trees can be planted at any time of the year.
- Citrus can be planted indoors in containers at any time of the year.
Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site
- Warmth helps citrus fruit mature and sweeten, so citrus trees should be planted in a warm, sunny, and wind-protected area—planting along the southern side of a house or other structure will provide all three features. In cases where sweetness isn’t a concern (with lemons and limes, for example), extra warmth is less important.
- Citrus trees need well-draining soil. If they sit in too much water, the roots can rot. If the soil is not well-drained, plant the trees on a slight mound to prevent waterlogging.
- Citrus trees prefer slightly acidic soil, so consider testing the pH of your planting site and amending accordingly.
- Standard-size citrus trees should be spaced 12 to 25 feet apart and dwarf citrus trees should be set 6 to 10 feet apart. The exact distance depends on the variety. The bigger the fruit, the farther the distance.
How to Plant Citrus Trees
- After unwrapping or removing the tree from its container, first inspect the root ball. If the roots seem tangled or like they’re growing in circles, gently score up and down the sides of the root ball several times with a knife. This breaks up the bound roots and encourages them to grow outward.
- Dig a hole that’s about 1.5 times the width of the root ball and about as deep as the root ball is tall. Like most trees, citrus trees should be planted slightly above the depth that they were at in the container; planting too deeply can cause water to pool around the trunk, leading to rot and disease. Planting slightly higher than the surrounding soil ensures that water will run away from the trunk.
- Note: If planting a grafted variety of citrus, make sure that the graft union is 4 to 6 inches above the soil level. If planted too close to the ground, roots may form from the graft union, defeating the whole purpose of grafting!
- Place the tree in the hole and backfill with soil. When the hole is half filled, spray with water to settle it and flush out air pockets, then continue filling with soil. Water again to settle the soil after the hole is filled.
- Tip: Do NOT add special soil or fertilizer to the planting hole. It’s best to let the tree get used to the soil nutrient levels and consistency that are already present in the planting site.
Starting Citrus Trees from Seed
Citrus trees can be started from seeds, but they usually don’t breed true, which means that you may not get the same quality fruit! It’s also possible that citrus trees grown from seed won’t flower or fruit at all. Nonetheless, growing a citrus tree from seed is a fun experiment.
- To start citrus trees inside from seeds, remove the seeds from the desired fruit. Soak the seeds overnight in water and plant them 1/2 inch deep in moist potting soil.
- Cover the pot with a plastic bag or wrap and let it sit in a warm and sunny spot for a few weeks until the seeds start to grow. Then, remove the plastic but keep the pot near a warm and sunny window as the seedlings grow.
How to Harvest Citrus
- The length of time required for the fruit to ripen depends on the type of citrus and the cultivar. Some oranges can take up to 15 months to mature fully, while others need only 8-12 months.
- Citrus fruits will not ripen off the tree, so refrain from picking them too early.
- The best indicator of ripeness is taste.
- Harvest the fruit by cutting them off with pruning shears or by pulling the fruit stalk from the tree.
How to Store Citrus Fruit
- Undamaged citrus fruits can be stored for 3 to 8 weeks at normal refrigerator temperatures.
- Prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can decrease the fruit’s quality, so consider leaving the fruit on the tree and only harvesting when needed.
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I live in Northern California - The Antelope Valley - Lancaster, California to be more specific. I purchased a dwarf blood orange tree maybe about 7-8 years ago. I planted the tree the first year in the spring. The tree has grown maybe 4 feet and produces very small flowers that eventually turn to small fruit. The problem that I'm having is that the fruit drops off every year. They say that an orange tree will not survive in the area, but mine has been living in the ground for a while. How can I stop the fruit from dropping? I also cover it from the winds when they occur.
Thanks you
SQUEEZE THE LEMON, AND USE THE JUICE TO MAKE ICE CUBES, STORE IN A BAG IN FREEZER, AND ENJOY LEMON CHILLED DRINK.
I live in the southern portion of Alabama (Mobile County) and planted a Myer Lemon tree earlier this spring (added citrus spikes). At one point the tree had blooms and showed evidence of producing lemons (flowers/small green lemons). It's outside in plenty of sun, I have not watered the tree because I think it receives a generous amount due to rain. At some point all of the blooms fell off as well as the small green lemons that were trying to grow. What am I doing wrong? I love meyer lemons and would love for my tree to produce. It's planted next to a peach tree that produced wonderful sweet peaches.
An old adage says “nothing good comes easy.” This may be an example. Lemon trees thrive in sandy loam soil that is moist but not soggy, and fertilized with a 6-6-6-2 (6% nitrogen-6% phosphate-6% potash-2% magnesium) mixture after planting. (Sources vary on the fertilizer recommendations.)
Leaf drop can be a sign of too little water, too cool nights, or too much temperature variation. However, over watering can leach nutrients from the soil and cause root rot. If the roots are damaged they can’t take up the nutrients the plant needs. But even if the roots are fine, the plant needs to be able to access certain nutrients. Do a soil test, find your cooperative extension here https://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services , and try to save it.
I got a lemon seed to sprout many years ago and it grew very very slowly.
It would often dump most of its few leaves. I was worried about watering it too much. Finally I thought I just didn’t care any more if it died and actually tried to ‘ over water ‘ it. Next thing I knew it started sending out new leaves all over and started really growing.
Now after about 8 or 9 years and living mostly in not very sunny windows it is still thriving and about 3 feet tall. In Michigan.
I have a four year old pink lemonade tree that blossomed beautifully and then the tiny budding lemon fruits are turning black and falling off. The leaves no longer look healthy. Help!!
Hi Jane,
Lemon trees generally drop their fruit prematurely when the tree has either been watered too much or too little. I’m not sure which is the case with your tree, but if it is planted in a pot and the soil is wet, don’t water it more. If it’s planted in the ground, the tree won’t need hardly any watering at all and should thrive on just rainfall. We hope this helps!
My Lemon tree has baffled me on what's wrong with it. It's on a regular water schedule and gets plenty of sun. It is dropping leaves every couple days, after said leaf yellows a good bit. Meanwhile, it's blooming like crazy. Absolutely perplexed as to what could cause it. We live in western NC and so I'm worried if it'll survive winter without many leaves on it.
great information, keep doing a great work
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