The University of California received a hybrid Meyer lemon tree in 1975. The Meyer lemon tree had previously been brought from China. Although it gained popularity in the United States, it was very prone to illness and was actually outlawed because of its propensity to infect healthy fruit trees with a deadly virus.
The modern Improved Meyer Lemon dwarf resembles a hybrid of an orange and a regular lemon. The tasty fruit has a thin skin and, given the appropriate circumstances, grows quickly. The tree is between 2 and 3 meters (6 to 10 feet) tall. Pruning keeps it fuller-looking and more controllable. Since it self-pollinates, you only need one tree to produce fruit.
Care for Meyer lemon trees is simple, but if you want to succeed, stick to the guidelines.
What Are the Differences Between a Meyer Lemon and a Regular Lemon?
Meyer lemons are seasonal, and they differ from other lemons in appearance and flavor. Given its special qualities, it makes perfect sense that a Meyer lemon is a hybrid of a lemon and a mandarin (not a kind of lemon).
i. Aesthetics Regular lemons feature a thick layer of white pith on the outside, a knobby yellow skin, and bright yellow inside flesh. In comparison to regular lemons, Meyer lemons are rounder, smoother, and more orange in color. Their inner skin is a vivid yellow, and their thin skin can range from dark yellow to rich egg yolk. Meyer lemons also have very little pith.
ii. Flavor: Regular lemons have a very sour and acidic flavor. Meyer lemon has a mild, sweet flavor because it is a hybrid. Since Meyer lemons don’t have harsh pith, you can use their peel in recipes that call for entire lemons.
iii. Cost and accessibility: Unlike normal lemons, which are always available, Meyer lemons are only in season from the beginning of winter to the beginning of spring. Due in part to their delicate skins, which make Meyer lemons more challenging to export, they are also more expensive and harder to find than normal lemons.
Planting Meyer Lemon Trees
The procedure for planting your Meyer lemon tree in a pot is as follows:
• Choose a robust container that is 1-2 sizes larger than the container the tree was delivered in and has drainage holes.
• Put a 2-inch-thick layer of stone at the pot’s base.
• Peat moss, potting soil, and either vermiculite or perlite should be combined to create a potting mixture.
• Out of the container, slide the tree.
• Trim dry roots, and fluff roots that are matted.
• Put the tree in the pot’s middle.
• The crown of the roots should lie just above the soil line when the potting mixture is placed in the pot.
• Water is slowly added.
• Place the tree next to a window that faces south.
Soil Requirements
The trees thrive in loamy and sandy loam soils, which must have good drainage. The pH of the soil can range from 5.5 to 6.5. By adding sulfur to boost soil acidity or lime to reduce too acidic soil, you can modify your soil to the correct pH level.
Sunlight Needed
Meyer lemon trees need 8 to 12 hours of direct sunlight each day, ideally from the southwest, to thrive, whether they are grown inside or outside. If doing so indoors isn’t feasible, think about purchasing grow lights.
Watering a Meyer Lemon Tree
In particular, citrus trees growing in pots require damp but not soggy soil to thrive. The ideal strategy is to water sparingly but deeply. When the top two inches of soil are dry, water. You may determine if the soil is dry or moist by inserting your finger into it up to your second knuckle.
Citrus leaves love moisture. If you have a Meyer lemon tree indoors, spray it every day. In order to increase humidity, it’s also a good idea to put rocks and water in the saucer underneath your garden pot.
Optimal Temperature
Temperatures between 50- and 80-degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for Meyer lemon trees. Bring your Meyer lemon tree inside if it gets colder than 50 degrees Fahrenheit until it warms back up.
Pollination Tips
The fact that Meyer lemon trees are self-fertile is one of their main advantages. To get fruit, you just need one of these self-pollinating trees. Although planting more than one will improve your overall harvest, it is not necessary.
Depending on how they were raised, Meyer lemon trees begin producing fruit at different periods. Trees developed from grafted rootstock can begin producing fruit as soon as two years after planting, whereas seed-grown trees, which are typically less healthy overall, begin producing fruit between three and seven years after planting.
Once or twice a year, Meyer lemon trees will bear fruit indoors or outside; the harvest is particularly plentiful in the fall and winter.
The pollination of your Meyer lemon tree should occur naturally if it is planted outside. However, you may help with pollination if you have an indoor Meyer lemon tree or an outdoor one that you bring inside during cold weather. A paintbrush or cotton swab can be used to gently swirl the pollen out of a Meyer lemon blossom’s center. Next, carry out the same procedure with each additional blossom on the tree.
Pruning a Meyer Lemon Tree
To keep your Meyer lemon tree in top condition, preserve its structure and shape, and make sure that its branches can hold fruit, you should prune it on a regular basis. Long leads, or branches that don’t bear fruit, should be pruned as they expand. In order for them to support the weight of the fruit, the side branches will expand into that area and become stronger. To improve airflow between the branches, prune any branches that are pointing in the direction of the trunk. Pruning your Meyer lemon tree before the fruit forms—removing all but one bud from a cluster—can encourage the development of larger lemons.
HOW TO HARVEST YOUR MEYER LEMON TREE
Here is where you need to have patience: Before they will flower, Meyer lemon trees need to be a few years old. In comparison to trees developed from seeds, plants grafted on rootstock can bear fruit in as little as two years. The more sunlight, water, pruning, and pest control you offer your plant, the better. You can hasten the process by fertilizing your tree and allowing it to experience a period of cooler weather in the winter.
Once fruit starts to grow, you can anticipate a bountiful harvest every fall and winter. If you live in a warm climate, outside trees can bloom all year round.
Prior to picking, check to see if your lemons are ripe; they should be orange-yellow (like an egg yolk) and slightly pliable. To remove the fruit off the branch, use a knife or pair of scissors (do not pull because the branches may become damaged).
DISEASE AND PEST MANAGEMENT
Fruit flies, thrips, aphids, mites, black flies, fake coddling moths, and ants are among the main pests that affect lemons.
Anthracnose, leaf spot, damping off, greening disease, scab, and canker are examples of common illnesses, on the other hand.
You can employ foliar fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides, and supplements to manage such diseases and pests.
Nutritional Value
Vitamin C, an antioxidant that lowers inflammation, strengthens the immune system, and encourages the creation of collagen in the skin, is present in abundance in Meyer lemons. The fruits also include calcium, which helps to strengthen bones and teeth, potassium, which helps to regulate fluid levels, and magnesium, which helps to keep blood pressure in a healthy range.
APPLICATIONS
• Low acidity in Meyer lemons results in sweet juice, zest, and flesh that can be used both fresh and cooked.
• Meyer lemons can be used raw in salad dressings, thinly sliced and added to dips, thinly sliced and added to dressings, olive oils, and vinegar.
• Meyer lemons are also valued for their flavorful juice and zest, which is more flowery and sweet than eureka or Lisbon lemon juice.
• The lemons can be juiced for cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages, added to pasta, sliced thinly and used as a topping for pizza, placed under meats and roasted to give a caramelized texture, and used to flavor soups and stews.
• Meyer lemons can also be boiled into lemon curd, used to cookies, cakes, scones, macarons, muffins, and tarts, or the peels can be candied and consumed as a tasty treat.
• The lemons can be cut, wrapped in salt, and kept for later use in addition to being used fresh and cooked.
• Meyer lemons go great with vegetables like potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, peas, cranberries, and parmesan as well as herbs like mint, thyme, basil, parsley, and rosemary. They also go well with meats like fish, chicken, and other shellfish. Whole Meyer lemons can be kept in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for 5 to 10 days when placed in a plastic bag. Additionally, the juice can be frozen for up to six months.
MEYER LEMON
The Meyer Lemons are actually imported into Kenya and sold in the country’s supermarkets. For farmers looking to engage in Meyer Lemon growing in Kenya, this gives an excellent opportunity.