Have you always wondered about the Lemon Tree Growth Stages and its development cycle? We’ll explain it in detail!
From the sprouting of the seed to the fragrant, sun-kissed lemons, growing a lemon tree is truly fun and rewarding if you know about all Lemon Tree Growth Stages.
Lemon Tree Growth Stages Explained
1. The Germination Stage
Germination is the sprouting of the seed. The lemon seeds are really small and you can grow these in a shallow tray filled with a damp potting soil mix.
The stage lasts 2-4 weeks while the seed sprouts and turns into a small seedling with roots.
2. Lemon Tree Seedling Stage
Once the seed germinates, a small sprout will emerge from the soil. This is the seedling stage and this tiny little lemon tree will continue to grow and develop its first true leaves.
During this stage, the seedling is delicate, and you’ll need to protect it from direct sunlight and harsh weather conditions. It’s best to keep it indoors in a pot. Here’s how to grow it.
3. The Vegetative Growth Stage
As the seedling keeps growing, it will reach the vegetative growth stage where it will focus on spreading its roots and foliage as much as it can. You’ll see the leaves becoming larger and greener, and it will keep growing for a couple of years, reaching 3-5 feet in height.
Just continue to care for it, and soon, it’ll be ready to give you citrusy lemons.
4. Flowering and Fruiting Stages
Once the lemon tree has reached a certain level of maturity (around 2-4 years old), it will begin to flower.
You’ll notice it giving fragrant white flowers with a slight purple tinge, and once they are pollinated, they will develop into small green lemons.
5. Fruit Ripening
Finally, the moment we’ve been waiting for—lemons! After the flowers are pollinated, tiny green fruits will start to appear, and over the next 4-8 months, these baby green lemons will start turning yellow and will be a lot softer to feel. That’s when you can harvest them.
Note: If you are getting a grafted tree from a garden center, then the transition of the plant will be from 3rd to 5th stages of the article.
Lemon Tree Reaching Its Full Potential
At around 5-8 years, the tree will reach its full potential. This is prime lemon-making time, folks! It produces more fruits yearly, like a lemon factory in full swing!
As the tree ages, it doesn’t slow down. Mature lemon trees can produce fruit for decades.
