The lemon tree that I am taking the cuttings from has been grown from seed, from a store bought lemon. The tree is approximately 2 1/2 years old. Follow along as we successfully propagate a lemon tree in water.
As you can probably tell from the first picture below, this lemon tree is in need of a spring prune, which presents a great opportunity to start propagating new cuttings.
Lemon tree cuttings take quite a while to root, in either water or dirt, with some cuttings just callusing over the nodes instead of shooting out roots.
I took the very top cutting and brought the stature of the plant down, which will allow it to focus its energy on bushing out, instead of growing straight up. Taking a cutting from the main stem(meristem), will cause the plant to produce multiple tops. This effectively removes the apical dominance from the meristem, invoking root and shoot growth and encouraging nutrients to spread systemically throughout the plant.
The second image displays the cutting that I took, prior to prepping it as a clone or new baby. When taking a cutting from a tree, leave a bit of a stem instead of cutting on a node, incase of any die back. With other plants(most flowering plants), when you are taking a cutting, you would cut on a 45 degree angle on a node, which causes the plant to release growth hormones from that area to aid the plant in healing itself.
In preparation of this clone, we will want to remove all but the top leaves, so that the plant has less to support, but still has enough strength from the remaining leaves to root. All unwanted leaves are cut off at a 45 degree angle, right down to the node as shown in the third image above. To prep, the base of the clone should be cut on a node, at a 45 degree angle. An ideal clone size is approximately 13-15cm(5-6inches)from top to bottom.
In the fourth image you see a cutting that I took a couple of months ago, which rooted beautifully in water. The image next to it displays the other two cuttings I took at the same time, that callused over. I don't utilize any growth or rooting hormones other than what the plant produces itself, with the appropriate cuts. The sixth image shows the well rooted clone after I transplanted it into a solo cup (with holes punched in the bottom for drainage). Its best to give the transplant a little drink of water after transplanting, but avoid soaking.
The seventh image displays a transplant that I started the same way, which has been growing in a solo cup for a few months and is ready to be up potted. The middle image shows the roots coiled around the bottom of the plant, letting me know I should've done this awhile ago. The ninth image is the same transplant after up potting.
The tenth image shows the cutting taken from the mother plant (seed grown plant), after I removed all unwanted growth. It was then placed into a glass propagating vase of regular tap water, and hung in an area that it will receive lots of light, which will support the growth of roots. The final image is of the newly transplanted baby and the up potted lemon tree.
When it comes to lemon trees, they are self-pollinators, meaning that you don't require multiple lemon trees to get fruit, though you may need to help with hand pollination.
Once established, they should receive fertilization through the spring/summer, approximately every 3-4 months. Coffee grounds have proven effective as a cheaper fertilizer for citrus trees. Alternately, you may choose a high potassium or citrus fertilizer to encourage flowering.
I hope this guide aids you in propagating your very own lemon trees! Please like, share and subscribe if you would like to learn more or have found value in this article.
Thank you and as always, take good care.
Love yourself, love each other.
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