Light
Full sun, eight hours if you can get it. Indoors, the sunniest window you have, or a grow light in winter.
Growing guide · Edibles
Citrus × meyeri
How to grow Meyer Lemon 'Improved Meyer'.
Lemons, minus the pucker.
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate
- Zones
- 9–11
- Size
- 6–10 ft in the ground; 4–6 ft in a pot
- Spacing
- 8–10 ft apart in the ground. In a pot, size up every couple of years.
- Pets
- Not pet-safe; keep out of reach
Water
Water deeply when the top 2 in. of soil is dry. Citrus hates soggy roots more than it hates thirst.
Planting and soil
In the ground in zones 9–11, in fast-draining soil, slightly high. Anywhere else, a pot with drainage holes and a citrus or cactus mix, one size up from the nursery pot.
Feeding
Citrus fertilizer with micronutrients, every 6–8 weeks from late winter to early fall. Yellow leaves with green veins mean it wants iron or magnesium.
Pruning
Little needed. Remove suckers below the graft and anything dead or crossing, after harvest.
Through the year
Fragrant bloom in spring and again in fall. Fruit ripens over winter.
If something's off
Scale, mealybugs and spider mites, mostly indoors. Leaf drop usually means a sudden move, a cold draft or overwatering. Bring it in when nights drop below 40°F.
The cook's favorite lemon.
A lemon-mandarin cross with thin, fragrant, edible skin and sweeter, less acidic juice. Purple-tinged white blossoms perfume a room, and the tree often flowers and fruits at once. 'Improved' means the certified virus-free selection.
Why we stock it: Zest, juice and fragrance from one handsome tree.
Improved Meyer Lemon Treefrom $99.95 · Arrives alive, or we replace it
Improved Meyer Lemon Treefrom $99.95 · Arrives alive, or we replace it