Light
Full sun outdoors; the sunniest window or a grow light indoors.
Growing guide · Edibles
Citrus × aurantiifolia
How to grow Key Lime.
The pie lime, at home.
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate
- Zones
- 10–11
- Size
- 6–10 ft in the ground; 3–5 ft in a pot
- Spacing
- One per 12–16 in. pot, or 10 ft apart in the ground.
- Pets
- Not pet-safe; keep out of reach
Water
Water deeply when the top inch is dry; let it drain.
Planting and soil
A pot with drainage holes and citrus mix. In the ground only where frost is rare.
Feeding
Citrus fertilizer every six to eight weeks spring through fall.
Pruning
Remove shoots from below the graft and thin crossing branches after harvest. Mind the thorns.
Through the year
Flowers and fruit on and off through the year. Fruit is ripe when it turns yellow-green and gives slightly.
If something's off
Frost kills it. Leaf drop follows a move indoors; it recovers. Scale and mites indoors. Toxic to pets.
Small, sharp and worth it.
Golf-ball limes with thin rinds and a high, almost floral tartness the grocery-store Persian lime doesn't have. This is the lime for key lime pie, margaritas and ceviche. The tree is thorny, bushy and fragrant in bloom.
Why we stock it: Fresh key limes are rarely sold fresh. One tree fixes that.
Key Lime Treefrom $99.95 · Arrives alive, or we replace it
Key Lime Treefrom $99.95 · Arrives alive, or we replace it