How to Grow Citrus Indoors Complete Growing Guide (Lemons Limes Oranges)

[@lauras8429]

I am a new grandma and honestly your son was my favorite part of this video. I loved that he smiled at you when you talked directly to him. ❤️❤️❤️

[@lisakruger5289]

Congratulations on joining the Grandma club and I loved this video for the same reason! :)

[@AK1776-]

Me too ❤❤ adorable!!

[@cdeleskiyt]

I had to keep restarting the video because I was paying more attention to your oh-so-happy baby, and missing what you were saying. SO ADORABLE!!

[@trippingwithpippy2317]

Lol. I did the same things. Took me 3 times to watch and really listen haha

[@selmagenta]

Same! 😆

[@operator1192]

I grew two orange trees from a lunchroom orange in my 2nd grade class garden. I continued to take care of them alongside my teacher who I’m now friends with as an adult and she, along with my great grandparents, were largely who got me interested in gardening. The cool thing was those trees continued to grow and were on stage when my class graduated high school. Being this was in ND and they were potted in gigantic pots indoors they didn’t fruit but also I didn’t know much about growing things indoors. Also other people took over the care of them so although they seemed to remain healthy for years after I graduated they probably didn’t get all of the necessary nutrients and definitely didn’t get the amount of sunlight needed indoors in ND. Supplemental grow lights or a permanent home in a heated greenhouse would have been ideal but neither I nor the school had the resources for that unfortunately. After this video I would like to try growing citrus fruit plants indoors again even though they are a bit more labor intensive.

[@operator1192]

@@Grauenwolf yeah I’ve learned a fair bit about growing plants since I was in 2nd grade, still not knowledgeable on citrus fruits but I do know that with most fruit trees grafted trees on a healthy rootstock are going to be better off, also the variety that you plant from a seed isn’t necessarily the variety that came from the parent tree, and that some trees need a pollination partner of a different variety and without any pollinators hand pollination will be necessary unless the tree is self fruiting.

[@brandonsmith3447]

@@operator1192 you are correct no commercially grown citrus fruit comes from trees that were planted by seeds. They’re all grafted, because the seeds that come from the fruit do not produce trees that are similar to the actual one that it came off of either in shape, size appearance, or anything a lot of times, they won’t even produce fruit no matter what so other than this nice little tree, yes, growing citrus from seeds collected from grocery store fruit could produce nothing again other than a nice tree lol I still like it

[@operator1192]

@@brandonsmith3447 the fragrance was always nice and they were nice looking so that’s a bonus too. Having since grown a lot of apple trees and various bush fruits it seems like most time grafting is the way to go because the seeds don’t have the exact same genetic makeup and characteristics of fruit as the tree/bush that they came from

[@goldsetinsilver]

The apprentice has a very bright future! This is awesome… thanks for sharing your wisdom with us!

[@fizzypop1858]

Luke, thanks for sharing little Enzo in this video. He's just the sweetest boy! How he was looking at you and smiling was so precious! You and Sindy are a blessed family! Oh, and thanks for the info on growing citrus indoors, too.

[@barbaradownie3265]

EVEN BABY CAN'T WAIT TO START GROWING 🥰🥰🥰

[@Viviolau]

Comes for the citrus tree info. Stays for the baby. OMG Luke, they’re adorable. I don’t even care about the tree anymore - would love to hear more about your newest family member.

[@corneliusbythesea]

Omg, he is the cutest thing ever! He is listening to EVERY word you’re saying!

[@paradisusAZ]

After growing citrus for over 5 years outdoors in AZ, I would recommend these tips for indoor growing: 1: Topping your citrus tree. Cut the top half of foliage off. Your trees will grow much more vigorously 2: For house plants I would suggest exposing your tree to wind to stimulate proper anchor root growth. Citrus don't mind a cold draft from a window as they do fine when we get into the upper 20s as a low

[@rickytorres9089]

Exactly I read that you can control size of the trees just by the pot size and pruning the trees accordingly. Then nature shall do the rest.

[@cinnamon9390]

Most indoor citrus is going to be a dwarf variety, so pruning off the top might not be necessary

[@rickytorres9089]

@@cinnamon9390 If you buy/get a hold of them like that then yes. Thankfully you don't have to.

[@ZanaBanana_]

Beautiful baby :) I love growing citrus indoors, but since I'm living in Quebec (zone 5), this is the time of year they look their worse. Can't wait for the warm and sunny days and take them outside!

[@41txdawn]

How big are they and how big are the pots? Are they hard to get in and out of doors? I'm in VT, also zone 5), and received a small lemon tree as a gift so just beginning to learn about all this after moving here from California....

[@cornelistreur7049]

I’ve experimented growing citrus indoors (Valentina)and I’ve been puzzling about leaf drop which have killed two of my citrus. I’ve found out that dry air is the worst! This winter I had a humidifier pointed at it 45-50% and temperature between 15-20C. It did amazing and has bloomed with cherry size oranges! Humid air seemed to be the trick. Hope this helps you.

[@shannoncook9915]

I have no idea how you can not love on him everytime he smiles! What a cutie!!

[@garrettscott4094]

We have had good success with cactus and succulents mixed soil from the the big box stores. We amend with 2-3 parts cactus mix, and 1 part finished compost.

[@oldbear6813]

I have a seed started lemon bush from the grocery store and it's in it's 3 year, it's big and beautiful and 🤞 it'll produce a few lemons soon. Mr. Lemon spends his summers outdoors and his winter's in a restort 🤣. This year I saved rain water to give him all winter and so far his indoor transition has been easier than years past.

[@lisakruger5289]

What a great idea about the rain water! I'm going to try that on my lemon tree that is also spending the winter in the indoor resort! I think plants really benefit from rainwater and I collect it too for watering!

[@timjohnson3913]

Never heard of a bush lemon. Do you know the name of it? For lemon trees, you really want to graft a branch from a fruiting tree onto a rootstock. Those will start producing fruit almost immediately. If you start from seed, you might get lucky and have something to harvest in year 7 or 8, but you also might be waiting until the tree is 45 years old. Typically, citrus trees started from seed will outlive the planter before they begin bearing fruit.

[@oldbear6813]

@@timjohnson3913 It's just a random lemon I picked up from a grocery store lemon, they mainly sell Myer It's It's likely from a grafted tree. I call it a bush because it's far more bush shaped than it is tree shaped. I wasn't really concerned with the fruit upon starting this project I just wanted to see how growing a seed from a grocery store lemon would work out, even if it never produces a single fruit I really enjoy having it.

[@timjohnson3913]

@@oldbear6813 The Meyer lemon was 100% from a grafted tree, but since you have started it from seed instead of getting a Meyer lemon graft, your tree will have different genetics (i.e. kids have different genes from their parents). If it eventually does produce fruit, it might be very unproductive, fruit may taste bad, etc. It is definitely special to start something from seed, but wouldn’t it better to have a tree producing amazing Meyer lemons in possibly year 2 and definitely by year 3?

[@oldbear6813]

@@timjohnson3913 Maybe for some people, I knew what I was getting into before starting this venture 😉 For all I know it could have a lime root stalk as a parent 🤷‍♀️.

[@mattmcghee1137]

I would love to share my group on face book. Growing citrus in containers. Luke has alot of great info, but some will only be good for the summer months and not year around. I love this channel. Been watching for years.

[@Eliezer737]

TWO QUESTIONS: 1. Will my lime tree benefit from coffee grounds? 2. How do you filter the water in the house so the water for irrigating our plants don’t have chlorine? Thank you so much! We are about to buy your guide/book. May God bless you and your beautiful family!

[@trishthehomesteader9873]

Thanks Luke! Enzo is a great sidekick! What a sweetie!🥰 I ordered a pomegranate tree from Fast Growing Trees. I'm excited for when they have them back in stock and happy to hear you endorsement of them!👍 Blessings 💚

[@brendao185]

This is great information but confused with the soil and fertilization part. I have to rewind and note it down. So much great info… thank you. Adore the assistant… what a cutie pie ❤

[@patricecarter5096]

i started last summer to grow a lemon tree from seed. Its in a pot and yes I brought it inside over the winter. It grew a lot so far and Im glad you posted that video, to know what i should do next. thank u for your time

[@hdcoletti]

That baby is beyond precious

[@jazandriz]

Enzo looks at you with such loving eyes

[@klu222]

My grandma grew a lemon tree from a seed and we're now in charge of it, so I hope these tips will help us:)

[@usewisdom2]

Wow what a beautiful baby. He's so calm and pleasant and surely lives his dad. I love to see babies smile and get excited. Thank upi for the info about growing lemons. I have a little lime tree that I started from seed and it seems to be growing fine. Hopefully it'll grow to maturity sooner than later. 😊

[@kele1264]

Hi Luke! Ok, I get the reason behind taking off the buds because of all the energy they demand. My question is: for how long do you do remove buds? A certain number of weeks, months? The whole first year? I'm so glad you did this video. Someday soon I'd very much like to grow a lemon tree inside. Thanks!

[@kele1264]

@@Grauenwolf Thank you, Jonathan! It would just be one little lemon tree in my house.

[@kele1264]

@@Grauenwolf If I start any fruit trees outside, I'll be watching a lot of videos and reading a lot about them. It would only be a few trees, but I want to do it right. Sorry about your peaches. I hope your tree rebounds.

[@lisakruger5289]

Oh my gosh, Enzo is TOO adorable! Thanks for including Enzo in the video and congratulations on your new apprentice! I picked up a small lemon plant in FL this summer. I left it outdoors until right before the 1st frost. So far it's doing well and growing!

[@VintageVibesHomestead]

Omg 😱 ❤️ I’m sorry but everything you said went right over my head as I was just in love with your beautiful boy! He is just adorable 🥰 what a happy little fella

[@daranall4949]

Hahahah I LOVE this!!!! ENZO deserves all the likes and thumbs up! Oh and yes thank you for this video

[@RaiderMom2008]

An encouraging video for me since my husband and I use so many lemons and we live in the south, but do have cold temps in the winter. That is, too cold to leave citrus outside. Thank you for giving me permission😉😂to try this! ~~Lisa

[@apiecemaker1163]

I’m like the others in saying your apprentice totally upstaged you. Lol What an absolute angel baby. That smile. ♥️♥️♥️ I have two Meyer lemons for Mother’s Day. Moved them inside for the winter. They are growing like crazy and have two lemons growing. Many flowers. 🎉

[@charliewilliams8794]

Mines is dropping flowers and the ones left look like it needs magnesium or iron and zinc I sprayed with Epsom salt and then with a micro fertilizer but she's not looking good I paid 65$ for her so I really don't want to lose her any advice

[@charliewilliams8794]

Should I repot her again?

[@apiecemaker1163]

@@charliewilliams8794 if it’s root bound or outgrowing the pot it’s in, then definitely repot it. If not, maybe just some sunshine, semi dry soil, and all I put on mine is a little miracle grow granules every other week. Hopefully it will respond now that the weather is warming up.

[@charliewilliams8794]

@@apiecemaker1163 mines is in the house with grow lights last year it was outside got so many gnats and just stayed yellow the whole summer. Because I'm in zone 7 I have to bring it in the house but it stayed so wet and was full of gnats so I thought I'd try to keep it inside by the back sliding glass doors with a grow light. I was thinking of keeping it in the house so I wouldn't be taking bugs in and out the house by bringing it in and out. Thanks for the advice though I'll just feed it some m grow every two wks as you said.

[@francescaurban8985]

I just got my Meyer Lemon bush in Central AR... we just moved here last January from So Cal zone 10. Your video timing is absolutely perfect!!!

[@moniquekilmer7618]

Always love your ideas and this is a must do and keeper. Omgosh such a sweet angel there. Just so cute seeing that excitement everytime you looked over there- big Ole smiles and feet just kicking away with joy.....melts the heart

[@thenextlevel2888]

OMG Enzo stole the show!!!☺️ I have a Lemon tree outdoors in FL and the Deer in the area love it too and seem to strip the buds when they’re sprouting!

[@emily9027]

He is sooooo cute! I'm late to this video, but so glad I found it. Forget what you are saying, look at him!!

[@cambiumlayer1318]

Fantastic explanation. I have a 2 year old indoor Lemon Tree that has lost many leaves but it is still alive & is now flowering. Now I know what to do. Thank you Luke.

[@claudiaaugusta1242]

What an adorable baby. Have fun with Enzo.

[@gretchenburton7184]

Such a cute assistant❤❤❤Thanks for this info!!! Have a Meyeri Improved Lemon to plant.

[@clb50]

I watched and rewatched the beginning where you say "Enzo" , hse giggles and you say in UT baby voice, "yeah" .. So cute. More Enzo in your video. He's adorable.

[@karens3670]

I started watching your video and thought I should tell you that I quit listening to you as soon as your baby came on the screen!!😂. But I will try again, I promise! What a great apprentice you have!

[@roxypittman8883]

I couldn’t even pay attention to what you were saying when ever your little guy started laugh smiling! Too cute!

[@tillysgarden]

This is something I have always wanted to try. Thank you for the update. Oh such a cuteeee apprentice doing his apprenticeship 😅😍

[@crissyjohnson6156]

Such a cutie! I tried growing meyer lemon trees this year and it was an epic fail. My lime tree however is hanging in there and looking healthy. I will amend the soil tomorrow with the epson salt since it's my watering day. Thanks Luke

[@lauraguliano7012]

Ok. I had to watch this twice. The second time I had to just listen & not watch because Enzo is just absolutely too cute to focus on anything you were saying! Gob bless that little man with the big smiles! I brought my citrus tree from AZ to IL. I’m excited to give it a shot and try this out here. Thank you for the info. I didn’t think to feed my soil now in January. It is in a pot btw

[@aw-jm8ww]

OMG Enzo is just the cutest. I kept having to rewind to hear what you were saying because he stole the show. Haha.

[@unmuzzled7795]

That baby is a) very impressed with you and b) very likely the cutest baby I've ever seen. :D

[@OccupyBlaney]

Hes SO adorable! You can just tell he loves his daddy!

[@kristinwood5191]

Such a beautiful baby!! Omg that smile! Thanks so much for the info!

[@AmyThomas26]

First video I don’t pay attention to you 😮! I was all about Enzo! He is adorable

[@janettebyler9858]

Can you please do more videos with your kids?😍 He is too cute and fun to watch!

[@hopemorrison2367]

He wants to feel the soil what a precious boy I am sure he brightens your life

[@laurenm8766]

Enzo was the star of this show for sure. What a cutie pie! Oh and I enjoyed the video too.

[@charliewilliams8794]

Oh my the baby was just to cute and you can tell he loves some daddy he just smiled and laugh I loved it. I forgot all about I needed help with my lemon tree

[@mamachasech4382]

😂❤😂❤😂😊Baby so sweet. Good Bless him. Love how he responds. Thanks for the alwmon tips

[@nicolesobol936]

OMG, he loves his Daddy! I miss the baby stage of life😭 Enjoy it Luke ❤️

[@karenbruggeman8412]

Gotta be honest I think baby was so fun to watch I almost did grasp the lesson 😂 Adorable 😍🥰 laugh is so cute!

[@brotherstoner7734]

Amen I noticed you compared to your ago and your confidence has gone up quite a bit the videos are a lot more smooth

[@michaelh7506]

I started an experiment, my seedless mandrin orange had seeds it's two years old. Last year I took a hand full of lemons seeds from the ice. Had 5 sprout one made it. I have lunch with tropical hibiscus from seed. Keeps me busy. When weather warms up I take them outside. Enjoy your tips I'm 3 years growing now.

[@cubanmama4564]

I was happy to see this video focusing on indoor citrus. Like you, I get my plants from Fast Growing Trees. They have great stock and great customer service.

[@whathappenedwas7083]

Such a cute baby I loved watching him light up and smile watching and listening to you

[@tsonja7175]

OMG congratulations on growing your family :)! Started following you around this time 2020, I am more than ready to grow my citrus inside in 2024:)

[@kg89808]

Enzo was the cutest distraction EVER!!!!!

[@You-Can-Call-Me-Yoly]

I lost a part of the tutorial because I was too distracted w/ Baby Enzo!!!!! OMG!!!! What a cutie ❤

[@joesqudy]

Oh cool !!! Love it!!! I grew up in Southern California in the citrus capital of the world… Corona, CA, Where the Sunkist factory used to be. The soil is slightly clay, and it’s been worked till it’s arid. The citrus in my town, grew very well without a lot of amending. ❌⭕️♥️

[@willdwyer6782]

The sandy soil in Florida makes their citrus juicier than California citrus. Clay soils aren't as porous as sand, so Florida trees can pull more water out of the soil than California trees.

[@joesqudy]

@@willdwyer6782 That’s good to know 😃

[@nestbirdcabin8441]

I'd say Enzo really gets it, future gardener for sure. ❤

[@orbane9224]

😂🤣😂 I literally could not pay attention to anything you were saying because I was distracted by Enzo. Haha! So adorable!

[@doodlesthegoose7085]

I can't concentrate on your video because your baby is sooooooo amazingly cute! I love how engaged he is with your presentation!

[@WhattaProdigy]

Wasn't expecting happy baby apprentice🙀😄🖤 My mom cooks a lot of Lao and Thai food often calling for lime so I really hope I can do this🙏 Thanks for the encouragement 💯 Views from a zone 5B!

[@isabellaabruzzi9611]

Enzo is ADORABLE!!! I have the worst luck w/citrus. I'm on my 3rd one and it's not doing well. I think it's the lighting. Not enough. I guess for growing citrus, I will live vicariously though you!

[@lolitabonita08]

love to see him paying attention...

[@SH-jy6lc]

OMGosh! The baby is soooo cute!!! ❤❤❤

[@undercoverbird8592]

No fair. I couldn’t listen to you because I was looking at the adorable baby!! ❤❤❤❤😂

[@catherinevoice2062]

Thank you! I bought a Meyer lemon tree last year and it has been in our unheated sun room, with windows that i keep open during the summer. I will be repotting this baby in the next month so your information is timely. 120 gallon pot! I would not have to repot at all.

[@timjohnson3913]

You will kill the tree if you put it in too big a pot. Citrus like to be basically root bound, otherwise you will get root rot as there will not be enough root mass to uptake the water and dry out the soil. Every size up in pot should be about 2 inches. From a 4 inch pot to a 6 inch pot, then a 8 inch pot, etc.

[@catherinevoice2062]

@Tim Johnson thank you! I will put it in a better size pot for this year. And then next year repot into a larger pot.

[@terrivance8750]

Luke, That apprentice of yours isn't a very hard worker, tho he more than makes up for it in utter cuteness! ❤😉

[@vickiwestlund1837]

Adorable apprentice!❤❤

[@Overfl00d]

Seeing the baby smile is so cute

[@41txdawn]

I used to live in the Central Valley in California, specifically Stockton, and that area has an unusual (for CA) soil history. Before the levees were built, for probably hundreds of years it used to flood a LOT every year, which brought many nutrients down from the mountains, etc. So the soil there is very rich, not at all dry. I planted a Lemon tree in my back yard which grew beautifully (like everything else pretty much) without hardly any help from me at all. I barely pruned or watered it and never fed it, but it grew tall and wide and produced amazing and abundant lemons. Again, the soil did drain but it was not overly porous, and it was jam packed full of organic matter. It received lots of sun (except in winter) but not a huge amount of rain. This Lemon tree got watered occasionally but not often and it thrived in the rich soil. I miss it and those lemons! (I"m now living in VT.)

[@jonbutt8664]

That boy's smiile is just the best! I have to watch again so I can pay attention next time. lol

[@tomhoward8078]

Hahah, your son stole the show in his brief appearance. Happy kid!

[@karensheart]

Yahooooooo! I was waiting for this! Thank you!❤

[@sophelpmegod]

Wow amazing timing, I have been looking into doing this for a few months now, but haven’t been able to do enough research yet. Thanks!

[@orkids5551]

Enzo is so adorable, super cute. Thanks for sharing all the infos. Learned a lot.

[@mikeosinski50]

Great video, if you like limes you should try and grow a calamansi plant or some say tree. I have 3 in 5 gallon buckets and love it. I also keep them trimmed to a bush size. They indoor now for the Michigan winter here. Best of luck thanks for the tips in Michigan

[@xCarxMellax]

Enzo is so cute ! His little smiles 😂

[@bigtomatoplantslover6205]

Good gardening Like it Thank you for good sharing 😊

[@user-uu6bi4tn5o]

The little babbie is delightful.

[@leighannf.4730]

I heard nothing you said when Enzo was on camera. LOL! What a doll!

[@helenstewart2085]

Have a 20 plus year old mandarin in pot, it lives in a large open north facing porch (garden in the southern hemisphere), my main problem was not watering it enough late summer to late winter when the mandarins ripen. Since that has been improved it produces 50 plus very sweet, easy peel fruit each year. There was a dwarf rooted lemon available a couple of years ago, lost the first one due to too much watering. Second one is looking healthy.

[@rhondamurff9101]

Oh my goodness Enzo is ADORABLE!!

[@lisaweight7925]

Very informative video; thank you! Hopefully this will help my citrus trees to thrive. A question about the soil: you said 1 part sand, 1 part perlite, 1 part vermiculite, but to how many parts soil?

[@PharMamaUSA]

yes! Citrus trees are where it’s at this year. 2023, the year we grow and challenge ourselves to grow lemons and limes 🍋

[@languagelynnie]

Honestly Luke, I didn't hear a word you said after you introduced your adorable son Enzo. What a smile! What tree were you talking about?????

[@donaldbenjamin6358]

Oh my goodness, your son is adorable!

[@hickoryhillinthebigwoods-r759]

That little guy adores his daddy. For sure!

[@jimizxztheorginal]

Your baby is adorable! Congratulations!

[@tottering-by-gently]

I live in zone 4 and have been growing citrus indoors and moving them outdoors in the summer for several years. Ladybugs and lady beetles eat a lot of the pests that seem to appear on indoor plants, so whenever I find one in the house in the winter I put them with my citrus. They eat scale, mealy bugs, aphids, etc.

[@growingonlessthantwo]

Hi Enzo!!! Gosh he's growing so fast!! 🥰 Perfect time for this video, my indoor citrus trees are so sad😆

[@petergkeefe]

It's been a few years since my apprentices were that little! Gotta admit, I didn't pay attention to a word you said when he was helping you 😉

[@cbass2755]

Great video! Thank you Luke. And your Son is adorable! ♥️

[@youngmum7188]

Oh my GOSH!!!! Baby perfection😍😍😍. That smile🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@jenniferharris1761]

You have a knack for explaining thing in a way that is easy to grasp for newbees. Thank you for the great information and your Apprentice is adorable!

[@dhansonranch]

Very interesting Luke. Thank you. I would caution against use of neem oil though. Having had mealy bugs once - brutal!! I threw out any infected plants. I did suggest to a friend to water their infected plants with nicotine water and a periodic hose and it worked for her.

[@EddoPanamenyo]

Off topic but ive been watching your channel for years, how do you still look the same?!! For a sec i thought this was an old video i didn watch before 😭😭😭