What can I feed my lemon tree to ensure it grows well?

Do you have a lemon tree in your garden? You really should! Easy to grow, these charming trees are self-pollinating and produce cheerful, delicious, versatile fruit. They can even grow in containers, making them a great option if you don’t have much space. What’s the best way to grow your lemon tree? Find a variety that thrives in your area and feed it properly.

It’s not hard to find a good lemon tree in the Southwest. Eureka, Ponderosa, Lisbon, and Meyer are all hardy varieties that do well in our area and love the heat. Lemon trees flower in the spring and are ready to harvest in mid-winter, but they stay fresh on the tree for months, so it’s possible to have lemons nearly all year long. They do grow best in well-drained soil and need water once every seven to ten days, though they can tolerate some dry soil. Full sun is best for growing lemon, because trees in the shade produce less fruit and are more vulnerable to disease.

When you’re choosing a lemon tree fertilizer, look for one with high nitrogen content. We recommend high- quality fertilizers like Moon Dust or Supercharged Moon Juice, applied around the root area. A common mistake when fertilizing lemon trees is to put the fertilizer right at the base of the tree, but it’s important to understand that the roots stretch out much further than that. In fact, the roots of the tree are about as wide as the tree is tall, so if you have a three-foot tree, you should be putting the fertilizer in a circle that’s three feet wide. Lemon trees don’t need to be fertilized in the winter months when they’re not actively growing.

When you’re looking for the right fertilizer and other products to help your garden grow, head to Moon Valley Nurseries. Moon Valley Nurseries started as a small neighborhood nursery garden center, and now has locations all across the West. We deliver and plant anything in our massive inventory, and because we grow our plants ourselves, we can give our customers the lowest prices in town, guaranteed. Whether you need ground cover, a tree or two, or an entire landscape, our friendly staff members will go the extra mile to make you happy. Contact us through our website, call us at (602) 388-1529, or stop by to check out all we have to offer, from the best trees and plants to professional crews and planters to certified designers ready to make your garden the best in the neighborhood.