How Long Does a Lemon Tree Take to Grow? If you’re new to planting citrus trees or exploring Mediterranean garden ideas, you’ll be asking yourself this question, perhaps hesitantly. Lemon trees are lovely and satisfying to cultivate – ultimately, you’ll be able to taste homemade lemonade – but they take their time. If there is one piece of advice about growing lemons, it is to be patient. Allow them to do their thing, provide them with the proper circumstances, and you’ll have gorgeous lemon trees in no time.
How Long Does a Lemon Tree Take to Grow?
The answer depends on the sort of lemon tree you’re cultivating and whether it’s a standard lemon tree planted in the ground or a dwarf lemon tree planted in a container. A typical lemon tree grown in the ground in your garden will grow to be between 20 and 30 feet tall, taking 10 to 15 years to reach that full height. Standard lemon trees rarely provide fruit in their first six years of life. If you have towering trees in your garden, learn more about landscaping around them.
If you grow a dwarf lemon tree like Meyer or Eureka, it will achieve maturity during the first six years of growth. Dwarf lemons can grow to be up to eight feet tall. Importantly, if you buy a lemon tree that already produces fruit but is under four feet tall, it is still an immature tree that will continue to grow. Dwarf citrus trees do generally not produce edible fruit in the first three years, so if you purchased a tree with large, edible lemons on it, it is at least three years old.
This is essential when repotting lemons if you want them to grow to their full height. On the other hand, Lemons don’t mind being a little root bound, so you can keep dwarf kinds more compact if you choose.
Why is Lemons Tree Not Growing?
A healthy lemon tree will grow 10 to 25 inches every year. If yours isn’t even performing the bare minimum, it’s either not getting enough light (they need at least eight hours a day), has poor draining soil or is infected. ‘While no quick remedy causes your lemon tree to grow unnaturally quickly, optimal growing circumstances do promote the tree to expand properly,’ according to SFGATE(opens in new tab). Poor drainage, a lack of sunlight, inappropriate irrigation, and a lack of care can all inhibit the growth of your lemon tree, resulting in poor fruit yield.’
If your tree is growing and blossoming but not bearing fruit, don’t worry: it’s simply not mature enough. If you live in Southern California, you should be aware of Huanglongbing, a deadly citrus disease (HLB). More information about diagnosing and avoiding the disease can be found on a dedicated website(opens in a new tab).
Also Read: How to Grow Lotus From Seed?
