How to Grow Citrus Indoors

I guess most people know that you can take a seed from an orange or lemon, plant it, and grow an orange or lemon tree. But can you? In theory you can, sure, but if you've ever tried it I can almost guarantee that you don't have a fruit-bearing tree. It's difficult to grow citrus from seeds even though experts manage to do it. Even if you can get the seed to grow into a tree it's not likely that it produces any fruit. Cut through all that hassle and simply order a dwarf citrus plant to grow in your own home.

Dwarf citrus trees will grow up to twelve feet tall outside, but if you place the dwarfs in pots around the house, they'll stay much smaller yet still produce fruit. This makes it easy to have your own lemons, limes and oranges year-round.

The dwarf citrus trees don't look that impressive when you order by catalog. A bare plant that looks more like a stick will, after being planted, grow delicious citrus fruits that you and your entire family will thoroughly enjoy. There are specifics you need to know, though, before planting the citrus.

The first thing you need to do to your citrus plant is prune away any broken or dead stems. Soak the roots of the plant overnight before planting. Most any pot will do for planting your citrus tree but make sure the pot allows for easy draining.

Potting soil specially created for growing cactus works well for planting citrus. Or, you can combine equal parts of dirt, peat moss and sand. Other potting soil types can be sufficient; ask at your local nursery for recommendations.

Choose an appropriate size pot for the citrus plant. Many people make the mistake of planting the small twig in a huge pot, knowing the plant will eventually grow large, but that's a mistake. Plant the citrus in an appropriate size pot and update to a larger pot once a year.

The potted citrus do well outside as long as temperatures don't drop below forty degrees. Set them where they can receive sunshine for most of the day. Don't crowd the plants together; they appreciate a nice breeze.