Your Lemon will not be too picky about how you choose to water it. As such, you can use just about any common watering tool to moisten this plant’s soil. Watering cans, hoses, and even cups will work just fine when it is time to water your Lemon. Regardless of which watering tool you use, you should typically apply the water directly to the soil. In doing so, you should ensure that you moisten all soil areas equally to give all parts of the root system the water it needs. It can help to use filtered water, as tap water can contain particles that are harmful to plants. It is also beneficial to use water that is at or slightly above room temperature, as colder or hotter water can be somewhat shocking to the Lemon. However, the Lemon usually responds well to any kind of water you give it.

For outdoor plants, especially newly planted plants or plant seedlings, they can be prone to lack of watering. Remember that you need to keep watering enough for a few months when the tree is small or just planted. This is because once the roots are established, Lemon can rely on rain most of the time.

When your Lemon is planted in pots, overwatering is often more likely to.When you accidentally overwater your Lemon, you should be prepared to remedy the situation immediately. First, you should stop watering your plant right away to minimize the effect of your overwatering. After, you should consider removing your Lemon from its pot to inspect its roots. If you find that none of the roots have developed root rot, it may be permissible to return your plant to its container. If you do discover signs of root rot, then you should trim away any roots that have been affected. You may also want to apply a fungicide to prevent further damage. Lastly, you should repot your Lemon in soil that is well-draining. In the case of an underwatered Lemon, simply water this plant more frequently.

Underwatering is often an easy fix. If you underwater, the plant's leaves will tend to droop and dry out and fall off, and the leaves will quickly return to fullness after sufficient watering. Please correct your watering frequency as soon as underwatering occurs.

Most plants that grow naturally outdoors can be allowed to grow normally with rainfall. If your area lacks rainfall, consider giving your plants adequate watering every 2 weeks during the spring and fall. More frequent watering is needed in summer. In winter, when growth becomes slower and plants need less water, water more sparingly. Throughout the winter, you may not give it additional watering at all. If your Lemon is young or newly planted, then you should water more frequently to help it establish, and mature and grow up to have more adaptable and drought tolerant plants.

For potted plants, there are two main ways that you can determine how often to water your Lemon. The first way is to set a predetermined watering schedule. If you choose this route, you should plan to water this plant about once every week or once every other week. However, this approach may not always work as it does not consider the unique conditions of the growing environment for your Lemon .

Your watering frequency can also change depending on the season. For instance, a predetermined watering schedule will likely not suffice during summer when this plant's water needs are highest. An alternative route is to set your watering frequency based on soil moisture. Typically, it is best to wait until the first two to four inches of soil, usually ⅓ to ½ depth of the pots, have dried out entirely before you give more water.

When it comes time to water your Lemon, you may be surprised to find that this plant does not always need a high volume of water. Instead, if only a few inches of soil have dried since your last watering, you can support healthy growth in the Lemon by giving it about five to ten ounces of water every time you water. You can also decide your water volume based on soil moisture. As mentioned above, you should note how many inches of soil have dried out between waterings. A surefire way to make sure your Lemon gets the moisture it needs is to supply enough water to moisten all the soil layers that became dry since the last time you watered. If more than half of the soil has become dry, you should consider giving more water than usual. In those cases, continue adding water until you see excess water draining from your pot’s drainage holes.

If your Lemon is planted in an area that gets plenty of rain outdoors, it may not need additional watering. When the Lemon is young or just getting established, make sure it gets 1-2 inches of rain per week. As it continues to grow and establish, it can survive entirely on rainwater and only when the weather is hot and there is no rainfall at all for 2-3 weeks, then consider giving your Lemon a full watering to prevent them from suffering stress.

Overwatering is a far more common problem for the Lemon, and there are several signs you should look for when this occurs. Generally, an overwatered Lemon will have yellowing leaves and may even drop some leaves. Also, overwatering can cause the overall structure of your plant to shrivel and may also promote root rot. On the other hand, an underwatered Lemon will also begin to wilt. It may also display leaves that are brown or brittle to the touch. Whether you see signs of overwatering or underwatering, you should be prepared to intervene and restore the health of your Lemon.

When the Lemon is very young, such as when it is in a seedling stage, you will need to give it more water than you would if it were at a mature age. During the early stages of this plant’s life, it is important to keep the soil consistently moist to encourage root development. The same is true for any Lemon that you have transplanted to a new growing location. Also, the Lemon can develop showy flowers and fruits when you give them the correct care. If your Lemon is in a flowering or fruiting phase, you will likely need to give a bit more water than you usually would to support these plant structures.

The seasonal changes will affect how often you water your Lemon. Mainly, during the hottest summer months, you will likely need to increase how much you water this plant, especially if it grows in an area that receives ample sunlight. Strong summer sunlight can cause soil to dry out much faster than usual, meaning that you’ll need to water more frequently. By contrast, your Lemon will need much less water during the winter, as it will not be in an active growing phase. During winter, you can get by with watering once every 2 to 3 weeks or sometimes not at all. For those growing this plant indoors, you should be somewhat wary of appliances such as air conditioners, which can cause your plant to dry out more quickly, which also calls for more frequent watering.

In some cases, your Lemon may not need any supplemental watering when it grows outside and will survive on rainwater alone. However, if you live in an area of little to no rain, you should water this plant about every two weeks. If you belong to the group of people who live out of this plant's natural hardiness zone, you should grow it indoors. In an indoor setting, you should monitor your plant's soil as it can dry out more quickly when it is in a container or when it is exposed to HVAC units such as air conditioners. Those drying factors will lead you to water this plant a bit more often than if you grew it outdoors.

If the soil is rich in your area, it may not be totally necessary to fertilize. However, if the soil is lacking in nutrients, a Lemon will not be able to produce enough leaves, flowers, and fruits. A soil test is the best way to determine what nutrients are plentiful in the soil and what may be lacking. Nutrient deficiency in Lemon can cause small leaves and short branches, yellowing or bronze leaves, and more acidic (and therefore less delicious) fruits. Some types of nutrient deficiency can cause fruit to fall early or split.

Provide higher nitrogen and phospherus fertilizer to young Lemon to support strong leaf and root development for future growth. The best time to use fertilizer is during the spring of the first growing season. It is a good idea to incorporate compost or another fertilizer into the soil prior to or immediately after planting.

For mature plants, supplement every few years as needed throughout the spring and summer with a balanced fertilizer or a fertilizer that addresses specific deficiencies in the soil in your area. Avoid fertilizing Lemon in the autumn or winter.

Avoid fertilizing Lemon after pruning, when it has disease or insects, or is otherwise stressed. Fertilizer only helps treat insufficient nutrients in soil, but cannot fix other issues that could cause problems in a Lemon. Proper diagnosis of the issue helps to avoid adding fertilizer when another cause may actually be responsible for the problem.

Don't fertilize Lemon during winter, or at times during the summer that are particularly hot and dry.

Most types of Lemon grow in tropical locations that have a lot of decaying organic matter in the environment naturally. They can benefit from fertilizer to supplement their macronutrient and micronutrient needs. When growing Lemon for fruit, a high-phosphorus organic fertilizer such as mushroom compost,, bone meal and poultry manure supports the development of delicious and well-formed fruits.

When purchasing fertilizer, there will be a number (NPK) on the label with the ratio of the three macronutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Low nitrogen is the most common nutrient deficit in soil, but a soil test is the best way to know which types of nutrients might be lacking in your soil and require additional supplementation.

Follow any instructions on the fertilizer you choose. Using too little fertilizer is always preferable to using too much, so be conservative when adding fertilizers. This is especially important for chemical fertilizers, which are generally very concentrated compared with organic fertilizers.

Liquid fertilizers are usually diluted with water which is then used to water the Lemon. Granular or dry fertilizers can be spread around the base of the plant, making sure not to allow any fertilizer to come into direct contact with any part of the plant. The most common practice is to use it once every 2-3 weeks in the growing season.

Organic fertilizers can be mixed into soil prior to planting or can be spread in a layer over the top of the soil for newly-planted or mature plants.

Too much fertilizer causes Lemon to turn yellow and drop leaves. It could kill the Lemon entirely in severe cases. Checking the soil before you fertilize helps to avoid this issue. Fertilizer applied too close to the base of the plant can burn it because of the salts it contains.

The first sign of too much fertilizer is when leaves turn brown at the tips. This is a signal to stop applying fertilizer and flush the water with soil to dilute the accumulated salts. Do a soil test before the next application to see what is happening with the soil. You may need to choose a different type of fertilizer or it may not be needed.

For healthy growth, make sure that Lemon receives at least 3–6 hours of sun each day. This is actually a minimum requirement—most plants that can handle part sun can also thrive in full sun, but because they require less light for photosynthesis, they are more flexible than plants that require full sun or part shade.

Lemon does best with exposure to full or part sun. They will perform best with direct morning light, but in summer they need protection from the strong afternoon sun. In temperate environments, too much hot afternoon sun can burn the leaves, damaging the plant's appearance and health.

Lemon planted indoors can easily be damaged by direct sunlight when it's moved outdoors. The best way to prevent sunburns from overexposure is to move pots gradually from a shaded area to a brighter spot, gradually. But even plants that are acclimated to the summer sun can be damaged by extreme heat. In a heatwave, it is important to keep the soil consistently moist so that plants can cope with excessive levels of heat. Moving plants in containers to areas with afternoon shade or erecting a shade cloth over them can protect sensitive Lemon during extreme weather events.

While bright morning sun and some full sun exposure can be highly beneficial for Lemon, the harsh, hot midday sun of summer can be too much to handle.

If planted in the ground, the summer sun will usually ramp up slowly enough through the season for Lemon to gradually adapt to its intensity. But a potted plant that has been indoors or in a protected location will often suffer injury when placed suddenly into a location where the direct summer sun reaches it in the hottest part of the day.

To protect this plant from the brutal afternoon summer sun, plant or place it in an understory location where it is shaded at midday by taller trees and plants or by a building or landscape feature.

When Lemon receives too little sun, they may become pale green or display drooping, yellow leaves. While some leaf drop is normal, if leaves are dropping but no new ones are growing in to replace them, it is a sign that something is wrong. If Lemon receiving inadequate light does manage to grow, the new growth is often spindly, pale, and prone to insect infestation. Paying attention to these signs and changing the lighting conditions of the plant will make a significant difference.

Tender, new leaves are especially sensitive to sunburn. Bearing this in mind, very young Lemon and when it's in a strong growth phase, such as in late spring and early summer, will be more sensitive to harsh sun and heat than the mature one or those in a more dormant fall growth stage. Lemon fresh from a nursery is also usually not prepared for strong full sunlight and must be introduced to it slowly.

Recently transplanted Lemon will often experience a bit of shock and will need to be cared for carefully, either shaded from bright afternoon sun or placed in a protected area. On very hot days, you may see the leaves of Lemon drooping—this is usually nothing to worry about. Plants will send the water in their leaves down into their roots to protect them from burning. However, if the leaves are still drooping in the evening or the next morning, the plant needs water. Always avoid watering during the hottest times of day, as sunlight can hit wet leaves and scorch them easily.

Lemon that has been underwatered will be weaker than that with consistently moist soil. This can leave it with weak roots that are unable to protect the leaves on hot, sunny summer days by diverting water away from the leaves. Care for an underwatered plant by giving it a long, deep watering and then allowing the top two inches of soil to dry out before the next watering. Even if it loses its leaves, if cared for properly it will grow new ones.

Lemon need occasional pruning. As with other trees that have fruits, the main reason for pruning is fruit production because the increase in the number of branches and leaves automatically means an increase in the number of fruits. However, pruning the Lemon has many other benefits that go hand in hand with boosting yields. Pruning helps keep the Lemon healthy. By removing dead or diseased branches(leaves), suckers that take away resources, and those that impede air circulation, you are giving your tree the best chance to remain vigorous. Pruning helps with fruit picking. Keeping the canopy compact and low enough to harvest makes it easy to pick Lemon fruits by hand. Pruning makes the tree look better. That is especially true for Lemon due to its capacity to be a highly decorative specimen tree.

Depending on the branches' thickness, you will need a pair of sharp, sturdy pruning shears and a small hand saw. Sterilize all the tools before and after pruning - especially if you are making cuts on two or more plants. That way, you avoid the spread of plant diseases. All pruning cuts should be made at a 45-degree angle whenever possible. There are two types of pruning cuts: A heading cut is when you prune somewhere along the branch, shortening it instead of removing it completely. Besides shortening, this cut also promotes branching - because it “feels” the lack of foliage at the tip of the branch, the tree starts producing new growth below the cut. Thus, the heading cut is made right above a pair of leaves with buds. A thinning cut is when you trim the branch down to another branch or to the trunk. It can mean cutting one shoot of a branch with multiple tips down to the node or cutting the entire branch down to the trunk, or reducing the number of leaves on the tree. As the name suggests, a thinning cut doesn’t promote new growth. When pruning down to the trunk, always make cuts above the branch collar. The branch collar is the wrinkled area around the base of a larger tree limb. The cells created in the collar will ensure proper wound healing without resorting to products. Pruning the Lemon step-by-step Remove all dead or diseased branches(leaves). Remove the branches that are too thin or dead leaves. That way, they will not spend the plant’s resources while failing to be productive. Prune all crossed branches - those that grow horizontally into the crown Branch crossing the others can interfere with their growth and even damage them, so you should trim them right down to their base (thinning cut). In the same fashion, shorten all the branches that reach the ground or are too low. This process is often called skirting. Inspect the canopy center - if it is too dense, air circulation will become challenging. Cut away the problematic branches(leaves) to create a light, airy center that allows good ventilation.

If you keep the branch collars intact as per advice, the cells created in the collar will ensure proper wound healing without you having to resort to any products. Letting the Lemon heal on its own is the best long-term option. However, despite being able to heal, the larger cuts are sensitive to sunburn. That is especially concerning because Lemon is used to planted in full sun. Painting the cuts with a 1:1 solution of water and white latex paint for interiors can help protect them from the adverse effect of sun rays.

Pruning brings beneficial stress to Lemon, thus encouraging new growth, but overdoing it can have the opposite effect. Cutting out more than ⅓ of the tree stresses it to the point of struggling with the re-growth. Never prune more than ⅓ of the canopy per year. If you are doing extensive pruning, you shouldn’t cut the larger, mature branches all the way down to the trunk or parent branch. Leave about 5 inches or more of the branch so you wouldn’t discourage recovery and new growth. Depending on the branches' thickness, you will need a pair of sharp, sturdy pruning shears and a small hand saw. Sterilize all the tools before and after pruning - especially if you are making cuts on two or more plants. That way, you avoid the spread of plant diseases.

Pruning the Lemon begins in the tree’s second year. In areas with cold winters and frost, the best time to prune Lemon is in the spring, after fruiting. If you prune in autumn or too early in the winter, the delicate new growth will not have time to harden off enough to withstand cold spells. If your Lemon has suffered frost damage, removing the dead and damaged wood(leaf) is essential - but not necessarily right away. Never do this until the frost risk has passed completely. In frost-free regions, pruning can be done anytime, as needed, including in the winter. The only exception is the hot summer weather. There are situations when you should not prune, even if it seems logical.