How to Grow Basil

8/13/2019 How to Grow Basil

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HOW TO GROW BASIL

Fresh basil is a wonderfully sweet, and aromatic herb, and if you have ever had the opportunity to taste a few freshlypicked leaves straight from the mother plant you will understand why it is one of the most popular of all the culinary

herbs.

Luckily - given the right conditions basil is easy to grow from seed, but because Basil needs a reasonably high -and stable - temperature to initiate germination.

With that in mind, it is always best to sow basil seed indoors - irrespective of whether it will end up being planted upoutside or not.

Fill a seed tray almost to the top with a moist seed and potting compost, and then thinly sow your basil seedsover the surface.

Give them a light covering of compost and gently water in before transferring to a bright, warm room. Try not to

allow the compost to dry out, but equally, do not over water. You can consider placing a plastic cover over the topof the seed tray to help maintain moisture and humidity, but this must be removed as soon as the new seedlingsemerge to prevent fungal infection.
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Once the seedlings have emerged through the compost keep them in a light position but out of direct sunlight. Oncethe second set of true leaves have fully formed, transplant each seedli ng into 3 inch pots allowing no more than fourplants per pot.

After a couple of weeks - when the young plants have had time to establish - they can be gradually made accustomto outside conditions if that is to be their final position.Harden them off for a couple of weeks or so before planting outside, but only do so one the threat of frost is over.Choose a sunny, sheltered site for bestresults allowing 12 inches between each group of plants. The young tenderleaves can be harvest any time so long as the plant is big and strong enough any time from May until September.

As the plants continue to grow, remove any flower buds as they arise as this will signal a change in the flavour of thebasil, making the leaves bitter and even unpalatable for some people. Flowering will also cause a significantreduction in the growth of new foliage, reducing the amount which can be used for cooking.

HOW TO GROW COURGETTES FROM SEED

Although considered to be a vegetable, courgettes - otherwise known as zucchini - are actually the immature fruit ofa marrow squash more specifically, the swollen ovary of the female flower. Courgettes can be yellow, green or lightgreen, and generally have shape similar to a ridged cucumber, although there are a few cultivarsavailable that can
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produce a rounded or bottle-shaped fruit.

Like all summer squash, courgettes can trace their ancestry back to the American continent, however the varieties ofsquash typically known as courgette were actually developed in Italy - many generations after their introductionfrom their country of origin. The first records of courgettes in the United States date back to the early 1920s - almostcertainly brought over by Italian immigrants.

How to start courgettes off indoors In order to achieve an early crop - and yet have protection against late, spring frosts - courgettes can easily bestarted off indoors. Courgette seed can be sown any time from mid March through to late May. Using a good qualitysoil-based compost such as John Innes Seed and Potting, fill 3 inch pots to within inch of the top of the pot. Sowtwo seeds per pot on their sides - placing each seed an inch deep..

Temperature is important when it comes to germinatingcourgette seed and so once they have been watered in theywill need to be placed in a warm, bright position at atemperature of between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Alternatively they can be placed in a heated propagator.

Once the seedlings emerge, the weaker one can be removedfrom each pot. Harden off the young plants by putting thefirst sowing into cold frames at the end of May. Plant themout after about two or three weeks once the risk of late frostshave passed.

Remember to water the pots well before planting out, andavoid holding the plants by their stems as they are easily bruised causing irreparable damage.

If the weather is cool, cover each plant with a cloche for the first week or so, to give them a little extra warmth andprotection. Alternatively, use half of a clear plastic 5 litre mineral bottle. Cut the bottle into two halves in order tomake two excellent cloches. The top half - whilst giving good protection against the weather will also allow air andmoisture to circulate through the neck of the bottle.

TOP TIP. To prevent flying insects entering through the neck of the bottle, cover with a small piece of fleece andsecure it in place with an elastic band.

How to start courgettes off outside Courgettes prefer heavier soils, and will always do best in a sunny, sheltered position - away from cold winds. Whenit comes to preparing the ground, it is well worth adding plenty of well rotted farm manure before hand in fact, thiscan be done as early as the previous autumn.

.If you intend starting early, you can protect an early planting with cloches. It is a good idea to put your cloches inplace where you plan to plant your courgette plants a couple of weeks before you need them as this will to helpwarm up the soil below. Doing this will greatly increase your early planting chances of success.

.If you are going to sow your courgettes from seed directly into the ground then you can do this any time from earlyMay onwards around about the time of the last late frosts. With cloches you can sow courgette seed up to threeweeks earlier..
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The trouble with courgettes is that they like lots of moisture around the roots, but ironically the plants can rot off ifthere is too much moisture around thebase of the plant. To try and overcome this, courgettes are often grown onridges in order to improve drainage how to make a courgette ridge is outlined as follows.

.Begin by digging a small trench about 4 inches deep, then fill the bottom of thistrench with well-rotted farm manureuntil the trench is refilled back to its original soil level now dig over thetrench so that the compost and soil is nicely

mixed. Now dig a second trenchnext to this first one placing the soil along to top of the original trench so that you ahave formed an elongated mound. This will form a ridge into which the courgette seeds can be planted into - 3 ftapart. Alternatively, if you are only growing a few courgette plants, just make one individual mound per plant roughly1ft 6in square. These mounts do not need to be too high - no more than a few inches at most.. When sowing courgette seed outside, sow two seeds per planting position covering with in of soil.Eachplanting position should be about 3 ft apart. When the seeds have germinated they can be thinned out byremoving the weaker of the two vigorous seedlings. If you are transplanting courgette seedlings, then they should be

planted into the ridge at the same depth as they were in the pot.

Courgettes require plenty of water so that they are able to grow andfully develop so soak the roots thoroughly and regularly. However,try to keep as much water as you can away from the foliage to helpprevent the incidence of fungal infections.

HOW TO GROW LAVENDER FROM SEED

Lavender is without doubt one of the most popular of all hardy shrubs, and why not? Tolerant of drought, heat, poorsoils and most pests and diseases, not only does will lavender flower its heart out, it is a fantastic source of nectarfor pollinating insects!
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However, purchasing lavender plants can end up being expensive. But fear not! Lavenders are very easy topropagate. Both from cuttings and from seed.

Growing lavender from seed

Lavender can be sow at any time of year so long as you have the use of a propagator. Otherwise, sow lavender seedfrom April onwards making sure that they are kept in a warm place to maintain an optimum temperature of 15-18degrees Celsius.To begin with, lavender seed can be sown in trays, pots or modular trays. Choose a good quality seed compost suchas John Innes 'Seed and Cutting', but you may wish to mix in some horticultural grit or perlite to improve thedrainage further.Moisten the soil until it is damp, not wet, and then place the seeds one at a time on the surface. Now give theseeds with a light sprinkling of compost, making sure that all the seeds are covered. Remember not to pack the soildown on top of the seed.Once the seeds are sown it is essential that they are kept moist. Striking the balance right between over watering theseedlings and under watering will make all the difference to the success of your plantings. Using aspray bottle is thebest way to achieve the right balance.
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After sowing, either place into a propagator kept at 15-18 Celsius or seal your pots/trays in a polythene bag andleave at also at 15-18 Celsius. Keep them in a bright position, but out of direct sun during the hottest part of the day.

It can take from between twelve andtwenty-one days for germination to occur, but if nothing hashappened after three weeks then placethe seeds back in to a refrigerator - not the freezer, for a further 3-6 weeks.

After this cold period is completed they can be placed back into their warm, light environment the recommendedgermination temperature. However, examine regularly whilst in the fridge and remove immediately the seedsshowsigns of germinating.

When the seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant them into 3 inch pots using John Innes 'No 2' compost.Use a dibber and avoid disrupting the root system as much as possible. Grow on in a cold frame and plant outside into their final position the following spring.

HOW TO COLLECT AND PREPARE STRAWBERRY SEED FOR PROPAGATIONPerhaps the simplest way to grow strawberries fromseed is to plant one of the matured, dried off fruits.Thiscan either be planted directly into the ground orpreferably potted on into John Innes seed compost witha light covering of compost or horticultural grit on top.

However, the best way to grow strawberry from seed isto do a little research first to find out which is yourfavourite variety or varieties. There is good reason forthis because - as with many cultivated varieties anyseedlings produced will be the product of crosspollination (natural hybridization) and the resultingprogeny will not grow true to type. Put simply, if yourseedlings are at the very least a hybrid of your favouritechosen varieties then once they fruit - you can selectwhich plants suit your taste most and discard any of

those which don't. Alternatively, only grow seeds fromspecies strawberries and known to grow true from seed

or choose F1 hybrid seed. When the fruits are fullyripe you can tell this as they will be mushy andwell past their best for eating - remove 4-5healthy berries and place them in a blendertogether with a litre of water. Set the blender toits lowest speed and allow to run for 10 secondsor so.

Once the mix has settled remove any floatingseeds as these wont be viable. Pour the remainingmixture into a sieve and rinse the pulp throughuntil you have mostly seeds left. These seeds cannow be lightly sown onto a seed tray filled withJohn Innes seed and potting compost. Cover theseeds with a thin layer of compost and gentlywater.

Transfer the seed tray to a cold,greenhouse oreven a well lit room to germinate and this should
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take anywhere between 2 and 8 weeks. Once germinated the seedlings can be gently lifted and potted on into 9 cmpots. Come the following autumn they should be ready to transplant outside ready for fruiting the following year.

If you dont have the use of a blender try these other methods for seed extraction. The first is to allow the fruit todry naturally outside over the summer period and then when ready, rub it with your fingers allowing the seeds to fallinto a suitable container. The other is to press the mature fruit pulp gently through a sieve, and then wash the

seeds clear of any remaining pulp while they are still in the sieve. Although you will not get the separation of viableand non- viable seeds it doesnt stop you from sowing t hem.

If you intend to store the seeds then they must be allowed to dry thoroughly. You can tell when they are dry as theywill no longer stick to each other and will move easily within their container. When they are ready, place them into alabelled envelope and keep them in a cool dry place until they are ready for sowing.

HOW TO GROW ARTICHOKES FROM SEED Artichokes are at risk of becoming oneof the gardeners worst kept secrets. Stillconsidered to be a true gourmet food,artichokes once commanded such high

prices that only kings and members ofthe aristocracy could afford to eat them.Today things are a little different withhundreds of varieties available - even tothe passionate, amateur gardener - withmany of them suitable for growing asan annual or perennial crop - even inthe cooler northern European climates.If you are prepared to do a littleresearch you can still buy a few of theold historic varieties such as 'Violetta diChioggia', and 'Gros Vert de Laon'.. The unavoidable fact and so called

worst kept secret is that artichokesplants are just so easy to grow fromseed. While they will not all grow

genetically true to the parent plants, because they are so easy to germinate it is just a matter of growing a fewextra plants so that any rogue specimens that turn up can be removed later on without the worry of losing some ofyour future crop..

Artichokes can be started from seed ina greenhouse,conservatory or even in a well lit,warm room by the windowsill. Starting anytimefrom around late February, plant a couple of seedsinto 9cm pots using a good quality soil-basedcomposts such as John Innes Seed. You may wishto mix in a little horticultural grit or perlite to helpwith the drainage. Give the seeds a further, lightcovering of compost, then water in well - placingthem in agreenhouse or warm room once theexcess water has drained off. Water as necessaryfrom that point on, but at no time should thecompost be left sodden or be allowed to completelydry out.. The seeds should germinate between 2-3 weeksbut they will need to remain in their protectedenvironment right up until the threat of late frosts
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are over. Wait a couple of weeks after germination before removing the weaker artichoke seedlings from each pot.They can now be placed outside, but they will still need 2-3 weeks to harden off before planting out into theirfinal position, so try to keep them under some sort of cover such as acold frame or plastic tunnel. Starting them offearly in a protected environment like this is a vital step in producing artichokes during the first year, whether theyare grown as an annual or as a perennial..

Artichoke seedlings need lots of nutrients as they develop, so feed them once a week with a good quality liquid plantfertiliser. They will be ready for planting outside once the soil has warmed up and - as said before - once the dangerof frost is over. Typically the transplants should be around 8 to 10 inches tall, with stocky stems and two sets of trueleaves. Because they grow quite large, they should be planted at least 4 feet apart into a rich, deep, free-drainingsoil. For best results place them in a sheltered position where they can receive full sun for most of the day.

HOW TO GROW ASPARAGUS FROM SEED

When buying asparagus plants for a newly created asparagus bed, most plant retailers will only offer a small range ofone or two year old plants. Although they will always look healthy in the pots, there is always a risk of failure when itcomes to transplanting - around 10%-15% for one year old stock and as high as 20% for 2 yearold stock. Whenpaying full retail prices - particularly with regards to 2 year old stock - this can end up being an expensive lesson.

Asparagus seeds

Growing asparagus from seed - either in pots ordirectly into the beds -gives the best viability, with asurvival rate of around 100%.

In addition, with direct sowing there is no transplanting or root shock todelay valuable root development.

The best time to sow asparagus seeds is around mid-April when theground is warm enough to initiate germination. A good tip is to soak the
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seeds in water for a couple of hours before planting.

You will find that this will help to speed up the germination process considerably.

Direct sowing

Once the bed has been prepared rakedover the top layer into a fine tilth, thensow the seed into thin rows down to adepth of about 2 inches. Depending onhow many plants you intend croppingeach subsequent row should be between12 and 18 inches apart. Water them inwell if conditions are dry.

The new seedlings should emerge inabout 3 weeks, and as soon as they arelarge enough they can be thinned out toabout 2in apart. Then, once theseedlings reach about 6 inches high,they can be thinned out again toaround18 inches apart. For the rest ofthe year you just need to keep the bedsweeded and the plants well-watered.

If you have bought seed varieties that produce both male and female plants, you will need to remove any femaleforms as soon as they become identifiable - normally from their berries.

Sowing indoors .

Some asparagus varieties like thepopular 'Connovers Colossal' are bestsown indoors and this can be done anytime between February and March.

Again, try soaking them for a couple ofhours, then plant them into individualpots containing moist John Innes seedcompost. Place them in a warm roomat approximately 15-18 degrees Celsiusthen, once germinated, move to to a

cool, light area such as a windowsill,but keep them out of direct sunlight.

Once the threat of frosts are over theywill need to be gradually accustomed toconditions outside - this known as'hardening off' and can take between

2-3 weeks. Once they are ready to be moved out into the asparagus bed proper, they can to be planted fairly deeplyleaving a couple of inches of soil above the level of the compost. Keep them nicely watered over the summer period
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and - as always - keep the bed free of weeds, especially perennial weeds which will compete with your seedlingsroots for nutrients.

Growing your own plants can delay establishment of your bed by an additional year, but it does ensure that you arestarting with new crowns that have not lost none of their vigour through being lifted, stored and shipped. However,not only will you have a larger selection of varieties available to you, if you choose your varieties wisely you will still

be able to harvest in their second year.

OW TO PLANT AND GROW ARTICHOKES

. If you have never tasted the sublime delights of an artichokes heart then you are definitely missing out on a treat.Step back through the centuries and this once forbidden fruit was only afforded by Kings and the wealthyaristocracy.Today its a different matter with hundreds of varieties to choose from including some of the old historicalfavourites. Easily grown by seed - or bought in the spring from any good plant retailer -artichokes are surprisinglystraightforward to grow, but for best results they need to be grown and harvested quickly.

To begin with, positioning is all important so try to choose a rich, free-draining soil - preferably with a pH of around6.5 to 7.0. However, the most important aspect with growing artichokes is to make sure that they receive as muchsun throughout the day as possible, so you are looking at a South to South-west facing position. Artichokes also havea high nutrient requirement and so - if you are able to - try to prepare your site a month or so before planting. Digthe soil deeply adding plenty of well-rotted manure, you may also wish to mix in some horticultural grit to improvethe drainage. In fact you can even go as far as adding some general pelleted fertiliser such as poultry manure or

Growmore to the soil in order to help encourage further vigour.

Dig a hole bigger than plant so that the soil mark on the stem sits at the same level as the soil surface. Back-fill thehole around the root-ball, adding some compost along with it to help with the initial root development. Gently firmthe plant in and then thoroughly water. It's important to keep an eye on the watering at this crucial stage in theirdevelopment, ensuring that they don't dry out over the summer. In hot weather it's wise to give your youngartichoke plants a good, regular, moisture-retaining mulch. Remember that Artichokes will need plenty of availablewater in order to produce those big, succulent buds which during hot dry spells - can be as much as three times aweek while the buds are forming. Of course, water so much that the roots are left sodden for extended periods oftime and you can expect them to rot off.

With their large, delicately cut, silvery foliage, artichokes also make great architectural statements intheornamental garden, but be aware of the plants around them as - with an overall height of and width of up to 6feet - they can easily shade out smaller, more delicate specimens. Also, maintaining these damp conditions while the
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plants are still young can make them an easy target for slugs and snails so make sure that some kind of slugdeterrent is put in place.

Although a native of the regions around the Mediterranean, there are some varieties suitable for the colder climate,but if temperatures start to regularly dip below -4 degrees Celsius during the winter period, you can expect someroot damage. To help avoid this,make sure they get a heavy mulching to act as cold protection, and consider some

kind of protection to keep the cold and wet off the soil. In very cold climates the outer skin of the artichokecan blister, turning whitish in colour, although his will make them look unattractive it will not affect the eating quality.

During the plants first year, they will need to direct all their energy into making foliar and root growth, so removeany flower-heads as they form. In the second year, the edible heads can be allowed to fully develop for harvestinglater on in the summer. These edible buds will develop at the tips of 1-inch-thick stalks, while the terminal bud thetop-most bud on the centre stem - is normally the largest and the first to mature. Harvest the artichokes before thebuds start to open - while they're still green and tight carefully slicing through the stem with a sharp knife justbelow the bud. If a few buds escape your knife, they will open into spectacular, purple-blue, 6-inch thistle-likeflowers. However, allowing the buds to f lower may reduce the plants vigour for the following years crop.

Prepare and eat the artichoke as soon as possible or refrigerate to ensure their freshness.

HOW TO GROW SWEET POTATOES IN POTS OR CONTAINERS

Although the sweet potato is an exotic, tropical root crop from South America, it is becoming an increasingly commonsight in our local supermarkets. Nutritious and easy to grow, you can plant it just about anywhere so long as the soilis free draining and the plant gets plenty of sun.Generally pest free in the northern European countries, the only problem that you likely to get with growingsweetpotatoes is slug damage, and this is why the practice of growing them in containers is becoming a far more popularmethod.

Being grown in a pot has other benefits too because not only will it provide better drainage than it would otherwiseget in the ground, it will also afford warmer soil temperatures as the pot can transfer heat from the sun directly intothe root environment. Both of these factors help to create improved growing conditions.

To make the most of the growing season your crop can be started off indoors by planting slips (rooted sweet potatocuttings) or tubers into as large a pot as you can physically move around. This will need to be done approximately 3-4 weeks before the last frost - which in the United Kingdom will mean planting from the beginning of April onwards.
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They will require a rich, free-draining compost and you can create this by using good quality garden topsoil,horticultural grit and well rotted farm manure mixed together using a 1:1:1 ratio. Slips should be planted at the samedepth that they were lifted from, while tubers should be planted on their side at a depth of about 6 inches. To giveyou a rough idea of spacing you can plant 3 slips/ tubers in an 18 inch diameter pot.

Being a semi tropical plants they require at least 110 days to mature. They are vigorous, and once they start

growing, will readily spread. You can choose to control the vines by growing them vertically up a wigwam ortrellis orallow them to trail naturally along the ground.

They can be lifted from the end of August, but it is usually better to leave them until the leaves begin to yellow anddie back. In fact, you can leave them in the pot for as long as you can so long as they are not damaged by earlyfrosts. Once lifted, the new tubers will need to be allowed to mature for a week or so in the warmest area you havein the house - something like the airing cupboard will be fine. This will allow the skins to ripen and the flavour tosweeten and become true to type. They are now ready for use in cooking and will store quite happily in a cool dryplace for a month or so.

HOW TO GROW AN ORANGE TREE FROM SEED

Growing orange trees from seed is surprisingly straight forward, and something that anyone can do if they have awarm, sunny windowsill. Getting the seed is probably the hardest part; you can either buy on-line through aspecialist supplier or if you only want a few collect your own from shop bought fruit.
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Once you have cut open the fruit andexposed the seed, remove the seed and wash off any fruit residue. You shouldalways clean seed collected from within fruiting bodies as they will contain chemicals which actively prevent seed

germination.

Place the clean seed into a glass of water and discard any that immediately float to the surface as these will not beviable be aware that smaller seed may rise as air bubbles form on the surface of the seed coat.

If you have a variety of seed sizes you may also wish to discard any that look undersized as these are unlikely tohave a large enough store of energy required for successful germination. Once you have selected your seed it can bedried off and stored in an envelope until required.. Orange seed like all citrus have a natural dormancy period and so will require a period of cold temperature inorder to initiate germination.

Luckily, most citrus fruits are transportedusing a cool- chain system so they have already been 'pre-chilled' before they reach you. If not, this can beovercome by placing the seed into the vegetable compartment of any household fridge and left for a few weeks.First, secure the seed into a paper towel by folding the towel it back on itself a couple of times, then place into aplastic bag or sterile food container before leaving it in the fridge.
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After approximately three weeks - although they can be left in there for a month or so should they need to be theycan be removed from the fridge ready for potting on. Soak the seeds for a couple of hours or so beforeplanting theminto 2-3 inch pots. Only sow 1 seed per pot using a good quality, free draining soil based compost such as JohnInnes seed or No1, then water in. .

If you can, place the pots into a heated propagator at a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, otherwise transfer them

to a warm, bright position such as a kitchen windowsill. Water periodically so that the compost doesn't dry out, butmake sure that the compost is never left waterlogged either.

.

Germination should occur any timefrom 4 6 weeks, but dont worry if ittakes a little longer as orange seedshave been known to take severalmonths before they show.. The newly emerged seedlings can beleft in their pots for a further 3 6months depending on how theydevelop but once they get to about 4or 5 inches they can be potted onto the next size pot using a John Innesericaceous mix or No2 pottingcompost. So long as there are no frostspredicted the young orange plants canbe put out side to harden off over thenext two to three weeks.

During the growing period they can be regularly watered and feed with a water soluble fertilizer once a week. Youcan often get yellowing of the leaves with orange plants due to chlorosis but this can be dealt with by feeding anacidic plant food.

Tip out the seedling depending on whether you are growing your orange plant as a bush, wall shrub or standard, oryou can leave it alone - allowing it to take on its natural shape.
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Unfortunately oranges are not particularly cold hardy although they will tolerate temperatures as low as 4 or 5degrees Celsius for short periods without to much trouble.

For northern European countries it is best to keep all oranges under protection during the winter periods, but oncethe threat of frosts are over they can then be hardened off for a couple of weeks before spending the rest of the

growing season outside in full sun.

WHEN TO PLANT LAVENDER?

Strictly speaking, if you havepurchased a pot grown lavender thathas been kicking around your localplant retailer for a decent length oftime, then you can plant yourcherished shrub at any time of year -so long as the ground isn't so coldyou can't dig a hole into it.

So soft and lovely lavender - not hardy!

Unfortunately, life isn't that simple. Why? Because come the spring - when most people want to startgetting on inthe garden - there is still the very real risk of over-night frosts.

Now, lavender are pretty hardy when planted into free draining soil, and clearly I have just said that - physicalbarriers aside - they can be planted outside at any time of year. But here lies the problem.

Lavenders are undeniable gorgeous when they are sold to you as a soft, dense and fluffy mound ofsucculent, bluish-white foliage. They are only a few pounds a pot and given a bit of sun you can sell 'Danish trollies' full of them over adecent weekend - as I have done so many times in the past.

To get this lovely fluffy look, Mediterranean growers produce pot lavender under the protection of glass, and as such
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Place a layer of gravel or broken pots inside the bottom of the pot . The gravel will promote betterdrainage, preventing the roots of your tree from drowning or rotting.

Fill your container halfway with potting mix . Pack the soil in so that it will create a sturdy base for your treeto stand in.

Slip the lemon tree out of its nursery pot . Rub its roots slightly to help them spread out before placing the

tree into the pot.

o If you purchased a bare root tree, create a mound of soil and place the tree into the pot with its roots spreadover the mound.Pack soil around the tree . Press the soil down firmly to remove excess air, creating a denser, sturdier set-upto support the tree. Do not allow any roots to remain exposed, and do not cover the trunk. The trunk will begin

to rot if kept covered. 7

Water the tree immediately . Give your tree enough water so that excess drains out into the saucer. Empty thesaucer once the soil finishes draining.

Care and HarvestKeep the soil moist . Periodically check the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of the soil. When the top 2 inches (5centimeters) are moderately dry, give your tree a thorough watering until excess water drains out of the bottomof the pot and into the saucer. Empty the saucer.

o If using hard tap water, you may need to drop the water's pH before giving it to your tree. Adding 1 tablespoon(15 milliliters) white vinegar to 1 gallon (4 liters) of water will usually do the trick.Mist your tree using a spray bottle . This should be done on a frequent basis, if not daily. Misting your treemimics the natural humidity that your tree misses out on by being indoors.

Keep the room humid by using a humidifier . If your lemon tree does not seem to be doing well even in spiteof frequent misting, you may need to go a step further in keeping it moist by running a humidifier in the same

room for a few hours a day. You can monitor humidity levels by using a hygrometer, and the relative humiditylevel should be around 50 percent during the spring and summer.

Manage the temperature of the room you keep your lemon tree in . These trees do best in rooms with anaverage temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 degrees Celsius) by day and 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12.8degrees Celsius) at night. While temperatures that dip below 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12.8 degrees Celsius) willnot kill your tree, they will cause your tree to go into dormancy and stop growing.

Place your tree in a south-facing window . Lemon trees need full sun, meaning 8 to 12 hours of sunlight aday.

Supplement natural light with artificial lighting . Place a 40-watt fluorescent grow light several inches (10 to20 centimeters) above the top of your tree. Keep the light on as long as necessary until your tree has soaked ina total of 8 to 12 hours of light.

Pollinate your lemon tree by hand . By keeping your tree inside, you prevent bees and other insects frompollinating it. Some trees can produce fruit without being pollinated, but pollination greatly increases your oddsof a plentiful yield.

o Perform the process early in the day, preferably in the morning. Pollen can be killed by the heat or dryness of awarm afternoon.


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o When your tree flowers, gently rub the antlers inside each flower with a paintbrush or cotton swab. The antlersare the yellow tips of the five stamens that stick up from the center of the flower. Rubbing the antlers gathers adusty yellow pollen onto the brush.

o Rub the pollen onto the sticky lobes of the pistil. The pistil is the center stalk that rises above the other stalks inthe middle of a flower. Gently apply the pollen you gathered on your brush or swab onto the lobes, or stigma,until the pollen sticks.

o Allow the plant to take over from there. The plant should finish developing from that point without furtherassistance.Feed your tree with a balanced fertilizer . Select a fertilizer with high levels of nitrogen and moderate levels ofphosphorus and potassium, such as a 12-4-4 fertilizer. The numbers refer to the amount of nitrogen,phosphorus, and potassium, respectively, so the first number should be highest. Many plants would experiencea decrease in fruit and flowering with a high-nitrogen fertilizer, but citrus trees are heavy nitrogen feeders andneed a higher dosage than most plants for rapid growth. Fertilizers that also include minerals like iron and zincwill help your tree to absorb the food better. Apply your fertilizer once or twice a month according to packagedirections.

Prune with caution . Pruning too many leaves will reduce your yield, but occasional pruning can be helpful.Remove dead, broken, and diseased branches, and thin to control the height and spread of your tree as spaceallows.

Root-prune only as necessary . Your tree should remain root-bound in order to keep its size in check, but

some potted lemon trees will stop producing fruit if their roots get too out of control. When a tree stops growing,root-pruning becomes necessary.

o Remove your tree from its pot. Expose the roots and keep them moist by spritzing them with water from a spraybottle.

o Use pruning shears to remove the largest roots that circle around the root ball.o Shave 1/2-inch to 1-inch (1.27 to 2.5 centimeters) of the roots around the exterior of the root ball using a sharp

knife.o Repot the tree and prune approximately 1/3 of its foliage to balance out the pruned roots.

Watch out for pests . Pests are rare for indoor trees, but small infestations can occur. Spray the pests withsoapy water to kill them off. If this does not work, apply neem oil.

Keep a look out for signs of disease . Fungal diseases are especially common, but bacterial diseases canattack as well. Look into possible anti-fungal and anti-bacterial remedies to determine what might work best totreat the specific disease your tree has.

Thin out clusters of lemons . Once a cluster of small lemons appears on your tree, remove 2/3 of them toallow the remaining 1/3 a chance to mature to full size. Typically, lemons take between 7 to 9 months to ripen.

Twist ripe lemons off the tree . You may also use shears to snip them off, but truly ripe lemons usually dropwith a fair amount of ease.

Tips

Do not use fertilizers containing alfalfa meal or cottonseed meal. A fungal disease known as anthracnose

frequently infects both alfalfa and cottonseed, and fertilizers containing these products may introduce thefungus to your tree. While it is not necessary, you may wish to move your lemon tree outdoors during the summer so that it can

pollinate naturally and receive more light. Just be aware of the fact that you will need to slowly acclimate yourtree to its new environment each time you move it. Otherwise, it could go into shock.

Consider growing other citrus trees indoors, as well. Acid fruits tend to be easier to manage than sweet fruits,so beginners should stick with highly acidic citrus trees like Calamondin Orange, Persian Lime, EustisLimequat, and Nippon Orangequat. More advanced growers can consider sweeter citrus fruits like ValenciaOrange, Clementine Mandarin, Oroblanco Grapefruit, and Moro Blood Orange.


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How to Grow Basil

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