Q&A for How to Prune a Lemon Tree

Yes, you definitely can. Just make sure to take clones off of softwood branches (the new green ones that haven't developed bark yet). Clones usually take 3-4 weeks to develop roots. Once established, they should be identical to the tree you cloned.

This is normal and shouldn't be a cause of concern. Environmental factors such as a drop of temperature or heavy rain will cause this. It's like a molt for a tree.

Yes, but you must let the lemons ripen in a window for a day or so, but if you don't want to do that, just use the fresh zest anytime. Also, use the leaves for tea; it makes great herbal tea.

Spray well under and on top of the leaves with a Neem Oil and water solution. You can find it at Lowe's.

This could be because of a number of reasons, including too much exposure to the sun, nutritional deficiency, a disease in the tree and toxic shock. Check to see if the weather has been hot lately, the tree is getting enough nutritional plant food, it is healthy, and you haven't been overusing any chemicals on it.

It depends on your overall tree size and lighting/nutrient situation, as well as root health. In general, remove some lemons when the size and weight seems like it could be overbearing for the branch they are growing on.

That sounds like scale insects - they look like small dark oval shells 3-4 mm long. Spray them with a white oil solution. This is essentially kerosene. If you want an organic option there are recipes on the internet using olive or canola oil. The oil blocks the spiracles (breathing pores) of the scale insect and it suffocates.

Paint a grease band around the trunk. This is available in any good gardening store. Be sure to repaint every 4 - 6 weeks as the grease tends to wear off and the ants will manage to get across (though it still appears sticky). Be sure the lemon tree is not touching anything else where the ants can find their way across and avoid the grease barrier.

Ants don't actually do anything to your lemon tree. They're there because you probably have mealy bugs, aphids, etc. which secrete a substance that the ants like, so they're going after this sticky substance for food. You should, however, treat the bugs that that eat the leaves and attract the ants.

Provide the tree an organic source of phosphorus and potassium as a granular fertilizer. Trim any sucker branches and water heavily.

No, lemons will only ripen on the tree. If you pick them before they turn yellow, they will be very bitter. The lemon is best picked when it has turned completely yellow and the rind is slightly soft.

You may have greening disease. Treat it with an in ground insecticide, plus a heavy dose of fertilizer. It may take up to a year.

I would do as for a full tree. Cut in the dormant phase, leaving any new growth on the dead side until it is sturdy. I had a tree fall over from being too heavy on one side, so prune the good side heavily, so the bad side can catch up.

Some signs of disease in lemon trees include: Brown leaves, failure to fruit, lesions on fruit, insect infestations, mildew, etc.

They are there for future lemons. Wait until they start to develop and if you see too many at that stage, then remove those. The weather can affect blossom drop, so it is better to wait and be safe.

Trim the roots. Yes you have to dig around the tree to get to the roots but when you do trim the roots, it really does work. Also cutting out the very middle or center branch works.

Drought stress is the most common cause of leaf curl in citrus plants, but is also the easiest to treat. If leaves begin to curl inward while keeping their green color, and the soil around your tree feels dry to the touch, you're not watering enough. Step up your watering efforts by applying 2 to 4 inches of water to your tree every other day.

Lemons have different amounts of thorns, depending on the variety. However, if you have a grafted lemon tree, and only a few branches are thorny, those branches may be suckers that have grown from the rootstock below the graft.

Yes, remove this leaves immediately as they show signs that your lemon tree has root rot and parasitic insects and mites. Check the undersides of the leaves and stems for the specific parasitic infection. For the brown spots, try spraying the leaves with a mild solution of baking soda, using ½ teaspoon per gallon.

Prune your lemon tree just before the rapid spring growth, or right when the new spring growth appears. If you prune in other times of year, the plant has already committed resources to the branches you're cutting, so it's more stressful.