Citrus Bonsai in Summer [Bonsai]

over 3 years ago

It's August now, and we are at the peak of the Summer weather. Lots and lots of high heat every day, and my Citrus bonsai tree is loving it.

I live in a cold rainy climate most of the year, and the only way to keep Citrus trees alive is to bring them indoors in the Winter. Last year I had a rough time keeping my tropical outdoor plants alive through the indoor environment, so whenever I see one of my Citrus trees survive into the next year, it seems a bit of a miracle to me.

Lemon Tree

There has not been much to prune on this tree this year. It has grown so slow. It has not even made any thorns this year, which tells me it has not fully matured this year in new growth.

Three dominant branches have all been slowly building a lengthening stem. All I have dared do recently is adjust the wire to angle them outward, and pinch the very end tip off. The tree clearly needs all of the new growth energy it can get to continue to fight off any disease that might have crept into the older weakened wood parts over winter.

The twisty knotted wood is taking on almost a creepy Halloween style. I've always liked the muscled look of the tight bark on this tree.

Historical Information

ID: 0002
Nickname: Lita
Type: Citron limon
Age: 5 years
Grown: from seed (common supermarket variety produce)
Last repotting: early summer 2017
Wired: early summer 2017

Past articles featuring this tree by @creativetruth:

Meyers Lemon Seedling

The younger cousin, is taking even longer to wake up from its Winter nap.

It had a lot of dieback during its time indoors. These trees are truly happiest in the sunny heat.

We won't be messing around with this baby this year, expect perhaps to check the soil quality. Much of the top layer of soil has formed a green muck from all of the organic fertilizers. Citrus loves being over fertilized with the roots kept slightly wet, so long as the tree stays healthy.

Most likely, this variety of Citrus happens to be a slow grower. Without an aggressive rootstock, it might continue to be a slow performer. The parent tree its seed came from was bred for bearing a richly flavored fruit.

In the future, I might consider grafting this entire tree onto a stronger rootstock. That will give it better disease prevention, faster growth, better overall health, and perhaps even the strength to bear flowers and fruit some day.