23
submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

My potted myer lemon tree started flowering a few weeks after I brought it indoors for the winter. Is it OK to let it flower? Should I try pollinating the flowers to get more lemons?

top 7 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

There's a chance that you tricked it into thinking it's spring, for lack of better terms.

It's something I recently learned about in reference to Jade plants that come inside for winter. If you allow them to get a certain small bit of cold before pulling inside, the temperature shifts will force blooms to occur.

I don't know much more about it, and I'm sure I'm botching the proper concepts here, but it sounds like what you're experiencing.

I have a couple larger jade (crassula ovata) plants that live outside in the summer and inside in the winter. This year they both started flowering right as I brought them inside. When I read a bit more about it, it seems like a normal technique/trick that folks use to push out flowers.

I've never seen them flower before now! Not sure what else may have the same tendencies.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

I've never seen a jade plant flower either! So cool! I'll have to do a search so I can see what they look like.

Tricking the tree makes sense. I didn't bring it in until the temp was about to dip below freezing, so it makes sense that it thinks it got through winter (albeit an extremely short one).

[-] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Here's a shameless pic of mine!

[-] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Beautiful! We have one but it's not mature enough yet.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

I'm in Los Angeles so my potted lemon stays outside, and it's a dwarf Eureka, so ymmv, but I would enjoy the flowers without trying to force another crop of lemons. If you can't resist, maybe only do one or two. Because isn't this the part of the cycle when the tree will store up nourishment for strength?

[-] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

This is kind of what I was wondering. Like would letting it flower and/or fruit stress it out?

[-] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Flowers don't take as much energy as fruit. You could probably just remove them as they fade, and pinch off any fruit that starts to form, or most of them anyway.

Or maybe it will be okay to fruit if you give it fertilizer.

Y'know, you should probably check with a local plant expert, I'm just a random old lady on Lemmy in a 10b climate zone.

this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2023
23 points (96.0% liked)

Houseplants

4476 readers
71 users here now

Welcome to /c/houseplants @ Mander.xyz!

In between life, we garden.



About

We're a warm and informative space for plant enthusiasts to connect, learn, and flourish together. Dive into discussions on care, propagation, and styling, while embracing eco-friendly practices. Join us in nurturing growth and finding serenity through the extraordinary world of houseplants.

Need an ID on your green friends? Check out: [email protected]

Get involved in Citizen Science: Add your photo here to help build a database of plants across the entire planet. This database is used by non-profits, academia, and the sciences to promote biodiversity, learning and rewilding.

Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Be kind and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.



Resources

Recommendations

Health

Identification

Light Information

Databases

FOSS Tools



Similar Communities

DM us to add yours! :)

General

Gardening

Species

Regional

Science


Sister Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Plants & Gardening

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Memes


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS