Citrus Trees for Indoors
You don't have to live in the Deep South or California to grow great citrus.
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Meyer lemon is a great selection for an indoor citrus tree: It's a dwarf variety that's sized for containers but its fruit is full-sized and luscious. It also doesn't demand the very bright light that many other citrus trees do. Other good selections include sour orange, lime and limequat.
Q. I'd love to give a friend in Illinois a citrus tree for Christmas. Which kind would grow best indoors and how much light will he need to provide?
A. Citrus fruit trees are usually tough plants to overwinter indoors, but if your friend can offer the plant plenty of light — for example, near several large south-facing windows — and cool nights, it has a good chance of doing well until spring when he can set it outside.
Master gardener Paul James, host of Gardening by the Yard, says that achieving the correct moisture level is critical: Keep the tree evenly moist and don't let the soil completely dry out between waterings, but also don't over-water. Root rot is a common wintertime malady. "When the soil is dry an inch below the surface, add water," he says.
Some citrus grows better than others indoors. The sour types — like lemons and limes — don't need as much sun to sweeten their fruit as oranges do. Choose Meyer lemon, lime, sour orange, grapefruit, kumquat, mandarin and limequat. Dwarf varieties that have been bred to do well in small spaces and containers are best.
Also, citrus trees are heavy feeders. Your friend will want to nourish his tree four to six times a year with a chelated mix of manganese, iron and zinc (most multipurpose fertilizers contain these minerals).
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