Lemon Bonsai Care

Lemons are small fruit trees from the citrus family. They have dark green waxy leaves and large thorns. They are evergreen and can make quite good bonsai if grown correctly.

I grew some lemons from seed in 2016. I still have one of these trees and you can see its development in my Lemon Bonsai Progression.

What Is The Natural Habitat of A Lemon Tree?

The exact location of where lemons came from is unknown, but it is believed to have started as a cross between two other citrus plants which grew in the northern India and China area.

It has since been cultivated around the world and usually found in warm climates, such as the Mediterranean, where it is mainly for its fruit.

Lemon trees are not tropical, but they are pretty close. They do prefer warmer climates over the colder northern ones.

What Soil Do Lemon Bonsai Need?

Lemon bonsai like a free draining soil. I use my standard mix of equal parts Perlite/Molar Clay/ Compost and have not had any problems.

Some lemons prefer a slightly more acidic soil. You can add some Ericaceous Compost in with normal compost to help lower the PH.

I have found my lemon seems to enjoy this extra acidity and the growth is better when I use the ericaceous compost. I don’t think you need much, but a soil that is slightly more acidic is the best option.

(For more info on soil read – A General Guide To Bonsai Soil)

How Much Water A Lemon Bonsai Need?

Lemon bonsai like to have the soil kept moist, they are mildly drought tolerant so you can let the soil almost dry out in between watering. I would suggest you water them just as the soil is about to dry out. Don’t actually let them get completely dry.

Lemons do not like to be kept too wet and will suffer root rot if they are. If your soil is free draining you should not have this problem and you should be able to keep things at the right level of moisture.

(For more info you can read –How To Water A Bonsai)

How Much Sun Light Does A Lemon Bonsai Need?

Lemon bonsai need a lot of light and can take full sun. They like to grow in Mediterranean areas, so this will tell you how much sun they like.

The more you can give them, the better. I currently grow my lemon under a grow light. While this isn’t necessary, they will grow in the normal sun, the results the grow light are clear …they grow much better with the extra light.

How Hardy Are Lemon Bonsai?

Lemons are not hardy. They will need protection once the temperature goes under 10°C /50°F and I would not let them go below 5°C/ 41°F.

If they are exposed to frost they will most likely die or at least suffer a lot of die back. I have left lemon trees outside all year round and they survived the UK winter, but it wasn’t pretty. They had been in large pots and died back a lot.

If you are growing your tree in a small bonsai pot, I would not leave them out all year. The one i have now …I keep it inside all year. However, I place it in a unheated shed for a few months over winter. This shed is probably hovering around the 5°C/ 41°F. I have mild winters so this is fine for me, if you are in very cold area, I would look to give it more substantial shelter.

I have tried to keep the tree inside all year, but I feel this slowed things down the following year. When you think of the Mediterranean, they do have “winter” even if it is pretty mild, so I do suggest you try and give your lemon tree some sort of cooler period to replicate this mild winter.

(For more info you can read – Working Out How To Over Winter Bonsai Trees)

How Often Do You Feed A Lemon Bonsai?

I feed my Lemon bonsai monthly during the growing season with an all purpose fertiliser which is more than enough to keep them happy.

You hear a lot of people mention that their lemons have gone yellow and that this must be because they need more fertiliser, this issue is usually a lack of acidity in the soil and a lack of light …get better soil and light and your tree will return to dark green. You don’t need more fertiliser.

(For more info you can read – Do You Need To Use “Bonsai” Fertiliser?)

How Do Lemon Bonsai Respond to Pruning?

Lemon bonsai respond well to pruning and this can be used to keep them compact and bushy. Some shoots can be long and course.

Lemons are really best suited as a slightly larger tree so everything can be more proportionally in scale and you can compensate for its natural growth.

(For more info you can read- How To Prune A Bonsai Tree)

Repotting A Lemon Bonsai

Lemon bonsai should be repotted in spring as new buds are swelling. Their roots are quite thick and fibrous. So long as you repot them at the right them you can trim them quite hard.

Too many people repot them too early and kill their trees. You should find repotting more towards late spring is better. I find that if I cut my tree back in late winter it will not start to bud out again until around late spring, so this works out well and I don’t have any issues.

Your lemon tree should be one of the last trees you repot, if you are doing it first in early spring, you may find your tree struggles.

(For more info you can read – How To Repot A Bonsai Tree)

Wiring A Lemon Bonsai

Lemon bonsai can be wired to move branches into the position you want. You can do a lot with clip and grow, but you will find wire will be very helpful to get the branches where you want to go and actually give you the design you want.

(For more info read – Why Do We Wire Bonsai?)

What Is The Leaf Pattern Of A Lemon Bonsai?

Lemons have an alternate leaf pattern. They are also evergreen, so you will not see much change throughout the year.

What Pests Does A Lemon Bonsai Suffer From?

Scale insects are probably the biggest pest seen in Lemon bonsai but they can also suffer some other common pests such a aphids and mealy bugs.

Check your tree regularly and look on the underside of the leaves and feel them with your fingers. If they feel sticky, you probably have some aphids causing trouble.

As soon as you see a problem, deal with it. The sooner you act, the more likely your tree will survive.

Can You Propagate A Lemon Bonsai?

Lemons are easily propagated from seeds, but can also be grown from cuttings and air layers.

In the farming world they are often grafted to ensure the desired cultivar of lemon is grown. When you grow from seed you may not get exactly the same tree as the parent plant. If you are growing for bonsai, this doesn’t really matter. All citrus are pretty similar and all work for bonsai in the same way.

What Is The Growth Rate Of A Lemon Bonsai?

I find my lemon bonsai grows quite slowly, but I keep it in a small pot, which will affect the speed.

I have grown lemons in larger pots and found they are faster growing. Over all they have an average speed compared to most trees.

If you can give them more light, this will also drastic increase their growth rates. I have seen a drastic increase in their speed after placing them under grow lights.

Lemons also seem to do nothing for a while. They store up the energy and then suddenly explode with growth. If you think your tree is doing nothing, it is okay, it will be collecting energy and getting ready for a large push.

Should You Get A Lemon Bonsai?

Lemons are easily grown from seed and are fairly easy to care for.

For a beginner they are okay, especially if you have the space for a large pot so they can grow faster and you are in a temperate climate.

They need to be cared for properly over winter which can be difficult in countries such as the UK, but not impossible. So long as you can keep them happy they can make good bonsai material.

You can read more information about – Do Lemon Trees Make Good Bonsai?