If you love to experiment and look for other ways of propagation than seeds, stem cuttings, and grafting then learn How to Grow Lemon Trees from Lemon Leaves in this post and try this brilliant hack at home.
Learn how to grow a lemon tree in a pot here
How to Grow Lemon Trees from Lemon Leaves?
The best time to start this lemon tree from leaves trial is when the weather is warm and slightly humid enough after early spring.
1. Take Leaves from a Healthy Lemon Plant
Take 8-10 lush green leaves with petiole from a healthy lemon plant. Wash them well, and wipe any accumulated dust to bar any risks of fungal infestation.
The idea behind taking multiple leaves is to increase the chances of propagation. If one leaf fails to root, the others will.
Find out how to get more fruits on your lemon plant here
2. Prepare a Growing Medium
Take a 6-8 inches bowl or a pot and fill it with river or coarse sand. You can also use a regular seed mix. However, the gritty texture of sand will encourage the leaves to root faster.
3. Plant the Leaves
Plant the leaves in the container by gently tucking them into the sides of the bowl/pot. Place them in a way where the petiole is completely buried in the growing medium. Avoid pressing the leaves inside too much.
4. Water Well
After planting, water the growing medium in a way that doesn’t spill it or disturb the leaves. Make sure that you are never letting this growing medium dry out completely. Keep the bowl at a location that gets 3-4 hours of direct sunlight.
Lemon leaves need warmth and humidity to root properly. Alternatively, you can also cover the pot with a plastic film or keep it in a greenhouse. If you don’t have one, we have DIY greenhouse projects listed here!
5. Growth of New Roots
Keep watering the growing medium and continue to provide bright light for 4-6 hours. You will find the leaves growing a bunch of roots in 30-60 days. It’s a long process and you’ll have to wait.
Here’s a secret to growing unlimited lemons in a cup
6. Planting the Roots
Wash the roots with a water hose to remove any leftover sand particles. This will also free them from the onset of fungal or bacterial growth, ensuring successful propagation.
Fill a pot with a well-draining potting medium. Mix equal parts of potting soil, sand, and peat to provide perfect texture and essential nutrients.
Rotate the germinated roots in some rooting hormone (if you want) and then place the leaves on the soil surface, as shown in the picture above. Do not bury the roots in the medium.
7. Cover it!
The trick to achieving a healthy harvest lies in this step. Cover the roots with used coffee grounds or tea leaves as citrus plants prefer a little acidic soil for growing healthy fruits.
Tea leaves are rich in phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, and other trace vitamins that will boost plant growth besides adding a healthy dose of acidic compounds to the soil.
Note: You can also cover with normal soil!
8. Moisten the Soil
Sprinkle enough water to ensure it seeps down to the roots. You’ll need to keep the medium a little on the moist side in the initial months until the lemon roots establishes well in the soil.
9. Watch it Grow!
New growth will emerge from the roots after 2 months. At this point, you can continue to grow the leaves in a single large pot, or transfer them to individual containers, by following the one plant per one pot rule.
For a visual guide, watch the video here
Conclusion
Growing lemon trees from lemon leaves have been done by many YouTubers and Gardeners. If you love trying new things in gardening, this little experiment won’t hurt. If you have done this before, or about to do it, please comment.
Check out our article Signs that Show Your Plant Needs More Potassium | Potassium Deficiency Symptoms here
- Nakul Chandra Rabha
- May 27, 2022 At 6:40 pm
- Good idea
- Reply
- Sevanaia Ratunaceva
- September 26, 2022 At 12:16 am
- I am going to try this little experiment today and will let you know of the result
- Reply
Good idea
I am going to try this little experiment today and will let you know of the result
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