Fruit Trees & Citrus

Lemon

The most forgiving citrus, and the one most worth a big pot.

Citrus limon · Fruit Trees & Citrus · Perennial

When to plant Lemon in Australia

Sourced timing by broad climate zone. Zones with no sourced timing for an action are left out rather than estimated.

Plant out seedlings: Cool — Sep, Oct; Temperate, Subtropical — Aug, Sep

Australian planting guide by climate zone

Sourced guidance by broad climate zone, shown as fixed months, timing relative to sowing or planting, or written growing advice. Your GrowCal calendar applies your regional growing profile, so its dates may sit earlier or later than the months below.

Lemon planting timing by Australian climate zone
Action	Cool	Temperate	Subtropical	Tropical	Arid
Plant out	Sep, Oct Details In areas where there can be late frosts, it is better to wait until mid-spring to plant.	Aug, Sep Details In most parts of Australia, planting in late winter or early spring gives your tree all of the coming warm season to put on as much growth as possible.	Aug, Sep Details In most parts of Australia, planting in late winter or early spring gives your tree all of the coming warm season to put on as much growth as possible.	Climate guidance Details Lemons are grown both commercially and in home gardens across the tropical north. Free-draining soil and steady dry-season watering matter more than timing.	Climate guidance Details Lemons crop well in irrigated arid gardens. Water deeply and consistently, and protect young trees from frost.
Feed	Mar, Sep, Dec Details Give your new tree its first feed with something gentle such as organic pellets or blood and bone. Fertilise with a complete fruit tree food and water it in well. Keep the water up — water containerised trees daily during hot spells. Fertilise again with fruit tree food at half the December rate, and reduce watering as the weather cools.	Mar, Sep, Dec Details Give your new tree its first feed with something gentle such as organic pellets or blood and bone. Fertilise with a complete fruit tree food and water it in well. Keep the water up — water containerised trees daily during hot spells. Fertilise again with fruit tree food at half the December rate, and reduce watering as the weather cools.	Mar, Sep, Dec Details Give your new tree its first feed with something gentle such as organic pellets or blood and bone. Fertilise with a complete fruit tree food and water it in well. Keep the water up — water containerised trees daily during hot spells. Fertilise again with fruit tree food at half the December rate, and reduce watering as the weather cools.	No sourced timing currently shown	No sourced timing currently shown
Prune	Apr Details Shape-prune lower branches. In cold-climate locations, move potted citrus to a warmer, wind-sheltered spot.	Apr Details Shape-prune lower branches. In cold-climate locations, move potted citrus to a warmer, wind-sheltered spot.	Apr Details Shape-prune lower branches. In cold-climate locations, move potted citrus to a warmer, wind-sheltered spot.	No sourced timing currently shown	No sourced timing currently shown
Pest check	Jan, Feb, May, Jun, Jul, Oct, Nov, Dec Details Squash dark-coloured citrus aphids on new growth and install citrus leafminer traps. Begin fortnightly applications of horticultural oil to deter citrus leafminer and stink bugs. Check for scale and replace leafminer traps in January. Spray the trunk with lime sulfur to control white louse scale and mites. Begin fortnightly applications of seaweed extract, especially in colder areas, and set up wind protection. Protect young trees from frost on cold nights by covering with frost cloth or netting.	Jan, Feb, Jul, Oct, Nov, Dec Details Squash dark-coloured citrus aphids on new growth and install citrus leafminer traps. Begin fortnightly applications of horticultural oil to deter citrus leafminer and stink bugs. Check for scale and replace leafminer traps in January. Spray the trunk with lime sulfur to control white louse scale and mites.	Jan, Feb, Jul, Oct, Nov, Dec Details Squash dark-coloured citrus aphids on new growth and install citrus leafminer traps. Begin fortnightly applications of horticultural oil to deter citrus leafminer and stink bugs. Check for scale and replace leafminer traps in January. Spray the trunk with lime sulfur to control white louse scale and mites.	No sourced timing currently shown	No sourced timing currently shown
Harvest	No sourced timing currently shown	No sourced timing currently shown	No sourced timing currently shown	No sourced timing currently shown	No sourced timing currently shown

Only sourced growing and timing guidance is shown.

Zone notes

Tropical: Lemons are grown both commercially and in home gardens across the tropical north. Free-draining soil and steady dry-season watering matter more than timing.
Arid: Lemons crop well in irrigated arid gardens. Water deeply and consistently, and protect young trees from frost.

About this data

This schedule is part of GrowCal's preview horticultural dataset — useful as general guidance, and still being validated. Conditions vary with your soil, aspect, frost and variety. Read more on the data & methodology page, or send us a correction.

Other plants in the GrowCal dataset, mostly from the same category.

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