Fruit Trees & Citrus

Lime

Tahitian lime is the reliable backyard pick; West Indian lime resents cold.

Citrus aurantiifolia · Fruit Trees & Citrus · Perennial

When to plant Lime 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
Harvest: Cool, Temperate, Subtropical — Apr, May, Jun, Jul

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.

Lime 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 Limes are one of the best-suited backyard fruits in the tropical north, with Tahitian lime the standard home-garden choice.	Climate guidance Details Limes grow well in irrigated arid gardens but are the most frost-sensitive of the common citrus. Give them the warmest, most sheltered spot you have and protect young trees over winter.
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	Apr, May, Jun, Jul Details Tahitian limes bear from mid autumn through to mid winter.	Apr, May, Jun, Jul Details Tahitian limes bear from mid autumn through to mid winter.	Apr, May, Jun, Jul Details Tahitian limes bear from mid autumn through to mid winter.	No sourced timing currently shown	No sourced timing currently shown

Only sourced growing and timing guidance is shown.

Zone notes

Tropical: Limes are one of the best-suited backyard fruits in the tropical north, with Tahitian lime the standard home-garden choice.
Arid: Limes grow well in irrigated arid gardens but are the most frost-sensitive of the common citrus. Give them the warmest, most sheltered spot you have and protect young trees over winter.

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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