Can You Help Me With My Finger Lime Tree?

Question

It has yet to arrive, but I’m hoping we will be together for many years so I have a couple of questions firstly I live in zone six and this tree is going to live in a container. As soon as the weather gets warm enough I will move it outside for as much natural sun as possible. However I’d like to know if and how much I can use a grow light? I don’t get any direct sun in the house unfortunately although my balcony does. So I need to know if it’s OK to use a grow light as much as possible within the proper parameters? I was going to get one that hangs from the ceiling, and I understand that some thing about the spectrum of the LED light is an issue. My other question is any particular soil that I should use? I will be purchasing a non-glazed clay pot with drainage. Beyond that I don’t know what else to do. It is arriving in wrapped in burlap with dirt etc.

Answer 1

It is, completely, possible to grow any citrus indoors. There are several things to know, but they can be really good house trees with plenty of extra lighting.

First, inside they will require about 200 watts of light per tree to keep them happy, as long as they fit within the light cast. Pruning (as long as you do not prune so much that it kills the tree back to the graft point) can help keep it within bounds.

The type of lighting will be very important. Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium, or Ceramic Metal Halide will be best, here, for growth and cost. If you are going to go for LED's, it will be best to find a QUANTUM panel. They are the most efficient, most effective lighting on the market. They are quite expensive, however. Cheap LED panels are not recommended. They lack proper spectrum and intensity, usually.

Building a citrus soil can be a bit tricky, but using a mix made for them can take the guesswork out. The same goes for feeding. Using citrus mix will help take out guesswork. Make sure that you test the soil and make sure that it does need to be fed before feeding.

Here are some articles that will help:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/citrus/australian-finger-lime.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/citrus

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-moisture-in-plants.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-soil.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/soil-ph-plants.htm