My lemon tree won’t grow lemons

Question

I purchased a lemon tree from the Tampa Airport gift shop back in 2008. It was one stalk with a few leaves. Now it has grown into a beautiful lemon “bush”. It is approx. 1 foot high but very full like a bush. It has never produced any lemons. The leaves smell very fragrant with a lemon scent and the bush has a lot of thorns.

I live in Michigan and it is brought indoors for the winter months. I also have used citrus dirt when replanting my lemon tree to a larger container. I also have read to add coffee grounds occasoinally to help, but so far no luck. No blossoms and no lemons. I am not sure what brand of lemon tree this is, but was hoping for any advice you can give to help me produce lemons. Thanks!

Answer 1

Have you fertilized? Nitrogen encourages leaves to grow, but not fruit. Too much can actually keep a plant from producing fruit. This article has information on how to fertilize your trees: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/citrus/fertilizing-citrus-trees-best-practices-for-citrus-fertilizing.htm

I would also try giving it some phosphorus rich fertilizer, like bone meal. If it is lacking phosphorus, it will not be able to produce blossoms (which means no fruit.)

The requirements for lemons are very similar to that of limes. If you have not read it yet, this article may also be helpful: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/lime/reasons-and-fixes-for-lime-tree-not-producing-blossoms-or-fruit.htm