It's just around the corner winter period. And winter is a special time in the life of plants. During this period, they go into dormancy mode to endure unfavorable conditions. Houseplants They also need to be prepared for the onset of cold weather; in winter they need special care, even though they are in a warm apartment. About how to do it right caring for indoor lemons in winter, we will tell you in this article.

Watering

In winter, the watering regime will be different from summer. The number of waterings in winter should be reduced to once a week; it is best to water in the evening. Frequent watering is fraught with acidification of the soil in the pot, and consequently with further diseases of the lemon tree. Water slowly, gradually, allowing the water to soak well into the soil. Water for irrigation must be at room temperature, you can even heat it a little, to about 30-35 degrees.

In winter, it is necessary to monitor the soil moisture; warm radiators can dry out the earthen ball very quickly. But you shouldn’t flood the plant either.

And also winter - perfect time for watering lemon with melt water, since such water is considered the best for these purposes. Melt required quantity snow, let the resulting water warm up to room temperature and water your lemon tree with it. Melt water is much softer than tap water; it will not salinize the soil, which means it will have a beneficial effect on the condition of your lemon.

Humidity

In winter, due to the beginning heating season, the air in the apartment becomes dry, its humidity decreases. This can negatively impact the health of your lemon tree. in winter implies that dry air should be humidified; for this you can use containers with water. Place them indoors, preferably near heating radiators, so that the water evaporates faster. You can also use special devices for air humidification.

Be sure to spray the crown

Every week you should spray your tree with water from a spray bottle or wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. The water must be warm for this.
Several times a month, give it “water treatments”: wash the plant with a shower in the bathroom. This procedure will saturate the plant with moisture, wash away dust from the leaves and help get rid of possible insects.

There are several more ways moisten a lemon tree in winter. One of these ways to support optimal humidity plants - purchase a special stand with pebbles. You need to place it in this stand, pour water into it so that the bottom of the pot does not submerge in water.

Light mode

The lemon tree reacts quite sensitively to the amount of sunlight, especially in winter. At this time, you need to be very careful to ensure that your plant receives enough light. It should be remembered that the higher the temperature in the room where it is kept, the more sunlight it needs.

Do not place in the sun for a long time, the tree may get sunburned. It is also better not to place the tree next to a window, because it can blow cold air, and lemons do not like drafts. Placing the pot next to heating radiators is also not best idea, due to elevated temperatures and dry air, the plant will quickly dry out.

It looks very beautiful on the window, but this arrangement is fraught with sunburn and hypothermia

If there is not enough lighting in your apartment, you need additional lighting. winter means that, for normal well-being, citrus fruits need a 12-hour day of light, but in winter it is much shorter. With a lack of light, the plant begins to shed its leaves, its condition is generally depressed; in the worst case, the tree may die. This is where additional lighting comes to the rescue - extension daylight hours using lamps.

Nowadays you can find a wide variety of lamps in stores: fluorescent, sodium, metal halide and LED. In almost each of these groups you can find phytolamps, the spectrum of which is most optimal for plants.
You definitely need to pay attention to the power of the lamp; it is measured in watts. The more watts a given lamp has, the greater the light flux, and therefore the greater the efficiency of the lamp. For illumination, one to three lamps with a power of 40 watts will be enough.

The use of phytolamps will help the plant survive the lack of sunlight without consequences.

At what height should the lamp be placed? For more effective illumination, the lamp should be located as close to the lemon as possible. But it is very important not to place it too close to the plant, because the plant will be too warm. To know optimal height for a phytolamp, you can put your hand under it. If your hand feels too warm, you should raise the lamp higher. In general, the recommended lamp height is 15-20 cm.

Pruning and feeding

In general, pruning is not very necessary for lemons in winter, especially if your plant overwinters in cool conditions. Only dead branches and leaves should be trimmed. This procedure will generally improve the condition of the lemon tree.
It may not need fertilizing in winter.

Lemon overwintering

There is another wintering option for your lemon - you can put it into the winter dormancy state that is natural for all plants. This method is also called “cold wintering”. This method is especially suitable for beginner citrus growers, since a dormant lemon requires minimal attention.

Before wintering you need to do some preparatory activities. About a couple of months before the onset of cold weather, move the tree to the room where you plan to leave it for the winter. Before doing this, do not forget to wipe well to get rid of dust and possible insects.

Where to put it during cold weather? A glazed loggia or veranda is perfect for this. Most optimal conditions for the room where you are going to place the plant for the winter - soft diffused light and a constant temperature of about 7-10C. When such conditions are combined, it will be able to maintain normal life activity, but will not evaporate excess moisture. But it is worth lowering the temperature gradually, by several degrees over 10-14 days. If you suddenly move it from a warm room to a cold one, the leaves from the plant may fall off.

And also lemons can overwinter in complete darkness, but provided that the temperature in this place is maintained at +3-5 degrees. During a cold winter, the temperature should not be allowed to drop below 0 degrees; this temperature is detrimental to lemons and can cause massive leaf fall. You should also avoid raising the temperature during the day to 15 degrees; such overheating can also cause massive leaf fall.

One that has wintered well will certainly shoot new shoots in the spring.

Even though your lemon tree is dormant, it still needs to be watered occasionally. The plant needs watering only when the soil in its pot becomes dry (if you try to squeeze the soil into a lump, it should crumble).
In the spring, with the onset of warmth, you can remove it from dormancy, but this must be done gradually.

You cannot bring it from cold to warm without first heating the soil in the pot. The temperature and amount of light should be increased gradually over several days to avoid leaf fall due to temperature changes.

That's all the advice that will help the lemon tree survive the winter period normally. If you follow them, your green pet will again delight you with flowering in the spring, and subsequently with delicious fruits.

Many people who decide to buy a citrus tree opt for. It attracts with its decorative appearance, fragrant smell and original shine of foliage. But in order for the plant to exist for a long period at home and bear fruit abundantly, you need to know how to properly care for indoor lemon.

- a capricious exotic plant. Its homeland is India. But there are no more wild representatives left in wildlife; man has completely domesticated all existing species cultures of this representative.

Features of the plant:

• Lemon is a low plant or large shrub with powerful branches covered in prickly needles. Young shoots at the growing point are distinguished by a violet-purple hue.
• The leaf is oblong, oval in shape with slightly prominent teeth. The leaves contain a large number of glands, which contain essential oil. When you touch the leaf plate, thanks to these glands, a characteristic aroma is felt. The change of greenery occurs gradually. Each leaf lives up to a maximum of 3 years, then dries out and dies.
• The flowers on the lemon are inconspicuous, reaching 4-5 cm. Inflorescences white, visually represent a rare chamomile. They are bisexual, located on a branch singly or in pairs. In some cases, there may be many more inflorescences in one place, but then some of them will have to be removed. This is necessary for the developing fruits to gain maximum quantity nutrients.
• Each inflorescence lives from 7 to 9 weeks from the moment it appears until it fully opens. Flowering lasts a short period of time, but the process of fruit formation before it begins to ripen can take up to 230-250 days. If the fruit starts in the spring-summer period, in a warm room and with sufficient water, then the period of formation of a full-fledged lemon can be reduced to 180-210 days.
• If a tree produces flowers in the first year of its life, it is better to break them off and allow the plant to become saturated with nutrients and grow even more. In the second year, the bush will decide on its own how long the flowers will remain on its branches. It is recommended to leave flowering if the tree has 20 full leaves.
• Small lemons grow on the branches of a tree, both with the help of pollination and without it (parthenocarpic). In the latter case, the fruits differ only in the absence of seeds inside the slices of ripe lemon.
• The fruits are ovoid or slightly oblong in shape. Initially, the skin of the fruit has a rich green tone. As it ripens, the skin changes to light yellow. In addition, it has a distinct specific odor. The pulp inside the fruit is juicy, quite sour, and is divided into 10-14 equal segments.

Provides care great influence on the health of the tree. If the conditions are not proper, the plant begins to shed its leaves. Most often this process occurs in winter.

Whether there will be fragrant fruits next year depends on how many healthy leaves remain on the branches. Each fruit should have at least 10-15 green leaves. With less quantity, the plant will refuse to bear fruit.

Watering is very important for shrubs. Irrigation should be carried out with warm water or room temperature. At different times of the year, the application of nutrient moisture differs:

• From March to September inclusive, it is recommended to water the plant abundantly every day.
• From October to February, you need to reduce the amount of incoming moisture to once a week.

The main thing is that under no circumstances should education be allowed to marshy soil under the plant. This can lead to rotting of the root system. Then saving the bush will be either very difficult or impossible.

Some experienced gardeners who know thoroughly how to care for lemons can provoke by canceling watering new round flowering. This is how the owner of a lemon tree puts the plant into forced dormancy, practically reducing the supply of nutrient moisture. After being removed from rest, the shrub begins to bloom profusely and form sunny berries. But the main thing in this matter is not to overdo it. In the absence of liquid for a long time, the leaves of the shrub curl into tubes, dry out and fall off.

A prerequisite for active growth- feeding. It should be applied weekly in summer and in winter, if fruits are formed, then once a month. Fertilizers are applied after watering 2 hours later:

• – mullein and water are combined in proportions of 1:1, respectively, and infused for 1 week. Afterwards, the infusion is diluted in a ratio of 1:15 parts of water and poured under the root, trying not to get on the foliage.
• Mineral substances - for this purpose, they are selected for citrus plants. It should be diluted according to the instructions.

Lighting for lemon has great value. It is best placed on the southeast side. But during summer heat and scorching rays, it is recommended to shade it with a curtain or move it slightly into the shade. In winter, if there is not enough daylight, the shrubs need to be additionally illuminated with phytolamps, increasing the duration of daylight to the maximum required 12 hours.

In order for the tree to grow its branches evenly and not stretch to one side, it needs to be turned once a month, exposing one side or the other to the sun.

Lack of light threatens to stop the growth and development of foliage and new shoots. In addition, the taste of ripe fruits will be poor - they will be saturated with acid.

Should be observed temperature regime for fruitful cultivation of shrubs:

• At the time of flowering, you need to maintain the temperature around +18 C. If the degrees are exceeded, the plant will shed its leaves and inflorescences.
• In spring you need to reduce the degrees to +12 C, place the plant on glassed balcony. This will provoke good growth of leaf plates.
• In the winter months, the recommended temperature is +12..+17 C, for good growth Need additional lighting.
• During the summer for better ripening required up to +22..+25 C.

If the temperature rises to +25 C, then you need to additionally spray the bush. If the humidity drops to a minimum, the plant will begin to shed its leaves and die. Spray in hot weather or if the bush is located next to a hot radiator at least 2-3 times a day.

Optimal humidity is 60-70%. These are the requirements for growth and development homemade lemon are the best.

Young plants up to 3 years old are recommended to be replanted once every 12 months. Replanting should be carried out using the transshipment method, so that the root system does not notice the replacement of the pot and the addition of new soil. During transshipment, part of the old land is removed, everything from it is already nutrients were selected by the roots of the plant.

After the lemon has passed 3 years of age, it is transplanted once every 3 years. It is strictly forbidden to replant a flowering or fruiting plant. For replanting, fresh soil substrate should be prepared. It should be loose, well permeable to water and oxygen. The reaction must be neutral, otherwise the bush will not grow.

The following soil substrate composition is suitable for lemon:

• Sand - river.
• Turf connected to garden soil.
• Wood ash.
• Dung humus.

All ingredients should be taken in equal parts, and the ash should not be more than 1-2 tablespoons. By combining these components, you get an excellent nutritional mass that saturates with nutrients root system lemon tree.

Pruning of fruit crops is most often carried out in the spring months, when the plant comes out of hibernation.

Long shoots are pruned so that up to 5 healthy powerful leaves remain. If pruning is done on time and correctly, a young lemon can form its first fruits already in 2-3 years of life. Many varieties of lemons produce flowers only on branches of the 4th-5th order. It is worth controlling the number of flowers, because if you leave everything, the tree may become exhausted when forming fruits.

Under unfavorable conditions, the lemon tree can be attacked by various pests and diseases. The following uninvited guests are identified that can harm the bush:

• Spider mite
• Shchitovka
• Aphid
• Thrips

Any pest thorough examination easily visible on the bottom of the sheet, quickly and easily large quantities reproduces. The fight is carried out after using a soap-ash solution. Besides this, it helps a lot regular shower, while the leaves are washed both from the top and bottom.

In addition, it is possible to become infected with diseases:

1. Infectious in nature - not always treatable. Often the affected bush is removed so as not to infect healthy species and burned to prevent disease.
2. Fungal diseases (mold, late blight, sooty fungus, root rot) - to eliminate the problem, the affected areas are removed, rotten roots are cut off. Fresh sections are treated with activated carbon or a solution of potassium permanganate. If necessary, chemical spraying is carried out.
3. Viral diseases ( sheet mosaic, citrus canker, xylopsorosis, triteza) – cannot be cured. The flowerpot is removed and burned.

More information can be found in the video:

If you have a lemon, caring for it at home will require a lot of work. It belongs to the remontant plants, therefore, under certain conditions, it can bloom and bear fruit all year round. But not everyone manages not only to taste the fruits of their citrus, but also to simply admire the flowering. What is the reason? Let's figure it out.

Variety selection

First of all, for planting in the house, you should choose varieties specially bred for these purposes. They do not grow to gigantic dimensions, but at the same time they are characterized by high productivity. Pay attention to these varieties of dwarf and semi-dwarf lemons:

• Meyer
• Pavlovsky
• Novogruzinsky
• Maykop
• Eureka
• Genoa

Among the most common varieties in our latitudes is Meyer lemon; caring for it is the least troublesome compared to other types. This variety is sometimes called Chinese Dwarf, and its fruits are not as sour as other varieties. Dwarf lemons are not known for their rich harvest, but they will add coziness to the interior of the apartment.

Video about indoor lemon

Tall lemons will certainly delight you with tasty and large fruits, but at the same time they require a lot of time to care for, since in addition to the usual activities, they require more frequent pruning, tying and crown formation. If you are interested in such citrus fruits, choose among the following varieties:

• Novogruzinsky
• Kursk

How to care for lemons in an ordinary city apartment, when there is no heating, the windows face north, or the air is too dry for citrus? You will have to provide the tree comfortable conditions growth and development.

The first thing that is important for a lemon is light.

Photo of homemade lemon

To place the pots, it is better to choose south-eastern windows with moderate lighting, if, of course, you are lucky and have them. But what to do if all your alternative is the north or south side.

On northern windows, the lemon will noticeably lack light, so you will have to use lamps daylighting, extending daylight hours for the plant to 12 hours. This is especially true in the winter.

On the south side of the house there is always plenty of light, and even too much for a lemon. Therefore, in the midday hours it is necessary to shade your citrus, saving it from the destructive effects of direct sun rays, they can leave real burns on the leaves.

Lemon is a native of the Pacific tropics, so it is not surprising that the tree is demanding in terms of thermal conditions.

In the spring, during the budding period, the room temperature should be 14 - 16 degrees. A high degree causes the buds to dry out and drop, while a low degree helps to slow down or even stop this process. During the rest period, room temperature up to 26 degrees is sufficient. If possible, move your pet to a glassed-in balcony for the summer. Fresh air will benefit the lemon and the question of how to care for the lemon will not be so pressing. However, you should be wary of both sudden temperature changes and drafts. Like a true southerner, indoor lemon requires meticulous care.

Homemade lemon in the photo

Moisture. This parameter is very important for lemon. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the soil in the pot is constantly slightly moist. In summer it is reasonable to increase the number of waterings to 3 times per week, and in winter you can reduce it to 1 time, but spray the air around the tree. This is provided that heating devices stand far from the plant. Be sure to water the lemon with non-cold water that has stood for 5 hours. Water should not be poured directly under the root, but evenly over the entire surface of the soil. The air around the tree should also not be dry - at least 60% humidity. Otherwise, you risk seeing twisted, browning leaves on the lemon.

Lemon, like other plants in your home, needs support, so it needs to be fed periodically.

Young lemon trees do not need additional stimulation; lemons that have reached 3-4 years of age need to be fertilized.

The photo shows a lemon tree

You can purchase specialized mixtures organic fertilizers, or you can use folk methods:

• For abundant fruiting, sometimes regular watering is replaced with an infusion of eggshells. But you should not get carried away with this method, so that excess calcium does not reduce the acidity of the soil.
• If the plant develops normally, it has healthy looking and pleases with flowering, you can refuse to apply fertilizers.
• During the growing season, it is worth feeding the lemon with superphosphate twice (50 grams of fertilizer per 1 liter).
• Ammonium nitrate is highly recommended for improving growth. It is taken in a proportion of 30 grams per liter of water. You can water with this fertilizer monthly.
• Periodically water your lemon with a 7-day infusion of horse manure, diluted ten times.
• Lemon needs microelements for normal development: magnesium, phosphorus, nitrogen and others. To compensate for their deficiency, you can use Citrus mixture fertilizer once a quarter. 2-3 grams of this fertilizer are diluted in a liter of water and used instead of the main watering.

Pruning and replanting indoor lemon

Young lemon trees should be replanted at least once a year.

Copies older than 3 years - with a frequency of 2-3 years. However, the need for a transplant may arise “unplanned”, for example, due to illness or deterioration of the lemon’s condition.

The photo shows a lemon transplant

1. The soil around the trunk is watered generously to soften it, then the tree is carefully removed. In this case, extreme care must be taken so as not to disturb the earthen lump and not to touch the root system.
2. If you find spoiled roots, cut them off sharp knife or a blade.
3. For transplantation, take a container 30-50% larger than the previous one. A pot that is too large, like a pot that is too small, will slow growth. Give preference to a cone-shaped container.
4. Place a shard at the bottom of the pot on the drainage hole so that its convex side is on top. Then a layer of drainage (small stones, pebbles), a thin layer of dry manure and earthen mixture is laid.
5. Closer to the center of the pot, a tree is installed along with a lump of earth. Slowly begin to fill the container between the lump and the walls of the pot with soil. You can lightly press the laid soil, but there is no need to compact it tightly.

Lemon pruning is done in order to form a beautiful crown and improve fruiting.

When the height of the tree is 20-25 cm from the ground, pinch the stem, allowing side branches to develop. Please note that the first fruits appear on branches of the 4th-5th order (rows from the bottom) and until they are formed, there is no need to wait for fruits.

Vertically grown branches should be pruned without pity.

To form the correct shape, the flower pot must be carefully rotated relative to the sun every 10 days. Gardeners sometimes improve the crown using copper wire - they secure individual branches with it, giving them the desired direction of growth.

The formation of the crown is also carried out at the moments of picking fruits. A ripe lemon is cut off not only with the stalk, but also with a section of the branch itself with 1-2 internodes. This way the growth of the branch is stimulated.

Lemon is very sensitive to the environment and reacts instantly to the slightest fluctuations in temperature or humidity. Measures should be taken to save the plant.

Dried citrus needs watering. By appearance foliage - it becomes yellowish-brownish and sparse - it is easy to guess the cause of the disease. But don’t rush to irrigate the soil abundantly; you can damage the root system. It’s better to pour a little settled water under the root and spray around the crown. You can wrap the trunk with gauze, folded in several layers and soaked in water. Let the tree stand in this “dress” for several hours, but do not leave it overnight.

Excess watering will quickly make itself felt with sudden leaf fall. Healthy-looking leaves suddenly fly off en masse. As soon as a symptom is identified, perform a transplant immediately. Carefully remove the tree from the pot and place it together with the soil ball on newspaper or cardboard to allow the roots to dry. You need to plant it in soil that is slightly moistened and continue to water it moderately.

In the photo there is a homemade lemon with fallen leaves

It is very difficult to save a frozen lemon. In conditions of sudden cold weather, the vital activity of the plant may cease. In addition to the falling of leaves, the trunk darkens when it freezes. You can try to carry out "resuscitation". To do this, move the lemon to a higher warm room, extend daylight hours with the help of artificial lighting. It makes sense to transplant into another pot. When removing, be sure to inspect the rhizome and remove dead and rotten parts. Remove dried branches.

Overheating is no less dangerous for citrus. Appeared brown spots on the leaves clearly indicate overheating. Therefore, in hot weather summer days Move the container with the plant deep into the room. Make sure that air from the air conditioner does not hit the crown. No additional watering or cooling is required.

Important! You can’t change your place and habitat often; it takes a long time and doesn’t adapt well to new circumstances. Therefore, it slows down growth and fruiting, and may even show signs of disease. Both drafts and unventilated rooms are equally destructive for it.

Photo of lemon tree

Pests and diseases of lemon

The appearance of white flies may indicate stagnation. Their larvae feed on roots and cause significant damage to the plant. To combat them, various types of insecticides are used - watering solutions and aerosol forms to kill insects that have managed to hatch. Karbofos and Aktelik are quite effective in combating these insects.

It is necessary to regularly inspect lemon leaves, on which mites and scale insects can settle. Externally, mites resemble tiny spiders. They are distinguished by their orange or brown coloring, which stands out noticeably against a green background. back side leaves. They cover the damaged areas with a thin web, which makes it easy to recognize pests. Wash the twigs and leaves on both sides several times at intervals of three to four days under a shower head with strong water pressure. Repeated spraying with infusions is effective

• garlic (infuse 1 medium-sized head in 0.5 liters of water),
• onion (1 onion, finely grated, poured with a liter of water),
• bay leaf (2-3 leaves per 0.5 liter jar of water)
• strong brew green tea(for 2 cups of boiled water, 2 tablespoons of dry tea leaves).

Attention! It is not recommended to water the soil with these products.

Scale insects look like small brown turtles, motionless and tightly attached to the leaves. It's difficult to fight them. Three times at weekly intervals, thoroughly wipe the plant, including leaves on both sides, branches and trunk, with a mixture of soap and kerosene, taken in a ratio of 1/0.5. Cover the ground with cardboard or polyethylene, wrap the trunk at the very bottom with a narrow bandage to prevent liquid from penetrating into the root system.

Lemons often get sick from improper care. Browning leaves on the outside healthy plant, and even during the flowering period - one of the ailments. In this case, reconsider the conditions of keeping the flower; perhaps it makes sense to replant it. But in this case, choose a different soil than the current one. Perhaps it was the acidity of the soil that caused the disease.

Video about indoor lemon pests

Like the human body, disease prevention is important for citrus fruits. To prevent diseases, follow the regime, replant, and trim damaged areas. Sometimes a sudden illness can be caused by depletion of the plant itself. In this case, limit flowering to a few buds, and, no matter how sorry it is, remove the rest. Each house has its own separate microclimate, not always suitable for lemon. The task of the plant owner is to adapt it to existing conditions gradually.

Sometimes the process of caring for a lemon at home is comparable in terms of troubles to caring for small children - it is difficult at the beginning, but all the work is rewarded when the tree begins to actively grow.

Buy lamps for plants (phytolamps sodium, LED, fluorescent, ultraviolet, gas discharge and others) in the PhytoTechnology online store at favorable prices! Plants require appropriate lamps, consult a company consultant and find out which phytolamp is suitable for you, then place an order and the very next day your vegetation will delight you with growth and flowering! Managers will professionally select a suitable phyto-lamp for your needs, taking into account the location of your garden (the type of mounting of the lamp depends on this, or maybe a phyto-floor lamp is suitable for you), and depending on the lighting area, we will help you decide on the power (70W, 100W. , 150W, 250W, 400W).

Why do we need lamps for plants (phyto lamps) and how to choose the most effective one?

Various modifications and designs intended for lighting plants are usually called phytolamps, by adding two words phyto (from Greek) plants and lamps. The difference between phytolamps and incandescent lamps or fluorescent lamps is that phytolamps generate photons in a narrow color range, which is necessary to create favorable artificial conditions, similar to natural ones.

During the winter-autumn period, produce plants in industrial scale was impossible until recently. The first experiments on this topic were carried out by the Russian botanist Andrei Sergeevich Famintsy in 1868; he used a kerosene lamp to artificially grow plants. Everything changed with the invention of phytolamps; now, with the creation of appropriate conditions (heat, humidity) and main lighting, almost any plants can be grown all year round, regardless of the weather and time of year. Experiments have proven that the blue spectrum stimulates plant growth, and the red spectrum stimulates fruit ripening. At home, it is easy to grow seedlings and prepare strong seedlings for growing plants in country houses or garden beds. Besides this it became possible cultivation exotic plants such as lemon or Indian Tulsi plant in your home!

Well, we figured out why we need lamps for plants, and now let’s move on to each of them separately.

Energy saving lamps for plants or housekeepers

The Internet is replete with experts who advise using housekeepers instead of phytolamps for plants and seedlings, but their effectiveness is easily disputed by comparison with fluorescent or sodium lamps. The light output of housekeepers is low, which is ineffective for plants; such lighting is used as an additional and not so powerful resource, so we will not pay much attention to it.

Fluorescent lamps for plants

This type of phytolamp was the first to be used due to the lack of analogues. As we have already read above, the first lamps were incandescent and fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps are not suitable for artificial lighting plants due to the luminescence spectrum (it is far from solar) and ineffective use of efficiency. 95% of the efficiency is spent on heat recovery, which is suitable for heating, but not for supplementary lighting of plants.

Fluorescent phytolamps win in the fight against incandescent lamps, the first advantage is economical energy consumption, the second is the proximity of the light flux to solar radiation, pay attention not to light, but to radiation, which is harmful to people. Fluorescent lamps are also called fluorescent lamps.

Luminescent phytolamps of the Osram Flora type are created in such a way that they do not create ultraviolet and infrared radiation harmful to green plant cells (not for humans), but at the same time generate photons in the red and blue spectrum of light.

It is worth noting that the cost is not high compared to other phytolamps for plants and seedlings. That's probably all the advantages of this lamp.

The main disadvantage of fluorescent lamps for plants is that they are harmful to the health of people and animals.

The emission spectrum of these lamps greatly affects vision and causes headaches with frequent use; in addition, some people experience allergic reactions on the skin in the form of a rash. These phytolamps are used in industry, observing safety standards (robe, hat and safety glasses). An important disadvantage is their fragility compared to other phytolamps (8,000 - 10,000 hours of combustion) and a decrease in efficiency as they age; the luminous flux decreases (is lost).

Light-emitting diode (LED) lamps (phytolamps) for plants

LED lamps for plants are a separate topic due to incredible PR on the Internet. If you are reading this article, then you know that when you go to most online stores you will be offered to buy LED phytolamps. In the PhytoTechnology online store, LED phytolights are presented, since we offer a wide range of products for plant growers and, as they say, everyone has their own opinion. Let's start with the pros, the advantage of LEDs is long term services, and low energy consumption (efficiency).

As for the effectiveness of LED lamps for plants (phytolamps, modules and spotlights), it certainly exists, but it is worth noting that LED phytolamps are different, and if you expect a miraculous effect from an LED bulb purchased for 1,500 rubles in Leroy Merlin, OBI or Eldorado, and in our store we hasten to disappoint you this will not happen, but we would like to. However, it’s worth turning to logic and thinking, would large manufacturers really begin to purchase expensive phytolights, phytolamps and structures with higher energy consumption than LEDs for growing argocultures? Isn't it easier to buy a lot? LED light bulbs and save on the cost of phytolamps and electricity bills. No, it’s not easier if it doesn’t give any effect, it’s money thrown away, so experiments are being conducted that are designed to identify the pros and cons of certain phytolamps for plants. So smoothly we moved from the pros to the cons, and the last, not unimportant, disadvantage of LED lamps for plants is their harm to human health. LED phytolamps essentially imitate fluorescent lamps and shine in the blue and red spectrum, and as we remember, this kind of radiation negatively affects humans and requires special conditions for use. It is not recommended for an unprotected person with exposed areas of the body and eyes to be near these phytolamps.

Sodium lamps for plants

Sodium phytolamps are gas-discharge lamps; visually, the luminous flux appears in yellow-orange shades, very reminiscent of sunlight. Today we can safely say that sodium phytolamps are the most effective, economical, and popular among industrialists. We are being bullied with stories about miraculous LED lamps. But smart people, they can easily find information on forums and on manufacturers’ websites, on YouTube and other places of information about how effective and popular they are. Some of the most attentive ones will have a question: - Stop, what about the blue and red spectrum, which is so important for plants, but here yellow is effective for you too! It's simple, the fact is that sodium lamps, like LED and fluorescent lamps, have a blue and red light spectrum, but it is not visible to the human eye. Another advantage of sodium lamps for plants is their long service life, not the same as that of LEDs, but 25,000 hours of burning is not short, 4-6 years.

In addition, during operation there is no decrease in light output and the lamp does not lose efficiency over time, such as a fluorescent lamp. Well, perhaps the last and not unimportant advantage of sodium lamps is that they are harmless to people and animals, this is important for people who grow plants at home and not in greenhouses. In Russia well-known manufacturers sodium and metal halide lamps are produced by Reflax and Ekolum companies.

Metal halide phytolamps

Metal halide lamps for plants, like sodium lamps, belong to the category of gas discharge lamps. The main difference between metal halides and other gas-discharge lamps is the addition of metal halide to enhance the light output effect. Such lamps have a color temperature from 3,000 to 6,000 K. The color rendering index of such lamps ranges from 65 to 85. They are available with ceramic and quartz burners. The abbreviations for such lamps are DRI, DRIZ, DRIKZ.

Information from the PhytoTechnology store for buyers of plant lamps

We sell products presented on the international market for crop production products, and describe in detail the characteristics of each of them.

To get the effect of phytolamps, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with information about the types of lamps for plants and information about a specific plant, the method and conditions of its cultivation.

Contact only special sources so that you are not misinformed. Answers-Mail will not work; it is better to look for information in textbooks or on high-quality Internet resources! For this purpose, this article was created about lamps for plants, for brief introduction up to date and review of phytolamps on the market and here today.

What types of lamps are there and which ones are suitable for plants?

We need to start with the history of lamps as such and their evolution, the first incandescent lamps were invented in the early 1800s, many inventors tried to make them as durable as possible but failed.

Information varies in sources, so we will focus on the Russian engineer and inventor Alexander Nikolaevich Lodygin, who in 1872 invented the most durable lamp at that time, which burned for half an hour. After the air began to be pumped out of the flask, the lamp became more durable, and in 1873 these lamps caught fire in the lampposts of St. Petersburg.

Incandescent lamps emit light from a red-hot metal filament, the metal being platinum. And everyone knows Thomas Edison. a little later, a strong bamboo (charcoal) thread began to be used, but before achieving success, he had to conduct 6,000 experiments, which allowed the lamps to burn for hundreds of hours.

The next breakthrough was fluorescent lamps, however, at the time of their invention, they, like incandescent lamps, were not so durable; Peter Cooper Hewitt was the first to propose the use of mercury vapor, but we will talk about mercury lamps a little later. It was only in 1927 that Edmund Germer and his colleagues Friedrich Meyer and Hans Spanner covered ultraviolet lamp layer of phosphor, it turned out that such a lamp is capable of emitting natural and bright light, and mass sales of such lamps began in 1938.

After which they were invented led lamps, the description occurs in this sequence based on mass sales, the first mention of diodes was described in 1907 by a Briton, and they were invented in 1962.

Now let's move directly to the plants and what kind of lamps are produced directly for them.

What are the light requirements of plants?

Each plant has its own light requirements, depending on what kind of plant it is and what its usual habitat is. Our task is to create conditions similar to natural ones for a specific type of plant. As the plant grows, it needs more and more light, but how to solve this problem with only one phytolamp in stock? For complete illumination of plants, it must be periodically rotated 15-20 degrees in front of the phytolamp, since natural conditions this is done by the sun moving across the sky and covering the maximum area of ​​the plant. With a lack of lighting, plants stop growing, regardless of various types of feeding and other conditions. Also, do not forget about the darkness; in no case should the plant be illuminated around the clock, unless we are talking about seedlings during the first weeks; in other cases, it is important to observe the dark and light phytoperiod, turn the plant lamp on and off, depending on the the vegetative stage of the plant and its requirements for light.

Which lamps are best for plants?

Where to buy lamps for plants and how much do they cost?

The listed options for phytolamps for plants are presented in the PhytoTechnology online store. From us you can buy lamps for plants of any modification: fluorescent, LED, sodium and metal halide. We deliver to regions of the Russian Federation using methods convenient for you.

Now about the price. Prices are indicated on the website, and as you noticed, you can buy a lamp for plants for both 900 rubles and 80,000 rubles. Why such a difference in price? Well, firstly, not every phytolamp works autonomously, meaning you can’t screw any plant lamp into a standard E27 socket and enjoy its glow; for most phytolamps to work, component parts are needed, this is a lamp, a choke or starting device, fastening, reflectors and others. Among other things, most lamps for plants are of an unpresentable appearance; until recently, they were used primarily only by industrialists. What does it mean? This means that the structures are bulky, rough soldering or welding is visible, electrical wires stick out, unpolished materials, rough industrial look. This is not suitable for everyone’s home, if the interior is made in some style, or you have an expensive winter garden. But in our online store there are solutions for any clients, you only need to know what you want and tell us about it, and we will offer best option to solve problems.

A homemade lemon tree is a godsend for many gardeners. Not every plant can simultaneously delight with decorative foliage, fragrant flowers, growing and already ripe fruits. The advantage of homemade lemons is their absolute naturalness. And although it is not always possible to get a harvest quickly, indoor citruses grow tastier and juicier than store-bought ones. If a gardener wants to harvest a decent harvest, he must take a responsible approach to growing homemade lemons: how to care for the plant, when to mold and fertilize - everyone who has purchased citrus should know this.

The citrus guest comes from subtropical regions, so it does not take root well in open ground in cold winters. However, growing it indoors can be successful. To do this, you need to initially organize proper care for your homemade lemon: maintain constant air and soil humidity, provide a sufficient amount of light and heat.

IN flower shops or nurseries, it will not be difficult to purchase seeds or seedlings of varieties that are adapted to unfavorable conditions. In the wild, the plant can reach impressive sizes, and for growing in a room, samples no higher than 1.5-2 m are taken. During the winter, the foliage of the subtropical guest does not fall off, which is why it is called evergreen. Leaf blades last 2-3 years, so they must be protected. - a solid competitor for lemon, it also boasts elegant decoration.

IN room conditions Flowering is possible twice a year: at the beginning of spring and at the end of autumn.

The best varieties of citrus trees for the home are dwarfs and semi-dwarfs:

Dwarf varieties are not very productive; they are grown mainly for decorative purposes. Taller trees can reward the grower with large fruits in large quantities.

How to care for indoor citrus?

Caring for a lemon tree involves constant monitoring of humidity, temperature and lighting. He needs correct selection soil composition, its looseness. You should not ignore the formation of the bush. The gardener must initially know how to prune a lemon so that it develops harmoniously and produces more fragrant fruit.

• Lighting and temperature conditions in summer and winter

South windows and other places with good lighting. Lemon prefers bright light and long daylight hours. It is better to shade young specimens from the midday sun, as immature leaves will receive serious burns. When arranging with cypress and variegated ficuses, this rule is also taken into account, despite the fact that these plants are light-loving.

The temperature in the room where the lemon is kept should be moderately warm. Sudden changes are contraindicated, therefore during winter ventilation the pot must be removed from the windowsill without changing the location of the crown to the light. In summer, the plant can be sent to the garden or to an open balcony.

The crown develops better if it is not turned over often different sides to the light.

Caring for lemons in winter is moderate. The room should be cooler - from 10 to 14°C. Ideal option accommodation - insulated loggia. If the tree has not entered the dormant phase, then the temperature is maintained at about +18°C, and it is necessary to extend the daylight hours to 12 hours using a lamp.

• Watering lemon without mistakes

Depending on the air temperature, change the amount and frequency of water application. In hot weather, moisture is added daily. The water is taken warm, standing for at least 7-8 hours. From September to March, one watering per week will be sufficient. After each application of liquid, the soil must be loosened so that air can flow freely to the roots. The plant does not tolerate both drought and waterlogging. You need to focus on the volume of the pot and temperature conditions.

The smaller the pot and the looser the soil, the faster it dries out. In rooms with central heating You need to water more and more often. Moisten so that the liquid penetrates through the drainage hole into the pan. Excess water is removed after 20 minutes. In this way, it will be possible to wet the entire earthen lump, and not just its upper part.

Lemon care involves spraying in hot weather. The foliage is sprayed 2-3 times a week. Spraying is carried out both in summer and in winter, when heating radiators are operating at full capacity. Placing a tray of water or a humidifier next to the tree will help increase air humidity. If you have the practice of caring for this plant, then you can use wild plants to obtain a bountiful harvest.

When caring for a lemon in a pot, it is important not to forget about fertilizing. During the growing season, feed every 10 days. Fertilizers are suitable both mineral for citrus fruits and organic, for example mullein solution. Before applying fertilizer, water the soil 2-3 hours before applying it. This will protect the root system from burns. In winter, fertilizers will also be useful, but the frequency of their application is once a month. If the tree looks healthy, it blooms and produces fruits, then you can refrain from applying fertilizers for a while.

Rules for transplanting and pruning

When transplanting citrus, a drainage layer of broken brick, expanded clay or coarse sand must be laid on the bottom of the box. Any container must have drainage holes to drain water. Liquid stagnation should not be allowed. The soil in the pot should be loose, without lumps. The reaction is neutral or slightly acidic. Lemon develops well in soil of average nutritional value: humus, sand and sand are taken in equal proportions. leaf soil. The container for transplantation needs to be 3-4 cm larger in diameter than the previous one.

Pruning is necessary to approach the flowering period. The shoots are also shortened in order to create a neat crown. It is pinched, removing the apical bud. There should be at least 4-5 leaves left on the shoot. lemon tree pruned in spring at the beginning of flowering.

Pruning homemade lemons plays an important role. If you ignore it, the tree will not produce enough fruit or will not bloom at all. If in one year the lemon has formed much more ovaries than usual, then the weakest branches with buds must be removed. Too many fruits will deplete the plant.

As soon as the lemon peel turns yellow, the lemons need to be collected. If you are late with collection, they will become too sour and dense.

Video about pruning rules.

How to increase productivity?

The first harvest of indoor lemon depends on the method of propagation. If a tree is grown from a seed, then you should not wait for fruits before 5-7 years. Sometimes at least a decade passes before fruiting begins. With proper care, a bush obtained from a cutting begins to bear fruit within 2-3 years.

Secrets of a bountiful harvest:

Growing problems

What difficulties can you encounter when growing? There are several problems:

1. Falling of leaves and buds occurs when there is a lack of moisture, drying out of the soil, or excessive dry air. Leaf loss can also be caused by waterlogging. It is recommended to replant the tree by removing the roots with a lump of earth and first drying them on a sheet of newspaper.
2. The leaves become pale with a lack of lighting and a minimum amount of nutrients.
3. Lack of flowering - a cramped or oversized pot is to blame.
4. The tips of the leaf blades turn brown due to lack of moisture and dry air.

To prevent fungal diseases, water the soil once every 2 years. weak solution potassium permanganate.

If no mistakes were made at all stages of cultivation, then a few years later the gardener can be content with delicious lemon slices for tea for a year. In addition to being a fragrant and tonic supplement, they will be useful during the cold season.