Indoor lemonella plant or, as it is also called, limequat is a hybrid of Japanese kumquat and Mexican lime. Lemonella citrus fruits are similar to small lemons and successfully replace them in cooking, but it should be borne in mind that the fruits of lemonella are much leaner than lemons, and therefore they need less to add to the dish. So if you are interested in this plant, and you decided to do it growing, then information on caring for lemonella will be useful.
Limonella (limequat) - care and reproduction
Care for lemonella is not very different from caring for any other citrus plant. So if you already have an orange or a lemon growing, you will not be able to grow lemonella, it's enough to take care of it, as well as for the rest of the citrus fruits. If there was no such experience, then remember the main rule - limonella does not tolerate overmoistening, as well as the drying of the soil. Therefore, make sure that the soil in the pot is slightly moist.
Limonella is a little better adapted to growing at home than other citrus fruits and does not suffer bad air dry apartments. But still it is desirable to humidify this air, and not with the help of sprayings. For this purpose, it is better to place a container with moist pebbles next to the flowers, or to put lemonella on a vessel with pebbles filled with water, while the pot water should not touch the flower.
There are no special requirements to the temperature regime, wintering can be done with a cold, but not less than 10 ° С. It should be remembered that at a temperature of less than 5 ° C, lemonella usually discards the leaves.
Feed the plant once a week with liquid complex fertilizers. You can water with tea leaves.
The lemonella multiplies by cuttings, and it can also be planted. Semi-lignified cuttings are cut in spring. Then they are rooted in a moist substrate and covered with a film or jar. So keep until the appearance of new leaves, without forgetting to periodically ventilate the mini-greenhouse.
Lemonella transplantation
A couple of weeks after the acquisition of lemonella, it must be transplanted, as in the store the flowers grow in the transport soil, which is not suitable for further growing the plant. Next, the lemonella is transplanted as necessary, trying to do it in the spring or early summer. The pot should be selected approximately 2 centimeters larger than the previous one. Soil for lemonella is needed neutral, so getting it in the store, you need to pay attention to this point - soil mixtures based on peat lemonelle will not work. If the required soil was not found, it can be compiled independently. For this, you can take forest soil and add there 5-10% of river sand and 2% of ash wood. Sand should be boiled beforehand, and the earth can be recruited under any deciduous trees, except chestnut and oak. For limonella, stagnant water will be fatal, and therefore at the bottom of the pot must be a layer of drainage.
A plant from an old pot should be removed with an earthen lump and transplanted preferably without disturbing it. Sprinkling the plant with new earth, the soil should be pounded and poured, letting the moisture drain.
Diseases and pests of lemonella
- Chlorosis - leaves lose color, turn yellow and fall off. Can initially appear spots on the leaves or turn yellow only their veins. The disease is caused by pests and a lack of fertilizers. The plant must be cleaned of the affected leaves, treated with a soapy foam and fertilizer.
- Spider mite - the leaves of the plant fold, braided with cobwebs. To get rid of this misfortune, you need to wipe the leaves with a soapy sponge.
- Shield is brownish-gray spots on the leaves. Limonella is wiped with a soapy sponge and sprinkled with a strong insecticide.
- With aphids and chervets are struggling with the help of onion tincture. The bulb should be passed through a meat grinder, pour ½ liter of warm water and insist for two days. Spray should be done three times, once every week.
- Fungus - brownish (yellowish) spots appear on the underside of the old leaves, the leaves fall off. Spray the plant with garlic solution (it is also done as onions) once a month. For prevention, you can periodically spray lemonella Bordeaux mixture or solution of potassium permanganate.