You have obviously never lived in a warm climate, so funny.
No, the lemon should not "go to sleep" in the winter. Do not cut it back. Keep it inside, protected from the cold.

A lemon grown from seed might not produce as good fruit as that of its parents. But generally it will not be as bad as growing other types of citrus from seed. You will still end up with a lemon tree that produces satisfactory fruit, most likely.

Thanks for your reply!

Indeed, I have never lived in a warmer climate. Normally everything goes to sleep in winter as we have less light. I suppose not the lemon tree. I have a feeling that it likes to be in my bathroom with the humidity.

There are some weird branches underneath. I guess I will gently cut those off. I will post a picture later on.

You probably want to get a grow light for the plant in the winter. If it's just a little lemon seedling, I would suggest trying to find a screw-in LED grow lamp you can find on internet.

And, while it is fun to have "created" a tree from a seed; it may be 7-10 years or longer before you get flowers/fruits. Don't be discouraged; but if you want fruit sooner, you should acquire a grafted tree.

Of course there are other fruits like lychee where it would be nearly impossible in Europe to find a tree for sale. So in situations like that, you may have few other options.

I agree though. Generally it is a lot of trouble and not worth growing fruit from seed. It will be many years before the tree becomes big enough to produce fruit. Citrus is easier than other fruits and can bear fruit in as little as 3 years, under ideal conditions, though more likely 6-8 years growing in a pot in Belgium.

Thanks for the comments. Indeed, I suppose that it is going to take a couple years before flowering and fruit. But never mind, that is not the main thing I am looking for. It is just fun to grow a tree from seed and see it growing. It gives you the feeling that it I am doing the right thing. Lets hope it lasts. We are creeping towards the shortest days here in north west Europe.

It is not a seedling anymore. It has been growing pretty fast in the summer. It is going into its second winter now.

I think you have plenty of light in there and if I could grow one of mine in a bathroom , I most certainly would! Everything grows better in the bathroom with lots of light! Nice..Just go very low on the fertilizer side if any at all..

Thanks for the tip . I have turned off the heating right next to it as I do not think it will be good for the plant. Bit cold when taking a shower, but it is for a good cause!

I would not expect that plant to bear any flowers or fruit for 8 to 14 years. It may outgrow your space before it blooms. Do not trim it, as that will also delay fruiting. So you see?, it may just be a nice foliage plant for you. If you REALLY want fruit, purchase a grafted plant or one started from cuttings and not seed. Enjoy!

In the summer it is outdoors. So there it can grow. Eventually I will need to trim otherwise it will not fit in the bathroom anymore.

Try to graft a good cultivar....in two years you'll have lemons :)

Hi All, I have just seen some very small insect like bugs on my lemon tree. The also make a kind silky webs. I guess that this is not good news. No really reaction from the tree, it is still doing fine. What do you recommend me to do? I do not really like using chemicals. Thanks so m much for your comments.

you probably have a spider mite infestation and if left untreated they will slowly kill your tree. I'm not much of an expert on treating spider mites but you can do a search on the forum and find lots of useful information on treating them. If you have a removable shower head I would recommend placing your tree in the shower and washing it with medium pressure warmish( not Ice cold) water to get rid of most of them, paying special attention to the underside of the leaves where they like to hide. you will probably also need to apply some kind of insecticide or a bit of soapy water to finish them off. you may have to repeat the process once a week for a few weeks as new mite eggs hatch.

Thanks for your comment. I have already sprayed some soapy water on the tree and and am waiting to see what the result is. Keep you posted.

You will probably never win the fight like that. Only control them. Just always check when watering. Or use a miticide. Even then you won't win on the first spray.

Don't worry. It is so easy to spray every week. your tree will do fine.

The little mites were thriving on my tree yesterday. I guess I will have to get some stuff with more umpfff unfortunately. I have tried the banana peel trick as well. Looks like they like bananas!!

Humidity is not a factor. I've never once given consideration to humidity and my trees do fine throughout the Winter. If I were you, I would simply place the tree in the very brightest window possible.

Josh

Humidity is not a factor for the plants health but is a factor in controlling spider mites.

I have tried something else. As we are having a very mild winter here in Belgium (understatement) I thought it would be a good idea to put the tree outside again. That will take care of these creepy crawlers. Some December rain and wind will blow the cobwebs away! Lets hope it does the trick. The next two weeks they do not forecast any frost day or night. Need to keep an eye on it mind you... I will le you guys know. Thanks for the comments.

Moving a lemon tree indoors and out may not be the best idea.

Just spray with Neem.

Josh

Indeed, however, the next couple of weeks it is going to be mild here. So lets hope it is going to alright outside. At least it has the most light outdoors. Good to get through the winter months. Lets hope it is not going to die on me now. Ohhh. it is like my son... so worried about the tree...

In the meantime I have treated the tree two times with some insecticidal soap as the crawlers were all over. Looks like it did the trick, I cannot see them anymore. Tree is still healthy and indoors. It is -5 degrees outside. Fingers crossed

Mid February and the tree looks like it woke up. It is pushing massive shoots on the big vertical shoot it developed last fall. Should I just leave it grow or should I cut? Thanks and have a nice day!

Leave it alone to grow!

How is the spider mite pest going? I am battling with them also, i just bought some rosemary essential oil and I am going to try some drops along with peppermint castile soap on a 2 liter sprayer to see if it helps.

The spider mite pest was awful. I tried everything: bananas, essential oils. In the end I needed to use something stronger. That did the trick! No mites anymore crawling on the leaves. Looking forward to the spring to put it outside where it likes to be. Let me know if the peppermint soap works.