Lemons are self fertile, as are all citrus to my knowledge, so they dont need other similar trees nearby. This is why you can get fruit from a potted lemon tree in the house. But there are many reasons why it is not setting fruit. If the location is a good one, and it is healthy, watered, fertilized, etc, then it will eventually bear. Just give it some time.

nmfruit is correct. Most citrus are self fertile. There are a couple of varieties that do better with a pollinator, like a minneola, but lemons don't. It probably is not producing due to something lacking in its environment or it's not mature enough.

A citrus plant with just two blooms cannot be expected to reliably bear a crop. Wait until it has dozens or hundreds of blooms. Perhaps some type of fertilizer that promotes blooming would help.

I would look at how your are fertilizing, some types of citrus fail to produce fruit if given too much Nitrogen. There is also the question of weather, do you know what type of Lemon this is, and how cold does it get there in the winter and early spring?

"It is planted about 1 m from a very tall stone wall"... check your soil to be sure it is not calcareous... containing lots of lime, cement, etc; it is the only soil in which citrus will not thrive.

I do not fertilize as I believe it must be all natural. Fertilizers killed a lot of my plants in the past.

Yes, immediate release fertilizers, they are unsafe, even in small amounts.

Immediate release fertilizers are completely safe. They are used by many millions of people the world over with great success. With your method of growing citrus, it is no wonder your tree has not produced fruit.

picture?

I use an organic citrus fertilizer (Dr. Earth brand). It takes time to break down, but it gives me good results.

Containertime, perhaps you might have gotten better results with a nonorganic fertilizer. Have you done a comparison of the two types of fertilizers?

PicoAzores Citrus trees need fertilizer because they need food to grow. You don't mention which type of fertilizer you used or how it was applied. You could have applied your fertilizer incorrectly which may have burned the roots. Fresh manure is organic, but you don't apply it fresh because it will burn as well. No matter which fertilizer I use, I make sure the roots are slightly damp.

Denise, I wrote recently in my above posts that I do not fertilize. If I have to spend money to use a fertilizer, I rather buy lemons in a grocery store and neighbours give them away as well. I prefer to grow things that need little to no careor food other than the soil. A couple days ago I trimmed my lemon trees the best I could watching online videos and then watered. I know that rain water is better than tap water, but with increasingly geo-engineering activity in the past 2 decades we get less and less rain and more repeated droughts. The government and their scientists state that global warming is real, but all they do is causing global warming by trapping the heat under their newly invented "cloud cover".

Where do you live? You can get free manure if you look in the right places. I hate to tell you but citrus may not be for you. They do require some sort of work from the owner. Sounds like you want to do nothing other than water and reap the benefits of the tree. They need care as in treating for pests and nutritional deficiencies. Soil can become depleted of nutrients. Citrus put a lot of energy into producing fruit. To help replace that energy, it needs food.

Can you post a picture of your tree as it looks now and then again in a year? I would love to see a citrus tree that is growing without fertilizer. I didn't fertilize my containerized trees correctly and didn't get any fruit for a long time. I love roses and neglected those planted inground by never fertilizing. They either look poorly or have died.

I could care less what the government says about global warming. It has nothing to do with why your tree is not blooming.

Pico Azores I feel sorry for your trees, I think your beyond help.

Since your lemon tree is planted in ground, you have many more options of natural or organic fertilizers to choose from than those of us who grow in containers. As Denise mentioned, you can sometimes find free manure, just make sure it's aged, so you don't burn the roots. As everyone here as mentioned, citrus tress require fertilizer to thrive. They can grow in the right conditions (climate, soil, etc.) without much care, but clearly your lemon tree needs more attention, since it is not producing. If you are not willing to put in the energy to properly caring for you lemon, I agree that maybe you need a a variety that truly needs little care, such as native tree - speak to someone at a local nursery for suggestions.

Silica, you crack me up. You are much more polite than I because I wanted to say a whole lot more and it wouldn't be nice.

You see, Denise, you are a lot more like me than you know. I don't even bother to respond to people like Pico... they don't want help; they just want to tell you what they think.

I will post later today, Sunday was busy.

john, heaven forbid we are alike. lol. This is one of those situations in where you can lead the horse to water but can't make it drink. The horse's loss. This is really sad because somebody wants help, but is too stubborn to take the advice from those who are more experienced. I was in that position. I admit it. For years I planted all my citrus in Miracle Grow Potting Mix right out of the bag. I did well with it. Then I joined internet social media and learned more about the cons of doing so. I didn't believe it because my trees were doing so good. Well, one of my trees from Four Winds Grower ended up with root rot this past winter. I had to face the fact that not all trees can handle it. I knew FWG was changing their rootstock to something else so that meant my growing tactics had to change. I wanted the peat base so I could leave my house for days if I wanted to go somewhere so I added about 40-50% mini pine nuggets and extra perlite. So far my trees are faring well in it and the tree with the root rot has been sending out new growth in a smaller pot.

If pico wants to be the way he is, then he will have a loss on his hands at some point.

Denise, thank you for your post. I was wondering why my more recent plants from Four Winds did not thrive like the ones in the past. Now, I know. No, I do not use anything with Miracle Grow in it, but it does explain the problems I have recently had with their plants.

Pico, think of your plants like children. They are living creatures and they need food to grow. They need guidance (pruning) throughout their lives to thrive. If you want plants that require no care, I would suggest something artificial. It will give you the look you want and you won't have to worry about them. Several of the homes in my area have installed artificial turf and it looks great all the time. No judgement call here. I know what it is like to be extremely busy and not have the time nor financial resources for taking care of a garden.

mustbnuts I have been purchasing trees from Four Winds Growers for the past 30 years. Just recently I have noticed tags on my trees saying semi dwarf. Some folks say it's not a big issue because you still have to root prune. To me it is a big issue because the root stock behaves differently in different environments. Here in GA we get lots of rain while in California they are much drier. To find a root stock that fits all environments is a challenge. It's a crap shoot what you receive because some folks are still getting dwarf root stock while others not. I have discussed this issue with FWG because their website advertises DWARF TREES NOT SEMI DWARF. To me that is false advertising.

Kendra Just told me that their website will be updated and there is not much difference in growth between the dwarf and semi dwarf rootstock other that the semi is a little larger. Well, I don't agree with that. Dwarf is more ideal for the home grower because lots for homes are becoming smaller as time goes by. In CA, you now have at least 4 homes per acre. Root pruning with a dwarf may be done every 2-3 years while larger sizes may be annually.

My Gold Nugget tree had issues this past winter and had the smallest root ball I have ever seen for a premium tree. With the order of my Gold Nugget I had a Smith Red and it was a choice size. The choice had a larger rootball. I was not happy for paying $40 for a smaller rootball even though the tree was 3 years old. With all that said, something is different about Four Winds Growers rootstock. I like what I see above the soil level, but am concerned about the rootstock that is being used. I think because of the amount of sales pressure they are under, which is to produce as quickly as possible more trees, FWG had to find a rootstock which would grow fast enough to keep up with the demand for trees. That is my opinion from observation.

mustbnuts, what are you experiencing with your trees? I am curious because I am going to visit Stan McKenzie's farm in 2 weeks and hope to meet him while there and pick his brain a bit.

I understand now that citrus has to be fertilized, or it will not bear fruit on the second and third, fourth etc. year. The reason I asked not to annoy anyone or troll, but because my neighbours and my friends here they told me they dfo not fertilize and I see my neighbours do not fertilize yet they donate lemons to me year after year. So I was wondering why some people never fertilize and get lots of lemons every year and I am new at growing lemons and anything else. Above are photos of one of my lemon trees that was trimmed by be on the date on the photo, the one thart had a couple lemons last year and none so far this year except one bloom in the photo. Other two lemon trees, one in the ground and another in the poot with poor soil both gave me lots of lemons last year and are coming up with a bunch of lemons this year. So this is why I did not mean to insult or disturb anyone, but only to ask, because everyone around me told me theynever fertilize, but htis is Pico Azores, as my username indicates. If you don't know where it is loc8ted, it is a climate and an island a bit similar to California (45F to 80F) year round night & day and is located 66% east towards Portugal from DC, in the Atlantic Ocean. and it belongs to Portugal. I will try to fertilize and I hope that fertilizer companies do not advertize on here as i have grown palm trees and fruits without fertilizing before. I understand that great soil and lots of good fertilizer will bear much better and more fruits than none. Yet as you may notice I not onkly have trimmed branches as muylch but under them there always been pine mulch and under it great hand prepared soil by me. Yet beuyond a couple feet of that soil is rather poor Pico island "soil", bagaço gravel and volcanic rock. So yes, you kicked my ass and I will consider fertilizing.

Sorry, wrong, I trimmed it about a week ago and took a photo today.

You are not insulting or disturbing anybody by asking questions. That is the purpose of this forum. If you want to learn, you must at least have an open mind and listen to what people have to say. BUT what works for one may not work for another. So try some of the recommendations and see what the results are. People come here to this forum from all over the US and world. Weather and soil are different so you must adapt to give what the tree needs. One area of a yard may have clay, another sand, and another nice and rich. Your friends may be lucky in what they have. Growing in containers is different from growing in the ground too. If you decide not to fertilize, that is your choice. Your tree looks old enough to produce quite a number of fruit, but the canopy is very thin. It should be lush and full, but it's not. Something is missing. Look at evdesert's trees. For the size your tree is, it should have a larger canopy. [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/february-2018-citrus-pics-dsvw-vd~5110852?n=148[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/february-2018-citrus-pics-dsvw-vd~5110852?n=148)

Pico why did you trim your trees? Citrus produces fruit on the tree's NEW wood, trimming removes the new wood. Therefor, your trees cannot produce fruit. Citrus trees, especially trees planted in the ground, are rarely ever trimmed.

Well, that would explain why no blossoms or fruit. Now pico should fertilize to help the tree regrow leaves faster. Maybe it will rebloom again.

There are just about 2 reasons for a mature tree not blooming. The first is not enough light. The second is not enough new growth. Nitrogen fertilisation affects the latter but there are more important reasons why there might be not enough new growth. Climatic conditions (including wind damage and not enough water) and wrong husbandry are the main ones.

Older citrus trees may need some deep trimming for rejuvenation at some point but doing this in spring will sacrifice blooming. Hence it is usually done partially (over 3 or 4 years) trimming only one side of the tree at a time.

Citrus trees usually will still bloom when the trees are not getting enough water, that is unless they are getting zero water, but then they would be dead. During the recent California drought, the trees still put out a bloom, though in some cases a somewhat lesser bloom. What is important, even vital, is that the tree receives sufficient water WHILE the tree is actually in bloom. Citrus flowers quickly die if water stress is present during the blooming period. Most "trimming" (in the industry called hedging) is normally done in a effort to keep the trees at some reasonable working size, but Nik is correct it is also done to rejuvenate an old tree.

If this thread is not closed down the road I will advise how the tree is doing and when it resumes fruiting. Thank you!

Yes, keep the updates coming when you and the tree are ready :)

Try propping an axe next to the tree.

Threads are not closed from what I have noticed. They can be revived years later when somebody new sees a topic that he/she is interested in.

You can't grow lemons in partial sun. A fruiting citrus plant needs a great deal of energy to produce that fruit. Citrus need 8 or more hours of really strong sun FULL SUN. The bare minimum is 6 hours. But with as few as 6 hours the fruit production would be very small and sporadic.

Lemon Lime,

Does someone tell you these things; or do you just make them up? Citrus will produce fruit with as little as 2-3 hours of full sun. My Mother had a Meyer in Sacramento, Calif; which got all of about 2.5 hours of sunlight ... located between her house and a big fence; that tree produced enough lemons for 3 families and the neighbors.

Johnmerr, The Citrus Guy, How to grow Citrus Practically anywhere page 62-63. Obviously the tree had more than 2.5 hours of sunlight.

"When you read "full sun," it means that a plant needs direct, unfiltered sunlight for at least 6 hours a day. This is the minimum amount of light a sun-loving plant needs to thrive. As you have noticed, the intensity of sunlight varies depending on the time of day. A plant that gets full sun all morning but is shaded in the afternoon has a much different growing environment from one shielded from the sun in the morning but exposed to full sun in the afternoon."

PicoAzores In your situation areas to investigate are incorrect cultivation, over or under watering, proper fertilization techniques, wrong pruning, and location. Obviously we can rule out over fertilization, and age of tree.

The other lemon tree in another location gave lemons after similar pruning. Both trees are young, not more than 2-3 years in the ground. I do not fertilize and don't use chemicals, except potted palms. Just give them good soil and water when needed. The tree gets enough sun.