Lemon Tree Care: How to Grow Lemons in Pots and Indoors

Lemon tree care at a glance

You don't need a backyard in Florida to grow lemons. Lemon trees do well in pots, and the right variety will flower and fruit by a sunny window. The keys are lots of light, a fast-draining pot, careful watering and steady feeding.

Best lemon trees for pots and indoors

For a pot, choose a dwarf tree, one grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock, so it stays a size you can move.

Not sure which suits your space? Our guide to choosing the right lemon tree goes deeper.

Potted lemon tree basics

The pot. Choose a pot with several drainage holes, only one or two sizes bigger than the nursery pot. Too big a pot holds extra water the roots can't use. A mature potted lemon is happy in a 10–15 gallon container. Put large pots on a wheeled caddy so you can move the tree between seasons.

The soil. Use a fast-draining citrus mix, or a bark-based blend like our 5-1-1 recipe. Regular garden soil packs down in pots and stays wet.

Watering. Water when the top 2 inches of soil feel dry, slowly, until it drains out the bottom, then empty the saucer. Potted lemons need water every few days in summer heat and much less indoors in winter. Check with your finger or a moisture meter instead of watering on a schedule.

Repotting. Move up one pot size every 2–3 years in spring. Once the tree is in the largest pot you can handle, refresh the top few inches of soil each spring instead.

Indoor lemon tree care

Light comes first. Indoors, light is the factor that decides whether a lemon tree flowers. Put it right against a south-facing window, or west-facing if that's what you have. If it sits more than a few feet from the glass, or through the short days of winter, add a full-spectrum LED grow light for 12–14 hours a day. Turn the pot a quarter turn every week or two.

Humidity. Heated winter air is often far drier than lemons like. Aim for around 50%. A room humidifier nearby is the most effective fix; grouping plants together or setting the pot on a tray of pebbles and water helps a little.

Temperature and airflow. Keep the tree between about 55°F and 85°F, away from heating vents, radiators and cold drafts from doors. A small fan on low nearby keeps air moving, which indoor citrus appreciate.

Summers outside, winters in. Most potted lemons do best spending summer outdoors in full sun and coming inside once nights drop below about 50°F. Make each move gradual over a week or so. A few dropped leaves after a move is a normal reaction. Our guide to moving citrus indoors for winter covers the transition step by step.

Feeding a lemon tree

Potted lemon trees are heavy feeders, and every watering flushes some nutrients out the bottom of the pot. Feed every 4–6 weeks from late winter through summer, and keep feeding lighter through winter, since many lemons flower and carry fruit indoors.

Look for a lemon tree fertilizer that:

• Leads with nitrogen, with moderate potassium and less phosphorus, to fuel leafy growth that supports flowers and fruit.
• Includes micronutrients like iron, zinc, manganese and magnesium, which wash out of pots quickly.
• Supplies calcium, which helps a tree hold onto fruit as it develops.

Our Lemon Tree Fertilizer Kit combines all three in pre-measured doses with a feeding schedule. For a large tree or one in the ground, choose the Large & In-Ground lemon kit. For the full deep dive, read our lemon tree fertilizer guide.

Flowers, fruit, harvest and pruning

Lemon trees are self-fertile, so one tree can fruit on its own. Indoors, with no bees around, brush a small paintbrush through each open flower every few days to pollinate. Don't worry when many tiny fruits drop after bloom; the tree keeps what it can carry.

Lemons take 6–9 months to ripen. A ripe lemon is fully yellow and gives slightly when squeezed. Ripe fruit holds on the tree for weeks, so pick as you need it, snipping the stem instead of pulling.

Prune lightly after a harvest or in early spring. Remove dead or crossing branches, thin crowded growth in the center and trim long shoots to keep an indoor tree compact. On grafted trees, snip off any shoots growing from below the graft on the lower trunk.

Common lemon tree problems and fixes

Most potted lemon trouble comes down to light, water, humidity or nutrition:

For more on leaf color, see the most common causes of yellow citrus leaves, and for winter leaf drop, see why citrus drops leaves.

Where to get a lemon tree

Shopping for a tree? Trees.com carries citrus trees and can add a GrowScripts kit to your order, so your tree is ready to feed from day one.

Frequently asked questions

Can a lemon tree grow indoors year-round? Yes, with enough light. A south-facing window plus a grow light in winter works. Most trees fruit better if they spend summer outside.

What's the best lemon tree for indoors? Improved Meyer is the easiest, thanks to its compact size and frequent blooms. Ponderosa also does well in pots. See our Meyer lemon tree care guide for Meyer-specific tips.

How often should I water a potted lemon tree? When the top 2 inches of soil feel dry. That might be every 2–3 days in summer and once a week or less indoors in winter.

How often should I fertilize a lemon tree? Every 4–6 weeks from late winter through summer, and lighter in winter. A lemon tree fertilizer kit takes the guesswork out of amounts and timing.

Why is my indoor lemon tree dropping leaves? Usually low light, dry heated air or a recent move. Add light, raise humidity and keep watering steady, and new leaves usually follow.

How long before a lemon tree produces fruit? A grafted nursery tree typically fruits in 2–3 years. Trees grown from seed can take many years.

Growing other citrus? See our orange, kumquat and calamondin care guides.