Orange Tree/Lemon Tree

Northernfox · Sun Mar 25, 2012 11:11 pm

I have dwarf Orange and Lemon tree that I am growing in my house. I got a grow light (that the lady recommended) to supplement the natural light they get.

Does it matter how far from the plants the light is?

[img]https://i1262.photobucket.com/albums/ii603/Northernfox14/3c328555.jpg[/img]
just had to post the picture I took of the flowers that are on their way.

Fig3825 · Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:23 am

Yes. Everything I've read says that if you put you hand on top of your plant and the light is too hot for the back of your hand then it is too hot for the plant.

Distance is also driven by the wattage and type of your bulb. What type and wattage of bulb do you have?

I have a Dwarf Meyer Lemon under a light as well. I have a Hortilux Blue 400W Metal Halide and it is about 14" from the top of the plant...maybe a few more.

applestar · Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:20 am

Not sure why this is in the Hydroponics forum. Maybe better in Fruit Trees or Container Gardening?

Do you put the citrus outside for the warmer months? I use Daylight fluorescent lights to supplement during the winter.

Fig3825 · Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:27 am

Your question was probably directed at the poster, but I have been putting mine outside in the summer. It's still too cold in northern VA to put it outside, thought, since the overnight lows are still below 50 F.

At this point, though, my meyer is bursting with new leaf growth and is covered in buds. Since it's doing so well under my light indoors at the moment, I may just leave him inside for a while and see if I can get any lemons. I am obviously doing something wrong as I have yet to get lemons. I had a few that got around 5/8" in diameter, but it always happens at the season change and it's when I move it outside or inside and I always lose the fruit.

Every time I move it in in the fall, it drops the buds. Every time I move it out in the spring, it drops its buds. And it NEVER ceases to fail that it'll bloom and start producing fruit at the EXACT same time the overnight lows start to drop below 50 (and I move it in) or it'll bloom inside and the overnight lows go above 50 (and I move him out).

I'm going to leave it be this year and see what happens.

Northernfox · Mon Mar 26, 2012 11:20 pm

Fig: I have a 26 Watt 1700 lumens full spectrum lighting, full 6400k spectrum. I am not sure if that gives you the information you need. I have the bulb in a lamp about 2.5' to 3' away. Does it matter if the light is above or

[img]https://i1262.photobucket.com/albums/ii603/Northernfox14/30c80f42.jpg[/img]

What time of year do you usually put your lemon trees out? FYI I have the same type. a Dwarf Meyer Lemon from Four Winds Growers in California. Mine are forming flowers as you can see in the first picture. I was planning on putting them out in the summer when night time temps don't dip below 10C (50F). Which should be about the third week of May.

Applestar sorry I am still learning the forum. I figured since I was asking about lights this would be the forum to ask.

Thanks!

applestar · Tue Mar 27, 2012 4:33 am

Moved to Fruit Forum

rainbowgardener · Tue Mar 27, 2012 7:18 am

Since no one has directly answered, yes, it matters how far away the light is. Light diffuses by the square of the distance. So if you move your light twice as far away, you get 1/4 the light intensity. If your light gives off heat (a lot of fluorescents don't give off much), it can't be too close, but I'm thinking yours is too far away to make much difference. However, if you move it closer, but still to one side like that, your tree will start leaning toward the light, unless the window gives enough light to balance it out.

Northernfox · Tue Mar 27, 2012 5:21 pm

I am going to have to scrounge for another table. I may have to keep on top of moving the light/plants. right now I think I am getting about 8-9 hours of direct light though this windown but in the winter this will drop A LOT.

Rainbow: If you have fruit development and put it outside will they drop as well?

thanks applestar

PunkRotten · Tue Mar 27, 2012 8:30 pm

I don't think that light is doing really much. I mean it is better than nothing but I don't think it is being used effectively. I got a small lemon tree too (eureka), mine is almost 4 foot and has lots of those little flower buds. Also many are opened and have fruit forming too.

I read something about cutting off some of those buds from those flower clusters. If you leave them you get many fruits, but small in size. If you cut them off and leave like 3-4 you get bigger fruit but fewer. Makes sense but I am still undecided if I wanna mess with it.

applestar · Tue Mar 27, 2012 8:36 pm

One way to maximize that light is to fashion a reflector for it. maybe white or reflective cardboard screen with a hole for the light, even a pie pan.

Remember, whatever light you can see directly is NOT shining in the direction of the plants.

Northernfox · Tue Mar 27, 2012 10:55 pm

Applestar: If I had the light with out a guard and places it between my citrus trees (the far right is for my mother in law) will it be a little more effective ?

If I put mirrors on the far side and bounce back the light will that help?

I am not sure if I want to clip the flowers. Some times they fall off with out bearing fruit. So I am going to see how many I can get going for the first round.

Northernfox · Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:13 pm

I have a new set up

do you think this is better?
[img]https://i1262.photobucket.com/albums/ii603/Northernfox14/e48cff36.jpg[/img]

and one more
[img]https://i1262.photobucket.com/albums/ii603/Northernfox14/ba16ee47.jpg[/img]

Do you think this will be at least a little more useful?

Delvi83 · Fri Aug 28, 2015 6:57 am

Isn't enough the light they receive during the day through the window?

princealexi · Thu Jan 21, 2016 4:38 pm

I come from a salt water aquarium reef tank background and you have to work with PAR - photosynthetically active radiation and is an inverse function of the distance. . Distance very much does matter. . You get 1/4 the light at 2' as you do at 1'... Look up the inverse square law of light... . I had a buddy started growing seed with shoplights when I was growing up - he had the bulbs almost touching the seedlings and he had the best growth by the time they were ready to move to the higher end lights...

https://photography.tutsplus.com/article ... photo-3483

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law

princealexi · Thu Jan 21, 2016 4:45 pm

Do you rotate them so they get even growth? . Also do you have that light on a timer? Plants love rhythms... I think you may benefit from throwing that bulb in a cheap hanging fixture... . You can always paint the inside silver. . I'm not sure that the plants will respond very naturally to the sun jabbing them in the side...

ButterflyLady29 · Fri Jan 22, 2016 12:54 pm

Do you have any way to set up a 4 foot 2 tube florescent fixture above your trees? That's what I use for mine. If the light is on chains and hung from the ceiling you can vary the height so the bulbs are just above the leaves. Light from the window just isn't enough. Use the daylight bulbs, not warm or cool white but daylight.

applestar · Sat Feb 06, 2016 11:12 am

I wonder how Northernfox's citruses are doing?

I have a seed grown tree that I think is a lemon and I believe it had one flower on it last winter. I kept it in an upststair BR window this year, thinking it might do better with more warmth (closer to upper 60's/low 70's). And I *think* it did try to bloom, but failed (see lower left photo in the collage).

Now it has these bumpy callus-like growths in the leaf nodes, and I'm wondering if this is normal, what they are, and possibly are they developing floral clusters and it will try to bloom again?

There is a bit of ant/scale problem going on, but overall, it is healthy. Dropping one or two leaves every couple of days, though.... If I move it downstairs, it will be more like low 60's to upper 60's.