Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons

Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

I have a lemon tree, started by seed from a lemon slice, which is about 10 years old. It has beautiful foliage and grows to about 8 to 10 feet tall each year. We live in an area with freezing winters, so I have to cut it back in order to get it into the house.

My problem is that it never blooms or has any lemons on it. What is the problem? Are two trees needed to pollinate each other? Will it never have lemons on it? I'd appreciate any feedback or help.
Thank you in advance.

Karen from Missouri

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RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

Some citrus does need to cross pollinate. (05/12/2005)

By Linda

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

In order for pollination to occur, you need to have flowers first. Just having a second lemon tree nearby will not make your original tree bloom. :-)

Unfortunately, I have no idea why your tree doesn't bloom. Some types of fruits only produce flowers/fruit on old wood that's been around for at least a year. Maybe (big emphasis on "maybe"!) by cutting the tree back, you're cutting off the old wood that would produce fruit. Wild guess on my part. Other possibilities are too-short days (don't know where you live but this might be an issue if you're pretty far north), missing nutrients, and being root bound. Maybe a Google search would turn up some info for you. Good luck! (05/12/2005)

By sunhat

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

I'm having a similar problem although my tree is only going on it's second season. It hasn't grown much so I moved it to a sunnier spot. I also just fed it citrus/tropical fertilizer. It hasn't been long enough yet to see results. I'm hoping it just needed some fertilizer. Also I found out that they need to be fed March through Sept. but check your species just in case. Good luck! Jennifer, (05/13/2005)

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

I found information on the Internet which stated that lemon trees planted from seeds take 15 years to bear fruit. I still have 7 or 8 years to go with mine. Be patient. (06/28/2005)

By Rosemary

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

It is worth knowing that the tree has not been grown on wild stock. If it has it may never flower. You may be able to graft onto it to produce healthy fruit. I have a one year old lemon that has fruit already. I also have a 3 year old lime that hasn't flowered. I think I will try spraying it with seaweed emulsion which is supposed to protect from frosts, and promote healthy flowering. I also have a citrus that grew from a seed and is a really healthy plant but hasn't flowered. I think I will try grafting onto it this year from Mum's orange tree which has great fruit in a similar climate. Good luck (07/08/2005)

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

From my experience, fruit trees grown from seed are never very successful - you would be much better off buying a grafted tree from a plant nursery. They graft the better quality fruit onto a strong rooted variety. Fruit trees need to be fertilized 4 times per year with a citrus and fruit tree fertilizer and if it fails to bloom give it a feed of Sulphate of Ammonia. You don't need two trees - just some bees to pollinate them. Hope this helps! (08/12/2005)

By Lyn

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

My lemon tree planted from seed about 2 years ago is about 2ft tall. I'm growing it indoors in the window, I'm using "miracle grow" on it and it seems to be working well. What I'd like to ask is, is this the right kind of fertilizer to use? I feed it once a week on it. Any feedback would be great, thanks :) (03/26/2007)

By ada1700

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

My lemon tree is blooming for the first time this year at 23 years old. Miracle Grow is the only fertilizer I have used. It winters in the house in an unheated room. (05/02/2007)

By Carol

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

I was just wondering if you need two lemon trees to be able to get lemons. We were told different things so I am wondering if anyone has done it with just one tree planted outside? (05/11/2007)

By Meagan

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

My research into the subject has found that a lemon tree planted from seeds will not bloom or fruit for about 10 to 15 years, usually, and probably will not be the same as the original tree the seed came from. In other words, if you planted a seed from a Myers lemon the tree probably will not produce Myers lemons when it does bud and fruit. If you want fruit before then, you must graft a bud from another tree onto it. Simply do a search on google "grafting lemon trees" and about 100,000 sites with info will come up. Good luck. (05/11/2007)

By andy

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

13-13-13 is the food of choice for citrus trees. No you do not need 2 trees to make baby lemons. You must have a grafted tree to produce. My lemon trees are 2 years old producing approx. 40-50 lbs of citrus. It gets better every year. You must control the white flies and other bugs as well. The dark dirt looking stuff on the leaves are not helping the growth. (11/07/2007)

By Randy

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

I've heard that if you grow a lemon tree from store bought lemons they won't bear fruit because they are hybrids, but I'm not sure. (11/11/2007)

By anonymous

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

My 2 trees are about 8 years old, and basically abandoned until just now. I just trimmed back the bush to make it into a tree once again and I realized it's starting to bud. I've heard it just takes a long time to bare fruit, so just wait and see. (02/27/2008)

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

I am having a hard time with my tree as well. I bought it from someone who said that it was fruiting, yet it seemed not to be producing much fruit. We replanted it and cut down many branches. The branches grew large, yet for 6 months nothing happened. I cleaned it initially and watered it every week. Then today I saw some red buds forming for the first time. Are those fruit in their early stages? (04/04/2008)

By Melissa

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

Why is my lemon tree not blooming for 3 years now? (06/16/2008)

By mike

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

My lemon tree has been bearing fruit for 9 years. All of a sudden this year no fruit will stay on the tree, they all drop off. We had wild fires last fall, can this have anything to do with it, the soot and ash, or should I worry about lemon pests? (07/20/2008)

By Margie

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

I also have a lemon tree. It is 3 years old and I heard that I should put some zinc powder and something else (which I don't know), what should I do? (12/09/2008)

By gaurav

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Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

My lemon tree does not produce any fruit. It is about 8 feet high, full of leaves and very healthy.

Peter

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RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

I can't help the original request, but for the lady with the Meyers lemon, it might help to know that here in Florida, where they are natives, they bloom all year around and continuously have fruit in various stages of maturity. Because of a poor soil situation I grow mine in pots and just bring them inside when we have a frost or rare freeze.

Even keeping them small like that they produce a tremendous amount of fruit. They are the only citrus I know of that does not have to be grafted--I start several a year just from cutting back the older trees and sticking the cut branches in a pot of dirt--watering daily until they develop a root system. They usually start producing within a year, but they do need healthy pollinators during the times they are in bloom. (01/05/2009)

By Anonymous

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming Or Producing Lemons

My neighbour has always dug a few tablespoons of epsom salt around the base of her lemon trees and has had plenty of large fruit every year. My grandfather had trouble with his tree and tried the same with good results worth a try, use maybe 2 tablespoons. Not sure how big the tree is that you have. Hope you have success if you give this a go. (01/05/2009)

By Teresa

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Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons

My sister has grown a lemon tree from a seed. It is 7 years old. It has never produced any flowers or fruit. It grew small plants and she transplanted them into pots. Do lemon and lime trees have thorns, and what can she do to produce flowers and fruit on them?

Hardiness Zone: 5a

By Kateyes from illinois

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RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons

I have a Ponderosa lemon tree which is about 5 years old, produces so many lemons the size of grapefruit! It is not from seed though, and I had an old timer at a nursery tell me that commercial citrus trees are grafted onto a tried and true type of, in my case, lemon. So the base may be one type of lemon, a type that is hearty and freeze resistant, pest resistant, whatever. The top is the fruit I bought. If I take a seed from my Ponderosa lemon, it will not have the good stock of the base tree. (04/03/2009)

By jdrinkwater

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons

I planted Ponderosa Lemon trees from seeds about 10-11 years ago, and in July of 2008, I got my first lemons! I never noticed any flowers on them at all. I checked them constantly, and one day there they were! Lemons! Just this last week I noticed little white flower buds (April 2009) for the first time. My roommate says that I had to have had flowers on them last year to have fruit. I've read that all citrus seeds will produce fruit, it just takes about 10 years for it to happen. Is it possible for these trees not to have had flowers before it produced lemons? I have been all over the web trying to find that answer...but no luck. Does anyone out there have the answer? Thanks in advance for your input. (04/05/2009)

By karen3752

RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons

I suppose you have to have some pollination going on. (04/06/2009)

By TandT Grandma

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Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons

I have a Meyer lemon tree that will not grow a flower or a fruit. It just gets bigger and bigger with long thorns on it. What can I do with this tree? Thank you.

Hardiness Zone: 9a

By Peggy from Napa, CA

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RE: Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons

I had that problem also, then I went back to the nursery where I bought my lemon tree and their gardner told me that you must have a second fruit tree. Either in your property or close by so that they can pollinate. Otherwise, the fruit tree won't be able to produce fruit. My solution was to buy a lemon tree and since then I've had lemons. Hope that helps. (01/14/2010)

By wondering

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Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons

I would like help in growing a lemon tree. I placed a seed from a lemon into a pot the year before last and it came up. It is about 12 in. high, but has never bloomed or grown lemons. What can I do to make it produce lemons? Thanks.

By Helen from Snellville, GA

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Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons

I have a lemon tree that has not bloomed in 2 years and there are no lemons growing. I am not sure what my gardener has done; what can I do?

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Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons

I have a lemon tree grown from a seedling. It is 7' tall and has never bloomed. It smells like lemons, but has no flowers.

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Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons

I have a lemon tree that is approximately ten feet tall. It is really healthy and has produced lemons in years past. For the past two years, however, it hasn't bloomed. What has happened?