Hi, I have a two year old lemon tree. Green, seems healthy. I pruned all the stems so it had in central thick stem for it's trunk as I read that I should do that. Issue is that it hasn't grown much at all in the last year. It's only 13 inches tall.
We used a grocery store lemon for the seed. We live in Montana and it sits in a really sunny South facing window all year except in summer when I set it outside. I assumed being a tropical tree it would love it outside and take off growing but it didn't. I do have a bad habit of forgetting to water my house plants until they are pretty dry.
Are lemon trees supposed to grow this slow? Am I doing something wrong? It seems healthy, smells like a lemon, just grows super super slow. (Ignore that white-ish leaves by the tree, that's a corleus seedling that sprouted in the pot I need to remove it)
Thanks!

First thing. All citrus trees are heavy drinkers. Owners sometimes believe that just because they are grown as a crop in semi-arid zones they don't need any water but they have high water needs: the soil always needs to be moist.

Second thing. While bottom leaves look perfectly healthy, those at the top look pretty bad... it almost looks like you had (or still have) a mite infestation. Look at the leaves closely, with a magnifying glass if necessary, for tiny bugs that look like mini-spiders. If there aren't I'd just treat the plant with mineral oil to be 100% to kill all mite eggs. If there are still adult mites you will need to kill them off and you'll need a good specific insecticide because they are tough little vermins.

Thank you! When you say treat with mineral oil do you mean spray it or rub each leaf with mineral oil? Just once?

Dolivo said:Thank you! When you say treat with mineral oil do you mean spray it or rub each leaf with mineral oil? Just once?

You need agri-grade mineral oil: it's commonly sold to kill scale insects. Mix it according to instructions with water and simply spray on the plant. That will take care of any mite egg you may have and doubles as a sure-fire method against scale insects.
Bayer used to sell premixed mineral oil in green spray bottles: just shake and spray. But I haven't seen it sold in a while...

I have many other plants close to my lemon tree that are very healthy. If it's mites wouldn't those plants be affected as well? If it's not mites, would the lack of proper watering cause the slow growth and unhealthy leaves? I looked with a magnifying glass and didn't see anything like you described.

I think I see spider mites on those leaves also. You can see a tiny web between the stem and the top leaves in your photo. This is a common problem with tropical plants in an indoor situation, especially one like yours with heat and low humidity.
Neem oil, which might be easier for you to find, would smother the critters. Be sure to follow the directions on the bottle and re-spray at the earliest interval indicated so you smother all the subsequent generations as the eggs hatch.
Grocery store lemons are likly hybrids and the seeds could follow either side of the family. You never know what you are going to get, it may be that you have a slower growing plant. I am not sure why you pruned the side branches, removing leaves removes a source of energy for the plant. Usually you prune only for shaping.
And, like el Pollo says, water that little tree on a regular basis.

I pruned it because I read online that I should. Whoops. Hopefully he will recover. I will kill the mites and give him more water and keep my fingers crossed.

When you look at online sources be sure to check the extension (like .com) if it says .edu you can be assured that the information is from an educational institution and has been peer reviewed and scientifically evaluated. There are other organizations, most with a .org extension, that are trustworthy but always use caution with internet info, there is so much junk out there.

Treating the spider mites with a solution of liquid dish soap and water is just as effective as the mineral oil, but less greasy. Regardless of what you use, you have to get complete coverage of all leaf and stem surfaces until they are dripping wet. It is very messy and best done outside in the shade. If you are really thorough, one treatment is usually sufficient.

Two important factors for its growth are maximum sunlight and keeping it moderately potbound. In a large pot, it will tend to fill the pot with roots at the expense of top development. This is counterintuitive for many who think that a bigger pot will lead to better growth.

Dolivo said:I have many other plants close to my lemon tree that are very healthy. If it's mites wouldn't those plants be affected as well? If it's not mites, would the lack of proper watering cause the slow growth and unhealthy leaves? I looked with a magnifying glass and didn't see anything like you described.

Well, it means the adults have died off and now you have the eggs left. Almost impossible seeing those without a microscope.
The eggs will stay on your plant until ready to hatch, then you'll be able to see the mites.
Mineral oil will choke off those eggs before they have a chance of hatching.

The reason you don't see mites on neighboring plants is because most plant pests tend to select specific hosts: that's why you may see green aphids on a rose bush and not on the juicy annuals all around it. Think of it as picking what you like at an all-you-can-eat buffet and leaving the rest.

Finally watering... yes, it may well explain the stunted growth. All present citrus trees descend from wild ancestors originating from the wettest tropical regions of China, Burma etc. Since they are such important crop trees they are extremely well studied and while there are several schools of thought regarding watering all agree that young trees need lots and lots of water to properly develop.

Dolivo said: Hi, I have a two year old lemon tree. Green, seems healthy. I pruned all the stems so it had in central thick stem for it's trunk as I read that I should do that. Issue is that it hasn't grown much at all in the last year. It's only 13 inches tall.
We used a grocery store lemon for the seed. We live in Montana and it sits in a really sunny South facing window all year except in summer when I set it outside. I assumed being a tropical tree it would love it outside and take off growing but it didn't. I do have a bad habit of forgetting to water my house plants until they are pretty dry.
Are lemon trees supposed to grow this slow? Am I doing something wrong? It seems healthy, smells like a lemon, just grows super super slow. (Ignore that white-ish leaves by the tree, that's a corleus seedling that sprouted in the pot I need to remove it)
Thanks!

leave it outside it needs a lost of sun and water it twice a week, unfortunatelly you should not have cut those branches, let it grow the way it wants and change the pot it needs a larger pot to grow, also since you grew it from seed it takes a little longer to start giving lemons

Give less water during the winter. When you put it outdoors in the spring put it in the shade- think of a person who has been indoors all winter then goes out into the warm sun and gets sunburned! Yes, stop cutting it. Plants grown from seed will need to get quite large before blooming and setting fruit. If your goal is to get fruit, you might want to look at dwarf grafted plants like those at Four Winds Growers. You can have nice trees that aren't too tall and don't have to be in a huge pot.

On the question of why it doesn't take off growing in the summertime, yes, it likes the extra sunlight but it's possible that the nights are too cool in Montana for it to really put on a growth spurt. Hate to say it, but you might have to move it indoors whenever the night temperatures are going below about 50deg. Or build it a little enclosure that you can put over it at night when it's outside to keep it warmer. Use PVC for a frame, and some frost cloth or something that will let light through if you forget to take it off.

I disagree with the idea of keeping it in the shade - these trees grow in full sun all across the southern states. The weaker sun in Montana should not be any problem for it, especially if it's in the sun indoors during the winter. Speaking of winter though, a grow light for the plant to compensate for the very short days in winter might give it an extra boost. Just a couple of extra hours of light when your winter days are getting down to 5 hours or so would be a big bonus for the plant. Our days down here in Florida are at least 2 hours longer than yours in the winter time.

Again, make sure it's not getting too chilly at night, that close to a window, too. Tropical divas tend to pout and go dormant for months at a time if they get too cold.

Thank you! I will try the suggestions you all have given and hopefully my little lemon tree will do better. I will keep you all posted! 🌞💛

Bring it outdoors now and step up watering. As already mentioned they like as much water they can get. It is a crazy Spring season, and it feels much cooler too, but I have already stepped up watering on my calamondin which is also similar in growing habit like your lemon. My tree is busy with its blooms right now, so got to encourage it to do some more, so I can get more fruits later. When temps are getting higher and light levels going longer, they need as much water they can get.

Um, still way too cold in Montana for a lemon tree to be outdoors, I think.

@Dolivo, If it is still snowing there, definitely do not bring it out. If your overnights is already in the 40F to 50F range, it can handle it, provided it gets full sun during daytime. But do the outdoor exposure slowly since your plant has been growing indoors. And as already mentioned, water it well, it likes more water as temperatures start to warm up some more.

I should have clarified. I meant when you move the plant from the dark house, put it in the shade where it does get a little sun, and gradually move it into the full sun. If you do go directly from the house into the full sun, it will probably get sunburned. Which might not kill the plant, but may make it look ugly or lose leaves until new ones start to grow.
Plants grown in pots do need different requirements from those grown in the ground. You have to take into account the roots get a lot hotter in a pot than in the ground. For example, when we moved to TN I took my Calla Lilies and planted them in pots. The soil is terrible here, basically rock. It doesn't absorb the sun, it reflects it. Those poor little Callas had pots that were too hot to touch, and surprise, surprise, they didn't grow well.

And if you do spray for bugs with the horticultural oil, you want to do it in the late afternoon so that the oil can dry before the sun hits it. It'll say that on the container. (that is, if the tree is outside) I do spray mine, they always seem to get buggy the last month or two before they can go outside. It might also like a little liquid iron, which you buy in a brown bottle and dilute, you can spray on or put it on the soil. Citrus are notorious for becoming iron deficient.

All that sounds like a lot of work, but it's not, really. And your plant will be very happy outdoors this summer.

Light colored pots and the plastic ones with fairly thick walls can mitigate a lot of the heat to the roots of your potted plants. You can get spray paint that sticks to plastic if you want to paint some of the dark colored pots, or also just 'sink' the pots into a hole or depression, and pile mulch around them to also keep them cooler. Even in winter, here in Florida pots can get too hot.