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Lemons and limes

 
master steward
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Location: southern Illinois, USA
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I am in the southern tip of Illinois.  I am in the process of putting in a green house attached to my house. One of the prime reasons for this project is to grow lemons and limes.  Any tips regarding head room, heat, container size, soil,  etc?
 
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Location: Richwood, West Virginia
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I sprouted Key Limes and oranges on my windowsill. The limes require less water than my geraniums and are easily trimmed back but the oranges I had to give away after the first year due to them exceeding the space.
 
John F Dean
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Thanks for the reply.  I hadn't considered oranges.    The highest point in the greenhouse should be about 10 to 12 feet high.  So I am pretty sure I will have more space than you.  
 
Burl Smith
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A funny thing I noticed about my geraniums is that they do better under lights than when exposed to the direct rays of the sun thru the glass. My light bill is $1/day so I query whether a heated greenhouse consumes more energy than a well insulated building with lights to grow by.
 
John F Dean
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It would be interesting to see a study on that.
 
Burl Smith
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     " In recent years growers are switching to energy efficient LED lights due to costs and in recent years some are using red and blue LED lights. Two reasons for this are that the energy efficient LED lights reduce the grower’s running costs and increase the plant’s productivity and improve its flavour and nutrition."
https://www.herbanleaffarms.com/single-post/2017/11/12/LED-LIGHTS-vs-Sunlight-…-and-the-winner-is…

     " When sunlight does reach plants on the ground, it is ‘white light’. This is a blend of every known light wavelength–from infra-red to ultraviolet–with green and yellow light as the most intense (520-590nm). Plants, however, only have receptors for red (635-700nm) and blue (450-490) light, so they are unable to process the rest of the spectrum effectively. LEDs are able to counteract these inefficiencies. LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are powerful, energy-efficient and long-lasting. They also have low heat outputs, making them ideal for indoor farming. Unlike the sun, the intensity of an LED bulb doesn’t change–midday, midnight, mid-summer and mid-winter, LEDs give plants the same consistent and directional light. LEDs can also be customized to emit only select colors, such as the red and blue light plants need to grow strong. Finally, like with all other aspects of indoor farming, LEDs give farmers something they can never have with the sun: control. Using LEDs means creating 20-hour sunlit days and brightening, dimming, or changing the color of the color of the light based on the crop.
https://www.freightfarms.com/blog/indoor-grow-lights



 
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Location: Northern WI (zone 4)
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I've been told that lemons, limes and most/all? citrus will limit its growth based on the size of the pot.  So keep potting them up until you don't want them any larger.  I've seen healthy lemon trees outside in warm regions that are 7' tall with hundreds of lemons on them.  I'm guessing a half a whiskey barrel sized pot would get you a year's supply of lemons.
 
John F Dean
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I am using the red and blue led lights to start seeds indoors.  I like the results much better than the other lights I have used.
 
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