The greenhouse where I house my orchids and occasionally work at has just got in really nice Improved Myer's Lemon trees.  I can't believe how good they look and they are a nice size. (but not cheap at $50).  I'm really tempted to get one even though I don't have room for it.  What do you folks think?

My citrus do ok under a 1000 W HID bulb. Not spectacular but they do bear fruit if I get the water and fertilizer right.

I have a large bush looking tree growing outside in Los Angeles. They taste great (not very sour) and super prolific. If you are into grafting, I can send you some buds.

If the trees you found look healthy and large, I would get them instead of grafting though, you will eat the lemons much sooner.

From my experience growing lemons, they don’t come much better than the Meyer.  I grow a few acres of commercial Eureka type lemon and have a few Meyer’s in our family orchard.  Hands down the Meyer is tops and most requested by family and friends.  

Mine are a semi-dwarf Meyer, in the ground and are super productive.  So much so, I have to pinch many juvenile fruit to keep branches from breaking because of weight.   This also helps remaining fruit ripen to full potential!  I believe they are “Improved” or virus free Meyer.

IMHO… you will not regret parting with the $50, when enjoying your first crop.

I'm not worried about them dying.  I'm not sure where to squeeze it in.  The trees are in 1-gallon pots and already 3.5 ft plus tall and branching.

[QUOTE=alanmercieca]Jack - These days all Myer lemons which are sold in nurseries are the improved ones.[/QUOTE]

Alan,

Yes, I suspect your are correct, the "Improved" have been around for years. 

To be honest, the Meyers were all the wife's doing. She had the grove manager, some years ago, rip out some overgrown standard plums and replace all with Meyer lemons, pomelos and more tangerines.  Think there must be about six Meyers.  No complaints by me, I juice the extras up and freeze.  A little Meyer lemon juice added to drinking water is quite refreshing..

[QUOTE=alanmercieca]Jack - I read that drinking the juice as is, is like drinking lemonade, is that true? This will be our first year with lemons.

Have you tried to eat the lemons peel and all? Supposedly it's very possible, and not a terrible experience.


[/QUOTE]

Alan,

I'm not a lemonade drinker (too sweet) but, I do enjoy a few inches of lemon juice in my water glass.  Helps me get my daily quota of water down too.......... :-)

I do use the lemon peel or zest in cooking but, never tried to eat on the fruit.  Some people would cringe but, I do eat lemons sans the peel.  Walking through the grove, just pick, cut in quarters and eat the wedges.  Very refreshing but, have been told it can damage tooth enamel.   I make sure to rinse mouth soon afterwards.

Meyer lemons are not as good as proper lemons, culinarily speaking.  They don't quite have the denseness of lemon quality as a real lemon.  They are a good backyard tree, they make good lemonade and can do (with extra lemons) in most lemon recipes like meringue pie.  The trees are heavy feeders though.  I'm not sure why a plant should cost $50.  Shouldn't cost more than $30+shipping from any mail order site.

Calamondins are an underrated sour fruit.  You can also try tavaress limequat for a more durable citrus than true lemons and limes.

Boy, I'm spoiled, can get a 5 gallon citrus that's 3'-4' tall and well branched for $22-$28.50 tops here in CA.  Can get ones in quart pots and almost as tall but not as wide for a little over $10.

I had a Meyer and took it out since I didn't really have any use for it.  I had a large lemon tree (a "real lemon" that gives me maybe 200-300 pounds of fruit a year (maybe 500 pounds this year, crazy).  Unlike Jack, I prefer the standard lemon over Meyer but I know some like the sweeter Meyer and it is more hardy.

If you like Meyer lemons and don't have cheaper alternatives, I suggest you get it and enjoy it.

Any Mayer Lemon is not a true lemon (it is a hybrid).
Fruit is sweeter and not as near sour as true lemons.
Do know what you want...

I would recommend growing one, I have one in a large container (maybe 5-6 gallon) that get's shuffled out in the summer and to a bay window in the winter. I got it as a tiny plant about 8 years ago, it's about 2-3' tall and wide now. I cut it back periodically so it can fit through the front door. It's been good to me and I get lemons most years. Since it blooms in winter I have to play bumblebee if I want fruit. If nothing else the flowers smell AMAZING.

Fun facts: The Meyer Lemon is suspected to be a hybrid between either a mandarin or an orange and a lemon, which is why it is sweet but not really good for cooking.

The improved part has to do with the fact that the original Meyer Lemons were symptomless virus carriers (geez...sounds familiar) which were a threat to the American citrus industry. A strain that was not infected was found and all the original Meyers were supposedly destroyed.

Meyer' Lemon is a very reliable citrus for pot culture, fruits reliably and grow nicely. A good investment

I like both my Myers but has anyone else noticed they seem to have sparse foliage compared to other citrus, maybe it's just my larger tree, but it seems sometimes it almost has more lemons than leaves, so I imagine has trouble developing the sugar never sweetens up, but wait it's a lemon who cares.
 

I have a small dwarf Meyer that I am hoping to get my first fruit from this year.
it is blooming now.
Any tips / tricks?

now i have to go get lemon to add to my growing number of trees and plants.. sigh.. 

I have a meyer lemon, reg. lemon, lime and also a pink variagated lemon in FL, all in pots. The blooms are just heavenly and nothing like picking off a fresh lemon or lime. Especially since limes have gotten so expensive!

Studeldog: try pruning it back periodically to thicken it up. Mine responds well to that. From my understanding citrus can be pruned/sheared as needed.

Kelby,  I have pruned it, but maybe not severely enough. I think I got to taste 11 of my 12 varieties of citrus this year. More hassle overwintering than figs as they are never dormant, can't just shove them into the garage. First year for me with a large heated sunroom Thought my citrus would love it, but no as they started dropping all their leaves. I think the heated air was to dry, so I was back to shufffling between the garage and outside, so I might have to let a few go, if I had to keep one potted citrus it would be my Variegated Calmondin, like stated above sour lemon like flavor, small compact bush shape, the immature fruit are variegated and if you let the fruit hang I think it will always have some state of fruit on it all year long.

If you are having trouble getting citrus to bloom let it get very dry almost to point of stress a couple times then resume watering.

Here is my  Variegated Calmondin



 

The juice from Meyer lemons makes for great cocktails. :-)

My biggest problem with growing citrus is that there really aren't any sunny places in my house to keep them during winter. We have a ton of windows, but they are all either on the wrong side of the house or shaded by the front porch. Last year I purchased a both large and tiny Meyer lemon trees from HD and a satsuma from Whole Foods. I didn't get them inside soon enough before the cold really set in, so they all lost their leaves and looked dead. The tiny Meyer started coming back along all of its branches a few months ago, and the larger Meyer has started growing back very slowly from its base a few weeks ago. I think the satsuma is a goner.

This year I found a satsuma from Pike's Nursery called "Arctic Frost" that is supposed to be more cold hardy. I got really lucky, both it and a really bushy Meyer lemon were the last 5 gallon citrus plants that weren't Monrovia at this location - meaning they were $30 each, rather than $60+. So now my (verified living) citrus collection is up to three Meyers, a variegated pink Eureka lemon, key lime, Persian lime, Moro blood orange and the satsuma. Figs really are a gateway drug!

Greetings, we really enjoy Myer lemons especially when I put them, rind and all, through our JUICER. Wonderful addition to our daily juice drinks. Was lucky enough to receive a Myer lemon from a coworker who moved out of area. Had it out on our deck all summer, a few small lemons. Brought it into unheated sunroom this Autumn along with our potted figs and it kept it's leaves right through winter. As it warmed up, and received more and more sun, it suddenly was full of blossoms. I just hope there are enough pollinators to work their magic. Here's a quick pix of some of the FRAGRANT blooms!

Sigh.  I was really trying to be good but I guess I will add the Myer to my collection.  I'm sure John will winter it at the greenhouse with the rest of my plants. 

I'm not a Meyer's lemon fan. I prefer the tartness of a real lemon. I tried Meyer's once in my avogolemono soup and it ruined it. I prefer the tartness in my seafood pastas too. They are popular though! My dad has a Meyers that was loaded last year. I took 2 large bags into work for coworkers. They were gone in no time. I also made lemonade with a bunch of them too. No one drank it.

I have a Lisbon Lemon. It's like a Eureka but with less seeds...thorns are huge though. I've got to keep them nipped.

I'm not a Meyer's lemon fan. I prefer the tartness of a real lemon. I tried Meyer's once in my avogolemono soup and it ruined it. I prefer the tartness in my seafood pastas too. They are popular though! My dad has a Meyers that was loaded last year. I took 2 large grocery bags into work for coworkers. They were gone in no time.

I have a Lisbon Lemon. It's like a Eureka but with less seeds...thorns are huge though. I've got to keep them nipped.

My Meyer lemon blooms all year long. It seemed to like the greenhouse this winter even though there weren't anything to pollinate it.

Does anybody know of a good orange that they'd recommend growing? Something that's as easy as the Meyer Lemon to grow.

Meyers seem to hate our dry Colorado air. I have it in our sun room during the winter. It gradually drops 80% of it's leaves and then blooms like nuts till it's time to go back outside. Then it stops blooming and grows some leaves, then fall comes and I move it back into the sun room and repeat the process. At least it adds some different smells to the sun room.

My tree never looks like any of yours.

I have a recipe for lemon meringue pie which Meyers are great for, I sure wish I could grow more than a few a year.

Well I went to Strudeldog's place to talk figs.  He starts showing me all this citrus stuff.  It had fruit on it and him just telling me all about how wonderful it was.   On and on and on.  Anyway I now have a meyer lemon and 3 other citrus trees.  All are blooming now and look great.

Thanks Strudeldog.  These I have been taking in and out of the garage all winter.  No place in my house for them not enough light.

Sue…….I’m with you on cooking with Meyers………. NOT.    If I want a little lemon on my grilled Sea Bass filet, it has to be the real deal Eureka with all its delightful tartness.   For a squeeze into my water, the fresh Meyer wins. 

Strudledog……. Diito what Kelby say about pruning.  Your tree will love you and support more fruit.  Early spring is best time, just as new fruit is ripening

Yes Goss you have me ided. Get me talking fruit and I go "on and on and on" :}   Just look at those citrus shuffles all winter as a training regiment for the spring fig shuffle.

I'm trying a new citrus tree this year - ponderosa - which I hope to have success with. I need to keep them in pots here in 6a. I think I probably messed up the watering on a meyer and buddha's hand. More so, I don't get good, long, south-facing light when the trees are inside. I need to use lamps, which I do use. I'm determined to make this one work! Have some other options at a nearby herb farm - Well Sweep - like kaffir lime, key lime, persian lime, meyer, satsuma + 2 other tangerines, blood orange...not sure which might be the best for pot culture for me. Good luck to all growing citrus!

where is a good source for Improved Meyer Lemon?

I once bought a car that turned up to be a lemon.
Then I bought a lemon tree that was not true.
Go figure!

my lemon turned out to be something called oldsmobile. as much as i loved that car, it was costing me too much to keep it. but it left sour taste in my mouth :)

Pete: Here's a good source for citrus. I got two of my Meyer lemon trees and a Bearss lime tree
from them.

Gabe

[QUOTE=bullet08]where is a good source for Improved Meyer Lemon?[/QUOTE]

https://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/

Bay Flora also has good trees. But depends on how much you want to spend.

Arne

I loved Meyer Lemon tree.  However, I never had ONE SCALE until I got citrus.  So, today I do not have anymore citrus trees.  I had 5 citrus trees including kumquats.  All were super easy to grow but the scale battle just pissed me off and I burned every one of my citrus trees including the dirt!  Today, I have not seen one scale and I want to keep it that way.  My Meyer Lemon tree had the pretties lemons I've ever seen.  They look fake on the tree but 100% real.  They make the best fig jam.

Strudeldog,

Just want to make sure you know that I was thanking you for turning me on to citrus.  Would of never crossed my mind to try them but your glowing reports of eating fruit from your trees made me do it.  And by the way I have never seen my wife so excited about plants as she is about the citrus.  She even helps move them in and out of the garage this winter and just dotes over them.

Pete,

We have them at the garden in Salisbury, NC.  I'll post a picture on Friday

"Does anybody know of a good orange that they'd recommend growing? Something that's as easy as the Meyer Lemon to grow."

I have quite a range of potted citrus that I would be willing to trade for particular figs or to sell to anyone interested. But it would have to be pickup in the Morgantown, West Virginia or nearby area.

Art, best potted navel orange seems to be Trovita, in that it grows more compactly than other varieties - that's my experience, which is true to Four Winds Growers recommendation too. My potted mandarin oranges have done well too - Owari Satsuma and Brown's Select in particular - and I prefer them to the navel oranges in part because they are easier to peel. These trees seem to sprawl though, some great drooping foliage. More productive than the navel oranges, these mandarins, smaller though sizable fruit, older trees. Truly small fruit: miniature mandarin orange - Kishu - seems very promising (I'll be hanging on to it especially), many blossoms this year in a small space. All these orange types have been very tasty and juicy. Moro Blood Orange has done well too. And others. That said, I haven't been nearly as kind and attentive to the citrus since coming across figs. Calamondin oranges I think would also be easy to produce but I bought my Calamondin trees too small to speak of fruit production yet. It's nice to pick oranges off the tree in fall and winter in the garage or from a sunny window after the figs have long gone to bed. The easy peeling mandarins go direct into my son's lunch box. The very sweet smelling blossoms of all citrus are spectacular too, especially on a few plants indoors in long winters.

[QUOTE=Charitup]Strudeldog,

Just want to make sure you know that I was thanking you for turning me on to citrus.  Would of never crossed my mind to try them but your glowing reports of eating fruit from your trees made me do it.  And by the way I have never seen my wife so excited about plants as she is about the citrus.  She even helps move them in and out of the garage this winter and just dotes over them.


[/QUOTE]  Yes Glad you enjoy the citrus, once you have crossed that Tropical line, you will be contemplating others.  And as long as Mama's happy then everyone's happy. If Mama's not happy then I had nothing to do with it.

Tony,  Thanks for the good info. That's what I was looking for.

Do I need to occasionally root prune my potted Meyer? If so, what time of year?
I feel mine is slightly root bound

Hi
Pete-
Here are the Myer's Lemon's that are at the garden nursery in Salisbury, NC.
They seem to be in good shape and nice size.  I know they sell for $50 which is not cheap but a least they are a nice size and branching out.  I just brought my 10 year old lime tree home and it is covered in limes.  I didn't put the tree I'm going to get in the picture ;)  It's a little shorter but has nice shape and will fit in my car.