Lemon farming is easy and profitable cultivation if practised with care. Lemon is very popular in the USA and people want to grow this sour and sweet fruit in their gardens. This blog post will certainly help you to grow this fruit at your farm and garden.
Lemon cultivation Introduction
Lemon is a very important fruit and when it comes to production this sweet and sour fruit holds 6th position in the entire world. The lemon fruit is used widely in the medicinal sector due to the sufficient amount of nutritional and medicinal properties present in it. Its fruit has a sweet and sour taste therefore it has a vital use in the juice industry. In hot and humid summers people prefer lemon shinkaji and drinks to quench their thirst.
The fruit is not only used in Indian and American kitchens but also used worldwide in cuisine. It is an easy-growing tree having a lifespan of 15 to 20 years. You can see some tiny fruits from 2nd and 3rd years that are enough for 1 small family. Commercially the tree starts bearing fruits from the 5th year and the lemon tree yield per tree is 60 to 75 fruits up to 15 to 20 years. The fruit-growing capacity also depends on fertilizer, water and soil quality. The temperature required for these trees is between 25°C to 30°C. Although the lemon plantation can be done in different types of soils it prefers soil pH ranging from 5.5 to 7.0.
Explore now – lemon plantation profit in India
The lemon tree is native to South Asia, North East India, and Assam. It is an evergreen tree that thrives throughout the year. This tree belongs to the flowering family “Rutaceae”. Its binomial name is ‘Citrus lemon’. Its fruit turns green to yellow when it ripens and this yellow edible fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes worldwide. The yellowish fruit is used for culinary as well as cleaning usage.
Lemon juice has a sour taste because it contains 2.26 citric acid along with PH 2.2. It has a high-quality sour taste therefore it is widely used in food and beverages such as meringue pie and lemonade.
Tee varieties
Malta, Eureka, Italian, Rasraj, Pant, Lucknow seedless, Lisbon lemon, Punjab baramasi, Punjab gal gaj, PAU Baramasi, PAU Baramasi – 1.
Lemon tree farming
If you want to start cultivation from a basic and convert it into successful cultivation then you must follow the below-given steps which will help you:
Temperature requirements
Its temperature tolerance capacity is not more than 40 degrees celsius so do not try to grow this edible fruit above 40°C otherwise it may collapse. Temperature below 10 degrees celsius is not good for the crop. The ideal temperature for the tree is 25° C to 30° C.
Soil requirement
Light loam and well-drained soil are the best soil for cultivation. However, lemon is a soil-friendly crop and can grow in almost any soil. Whereas, soggy soil is not good for the tree because it may cause root rot problems.
Water requirements
Regular watering is necessary for its cultivation. After some period you can water the tree at intervals of 8-10 days. In the summer season, 4-6 inches of water is required per month for lemon trees whereas 1 inch of water is weekly required in the winter season.
Fertilizer required
First-year to the third year 100-300 grams of urea is required. For 4 to 6 kg 60 to 90 kg of cow dung is required per tree whereas 7-9-year-old plant needs 25 – 50 Kg of cow dung per tree. Farmers are applying aquaponic fertilizer to their lemon farms and producing good yields per hectare.
Pests
White fly, citrus greening, Phytophthora gummosis, Bark-eating caterpillars, Trunk borers, Leaf miners, and Citrus black fly are some common pests found in lemon farming.
Harvesting time
You might see 5 to 8 lemons from the second year, the tree needs 4 to 5 years to bear fruits commercially.
Lemon yield per acre per tree
The lemon tree produces fruits three to four times a year. The tree produces 60 to 75 fruits per tree from the fifth year. The same tree can produce more than 250 fruits per tree after 7 years. Two hundred fifty trees can be planted in 1 acre, if 1 tree produces 60 fruits then 250 trees x 60 fruits = 15000 fruits are produced per acre. The price of a single lemon is Rs 5 to Rs 12, if the price is only Rs 5 then 15000 fruits x Rs 5 = Rs 75,000 can be obtained as a profit, reducing the estimated cost to Rs 25k then Rs 50,000 is the net profit.
FAQ
How many lemon trees per acre should I plant?
210 to 250 plants per acre are good enough and result in better yield.
What is the lifespan of the lemon trees?
Lemon trees can easily survive for 15- 20 years.
What should be lemon plant spacing?
Normal plant spacing – 4.5 x 4.5 m.
Heavy rainfall area spacing – 5 x 5 m.
How many times lemon tree harvesting takes place in a year?
Harvesting takes place 3 to 4 times a year.
What is the ideal temperature for Lemon cultivation?
25° C to 30° C is the ideal temperature for these trees.
Is lemon farming profitable?
Yes, lemon cultivation is profitable and farmers are generating good income. Most farmers are earning a net profit of Rs 1,71,200 from 1-acre farm by planting 250 trees.
Why lemon tastes sour?
Lemon fruit is sour in taste because it contains 2.26 citric acid along with PH 2.2.
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