Blossoms on Lemon Trees | 4 Tips for More Flowers and Fruit

Lemon trees will blossom from spring all the way into summer.  Growing lots of blossoms on lemon trees will increase the production of fruit as there is a higher chance flowers will be pollinated.

Grow more blossoms on lemon trees by making sure the plant is well watered. Add iron chelates to the tree each spring along with trace elements and pelleted chicken manure.

Lemon trees with the range of nutrients they need will grow lots of flowers. Bees will come to pollinate the flowers or you can hand pollinate them with a small paint brush or cotton bud. Simply move the pollen from one flower to another to increase pollination rates. This is important for indoor plants without access to insects.

This article will explore how to get more lemon tree blossoms to bloom and develop into fruit. These easy tips will help your tree to increase its production across the year.

How to grow more blossoms on lemon trees

There are some easy things you can do at home to increase the number of blossoms on your lemon trees. Follow these easy steps for more flowers and fruit.

1. Place trees in a full sun position

Full sun is essential for as many flowers as possible on your lemon tree. When planting your lemon tree in to your yard, look for a position at least 6 feet away from walls, your house and other trees. Overhanging trees can shade the lemon tree reducing blossom growth.

Potted lemon trees can be moved to a full sun position in spring and summer to increase blossom growth. Move them into a protected position in fall and winter to keep them covered and away from frosts.

2. Give your lemon tree a fruit fertilizer

If you have lots of leaf growth but no flowers, add a fruit and flower promoting fertilizer. These will be lower in nitrogen and higher in phosphorus and potassium. This will help the lemon tree to develop strong stems and will encourage it to flower.

3. Follow a regular fertilizing regime

Keep lemon trees healthy throughout the year to prepare it to grow lots of blossoms and fruit. The way that I like to fertilize lemon trees is with pelleted chicken manure at the start of each season. Giving the tree iron chelates and trace elements in spring will ensure that it has the nutrients it needs for the year to replace those used up when producing flowers and fruit.

If you find that the plant is growing lots of leaves and no flowers, that is when a fruit promoting fertilizer can be added to the tree. Lots of leaf growth and no flowers mean that the plant is getting too much nitrogen and therefore is prioritizing leaf growth rather than flowers and fruit.

Adding a fruit promoting fertilizer will just tip the balance, decreasing the nitrogen to phosphorus to potassium ratio and will encourage blooming.

4. Regular water

Regular water is essential for more blossoms on lemon trees. If the plant gets too dry, the plant won’t bloom or it can drop the flowers it has grown.

Deep water lemon trees every week in summer. Cover the root zone with a 2-3 inch layer of bark mulch to keep the water in. You can reduce the amount of water to once every 2 weeks in spring and fall and once per month in winter when growth has slowed.

When lemon trees blossom

Lemon trees can bloom from spring into summer. The first flowers can appear in the middle of spring and then the tree can produce a second flush of blooms in summer after the first crop.

You can pick the lemons regularly to encourage the plant to continue to grow flowers and produce fruit all the way into fall.

Letting lemon trees blossom in their first year

You will need to decide whether you let your tree blossom in its first year. If you remove the first year flowers the tree will focus its energy on growing a stronger roots system, branches and more leaves. This will set the tree up to grow lots of fruit throughout its life.

In the first year the plant can produce a few lemons but pinching the flowers off is the best way to increase the flower and fruit production in the long term.

Lemon trees will start to grow flowers and fruit after they are 3 years old.

Another option is to allow the tree to naturally produce flowers and fruit in its first year. It is likely that the crop will be small but it can be worth it if you have waited for 1-2 years for the first fruit. For me I will be leaving my first flowers on my new lemon tree.

Why lemon trees will drop flowers

All lemon trees will grow more flowers than they can develop into full sized fruit. Sometimes the flowers will drop off, other times the fruit will develop and drop off when they are small. The amount of fruit a lemon tree can hold will depend on the health of its root system, stems, nutrients in the soil and regular water.

Lemon trees can also drop flowers if they are not pollinated. The flower will turn brown and drop off rather than forming tiny lemons. To increase pollination rates, plant lemon trees in a full sun position and plant some companion flowers to attract insects.

For more on choosing companion plants for lemon trees, check out my previous article here: Lemon Tree Companion Plants | 15 Flowers, Fruit and Herbs

Blossoms on Lemon Trees | Summary

Lemon trees will grow blossoms in spring and continue to flower all the way into summer and even into fall if the weather stays warm. Encourage more blossoms on lemon trees by planting them in a full sun position, feeding them well throughout the year and giving them regular water.

Happy growing.