| I have a 12-year-old citron tree that I started from a seed and grown as a bonsai. How do I get it to bloom and maybe even bear fruit? |
| All types of Citrus make wonderful indoor plants, and while they can be quite finicky about flowering and fruiting, their fragrance makes them worth the effort. To encourage flowering, keep your plant where temperatures remain between 50 and 60 degrees Fat night, fertilize once a month, alternating between a 20-20-20 and a high-phosphorus fertilizer, and maintain about 50 percent humidity by placing the pot on stones in a tray of water. If you can move your plant outdoors in the spring and summer, the bees can help with pollinating the flowers. Otherwise it's up to you to hand pollinate by removing the pollen with a soft brush and dusting the center of the flowers. I hope this works for you. For special help with bonsai culture, contact theAmerican Bonsai Society, c/o Patricia DeGroot, P.O. Box 1136, Puyallup, WA 98371-1136, (206) 841-8992. |
