I have a couple of Meyer lemon trees, and have brought them inside for the winter. I could keep them in the garage, where they would become dormant but would never freeze. I could leave on a couple of CFL lights most of the day to give them at least some light. Or, want I want to do is bring them inside, where they would be kept within 63-71 degrees at all times. Problem is, I don't have a spot available that gets really any direct sun. I have a spot that gets a decent amount of indirect light, a large patio door that faces westwards onto my deck, between two closely-spaced two-story houses. Very closely spaced, I should say. My question is, how should I boost the light they are getting? I need to keep costs down to an absolute minimum (except on electricity, that gets paid out of a different part of the household budget than my little citrus hobby!) I have one 60W "grow bulb" already that is being used to help along some Hawaiian potted plants, but it doesn't really seem to be doing much (those plants are tilting their leaves towards the north-facing window instead of the lamp). If there is no cheap solution, I guess I would be fine with keeping them in the garage and letting them be dormant. In that case do I need to give them any light? (There are no windows in my garage)
If your tree receives the indirect light for 6 plus hours a day, the tree probably does not need to add any additional light. Citrus trees originated in SE Asia as under story trees, growing beneath the taller local trees. A citrus tree, like all trees, utilizes light to produce photosynthates (the trees food source). Therefore, citrus trees are actually a low light species, with a maximum photosynthesis production that maximizes out at 650 PAR. 650 PAR is approximately 1/3 of full sunlight. Keep the root zone at or above 64F and the foliage around 70F and your tree should do fine. - Millet
