I received a beautiful myer lemon tree for a Christmas present - we kept "Fred" inside with a southern exposure until summer arrived (and then placed him outside where he gets a southeastern exposure). He had beautiful white fragrant blossoms (while inside this past spring) ..and at one point had about 35 small tiny green preemie fruit. Most fell off, but 5 remained on the tree and have lived happily there for about 6 months...they are the size of most store limes...and the color of them as well!!! When should they turn yellow...should I pick one and cut it open? From what I have read, it should take 6 months...it has been that! The lime-ons are firm (but not hard) to touch...with the firmness you would find on a lime in the grocery store. I have a funny feeling "Fred" may be a "fraud"....what do you think???
Leave the fruit alone. The fruit will expand in size as it matures and begins to change color. Your fruit should mature this fall. A fully mature Meyer Lemon is orange in color, not yellow. However, you can pick and use the fruit before it completes it's orange coloration. - Millet
Thank you...for future reference, about how long should it take for the fruit to completely ripen? (do "real" lemon trees take this long...seems the key lime trees I grew up with in Florida didn't take this long!).
Leave the fruit alone unless you wish to use it before it's ripe. An unripe lemon tastes somewhat like a lime. A ripe lemon is yellow and somewhat sweeter. You can test your taste by picking some green lemons and placing them in the crisper of your frig. And leave some on the tree to yellow. Do a taste test using a yellow lemon an green lemon. Dale
I have not gotten a Meyer from my tree yet (I do have 1 set), but from what I have read on this forum they taste best when they first start to turn from green to yellow--and get a little off taste when they turn orange. I have had lots of Lisbon lemons from my tree, I started picking them to use for lemonade in August (actually--the dog knocked it off and I decided to try it)--I picked the last one from last year about the first of June this summer. They did develop more of that lemon taste when they started to turn yellow (around Dec), but if I had waited until then, I would never have been able to use them all--and lemonade is best in the summer! I picked the first of this years crop today (green).
I don't have any in pots, but I do have some in the ground. They usually start to turn yellow in mid - late October. As Skeeter said they get a off flavor if you leave them intil they start to turn orange. Mine will get to the size of large store bought lemons to as large as baseballs... Heres a few.
Lazz: Your photos are the best. You have a VERY GREEN Thumb. Have you ever tested growing semi topicals other than citrus.. Dale
