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Lemon trees need pots with good drainage and enough room for roots.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

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Lemon trees will put on flower buds and fragrant flowers if they are given good care and adequate light.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

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Even small citrus trees need plenty of bright light. They should be placed in the brightest, sunniest location available and window coverings should be open during the day.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

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When you see forsythia shrubs in bloom, it's time to apply preemergent herbicide.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

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I just bought this lemon bush and I have several questions. It’s a little over 2 feet tall and in a 2-gallon pot. Shall I repot it? How often shall I water and fertilize it? What fertilizer? Direct sun? At what temperature outside can I put it on the deck?

Don’t repot yet. Your lemon tree has already experienced big changes — a new location, different lighting and humidity, and probably a different temperature. The pot size is fine for now. In late April, if the tree is doing well, you can repot into a container about 1 to 2 inches wider.

Make sure the container has good drainage and choose a potting soil that is similar to the current soil.

Water deeply when you water. You should see some water come out the bottom of the container each time you water. Citrus trees don’t tolerate frequent watering. Wait between waterings until the top couple of inches of the soil feels dry. You’ll probably need to water every seven to 10 days indoors.

Once you move your tree outdoors, you tree will probably need to be watered about once or twice a week. A deep, less frequent soak is best. Never leave sitting water in the tray under the pot.

Don’t fertilize now. If you decide to repot, wait a few weeks after repotting before fertilizing. Use an acidifying fertilizer as citrus trees prefer more acidic growing conditions. Fertilize with slow-release fertilizer or at one-half strength with liquid fertilizer once or twice in the summer. Don’t fertilize after late July, and don’t fertilize again throughout the winter. You can fertilize each year beginning in mid-spring.

Bright light is important. Your tree needs about eight hours of bright light each day. Keep your tree in your brightest, sunniest indoor location but away from heat vents.

Your tree has been indoors for quite a while and won’t do well with a sudden change in temperature. The ideal indoor temperature is about 70-75 degrees during the day and about 10 degrees cooler than that at night. Don’t move your tree outdoors until the overnight temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees. In the fall, bring your tree back indoors before the overnight lows drop into the low 50s again.

Transition your tree to outdoor sunlight gradually. Start with several days in bright or dappled shade, then several more days of direct morning sun before moving it into full sun. Mid-to-late afternoon sun may be too intense during the hottest part of the summer, so a couple of hours of afternoon shade may be needed.

Moving you tree outdoors in the late spring and back indoors in the early fall are the most stressful times for your tree. Don’t rush the tree out into the landscape in the spring or leave it out too far into the fall.

With the warm temperatures, I am wondering what date you would suggest for applying a preemergent for grass?

Instead of using your calendar to time your preemergent application, let Mother Nature tell you when it’s time. Weed seeds in your lawn will start to germinate when the soil temperature warms to about 50 to 55, which is when forsythia blooms, too. This will happen sometime between late March and the first half of April.

There are several active ingredient options for preemergent herbicides — some are effective for grassy weeds, others for broadleaf weeds, and some provide moderate to good control of both. You’ll want to make sure that the product you choose is effective for the weeds you’ve been seeing in your own lawn.

Watch the forsythia in your neighborhood and be prepared to apply your preemergent herbicide when you see the shrubs covered in bright yellow blooms.

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