Content
Pavlovsk lemon is the most famous and widespread variety of citrus fruits growing on the windowsill. It was with him that many amateurs began to seriously engage in growing original indoor plants.
It is believed that the variety first appeared in the city of Pavlovo, located on the banks of the Oka. In the 19th century, merchant Ivan Karachistov, who sold metal products, ended up in Turkey on trade business. Having concluded a successful deal, he received lemon cuttings as a gift from his Turkish companions. Karachistov returned to Pavlovo and presented them to his relative, Elagin, who was seriously involved in plant growing. He rooted the cuttings, soon his citrus fruits began to bear fruit, and a few years later in almost every house of Pavlov there were miracle fruits on the windowsills. From that time on, the lemon received the name Pavlovsky and quickly spread throughout Russia. The range of the new plant expanded and became truly popular, since many ordinary people later had a hand in cuttings. They developed and improved the famous variety. Today Pavlovsk lemon looks different and is somewhat different from the original.
Description of the lemon variety Pavlovsky
The amazing biography of the Pavlovsk variety led to its change: many forms appeared that differed from each other. The differences concern the fruits, leaves, and the bush itself.
The Pavlovsk lemon bush usually does not exceed 1.5 m. Its branches hanging down have thorns: green at a young age and brown at a more mature age. The bark of young shoots is green, later becoming grayish-yellow. There are longitudinal cracks on the plant trunk.
The leaves of Pavlovsk lemon are salad green, large, shiny, on short stalks. They vary in size and shape: ovoid, elongated, lanceolate. There are serrations at the top of the leaf.
Pavlovsk lemon is a remontant variety, i.e. it is capable of bearing fruit several times per season. Most often, flowering occurs twice - in early spring and early autumn. The first individual flowers on a plant obtained from a cutting appear in the second year of citrus life. True flowering occurs at the age of four years.
The flowers of Pavlovsk lemon are snow-white, located in the axils of the leaves, 3 cm in diameter, and have a pleasant strong smell. Self-pollinating, flowers are arranged singly or in small inflorescences.
The tree grows well and bears fruit in sunny places and easily tolerates slight shading. Pavlovsk lemon does not like direct sunlight or being outdoors.
The optimal temperature for growth is 20 oC, in winter the indicator can be 5 oC less, with humidity 60 - 70%. If the air is too dry or humidity above 70%, citrus may shed its leaves.
Upon reaching the age of 12 - 15 years, Pavlovsk lemon produces a high yield of fruits: up to 50 pieces weighing 200 g. Specimens weighing 500 g are not uncommon.
The taste and quality of the fruit are excellent.The fruits have juicy pulp with a bright aroma. Their color is yellow, their shape is oval, elongated. The thickness of the peel of the fruits of this variety is average, sometimes thin, up to 3 mm. Its surface varies from smooth to rough and bumpy. Such specimens of Pavlovsk lemons take a long time to ripen and can hang on the branches for a whole year.
Advantages and disadvantages
There is no doubt about the benefits of Pavlovsk citrus fruits. They contain vitamins C and B, minerals. The peel contains vitamin P and substances that can fight microbes. Essential oils reduce the level of “bad cholesterol”, strengthen the immune system, improve memory, relieve fatigue, and fight nausea.
Due to the chemical composition and properties, lemon fruits have a positive effect on the body:
- help reduce high blood pressure;
- help cleanse the liver of toxins;
- fight colds and flu;
- stop the development of infections;
- help reduce stomach pain.
Like citrus fruits grown industrially, the fruits of Pavlovsk lemon, ripened on a windowsill, have these advantages. But growing citrus fruits at home has its advantages, namely:
- easy adaptability of the plant to home conditions;
- repeated flowering of Pavlovsk lemon throughout the year;
- compactness of the tree;
- minimum requirements for pruning and crown formation;
- entry into fruiting already in the third year;
- high quality fruits;
- good harvest.
The plant has virtually no disadvantages, so the variety has remained in demand for centuries. With proper care of the Pavlovsk lemon, observing the temperature and humidity conditions, it grows and bears fruit without problems.
How does a lemon reproduce?
Growing Pavlova lemon from seeds requires patience. The harvest can only be expected after 15 years. For propagation, you should choose seeds from a well-bearing tree. They must be sown immediately after extraction from the fruit. If the seed has already dried out, then it is soaked in warm water for 24 hours.
The pre-prepared substrate should contain humus and sand in a ratio of 2 to 1. A small pot is filled with the soil mixture, compacted, and Pavlovsk lemon seeds are placed in grooves 1.5 cm deep at a distance of 4 cm from each other. Sprinkle and moisten using a spray bottle. Shoots appear after a month and a half. Up to three sprouts can hatch from a seed. They leave one, the strongest one, and remove the weak ones. At the stage of 4 - 5 leaves, seedlings dive one at a time into the pot, without deepening the neck. Pavlovsk lemons grown from seeds bear their first fruits in 10 - 15 years. You can speed up the process by forming a crown and creating optimal humidity, lighting, and fertilizing, but the difference will be insignificant.
Fruiting will occur in three years if the seedling is grafted with a cutting taken from a Pavlovsk lemon that is already bearing fruit. Grafted seedlings are hardy and develop well.
The most popular propagation method is cuttings. They take root better if cut in early spring. Planting material is taken from a woody branch. A cutting 5 mm thick and 10 cm long with 5 leaves is cut at an angle with a sharp knife from a healthy fruit-bearing tree. The cut is treated with a growth stimulator. Next, the cutting is placed vertically in the soil of the greenhouse, deepening it by 1.5 cm. While maintaining the temperature at 20 oWith regular moistening, roots appear in two weeks.After a month and a half, the plant can be planted in a permanent place. With proper care, lemons from Pavlovo begin to bloom within a year and bear fruit after 3 to 5 years.
Propagation by cuttings gives quick and high-quality results, while all the properties of the mother plant are preserved; grafting is not required. The method is not labor-intensive and does not require any special expenses.
Pavlovsk lemons are rarely bred with seeds, since it takes a month and a half to sprout. In the future, the seedling must be grafted or wait for fruits for a decade and a half. The vaccine does not always take root. It requires a varietal scion.
Landing rules
Rooted cuttings are transplanted into separate 0.5 liter clay pots. There is no need to pinch the roots when planting; at their ends there is mycorrhiza - a symbiotic formation of fungi and roots. Long rhizomes are twisted into a spiral and placed on the bottom of the pot, sprinkled with soil mixture. The seedling grows quickly; it must be replanted annually by transshipment.
The operation is carried out in acidified soil. It is completely changed, the rotten roots are trimmed, drainage is increased, new soil is poured and Pavlovsk lemon is planted in it.
Transshipment is carried out according to the following rules:
- The earthen ball is not disturbed, but only the soil mixture is added.
- The root collar should be at ground level or 1 cm below.
- Choose a pot 2 cm larger than the previous one.
- Water with warm water.
- Broken brick or coal is used as drainage.
Growing Pavlovsk lemons at home
In comfortable conditions, with proper care, Pavlovsk lemon in an apartment produces a good harvest of fruits.
Pruning of the plant is carried out as necessary so as not to weaken it. An old tree is rejuvenated in this way.As a result of the operation, life expectancy and fruiting time increase. Pruning is carried out according to the rules:
- pinching and pruning are carried out throughout the growing season;
- you should start with the trunk, shortening it by no more than 20 cm;
- shoots of the first order are shortened by 25 cm, of the second - by 10 cm.
Young trees are watered more often than older ones. In summer, Pavlovsk lemon is irrigated at the root and the leaves are sprayed. In winter, moisturizing is carried out less frequently. The water should be warm and settled. The best time to water is morning or evening.
If the leaves on the lemon turn yellow and fall off, it means it needs feeding. The time for applying fertilizers is from winter to autumn. At the age of two years, the plant needs phosphorus-potassium fertilizers once every 2 weeks.
The shade tolerance of Pavlovsk lemon depends on air temperature and humidity. In winter, it is placed closer to the window and provides additional lighting for several hours. Finding a lemon on a sunny window can end in disaster: it will burn and lose its leaves. The best place for citrus is the middle of the room with diffused light.
Pavlova lemon loves warmth. Development requires a temperature of about 20 oC, in winter it is reduced to 12 oC. The plant does not like sudden changes in temperature.
Pavlovsk lemon has high requirements for soil and air moisture. The soil should not be waterlogged or overdried. Optimal air humidity is 70%. When it drops to 55%, citrus fruits feel discomfort. Caring for Pavlovsk lemon at home in winter and summer consists of maintaining the proper microclimate. The trees are sprayed twice a week, a plate of water is placed under them, the room is ventilated, and an air humidifier is used.
Pests and diseases of Pavlovsk lemon
When Pavlovsk lemon leaves become bent, curled, flowers, ovaries and buds fall off, it means that it has been attacked by pests:
- aphids;
- whiteflies;
- thrips
- scale insects;
- spider mites.
The most reliable method of protection is insecticidal preparations.
Pavlova lemon is susceptible to a number of diseases:
- powdery mildew;
- anthracnose;
- spotting;
- gommosa.
Fitosporin is used for control, but viral diseases are cured with great difficulty.
Conclusion
Pavlovsk lemon begins to ripen in November. The process lasts about 200 days. Fully ripe citrus has a bright yellow color. It is not necessary to pick all the fruits: their appearance on the tree pleases the eye and lifts your spirits.
The variety has undergone many changes during its existence. The initial option is difficult to find, but the lemon from Pavlovo deserves respect: it’s not for nothing that a monument to this exotic fruit was erected in the city on the Oka River.
