When to plant lemons in Rawalpindi

Why these dates

Container plants want a bright, cool but frost-free winter - a conservatory or an unheated porch is better than a warm living room, where the combination of heat and low light drops leaves.

The least cold-tolerant of the widely grown citrus. Damage begins around -2C and a night at -3C will defoliate a tree.

Lemons are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Rawalpindi has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Rawalpindi is zone 10a, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

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