Key Lime

Key Lime trees are very versatile and they can be successfully grown inside the house. If you intend to grow a key lime indoors, you will need to make sure you have the right checklist before starting the journey.

The key lime tree is a small tree that has been adapted from its sister lemon trees. It is very small, comparable to bonsai trees, and usually grown inside the house. If you want one for yourself, it’s best to buy an already developed tree, of around 2 years old. They can be bough in specialized plants stores all over the world.

Once bought, if you did not buy it with a containing recipient, you need to find a suitable one and place the key lime in it after adding a right soil compound. Look for acid soils, very rich in nutrients. A mixed type of soil is the best choice. Do not get cheap when buying soil for you key lime because these plants are quite sensitive to soil conditions. Keep in mind that the tree will be with you for a very long time, so give it the best development settings.

The key lime needs warm environments. Do not get fooled by their green leaves. Although they never loose them and they are always green and shiny, the tree will enter a hibernating state if the temperatures are too low. In this state it can simply stop developing for a while, but if the low temperatures continue, the tree can permanently stop growing and even get harmed. It’s best to keep them at room temperature, in well ventilated rooms.

As all trees, the key lime tree enjoys light. Further more, it needs many light hours each day. Being a tropical plant mix, the key lime did not adapt fully to temperate climates, so cold and dark winter days are not in its menu. In winter, when the day is too short and the sun light is not available, you must turn on an additional light for your plant, for about 12 hours a day, to allow it to grow normally.

Key limes love water. They would love living in a climate with constant short rains. This is why you need to water them lots of times a week. Maybe even every day if the room you keep them in is especially dry! Let them benefit from the calming effects of artificial rain, by spraying it on occasions with water, it really enjoys this.

If you want fruits, then you will need pollination. It’s kind of impossible to let real bugs enter your home and pollinate the key lime. But the tree can not see what is happening it just feels the effects. You can artificially pollinate it by rubbing off pollen from its flowers. Then you can be sure it will reward you with nice key lime fruits.