What is good about the Panderosa lemon variety and why is it worth growing?

Panderosa lemon is one of the most unpretentious citrus fruits. The characteristics of the hybrid make it an ideal option for growing at home. The culture is distinguished by its unpretentiousness in care and resistance to a number of negative factors, which often manifest themselves when growing at home.

The Panderosa lemon is attractive not only because of its unpretentiousness. The plant is capable of producing its first harvest already 3 years after planting. In addition, during flowering, the tree produces dozens of fragrant and beautiful inflorescences, which creates a unique atmosphere of an indoor flower garden.

How to grow this miracle at home and what every gardener should know about this hybrid - read on.

general description

Lemon Panderosa is a cross between citron, grapefruit and lemon. There are two versions of its origin. According to one of them, the hybrid was the result of natural crossing of these plants. According to another, he was brought out by the gardener Bowman.

This is interesting! The word “Panderosa” is translated from Latin as “heavy.”

It is believed that the Panderosa lemon became the ancestor of some other hybrids. Among them: Yuzhny, Kiev lemon, Skiernevitsky.

Main characteristics

Panderosa, for all its unpretentiousness, has impressive characteristics. The lemon hybrid bears fruit abundantly, the tree looks decorative both in a pot and in open ground.

Characteristics of Panderosa:

1. Crown. A small bush that does not grow higher than 2 m in open ground.In a pot, the height of the plant does not exceed 1 m. The crown is compact and easy to shape. The branches are thick and strong. The bark of young shoots is smooth and bright green. On old branches it takes on a grayish tint and is covered with small cracks. There are no thorns on young trees, but with age they grow on the trunk and skeletal branches.
2. Leaves. Bright green, glossy, round or oval. The edges are smooth, without jagged edges. Leaf blades are large, dense and hard. Located on short petioles with wings. The average lifespan of each leaf is 3 years.
3. Bloom. Abundant. Inflorescences are formed not only at the ends of the shoots, but also on the trunk and young branches. They often appear a year after planting on seedlings. The flowers are white or cream, sometimes with pinkish edges. They emit a delicate sweetish aroma. The flowers are bisexual and do not require artificial pollination.
4. Fruiting. Abundant. One plant often produces more than 10 fruits.
5. Fruit. Large, pear-shaped or rounded. The weight of one specimen varies from 400 to 1000 g. The peel is thick, pale yellow, with pronounced tuberosity. It tastes bitter, has a citrus aroma. The pulp is not too juicy, sour, without bitterness, and tastes pleasant. Suitable for consumption. There are a lot of seeds in the pulp.
6. Transportability. High. The thick rind of the fruit protects it from damage.

Resistance to negative factors

Panderosa is valued for its ability to adapt to some factors negative for lemons, which are often present in the apartment.

Among them:

1. Drought resistance. If there is insufficient air humidity, the plant will not die.Also, unlike other lemons, Panderosa will not shed its leaves if it is not watered for 1-2 days.
2. Cold resistance. The plant can withstand short-term cold snaps down to –10°C. In winter, the hybrid feels great at temperatures from +2 to +10°C.
3. Ability to bloom and bear fruit without winter dormancy. This is one of the few lemon hybrids for which it is not necessary to look for a cool room in winter.

Panderosa lemon has no pronounced immunity to diseases and pests. The plant also begins to hurt when there are sudden changes in temperature.

Growing in the natural environment and at home

Panderosa is a dwarf lemon, since the maximum height of an adult plant of 2 m is considered small for citrus fruits. The tree looks compact both in the garden and at home. Flower growers often form a decorative spherical crown shape.

The hybrid is not grown to produce fruit for sale. This is due to the fact that the taste of its thick-skinned fruits is quite controversial - there are varieties that produce fruits with more impressive taste characteristics.

Often Panderosa grow in gardens and at home as an ornamental plant. Its fruits are eaten, but the plant is of greatest value during the flowering period.

Note! During a season, there are often 2-3 periods of tree flowering. Already in mid-summer, the plant simultaneously contains ripened and unripe fruits, ovaries and inflorescences.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Panderosa is popular among those who like to grow citrus fruits as indoor plants. This is due to the presence of a number of advantages in the hybrid:

• short stature;
• crown compactness;
• resistance to dry air;
• cold resistance;
• earlier fruiting;
• abundant flowering several times per season;
• high productivity;
• large fruit;
• self-pollinating.

Wood also has disadvantages. It is because of them that it is not grown on an industrial scale:

• thick, bitter peel;
• not particularly juicy pulp;
• the need to control the number of inflorescences;
• lack of immunity.

This is interesting! Panderosa lemons contain less vitamin C than varieties whose fruits have thin skins and a more pronounced aroma.

Reproduction methods

Panderosa is a hybrid. It cannot be grown generatively. The seed material will produce a game bird that rarely retains its parental characteristics.

Indoor lemon propagated by cuttings, which are cut from a fruit-bearing tree. It is important that the mother plant is strong and hardy and has no traces of diseases or pests.

To obtain planting material, the strongest one-year-old branches are selected. 10-15 cm retreat from their edge. At least 3 living buds should remain on the segment. They are cut from the tree at a slight angle. The cut areas are treated with garden varnish.

Before planting, the cuttings are prepared - soaked for 2 hours in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate, and then for 2 days in Heteroauxin or Kornevin. This will speed up the rooting process and prevent the development of diseases.

Mix the soil for lemon yourself. To do this, take garden soil, humus and sand in equal proportions. The mixture is calcined in the oven or poured over with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Drainage must be poured into the bottom of the container. Expanded clay, broken ceramics or small crushed stone are suitable. Drainage is disinfected using the same methods as soil.

It is convenient to use a cut bottle to root the cuttings. Its upper part is used as a greenhouse, and the lower part as a container for planting cuttings.

A layer of drainage is placed at the bottom of the container. The rest of the volume is filled with soil. The cuttings are planted to a depth of 3 cm, watered and covered with the top of the bottle.

The seedling is placed in a semi-shaded, warm place. Every day it is watered, sprayed and ventilated by unscrewing the bottle cap for 15 minutes.

When the root system of the lemon fills the entire jar, the plant is dived into a larger pot.

Growing technology

Caring for lemons at home should be correct and regular. This is the only way the plant will develop and bear fruit correctly.

Optimal conditions

Optimal conditions for the full growth and development of the Panderosa hybrid:

1. Temperature. The air temperature in the room where lemon is grown should vary between +16...+25°C. During flowering, the optimal temperature is considered to be +19…+21°C. If it is warmer, the tree will be less likely to set fruit. In winter, it is recommended to move the lemon to a room with a temperature of +10...+12°C.
2. Lighting. The plant is placed on a southwest or southeast window sill. There is enough light in the morning and evening, and the sun's rays will not burn the leaves during the day. The Panderosa hybrid does not require lighting in winter.
3. Humidity. The ideal humidity for lemon is 70%. Every day in the warm season the tree is sprayed with a spray bottle. In winter, this is done if the lemon grows in a room with heating devices. Or place a humidifier or a container of water nearby.

The Panderosa lemon tree, unlike many other citrus trees, does not require a period of winter dormancy.

Advice! If it is not possible to place the lemon in a cool room in winter or provide it with additional lighting, it is recommended to move the tree to a south-facing window sill.

Further care

In order for a lemon to quickly develop, bloom and bear fruit, it is important to properly care for it. A detailed description of the growing process is presented in the list:

1. Formation. When the main trunk reaches a height of 20 cm, its top is broken off to stimulate the formation of side shoots. Branches from 1st to 5th order are shortened by a third after they are one year old.
2. Bloom. If the Panderosa hybrid bloomed before the third year of life, all inflorescences are cut off. In subsequent years, only the inflorescences on the trunk and on underdeveloped new shoots are cut off. Flowers slow down the development of the tree crown. There is no need to artificially pollinate flowers.
3. Fruiting. It is recommended to remove the ovaries until the tree is 4 years old. For the 4th year, 2-4 fruits are left on the plant. Further, the ovaries are not cut off.
4. Watering. Lemon is watered daily during the hot season. This is done with warm, settled water, in the morning or evening, when the sun is not active. In winter, the amount of watering is reduced to 2 times a week,
5. Feeding. Due to the abundant flowering and fruiting, the hybrid is demanding when it comes to feeding. They are applied every week, alternating organic and mineral fertilizers. Mineral products must contain phosphorus and potassium (buy special complex fertilizers for citrus fruits or a solution of 1 tablespoon of ash in 1 liter of water). Rotted manure or humus diluted 1:10 with water is usually used as organic matter.
6. Transshipment. Transshipment continues until the first fruiting. To replant a lemon tree, it, along with a lump of earth, is removed from the pot.Remove drainage, top 2 cm of soil and rotten roots. Drainage is poured into the bottom of the new container and a lemon is installed. The free space is filled with soil, which is compacted and watered.
7. Transfer. After the first fruiting, the lemon begins to be replanted once every 2-3 years. To do this, water the plant abundantly and remove it from the pot. All dried and rotten roots, most of the soil and drainage are removed from the tree. Replant into a new pot with fresh soil and drainage.
8. Soil replacement. When the tree reaches the desired size, replanting is stopped. Every year, the top layer of soil in which salts accumulate is simply removed.
9. Cleaning. To prevent disease, lemon leaves are wiped every week with a damp, clean cloth. Every month the plant is washed in the shower.

Possible problems

It happens that problems arise when growing Panderosa. The most common of them are presented in the list:

1. The tree does not tolerate sudden temperature changes. It begins to hurt, drop fruits and leaves. If it is taken outside for the summer, then the tree is gradually accustomed to the new conditions, first by taking it out for several hours, then for the whole day, then for a day. This is also done if the lemon is going to be taken out to a cold place for the winter. The tree is brought into the house when the temperature indoors and outdoors are equal.
2. Panderosa transplants are necessary. This plant blooms and bears fruit profusely and consumes a lot of useful substances. In 1-2 years, the soil in which it grows becomes so poor that fertilizing no longer helps, since the composition of the soil changes completely. Only replanting into fresh soil will correct the situation.
3. If a tree suddenly stops bearing fruit, it is worth giving it a cold winter.Although it is believed that the hybrid is not demanding of dormancy, such rest is likely to activate abundant flowering and the formation of a large number of ovaries in the spring.

Harvesting and application

Panderosa fruits are removed from the tree when their color becomes uniformly yellow. Lemons should be dense and large. Some people prefer green lemons that have not yet turned yellow - they can also be eaten.

The pulp of the fruit is eaten without peel. The zest of this fruit is also used in cooking.

Reviews

Reviews from gardeners about Panderosa lemon are mixed. Everyone talks about the unpretentiousness and beauty of the plant, but not everyone likes the taste of its fruits.

Andrey, Taganrog: “I grow different varieties of lemons at home, I already have a whole collection. Panderosa also grows on the windowsill. A very beautiful plant, especially if you give it a spherical shape. I tried it both with and without wintering, I didn’t notice much of a difference. It blooms beautifully and abundantly. I don’t pick off the inflorescences, so there are few of them. The fruits are as big as in the photo. I like their taste."

Ksenia, Moscow: “I have a Panderosa growing on my windowsill, which I once bought at a flower shop. A truly unpretentious plant. Sometimes I forget to water it or feed it at the wrong time, but it still grows and produces beautiful pods. They don't taste bad, but they aren't super tasty either. It will go with tea. I grow it not for its fruits, but for its beautiful flowering, which lasts from spring to autumn.”

Oleg, Belgorod: “Panderosa is a tree for beginners. It will not surprise you with super tasty and aromatic fruits, but it will delight you with beautiful flowering and early fruiting. At the same time, minor mistakes and the absence of phytolamps will be forgiven.”

Conclusion

Lemon Panderosa is one of the most unpretentious representatives of citrus plants. The hybrid is not afraid of dry air, cold weather and lack of light. Able to do without rest in winter. Even a novice citrus grower who does not have special equipment can cope with its cultivation.

At the same time, the plant is demanding regarding watering and soil composition. It must be regularly watered, fed and replanted. The reward for such simple procedures will be beautiful flowering and unusual large fruits.