Ask John Negus
John has been answering reader queries for 50 years
How do I care for my lemon trees?
Q I sowed some lemon pips from a shop-bought lemon. Some germinated and I now have several little trees. What do I do now?
Audrey Taylor, Greenwich, London
A Growing anything from seed is very satisfying, so well done with your lemon trees!
Keep them in a warm, sunny and sheltered spot in summer and pinch out the tops of the stems to make them bush out, unless you want them to grow as standards, the term for lollypop-shaped, rather than bushy, shrubs.
Citrus can be pruned at any time if they are growing in a warm location. In colder regions, they are best pruned between spring and late summer – the earlier the better so the new growth has time to mature before the winter.
If your lemons are in a heated greenhouse or conservatory, it will be fine to prune them now, as they will have time to re-shoot before the shorter, winter days arrive, and
