With this ingredient you already have in the kitchen, you can give new life to the lemons on the balcony in an easy and natural way.
Those who have a lemon in the pot know it: at the beginning everything seems simple, then the doubts arrive. The leaves become pale, the flowers are counted on the fingers of one hand and fruits … well, those seem like a mirage. We immediately think of expensive fertilizers, specific products, but maybe the answer is closer than it seems. Often it is forgotten that plants, like people, react well to simple but targeted gestures. Maybe there is no need to make great purchases, nor rely on complicated solutions. Sometimes it is enough to observe better, understand what is really missing from the plant, and act accordingly.
Incredible to say, but just open the pantry. There, between forgotten bottles and everyday ingredients, an unsuspected ally is hidden. No magic formula, just a small trick that many neglect. Sometimes, plants just need a simple gesture to return to shine. With time and a pinch of patience, even the most suffering lemon can return to live.
White vinegar for lemons on the balcony: an unexpected but effective remedy
Who would have thought that a little vinegar could do so good for lemons? Still, the bond is there and works. The white wine vinegar, in addition to flavoring the salad, has a particularity: it makes the soil more acidic, just as lemons like. Yes, because these plants don’t get along with too alkaline soils. When the ground is unbalanced, the nutrients remain there, but the plant cannot absorb them. The result? Drawing leaves, slow growth, blooms that stop before you even start. But with a soil just more acidic, things change. The lemon begins to react, the leaves resume color, some flowers are courage … in short, we return to hope.
How to use it? Simple: a spoonful of vinegar diluted in a liter of water. It waters once a month, preferably in spring or summer. But be careful: no excesses. Vinegar is useful, but like everything, it must be dosed with measure. Too much acidity and there is a risk of obtaining the opposite effect. And if one wonders if it is really so miraculous, just think that this same makeup is also used with hydrangeas and blueberries. It is not a legend from improvised gardeners, it really works.
Lemons on the balcony: when the waste becomes green allies
Who would have said that among the things that end up in the garbage every day they hide real treasures for our lemon? Still, some cooking waste can turn into natural, effective and free fertilizers. Just know which to use and how. You don’t need to have green thumb, just a pinch of curiosity and desire to experiment. And maybe, with a little luck, you can also reduce waste in the house.
Here are some of the most useful waste to be recycled for lemon:
- Banana peels: rich in potassium and phosphorus, they are perfect for promoting flowering.
- Coffee funds: they contain nitrogen and improve the growth of the leaves.
- Shattered egg shells: natural football source, excellent for strengthening the roots.
- Vegetable cooking water (not salty): a mix of mineral salts often underestimated.
The golden rule? Don’t overdo it. A little at a time, with Constance. Better a small but continuous gesture than an excessive dose all at once.
Care tricks that really make the difference
In addition to home remedies, there are those details that often underestimate themselves. Instead, they are the ones who make the difference. The sun, to begin with: the lemons needed full light, at least six hours a day. If they are too much in the shade, they go out. Literally.
Then there is water. Never too much, never too little. The soil must be humid, not soup. And the fertilization? In the hot months, every two weeks with something light goes more than well.
What about pruning? There is no need to distort everything. Just eliminate the dry or crooked branches, give the hair, let the plant breathe. Sometimes it is enough to cut little to get a lot.
One last thing, which many forget: the vase. If it is too small, the plant suffocates. Every now and then, a controlled at the roots does not hurt. Maybe it’s time to repot.
And in winter? Better to protect it from the cold. Just a breathable sheet or a sheltered corner. With little, the plant is prevented from being suffering.
In short, no magic. Just a little attention, some recovery ingredients and a pinch of patience.
And maybe that dried half a lemon, forgotten on the balcony, will return to give perfume, color and, who knows, even some juicy fruit.
Photo © Stock.adobe
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