Xtremehorticulture

Making Bearss Lime Fruit Larger

Q. I have a Bearss Lime tree that produces small fruit that looks more like lemons than limes. What can I do to make them larger and not yellow but green? Bearss lime fruit which is a Persian lime.https://gardencenterpoint.com/persian-bearss-lime-tree-usda-organic/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAt8WOBhDbARIsANQLp97s4-qWtbHVFj7aiuxxXvsfTMjxhAadSA6uqUn-uavMRAA4XQCTFFsaAjbaEALw_wcB A. Your Bearss lime is classified as a type of Persian lime or sometimes called Tahiti lime. It’s different from other types of limes so make sure you are comparing the same varieties. They make good patio trees if potted and can be moved when it gets too cold. They will freeze any time the air temperature is below freezing. The fruit normally gets between two and 2 ½ inches in diameter. To get large fruit requires removal of about one third of the fruit in about April in a growing operation called thinning. Thinning is removing of some fruit so the remaining fruit get larger. They wont get any larger than they can anyway so removing lots of fruit does not increase the size of the remaining fruit larger than is genetically possible. In the case of Bearss lime, you will not get much larger fruit than about 2 1/2 inches long. The earlier thinning occurs then the larger the remaining fruit. Remove about one third of the fruit if the crop load is heavy. If the crop load is “light”, then you may not have to remove any to get their maximum size. Limes take 3 to 4 months to become ripe. Because the fruit size is smaller than some other citrus, it is harvested earlier, usually sometime in late summer or fall. But if it flowers and sets fruit later in the spring or early summer then the fruit is ready to pick later as well. Bearss lime starting to get overripe on the left. Ready to pick on the right.                                            https://tastylandscape.com/2013/12/26/growing-bearss-lime-tree/ When the fruit is overly ripe it turns yellow like a lemon, and the interior flesh slowly becomes drier and not juicy anymore. The color of the fruit is normally green; dark green when it’s young and turning a lighter green as it nears its harvest time. It’s important to remove it from the tree before it becomes overripe or yellows. If it starts flowering then it is time to finish your fruit removal. Leaving fruit on the tree when it is flowering can interfere with the next fruit cycle. Check the ingredients of a plant tonic to see how much nitrogen fertilizer is being applied with a normal application.  You know the risk involved when growing tender, subtropical citrus in Las Vegas? The perfect climate in the United States for growing citrus is found at the lower elevations in Southern California, Salt River Valley and area around Yuma Arizona, lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and the bottom half of the state of Florida. I’m not against growing citrus here but realize its limitations when grown in this climate. Don’t blame the nursery. You bought it.

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Patio Pepper Plant Needs Enough Light

Q. My patio faces mostly to the west and gets 4-5 hours of shaded/direct sunlight each day.  Will pepper plants in containers work well under these conditions?  I have read that peppers want/need up to 8 hours direct sun each day. A. Direct sunlight requirements for enough hours in a day are not like an “on” and “off” switch. They will get light from indirect sources as well so it is hard to say but you are most likely on the borderline in regards to light for good pepper production. Reflected light from walls will help. Peppers do well in containers provided they have enough light to flower and produce peppers. Mulching peppers with an organic surface mulch like these wood shavings help to shade the soil, keep it cool and preserve soil moisture. When you say this light is shaded/direct that can make a big difference. The amount of shade will have an effect as well. All I can do is to tell you to try it and find out. If they are going to be in containers and the light is coming from one direction, rotate the container so that the plant will get light from different directions. It will grow more evenly that way.  If you are on a patio and there is not enough light from the sun you might be able to supplement that light with a fluorescent light source a few inches above the plant during the morning hours when it is “shaded” or the light is coming from the wrong direction. This might be enough additional light to improve your production or improve flowering.  Our sunlight is pretty intense in the desert. To compensate for sunlight intensity we can, on some plants, give it more light at a lower intensity and achieve what we want from a plant. Just an idea for you to play with.

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