You cannot expect fruits from every plant since they have different time schedules for commencing fruiting.
You will find fruits in additional years when you plant fruit trees in your garden. It depends on your tree’s type and fruiting nature. Also, your care will play another crucial role in fruiting. In short, you can’t expect to have fruits soon from your fruit trees.
When do lime trees produce fruit?
The lime trees produce fruit after five to six years of planting. Let’s say you plant lime trees today in your garden. You will get the lime after 5 to 6 years, although your care, atmosphere, and other factors will affect this time duration. Lime tree type will also play a key role in fruiting.
You must have patience, plan, and care to enjoy the fruits from your trees since they are unpredictable.
Some fruit trees might take more than 7-8 years to start fruiting, but once they start fruiting, they will give you more fruits than the previous year. It’s very difficult to wait for that long time & expect to have some good fruit from that tree.
The lime tree takes more than five years to produce the fruits, which might seem too long. You may plan to have some fruit trees for your child and grandchild, who will love to eat some fresh fruits from your garden.
It’s not like you will not enjoy it, but the ultimate goal and plan will help you.
Some will give you fruit sooner than others, whereas the regular lime tree will take a very long time. Besides, you may follow some tips to get your lime fruits soon.
We will explain those tips and go through every type of lime tree to give you a clear picture of the fruiting system. It will also help you track your decision and know what you must do and which lime tree is the best solution. So, let’s get through the four different types of lime trees.
Regular lime tree:
The regular lime tree will take 5-6 years to produce fruit since they have slow growth and will follow the regular fruiting system.
If you plant the regular lime tree, you must consider 5 to 6 years to get your first lime. However, once you get your first lime, it will give you more limes next year. That’s a good thing about late fruiting trees.
Key lime tree:
You will get fruits earlier fr key lime trees than other regular lime trees. If you plant a small tree and take proper care, your essential lime tree will give you fruits after one year.
The key lime tree will typically produce fruits after three years, but the exact time will vary.
Dwarf lime tree:
Here comes another best lime tree that will take a short time to produce limes. Typically, the dwarf lime tree will produce fruit after 6 to 9 months of blooming flowers.
Some trees will take one year to bloom flowers; others might take six months. It means the dwarf lime tree will produce fruit in a short time.
Persian lime tree:
The Persian lime tree might take 3-6 years to produce fruits initially, but the perfect fruits or regular fruits will be available from 8-10 years of planting.
When you plant a Persian lime tree, you must have that patience to get full fruit from your tree. If you take care of your lime tree, it may give you fruit after three years.
Things to know about lime tree fruiting:
You should know these three things to get your lime tree fruiting.
The months of the year when lime trees produce fruit:
May-June & November-December are the months of the year when lime trees have fruit, but the time might vary because the lime tree can produce fruit in both the may-June season or in the November-December months.
Frequency of fruit production each year:
The regular lime tree will produce fruit two times a year. It means that the frequency of fruit production each year is two.
May & June is the first time you will get the lime fruits, and November-December is the second time you will get some limes. These are the two times you will get fruits from your lime tree.
Amount of limes produced from a tree each year:
You will get 30 to 50 pounds of lime from a mature lime tree, but this amount will be different if you have a new lime tree that starts producing 20 to 30 pounds of lime a year.
To get 50 or more pounds of lime fruits from your lime tree, you must wait for 6 to 8 years.
What causes a lime tree not to bear fruit?
You will get the below reasons that cause a lime tree not to bear fruits. They are:
Insufficient Fertilizer:
To provide appropriate care for lime trees, it is necessary to provide an even distribution of various nutrients. The inability of a lime tree to produce flowers and fruit due to a deficiency in particular types of nutrients is one possibility.
When lime trees are being fertilized, they require not only a substantial quantity of nitrogen but also phosphorus and, on occasion, an increase in the overall degree of acidity present in the soil.
Regarding fertilizing lime trees, phosphorus is one of the most crucial nutrients for the plant because it produces blooms.
Low Temperature:
One piece of knowledge about lime trees that is not often recognized is that for the trees to blossom, they require a higher temperature than their other citrus relatives do.
It is possible that the lime tree is not producing blossoms because the temperature was lower this year compared to last year or because there are new shade objects that are blocking the sun.
It will be easier to address the issue if you ensure that the lime tree receives as much sunlight as possible, perhaps by using light reflectors.
Drainage/ Watering Issue:
When you take care of lime trees, you should be aware that for them to thrive, they require adequate drainage and continuous rainfall.
If the tree is subjected to excessive moisture, it will first shed its blooms and, subsequently, its leaves. If the lime tree inconsistently receives water, it will be unable to develop blossoms and finally shed its leaves.
Environmental Stress:
Sometimes, for no apparent reason, a lime tree will stop producing blooms for an entire year. The tree may store energy for the following year, or minor environmental stress may resolve itself over time.
You should fix the problems you can, then watch your lime tree for an entire year to see if it will recover.
Tips for encouraging fruiting on lime trees:
You must follow the below tips for encouraging fruiting on lime trees. They are:
Proper Sunlight:
You should allow the lime trees to get direct sunlight at least 5 hours a day.
It’s better to plant the lime fruit tree under direct sunlight to get enough nutrients from the sun and produce healthy limes through the cycle. If you plant the lime trees under a shadowy area, it will become a mess for you.
Proper sunlight will also keep your lime tree fit and allow it to grow naturally yearly.
Sound Draining System:
Your garden must have a sound draining system to ensure perfect water flow without clogs.
Your lime trees will need regular water to keep their growth, but the stand–by-water will damage the lime tree’s health and may ruin the lime root.
So, the draining system must be sound, and you should always have some drain between your plants so that the rainwater can leave that area soon. Otherwise, the lime will not grow, and it will not encourage the production of fruit soon.
Remove Weeds & provide Fertilizer:
Once you plant your lime trees, you should remove the growing weeds and provide enough organic fertilizer to encourage the lime trees to start producing fruits sooner.
It will take a few months to begin growing and fruiting. Before that, you must start using organic fertilizer.
If you allow the weeds to encompass the surrounding areas, they will ruin the lime tree growth and will not allow it to take nutrients from the soil.
So, you must have a routine to clean the lime trees’ surroundings and provide organic fertilizer to enhance the growth and encourage the trees to start fruiting.
Final thoughts
Usually, the regular lime trees start producing fruits after 5 to 6 years of planting. Some lime trees might take 8 years to start fruiting and reach maturity. Once the lime trees start fruiting, you will get more fruits from the following year. It’s a common characteristic of lime trees.