Backyard microclimates support tender citruses

Question: I have read your blog extensively. Inspired by you, I have planted a tree from your recommended tree list and another that I don't think is in there, a Meyer lemon. I planted a lemon after seeing other people in the valley having success with it. I would like to know what precautions I should take growing a lemon tree here.

I have not included citrus on my list because it is too cold at the orchard in North Las Vegas to grow citrus. However, there are numerous microclimates in backyards that will support citrus in the Las Vegas Valley. It is not a crop to be grown commercially here, but you certainly can grow a few here and there, including some of the more tender types of citrus.

We have few citrus problems here. The biggest problem is winter cold and freezing or dieback. Fertilize citrus just as you would any of the other fruit trees. Allow lemon fruits to mature into late November and December and then pick them. You should be getting the fruit off of the tree no later than early January, as this may interrupt production for the coming year if you don't.

Bob Morris is a professor emeritus in horticulture with the University of Nevada and can be reached at extremehort@aol.com. Visit his blog at
xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com. For more gardening advice, check the Home section of Thursday's Las Vegas Review-Journal.