{"id":1268,"date":"2026-06-05T13:35:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T13:35:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1268"},"modified":"2026-06-05T13:35:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T13:35:36","slug":"can-you-grow-a-lemon-tree-in-low-humidity-colorado-the-answer-might-surprise-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1268","title":{"rendered":"Can you grow a lemon tree in low-humidity Colorado? The answer might surprise you."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>\n
By Michelle Polizzi,<\/strong> Special to The Denver Post<\/em><\/p>\n

Despite our dry environment, you can raise tropical plants with the proper care and conditions.<\/p>\n

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When considering which plants to grow in your Colorado garden, a lemon tree may not be the first that comes to mind. But Troy Cobb, greenhouse manager at Fort Collins Nursery, said citrus and other fruiting tropical plants can actually thrive in our dry conditions.<\/p>\n

All it takes is the right care, at the right time.<\/p>\n

For instance, these heat-loving plants should be kept inside during Colorado winters, with access to ample sunlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re growing them indoors, you need a south window or a west window,\u201d Cobb said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to want as much light as they can get.\u201d<\/p>\n

As spring sets in and daytime temperatures warm, it\u2019s safe to put the citrus plant outside, as long as you slowly ease it into full sun and bring the plant back inside each night.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce the night temperatures in the spring are staying consistently at about 40 (degrees) or more, it can stay outside,\u201d Cobb said.<\/p>\n

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A citrus plant is happiest when it\u2019s outside in the summer, enjoying the season\u2019s strong light and hot temperatures. A plant that\u2019s been outside all summer will also be better suited to withstand the transition into autumn, making it stronger overall.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the late summer and early fall, they\u2019re starting to get used to the big swings in day-to-night temperatures,\u201d Cobb said.<\/p>\n

Eventually, when the cold dips below 40 degrees again, it\u2019ll be time to bring the plant back indoors. However, to avoid transferring problems to your other houseplants during this period, quarantine the citrus and watch for pests. Keep an especially watchful eye out for spider mites, which tend to attack citrus in the winter when our indoor plants are dry.<\/p>\n

Pot size and soil are additional considerations when growing citrus, because the top of the plant grows about three times as fast as the roots. Planting a tree in a pot that\u2019s too big, or in soil that\u2019s too heavy, can cause slow-growing roots to drown.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be in that (original) pot for probably three to five years before it will need to go to another pot, because the roots just grow that slowly,\u201d Cobb said.<\/p>\n

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When you eventually move your citrus to a new pot, remember that the sun is a tropical plant\u2019s best friend. \u201cEvery plant\u2019s going to go through transplant shock, and the more light that the plant has throughout the day, the faster it will bounce back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cobb said every citrus fruit is equally easy to grow in Colorado \u2014 except for calamansi (often known as calamondin), a lime that turns orange and is even more user-friendly than lemons. He has also had success growing mangoes, pineapple guavas and olives in Colorado. He has harvested avocados, too, though these trees need to be quite mature before they produce fruit. Passion fruit is another relatively easy plant to maintain, but as an aggressive-growing vine, it requires ample space.<\/p>\n

Cacao is at the top of the list of tropical plants that Cobb doesn\u2019t recommend. It simply craves too much humidity. It\u2019s also possible to grow miracle fruit, a plant that gets its name from berries that make sour foods taste sweet, though it\u2019s highly susceptible to mealy bugs, another common pest.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the greatest perk to growing citrus is that it can start producing fruit when the plant is still young. Fort Collins Nursery sells citrus in an eight-inch pot \u2014 their smallest fruiting size \u2014 and yields will only continue to increase with time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bigger the plant gets, the more energy it can support, and the more fruit it can make,\u201d Cobb said.<\/p>\n

While a citrus plant is technically self-fertile when outside, bees still play an important role in pollination, which ensures a fruiting plant. If you\u2019re growing a lemon or lime tree indoors, there\u2019s no shame in assuming that responsibility yourself.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet a little paintbrush, kind of swirl it around inside the flower, and go from flower to flower to pick up pollen and move it into the next one,\u201d Cobb said. \u201cYou\u2019ll get a better yield if you actually act like a bee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michelle Polizzi\u00a0is a freelance travel, culture and lifestyle writer based in Denver.<\/em><\/p>\n

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Will the northern lights be visible in Colorado tonight?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When considering which plants to grow in your Colorado garden, a lemon tree may not be the first that comes to mind. But Troy Cobb, greenhouse manager at Fort Collins Nursery, said citrus and other fruiting tropical plants can actually thrive in our dry conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-know"],"yoast_head":"\nCan you grow a lemon tree in low-humidity Colorado? 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