Limequat

How to plant and care for Limequat

Citrus × floridana

🌳 Tree🍓 Fruit 🔁 Perennial

A lime–kumquat cross: small, aromatic, yellow-green fruits that are sharp like lime and eaten skin and all. Compact and hardier than lime.

At a glance: harvest in December.

When to plant and care for it

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Harvest

Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.

Growing Limequat: what it needs

Light
Full sun · 6+ hours a day
Watering
Water when the top 2–3 cm of compost is dry; less in winter
Soil
Free-draining citrus compost · pH 5.5–6.5
Spacing
One per 30 cm pot
Height
1–1.5 m
In pots
Grows well in containers
Feeding
Summer citrus feed spring to autumn; winter citrus feed monthly
Hardiness
USDA zones 9–11

Step by step

  1. On planting day

    Plant the Tree

    Pot into citrus compost in a pot 5 cm wider than the root ball and stand it in the sunniest spot you have.

  2. 0–2 days after “Plant the Tree”

    Water In Deeply

    Soak the root area with a full can, then keep the soil moist (not wet) for the first few weeks.

  3. 7–21 days after “Water In Deeply”

    Mulch the Base

    Spread 5–8 cm of compost or bark mulch in a 1 m circle, keeping it clear of the trunk.

Every year

  • April
    Switch to Summer Feed

    Change to a summer citrus feed with every watering.

  • June
    Move Outside

    Once nights stay above 10°C, move the pot to a sunny, sheltered patio.

  • July
    Check for Scale Insects

    Look under leaves for brown scale and sticky honeydew; wipe off with soapy water.

  • September
    Bring Indoors

    Before the first frost, move the pot to a bright, cool room (10–15°C) and switch to winter citrus feed.

  • December
    Pick Ripe Fruit

    Pick when yellow-green and slightly soft; use like limes in drinks and cooking.

More trees to grow

Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Bjwebb assumed (based on copyright claims). / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)