- 1). Plant a lime tree on the south or southeast side of the house to give it some cold protection, according to the Texas Cooperative Extension.
- 2). Provide the lime tree with good, well-drained soil to maximize growth and production. Heavy clay soils or poorly drained soils reduce growth and production. Add lime to sandy soil to raise the pH, or the tree will produce a lighter crop of lime fruits with thicker skins and less juice.
- 3). Water the tree thoroughly every few weeks. However, trees planted in sandy soil or in containers might need more frequent watering.
- 4). Fertilize three or four times during the first year, using a single cupful of ammonium sulfate (21-0-0), or whatever formulation is correct for your soil type according to your local county extension service. Use 2 cups of fertilizer the second year and 3 the third year. Give mature trees 1 cup of fertilizer for every year of age and have a soil analysis done to make sure all necessary nutrients are present in the soil.
- 5). Prune the tree for the purpose of thinning out fruit to increase fruit size, if necessary. This is only necessary if the tree is overloaded with fruit, particularly if there is so much fruit that allowing it to mature would result in crowding or possibly breaking branches.
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