Many citrus plants, including lemons of course, have prickles. Strictly speaking, they are thorns, because these outgrowths grow out of the plant's epidermis - in contrast to spines, which only sit on the outer skin and are therefore easy to break off. Contrary to some forum advice, do not remove the thorns.
Not every lemon variety has thorns
However, as is so often the case, not all lemons are the same. There are definitely less prickly and even thorn-free varieties. So your lemon may not have thorns - this is just as normal as thorny plants. The noble varieties in particular are often free of thorny outgrowths, as these have been sorted out by breeding. However, many wild forms of the lemon are thorny, as are the bitter lemon and bitter oranges (bitter oranges).
Lemon tree suddenly gets thorns
However, if your lemon tree is already a few years old and has not yet attracted attention with thorns, but suddenly gets some - then it is most likely a graft where the rootstock has broken out. Thorny bitter oranges and bitter lemons are very often used as grafting bases, the thorns of which then naturally come to light when they break out. This can happen when:
- You pruned your lemon too much
- the graft has died off as a result of insufficient hibernation, cold temperatures or other unfavorable conditions
- You have not immediately removed new shoots from the grafting root
The finishing point can usually be identified quite quickly if you look closely. It is usually a small bump, below which the color of the bark differs from the color of the bark above the thickening. If new shoots can be seen there or just above the spot, you should immediately grab the scissors.
Lemons grown from seed are often thorny
Although grafts often have no thorns, lemon trees grown from seed almost always do. Incidentally, this applies to almost all citrus plants, from lemons to oranges to kumquat. By the way, if your lemon tree has more thorns than leaves, this is usually due to a lack of light and improper care. Citrus plants often react to a lack of water and nutrients by shedding their leaves. Therefore: water and fertilize your lemon tree regularly, repot it every one to two years and place it in a sunny place and in the fresh air in summer.
tips and tricks
While the prickly outgrowths on the lemon tree can be a bit unnerving at times, they are not poisonous.