Finger Lime

Finger Lime Care

Citrus Australasica

What is the plant

The fruit of the Australian finger lime Citrus australasica is sought after by top restaurants around the world. Often described as ‘lime caviar’ for its small bead-like crystals of tangy juice, this bushfood is used to pep up drinks, in desserts, as a garnish and even to make marmalade. For the home gardener, it is also an attractive tree, growing to six metres, and its thorns provide a perfect habitat for small birds. It is native to the rainforests of south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales, but will grow elsewhere

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Lighting

Full Sun

Difficulty

Medium

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Water as needed to keep soil moist, not wet. Watering frequency varies with location and climate.
Pruning
Prune to shape as you desire, keeping in mind the small- scale size of the plant and its container. Flowers will appear from small shoots that originate where the leaves meet the stem. Flowers sporadically throughout the year, heaviest in the spring. If too much new growth is produced at the branch tips, don’t be shy about cutting it back to a lower position to shorten the trees height as it begins to re-grow. Planting in a larger container is the easiest way to keep the plant healthy.
Fertilizer
well balanced liquid fertilizer should be used once a month during the spring/summer months and is important to the health of your tree. Citrus in general are heavy feeders, especially iron, manganese and zinc. Your local nursery should have an adequate liquid feed available.

Disease diagnosis

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Sunlight
As bright as possible but avoid excess heat, this will dry out the soil too quickly. In the landscape they enjoy full sun. A location that provides morning sun or filtered light throughout the day is ideal. When grown indoors tree should be kept a minimum of 24” from windows as they will act as a magnifying glass and burn the leaves.
Soil
use well-draining soil to prevent your tree from growing root mold. Most often, a soil that contains sand will drain well. Finger limes can grow in a wide range of soil—the most important thing to is make sure it won’t be sitting in stagnant water
Temperature
Citrus grows best between 55° and 85° F. Indoor temperatures averaging 65° are conducive to growth if light is adequate.