Key Lime Bush

1. Planting: If your winter temperatures consistently fall below 40 degrees, plant your bush in a container to place outside in the summer months and inside during winter.

Choose a pot slightly larger than your Key Lime Bush’s shipped container, with plenty of holes in the bottom to allow for drainage. Be sure to plant in well-draining potting soil recommended for acid-loving citrus plants.

Fill your pot halfway with soil, remove the bush from its original pot and gently place it in the potting soil. Fill in around the bush with the remainder of the soil, leaving about an inch from the soil surface to the rim of the pot for easy watering.

Lightly tamp down the soil, and give the Key Lime Bush a deep watering until water flows from the holes in the bottom of the pot.

Finally, place your bush in a well-lit area of your home, preferably a south-facing window.

2. Watering: Deep watering is best so that it can penetrate your plant’s root system. After watering, allow the top 2 to 3 inches of the soil to dry out completely before watering again. Mulching can help retain the soil moisture and also combat competing grasses/weeds as well.

If you're not sure when to water, stick your index finger into the soil, down to about 2 inches. If it’s moist, hold off on watering. When you do water the plant, stop once you see water escaping the drainage holes at the base of the pot.

3. Fertilizing: Feed your Key Lime Bush during the warmer spring and summer seasons with a citrus-specific fertilizer, like the one included in our Citrus Care Kit, preferably once every six weeks.

During the fall and winter season, ease back to fertilizing once every 2 to 3 months. Once the bush has matured a bit, you can skip the cold season fertilization.

4. Pollination: Though this tree is self-fertile, for indoor growth, you can pollinate by hand since most people do not keep a healthy bee population within their home. Simply take a small, dry, fine-tipped paintbrush and stick it into the center of the bloom. Swirl it around and collect the pollen on the brush. Go to the next bloom and repeat the process until every bloom has been treated. Do this once daily and don’t wash the paintbrush until after the blooms have been pollinated. The bloom will fall off naturally and the fruit will begin to form in its place.