Grow finger lime in a pot, for house and deck!

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Thorny, evergreen and happy to stay small, the Australian finger lime (Microcitrus australasica) holds to somewhere between 1 and 4 feet in a container and still ripens its unusual fruit — indoors, if you wish. It is no houseplant, though: give it a bright, frost-free rest through the cold months and it will crop.

Native to Australia, this surprising citrus produces delicious fruits – even indoors!

• Read also: all about finger lime
• Finger lime fruiting problems

Planting and repotting finger lime

Usually, you don’t need to repot your Microcitrus australasica immediately; you can wait for following spring.

Planting finger lime

In a pot, for the first time, one of the most important factors is drainage. Make sure there’s a hole at the bottom of the pot.

• layer clay pebbles along the bottom of the pot, about 2 inches deep (5 cm)
• in the next 2 inches, mix the same pebbles with citrus potting mix, half-and-half (5 cm again)
• make a small mound to settle the root ball on, and backfill with citrus potting mix up to the root collar

Place the pot on a saucer, but put a bed of gravel or pebbles between pot and saucer, so that the bottom of the pot doesn’t sit in excess water.

Repotting finger lime

When in a pot, Australian finger lime cannot extract the nutrients its needs from the ground.

So the pot and soil you have put in it are the only source of food for it to stock up and grow.

Re-potting is thus critical.

• Re-potting takes place every 2 or 3 years in spring.
• Choose high-quality citrus-specific or planting soil mix.
• Double-check that the bottom of the pot has a hole drilled in.
• Place a bed of small pebbles or clay marbles at the bottom of the pot to ensure excellent drainage.

Caring for a potted finger lime: task by task

A finger lime in a container depends entirely on you for water, food and shelter. Here is what each job involves and when it falls.

Keep the pot off heat sources and out of dry air, and the rest of the year looks after itself.

Watering your container finger lime

In pots, Australian finger lime trees dry up much faster than if they were planted in the ground, so it is essential that they be watered regularly.

The plant has trouble coping with air that is too dry: it develops brown leaf edges. In this case, try to increase humidity in the air around it.

In summer, frequent watering is required, whereas watering can be reduced in winter.

• Water as soon as the soil is dry, without flooding the pots.
• Avoid all heat sources such as nearby radiators, because this could dry your tree out.

Every two weeks, during the growth phase, add citrus-specific fertilizer to boost fruit-bearing.

Pruning finger lime in pots

In a container, your finger lime won’t grow as big as it would in the ground. This means you get to keep it indoors! In a pot, try to replicate the same shape at a smaller scale, it will make your tree look more appealing.

Ideally, prune your microcitrus after the harvest, when fruits are ripe and you can pick them.

Try to shape your sapling into a bowl shape, with 3-4 branches that you form. Snip the leader stem to promote their growth. Chose its height so your pot looks most appealing to you.

In time, these will grow thicker as more and more branches sprout from these scaffold branches.

Potted Australian finger lime trees in winter

Growing Australian finger lime trees in pots is most adapted. This makes it possible to bring the citrus trees to a well-lit spot where it doesn’t freeze in the winter.

Australian finger lime trees aren’t indoor plants, and can’t bear staying in a heated environment all year round. They need relatively lower temperatures from October to May.

It is important to place them in an unheated greenhouse for instance, where the temperature never drops below 32°F (0°C).

• If you’re looking for more citrus plants that cope well with growing indoors, check out calamondin trees. You can use them to cross-pollinate with finger lime!