7 Reasons Your Lime Tree Isn’t Setting Fruit

Maybe your lime tree is producing lots of healthy flowers, but these blooms are failing to turn into fruit. Or perhaps your citrus isn’t producing any flowers. Regardless, you’re dealing with a disappointing lack of limes.

Tree age, improper fertilization, a lack of light, and irregular watering can all inhibit your lime tree from producing fruit. Explore these seven probably reasons why you don’t have any limes:

Tree Is Too Young

If you’ve only had your tree for a year or two, it may not be mature enough to produce fruit. Grafted lime trees typically require two to three years before they’re ready to begin fruiting, and those grown from seed can take more than five years to produce fruit.

Therefore, don’t worry if a young tree isn’t producing flowers or fruit. It’s natural for the plant to use all of its energy to produce healthy roots, stems, and leaves. After the tree has built up a healthy base and grown in size, it will begin flowering and fruiting.

Since grafted trees begin fruiting earlier than those grown from seed, start with one of these if you want to harvest limes ASAP. Most limes sold in nurseries are grafted for disease resistance and size, so purchasing one is a good option.

Poor Pollination

If your tree has plenty of flowers but a lack of fruit, poor pollination could be to blame. When you hear that lime trees are self-pollinating, it’s easy to assume that they don’t require pollination to set fruit. It is possible that the flowers can produce fruit without pollination. However, cross-pollination—the transfer of pollen from one flower to another—can increase fruit set. 

Outdoor limes are generally well pollinated thanks to insects and wind. You can help promote a healthy pollinator population by avoiding broad-spectrum insecticides and planting a diversity of flowering plants.

However, you may need to help indoor specimens. Use a small paintbrush or Q-tip to take the pollen from the stamens of one flower and transfer it to the pistil of another. While this practice isn’t necessary to form fruit, it can increase the odds that your tree produces lots of fruit.

Lack of Light

All plants require light to complete photosynthesis and produce sugars. Without enough light, the plants become weak and lack the energy they need to produce flowers and fruit.

Lime trees are true sun lovers and require at least eight hours of light each day. If you’re growing your tree indoors, place it near a south-facing window that receives lots of direct light. You can use grow lights to provide supplemental lighting, especially in the dark winter months.

Numerous other signs indicate your lime tree may need more light. Look out for stunted growth, yellowing leaves, and flowers that drop prematurely. If you notice any of these symptoms, move your plant to a brighter area or add a grow light.

Poor Pruning

Lime trees generally require little pruning, but you may be tempted to shape the branches or remove diseased wood. While there’s nothing wrong with pruning out dead, diseased, or crossing stems and branches, you should avoid excessive pruning.

Citrus, including limes, produce flowers on new growth. Therefore, removing too much young growth can result in a severe lack of blooms.

If you decide to prune, late winter is the best time. Avoid removing any flowers and young stems that may soon flower.

Nutrient Deficiency

Both indoor and outdoor lime trees require regular fertilization to remain healthy. They require the three macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) as well as micronutrients like iron and manganese. These nutrients allow the tree to produce healthy foliage and roots, fight off diseases, and complete processes like flower production and fruit formation. Therefore, a lack of nutrients can lead to the absence of fruit.

Fortunately, it’s easy to find fertilizer designed specifically for citrus plants like limes. You can find fertilizer spikes, powders, and liquids. All of these products can work well as long as you apply them in the proper amounts as listed on the product instructions.

In most cases, a lack of flowers and/or fruit on your lime tree is due to a deficiency in one of the three macronutrients. Therefore, applying citrus fertilizer will address this problem. However, it’s also possible for the plant to lack micronutrients. If that’s the case, you may need to apply a fertilizer that contains these trace minerals.

Improper Watering

Both underwatering and overwatering can lead to stress and prevent your tree from setting fruit. Lime trees like the soil to remain relatively moist, but they are okay if the soil dries out slightly between waterings.

The ideal watering schedule depends on the temperature, soil type, plant size, and time of year. However, you can figure out when to water by checking the soil moisture. Water both indoor and outdoor specimens when the top one to two inches of soil is dry to the touch.

Always water thoroughly when you irrigate to ensure all of the soil receives water. It’s also best to water at the base of the plant to keep the leaves dry.

Temperature Stress

Hot temperatures, cold temperatures, and sudden swings in temperature can all stress lime trees and prevent them from fruiting. Most varieties prefer the air and soil to remain between 60-85°F (16-29°C). If the air drops below 45°F or above 95°F (7-35°C), they will likely become stressed.

If you’re growing a lime tree outdoors, move it inside or protect it from the cold when the forecast predicts temperatures below 45°F (7°C). You can protect in-ground trees by mulching the base of the plant and wrapping the trunks in burlap or row cover.