Citrus aurantifolia
Thornless Mexican Lime Tree
The bartender's lime with the added bonus of having no thorns. Mature fruit is small, green to yellow green ripening from mid-summer. Best grown in areas with long summers and frost free winters.
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Partial shade
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Occasional watering
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Not Frost hardy
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Rich and free draining
Common name
Thornless Mexican Lime Tree
Latin name
Citrus aurantifolia
type
Evergreens
family
Rutaceae
ph
5.0 - 7.0 Acid - Neutral
Plant & bloom calendar
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Best time to plant
full grown dimensions
Citrus aurantifolia
The bartender's lime with the added bonus of having no thorns. Mature fruit is small, green to yellow green ripening from mid-summer. Best grown in areas with long summers and frost free winters.
Planting young plants
From Early Spring TO Early Spring
Pot the tree in a large container filled with a mixture of 1 part each potting soil, organic compost and per-lite or vermiculite. Give the tree plenty of room to spread out and establish a healthy root system. Replant container plants every few years to prevent roots from becoming pot-bound.
Propagation by cuttings
From Early Summer TO Mid Summer
Take softwood cuttings from new growth early in the day in Summer. Cut, neatly, an 8" approx. piece of a non-flowering shoot, and remove the bottom leaves, leaving just the top 3 leaves. Trim the end of the cutting so that it is about 6" long, cutting neatly just below a leaf node. . Dip the bottom of the cutting in hormone rooting powder, and carefully place in a pot of cutting compost about 2 1/2" into the compost. Water, label, cover with a polythene bag, and place in a warm - 65 deg. to 70 deg. - bright place, out of direct sunlight. Take the polythene bag off periodically for a while for ventilation (at least twice a week), and keep the compost moist, but not wet.
Propagating by seed
From Early Spring TO Late Winter
The pip of any type of citrus fruit can be grown in a pot of seed compost as long as the compost is kept moist - not wet - and the pot is placed in a warm environment. The compost needs to be at a temperature of no less than 60 deg., or germination may not occur, or the seedling may die.