Can You Grow Citrus Indoors?

There are many different species and cultivars of citrus, all with wonderfully fragrant flowers. If you’re lucky enough to live in a warm, frost-free climate, you can grow citrus outdoors. But in cold climates or even mild areas that experience a handful of winter frosts, grow citrus trees in containers and cover or bring indoors during cold snaps. Or, you can grow citrus indoors year-round if you provide supplemental light from bright grow lamps.

Making flowers and fruit takes a lot of energy, and citrus will need a lot of light to do so indoors. Large CFL grow lamps, or HID lighting is ideal for citrus plants. If you have a very bright southern window, you could combine LED spotlights to provide enough light. In order to receive fruit from indoor citrus, it helps to hand-pollinate flowers if your citrus plants are blooming indoors.

If you are longing to bring your citrus trees indoors for winter, or grow them indoors year-round, I have a special citrus section in my book Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers !!