by johnah on November 24, 2020
Sweet Limes are one of the most popular varieties for sale in the market today. They have been grown in India since ancient times and they were brought to Europe through trade routes during the Middle Ages. These limes were used as a substitute for lemon juice or citric acid, which was not available at that time. The name “sweet” comes from their color; it’s because these limes are very sweet tasting when eaten fresh (or dried). The variety is called Indian sweet lime due to its origin in India. It grows well in both dry and moist climates, but prefers cool conditions. Its fruit ripens from June to September, depending on climate.
The plant produces two crops per year: a vegetative growth period from spring until fall and then a flowering period from autumn until winter. During the vegetative phase, the leaves are green with yellow edges and the stem is slender with white veins. The flowers are small and pale pink, with five petals each.
When the plants reach maturity, they produce two large fruits with black spots on them. Each fruit weighs between 0.5 and 1 ounce (14 to 18 grams) and is about 2 inches long (5 centimeters). After the fruit ripen, the plant dies back into dormancy until next spring when it begins growing again.
Sweet limes can be eaten fresh, dried, or prepared into jams, marmalades or juices. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and is often used as a natural remedy for colds or sore throats. The juice of the lime can be mixed with salt to ease the stings of insects.
The leaves and stems are sometimes boiled to make a herbal tea.
Sweet limes are usually propagated by seed, though they can also be propagated by cuttings. The seeds should be planted in well-draining, fertile soil and watered regularly. When the plants are young, they should be placed in a sheltered area that receives partial sunlight.
After the plants reach maturity, they should receive at least six hours of full sunlight each day. These plants can grow well in large containers which can easily be moved around to provide the best exposure.
Sweet limes are extremely easy to take care of and can be grown outdoors or indoors. These plants can grow well both in dry and moist conditions, but they prefer a moderate climate. They can tolerate temperatures between -10 and 40 degrees Celsius, but the fruit may not ripen properly when the temperature drops below 0 degrees.
If the weather is too dry, the leaves will start to turn brown and curl up. If this happens, you should water the plant more often. Sweet limes need to be fertilized every four to six weeks.
When it comes to pest control, sweet limes are relatively trouble-free. Aphids and mealy bugs are the most common pests. To eliminate these pests, introduce natural predators like ladybugs or nematodes into your garden.
It’s relatively easy to acquire sweet limes since they can be grown at home or bought from the supermarket. At the supermarket, they can be found in the aisle where they sell fresh fruits and vegetables. They are usually available from May to September, but occasionally you can still find them in October.
In the United States, they can be found in most specialty fruit markets in the summer.
If you wish, you can grow sweet limes in your backyard or even in a large pot on your balcony.
These plants are fairly easy to take care of and only require moderate watering. To increase their shelf life, pick the fruit when it is ripe and leave it out to dry.
Before you get started, you will need to acquire a few key tools to grow your sweet limes from seeds successfully.
Sweet limes can be propagated in several different ways:
Seeds – Sweet limes produce hundreds of tiny seeds. They are usually harvested from the fruit when it is ripe and left out to dry. The seed should be planted as soon as possible because they do not store well.
The seeds should be moist before planting. To achieve this, place seeds in a container of water and leave them for about 12 hours. Plant the seeds about 2 to 4 inches deep in a well-drained soil. Alternatively, moisten the soil before planting the seeds.
To increase your yield, you can take cuttings from an existing sweet lime plant or divide an existing sweet lime pot. Cuttings are similar to those of other citrus plants. Using a sharp knife or pruning shears, cut several stem tips and place them in a container of water.
Cuttings should be placed in a well-lit area, but not in direct sunlight. They should not be placed in a saucer as this will cause the water to become stagnant and promote disease. Instead, the water in the container should be changed every day. Cuttings should be planted in well-drained soil once they develop roots. Use a high-quality potting mix and make sure the container has a drainage hole.
Divide an existing sweet lime plant by digging up the pot. Carefully remove as much of the root system as possible. This should be planted in a new pot.
Make sure the soil has a high-organic content and is well drained. Water well and place in a warm, sunny position.
Sweet limes prefer well-drained, sandy loam soil. They can be planted in pots or in the ground. Sweet limes produce better when they receive full sun, but they will tolerate light shade.
Sweet limes do not thrive in cool or cold environments so they should not be planted where the soil temperatures dip below 60 degrees or go above 80 degrees.
In cooler climates, sweet limes can be planted in containers and brought inside during extremely cold weather. Sweet limes are relatively low-maintenance plants and only require moderate watering. If the soil is dry, give the plant a deep watering to freshen the soil.
Yellowing of foliage or limp leaves usually indicate that the plant requires more water. Overwatering can lead to root rot and cause the plant to perish.
Yields can be increased by selecting the best seedless fruits and planting their seeds the following year. Sweet limes are usually ripe when they turn yellow and begin to soften. Harvest sweet limes by twisting them until they separate from the tree.
Sweet limes can be eaten fresh, made into juice, or processed into candy, baby food, jam, or preserves. Be sure to use sweet limes as soon as possible after harvesting. They can be placed in plastic bags and stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
They can also be frozen or canned as juice, jelly, or pickles.
Sweet limes are high in vitamins A and C. They also contain some calcium, copper, fiber, folic acid, iron, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, protein, riboflavin, and thiamin.
This plant does not have any negative effects on humans or other animals when consumed.
Sweet limes are not commonly grown in the home garden. Most people prefer to purchase sweet limes from the grocery store. If you do want to grow your own, it is recommended to start with a grafted tree since they produce higher yields and are less prone to disease.
Besides having edible fruit, sweet limes have attractive glossy foliage. They can be trained into small trees or large shrubs. Sweet limes are most often grown in containers or as hedges since they are not cold hardy.
These plants can be grown in large containers, but the size of the container should not exceed more than a foot in diameter. A single sweet lime tree can produce up to 130 pounds of fruit each year.
The flowers are white with a light green underside and have a faint fragrance. They appear in clusters and bloom during the late winter and early spring months.
Grow sweet limes in sandy, well-drained soil. They need a lot of sunlight to grow properly and shouldn’t be over watered. Water them enough to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
Overwatering can cause root rot.
Sweet limes grow best in subtropical or tropical locations.
Common pests that attack sweet limes include aphids, scales, thrips, and mites.
Sweet limes are not often attacked by diseases.
The fruit should be picked when it reaches a mature size and has a yellow tint. They need to be picked individually since they do not ripen at the same time. The more sunlight the tree receives, the riper the fruit will be when it is picked.
The ripe fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for one or two weeks. If you decide to can them, it is best to do so immediately after picking them.
The leaves and twigs are also edible for humans and animals.
They can be consumed raw or cooked. They are rich in vitamin C and contain small amounts of iron, copper, magnesium, and thiamin.
Sweet limes can be eaten fresh or used to make marmalades, jellies, pies, cakes, drinks, and sauces. They have a high sugar content and are very juicy. They have a pleasant fragrance and flavor.
Sweet limes should not be eaten in large quantities due to their high acid content. They may cause side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, and cardiac arrhythmia.
The twigs and branches can be used to make handicrafts, toys, brushes, and brooms.
The tree is often grown for landscaping purposes. It is a good tree to plant in large containers since it doesn’t have a large root system.
The wood can be used to make furniture and toys.
Sweet limes do not produce a lot of lumber. The wood is not very strong and is not commonly used.
The seeds and skin can be used to make oil.
The seeds contain 25 – 30% of edible oil. This oil is used for cooking, frying, soap making, medicinal purposes, and as a lubricant. It should not be used for lamps since it is a fatty oil and is not very clear.
It does not need to be refined and can be used in its natural state.
Sweet lime oil is used as a substitute for lemon oil. When it is combined with other oils it is often used as massage oil. It is also used to make perfumes, cosmetics, and food additives.
The flowers and branches are used to make decorations. They can be dried and preserved.
The flowers and twigs can be used in herbal medicine to treat a variety of health conditions such as for coughs, colds, sore throats, fevers, headaches, liver problems, skin diseases, eye infections, and digestive problems.
The flowers can be eaten to relieve flatulence and indigestion.
The flowers and twigs can be used as a flavoring for food.
The fruit should be washed thoroughly before they are eaten.
The seeds can be used as a substitute for coffee.
Sweet limes are high in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. They contain vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, ascorbic acid, calcium, copper, iron, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, and zinc.
They also contain flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
They are 92 – 100 calories per fruit.
A member of the citrus family, sweet limes thrive best in hot and humid weather. They can be susceptible to a variety of fungal diseases, such as anthracnose and green mold. They are also affected by leaf scorch and wilt.
Sweet limes can be prone to a number of pests, such as gray mold, aphids, thrips, mealy bugs, and whiteflies.
A hybrid between the lime and the mandarin orange.
Origin
The hybrid was discovered in 1890 in West Australia.
The tree is very hardy and can withstand droughts.
It can be grown in a container and requires very little maintenance.
The hybrid does not produce a lot of fruit. Each tree may produce only a few hundred fruits per year.
The leaves and stems can be poisonous if consumed.
The fruit can be eaten but should be peeled first due to the presence of toxic chemicals in the skin.
The peel can be dried, treated with hot water, and then sun dried to make a tea sweetened with honey, which is thought to help soothe the digestive tract.
A dye can be made from the fruit.
The wood can be used to make tool handles and other objects that need to withstand weathering.
The fruit can be eaten fresh or cooked into jams and preserves.
The seeds contain around 40% oil, which is edible and can be used in cooking. It can also be used to make soap and candles.
The tree can grow up to 30 feet tall.
It has oval leaves that are around 6 inches long.
The fruit is usually around 1 – 2.5 inches long.
It contains a flat, oval seed.
This variety ripens in December and January.
Origin
The hybrid is a cross between a West Indian lime and a Guatemalan.
It was bred in South Florida in 1925.
It is one of the most common limes grown in Florida today.
The fruit is smaller than other varieties such as the Key lime, but it has a stronger aroma and flavor.
The juice is also sweeter than other varieties.
The tree’s leaves are more pointed than other limes.
It is a very cold-hardy tree that can survive temperatures as low as 15 degrees.
It originated in South and Central America, but it has spread to other parts of the world, including the Mediterranean region, South Africa, and Australia.
The leaves and stems contain an alkaloid called limadin, which has been shown to have antibiotic properties.
The wood from the tree contains a high concentration of limonene.
This is a list of diseases and pests that affect sweet limes.
The fruit can be harvested as soon as it turns a yellowish-green color.
It can be stored for up to 5 months if kept at room temperature in a dry place.
Harvesting
The fruit should be hand-picked when it reaches maturity.
It is picked when it has turned yellowish-green in color.
The fruit should not be allowed to ripen fully, otherwise it will have a woody texture.
Harvesting can be done every other day.
Alternatively, the tree can be shaken so that all of the ripe fruit falls off.
It should then be checked to make sure none of the fruit has been harvested prematurely.
The fruit has a thin skin, so it is highly susceptible to weather conditions.
Flooding or strong rain can result in the fruits being water-logged and becoming diseased.
The fruits should be checked on a daily basis during rainy weather.
If the fruits do get wet they should be placed in ventilated boxes and left to dry for at least a week.
Diseases
The trees are susceptible to various diseases caused by fungi or bacteria.
These include anthracnose, crown gall, and bacterial spot.
The trees can be treated with copper-based fungicides to protect them from disease, but these have limited effectiveness.
Injecting the trees with gelled copper sulfate solution gives better protection.
The most common insect pests are l Scale, which causes discoloration and deformities on the leaves and fruit, and the Mexican fruit fly, which causes deformities on the fruit.
Trees can be treated with an insecticide or an oily solution that smothers insects.
The sticky mango flypaper can also be used as a method of control.
Sources & references used in this article:
Characterization of proton and sugar transport at the tonoplast of sweet lime (Citrus limmetioides) juice cells by E Echeverria, PC Gonzalez, A Brune – Physiologia plantarum, 1997 – Wiley Online Library
Effect of Gibberellic Acid, 2, 4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid and 2, 4, 5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid on Fruit set, Drop, Size and Total Yield in Sweet Lime (Citrus … by GS Randhawa, JP Singh… – Indian Journal of …, 1959 – indianjournals.com
Organic Acids in Citrus Fruits. I. Varietal Differencesa by RL CLEMENTS – Journal of Food Science, 1964 – Wiley Online Library
Growth, Yield, and Fruit Quality of Nucellar FrostMarsh’Grapefruit on Fifteen Rootstocks in Cyprus by CV Economides, C Gregoriou – Journal of the American Society for …, 1993 – journals.ashs.org
The same treatment for transgenic shoot regeneration elicits the opposite effect in mature explants from two closely related sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb.) … by A Rodríguez, M Cervera, JE Peris, L Pena – Plant cell, tissue and organ …, 2008 – Springer
Total, insoluble and soluble dietary fiber contents of Indian fruits by P Ramulu, PU Rao – Journal of food composition and analysis, 2003 – Elsevier
Effects of Ringing on Yields of Low-Bearing Orange Trees (Citrus Sinensis (L.) Osbeck) by R Goren, SP Monselise – Journal of Horticultural Science, 1971 – Taylor & Francis
Growth studies in some citrus species under sub-tropical conditions by RH Young, HK Wutscher, M Cohen, SM Garnsey – Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc, 1978
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