On Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:41:23 +0100, "David WE Roberts"
wrote:


wrote in message
...
In article ,
David WE Roberts wrote:
We have had our second lemon tree for a good few months now and it is
outside in a new big pot looking very perky.
It came from Aldi with three ripe lemons on (which we have gradually used)
and three reasonable sized green lemons.

These lemons don't seem to be getting much (or indeed any) bigger and show
no signs of ripening despite all the hot weather.

I am feeding with citrus food regularly, and keeping watered.

Anyone know how long lemons take to ripen?

A long time, but it is quite hard to tell when they are. Despite
what the marketdroids tell us, and the experience of those who
think lemons grow in supermarkets, they do NOT usually show their
ripeness by going yellow. That's caused by ethylene (I think).


Any easy way to tell if they are ripe (but still green) apart from picking
them and tasting them?

A thin needle is all you need. You just stick it in the lemon and
taste the tiny bit of juice on the needle. Be careful you don't stab
your tongue.

Steve

--
Neural Planner Software Ltd www.NPSL1.com
EasyNN-plus. Neural Networks plus. www.easynn.com
SwingNN. Forecast with Neural Networks. www.swingnn.com
JustNN. Just Neural Networks. www.justnn.com