Fans of the quirky and unusual will love the Pink Lemonade Lemon (Citrus limon ‘Eureka Variegated Pink’). This little oddity produces fruit that will make you the host/hostess of the day at cocktail hour. Variegated pink lemon plants are beautiful and unique versions of the standard lemon tree. Their skin and flesh have a fascinating characteristic, but the tutti-frutti flavor makes the plant a true stand out. Keep reading for tips on how to grow variegated pink lemon.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Pink Lemonade Lemon is an ornamental treasure, both for its foliage and its fruit. The flesh of the lemon looks like a pink grapefruit; however, it doesn’t yield pink juice. The juice is clear with the ghost of pink in it and has an amazingly mild flavor. You could almost eat one of these fruits out of hand without excessive puckering.
![Pink Lemonade Lemon (Citrus limon 'Eureka Variegated Pink')](https://gardencenterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/Citrus-limon-Eureka-Variegated-Pink-1.jpg)
The Pink Lemonade Lemon tree is a medium sized citrus that translates well to container growing. It is suitable for gardeners in USDA zones 8 through 11 and was discovered around 1930. Northern gardeners can grow it in a container on casters and move it inside for winter.
The leaves are striped with cream and soft green, while the fruit has classic yellow skin but bearing stripes of green vertically at intervals. Cut one of the fruits open and a gentle pink flesh meets the eye. Older fruits lose the striping, so it’s best to harvest the fruit while young.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
![Pink Lemonade Lemon (Citrus limon 'Eureka Variegated Pink')](https://gardencenterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/Citrus-limon-Eureka-Variegated-Pink-2.jpg)
The pink variegated Eureka lemon tree thrives in full sun, six or more hours of direct light a day.
Watering and Fertilizing
When newly planted, water your lemon tree thoroughly once a week, aiming for 1 inch of water at a time. Once the tree is established, water whenever the top 2 inches of soil are dry. Feed your lemon tree during the growing season with a fertilizer designed for citrus trees. In the winter, fertilize just once or twice, lightly. If the tree seems healthy, you can skip the winter fertilizing completely.
Planting Instructions
Site your lemon tree where it will receive full sun — six to eight hours of direct light a day. The pink variegated Eureka lemon tree does best in fertile soil that drains well, but it is tolerant of other soil types. If your soil is heavy, mix it with a little sand to improve drainage. Dig a hole that’s as deep and twice as wide as the sapling’s root ball. Unpot the tree, teasing out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it.
![Pink Lemonade Lemon (Citrus limon 'Eureka Variegated Pink')](https://gardencenterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/Citrus-limon-Eureka-Variegated-Pink-3.jpg)
Place the tree in the hole, and hold it upright while you fill in around the roots with soil that’s been mixed with well-rotted compost or manure. Water thoroughly. Mulching with an organic product, such as bark chips, will help conserve water at the root zone.
Pollination
Eureka lemon trees are monoecious, or self-fertile. That means that you can have fruit even if you only have one tree, since the male and female plant parts are both on the same tree. Note, however, that you will likely have a bigger harvest if you have more than one Eureka lemon tree. Lemon trees are pollinated by insects, but you can help the process along by hand-pollinating — use a toothbrush or cotton swab to move pollen from one flower to another.
Pruning
Prune your lemon tree in early spring or after a harvest. Potted plants can be lightly pruned at any time of year. Remove suckers that form around the base of the trunk, as well as any branches that are diseased or broken. Cut back branches that rub against each other too. Then step back and view the tree’s shape. Cut out a few internal branches to open the tree up to air and light, never pruning away more than one-third of the tree in a single year.
Winter Protection
![Pink Lemonade Lemon (Citrus limon 'Eureka Variegated Pink')](https://gardencenterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/Citrus-limon-Eureka-Variegated-Pink-4.jpg)
In cooler climates, protect from frost and consider potting for easy movement indoors during colder months.
Pests and Diseases
Eureka lemon trees have few insect pests, and a healthy tree can generally fend off any that are attracted to it. These may include citrus red spider mites, aphids, scale insects, and mealybugs. Insecticidal or horticultural spray will help control them. Eureka lemon trees are also not prone to illness, especially when grown indoors. Possible diseases include botrytis rot and anthracnose, which are fungal diseases, and sooty mold. The best way to handle these is to keep your tree healthy and not overwater it.
III. Harvesting and Storage
![Pink Lemonade Lemon (Citrus limon 'Eureka Variegated Pink')](https://gardencenterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/Citrus-limon-Eureka-Variegated-Pink-5.jpg)
Lemons on the Eureka lemon tree are ripe when the green stripes start to fade away on the fruit. Ripe fruit can remain on the tree for several weeks; if lemons start to wrinkle, pick them immediately. Lemons can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.