Citrus tree on lanai
 

Considering putting a dwarf lemon tree on the lanai. Trouble is, as snowbirds, how to keep it watered in the summer. Anyone aware of an enclosed drip irrigation system, perhaps an inverted water-delivery bottle with a measured drip flow rate?

After more searching around, this is an idea: a timer installed to a hose spigot attached to a drip system, like they did here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csjdI65TNX8

How would you get it into the lanai?

It can be done. That’s what I do when I go away on vacation. I have a drip system set up to water my 15 or so container plants on the lanai.

Get an “Improved Meyers Lemon” if you do decide to get one.

I’d recommend setting up the system 2-3 weeks before your leave. This way you can work out any bugs and get the watering amounts right. Note that the main line also has a tendency to move when water first starts filling the tubing. This might dislodge the feeder head. So secure your lines.

All the parts can be bought on line or at any big box retailer.

Good luck !

I've been thinking about getting a few mini citrus trees too.

But don't bees have to pollinate them? So if they are in the lanai don't know how that would work.

You can take a flower from the tree and rub it against other flowers on same tree. You can then add “pollinator” to your resume.

Destroying half of the flowers isn’t effective.

Pollinator brushes are efficient and cheap. We used them when crossing different strains to ensure correct pollination, especially when bees were taking too long to arrive.

Why not wait until your full time? My neighbors have some sort of system working off the outside spigot with a timer and some tubing but it ends up washing their car some days because the tubing come apart, etc. To much can happen to the system and then your neighbor has to fix it when your up north most of the year. Just sayin.

Easy... Buy one of these: Amazon.com

Boy, I would be afraid to leave that hose running and go away for the summer. Why not put it outside for the summer and run a drip from your sprinkler system?

I tried a basic drip system attached to a water-butt that collected rainwater from the roof. It was not that reliable (water pressure too low) so my neighbor now stops by once a month and kindly waters all of the plants in our lanai.

Hmmm, so you would have to leave your house water on while you’re away. You should hire a home watch person who would water your tree weekly. Peace of mind is worth something

That’s cool!

I did not know there was such a thing. Thanks

Watering is only one issue. I am growing a Kaffir lime tree (AKA Makrut Thai lime) for my wife, starting it from a shoot five years ago. It lives in a large pot. It didn't do that wonderfully indoors but really took off when I moved it to the south side of our house where it got sun for most of the day: sunlight was limited in the lanai to maybe 6-8 hours per day no matter where we located it.

I was going to ask is it going to get enough sun? My meyer lemon needs full sun most of the day or the leaves drop.

I have a lemon and a lime trees in large pots. However, I’m not a snowbird. These trees in the summer take GALLONS of water weekly. I can’t imagine a drip system delivering enough water. I water mine with a hose every 3 days. About 5 gallons of water each watering. They are very healthy and my lime has been known to put out 50 limes in a season.

Citrus in Pot
 

We are considering the same thing. Our landscaper said we should put in a pot in our outside landscaping and he could add a drip line to the irrigation line. Solves all problems and said he did that and has never had an issue with critters getting to plant

Watering
 

Have a neighbor water it for you.

Don’t do it. The patio citrus grow like bushes with thorns. I moved mine to the yard.

I use a Rachio smart hose timer for my garden. I bought it mainly because I was too lazy to get up early to turn on/off the soaking hose. But I also use it because we travel a lot, and I can control it anywhere in the world through its app on my cell phone. The app tells me how much rain it thinks my house got and I can adjust the watering schedule accordingly. I think it would work for your citrus trees. However, I'm comfortable using it for a few weeks unattended but leaving a pressurized system for several months would be another story. Even when we are away, I ask my neighbor to occasionally look in our backyard to make sure we don't have a geyser going. If you have your TV house routinely monitored by somebody and/or cameras this might work.

We are snowbirds. We planted our citrus trees in our yard. The lawn irrigation takes care of the rest.

I have grown citrus in pots semi-indoors before for yeara. It's not a tree that you can set on an irrigation schedule and forget as other issues will come up eventually like insects, fungus, etc.

The OP never said the lanai was glass enclosed. Any excess water will simply drain out through the weep holes, at the base of the screen frame, just like rainwater does...

I agree. They're great if you want access to a hose when on your lanai...

Do you have a lawn irrigation system? Do you have an elevated nozzle head near your birdcage?

Them make a "tap" you simply unscrew the shrubbery head. Add the tee tap and then put the head back on... You now have a 1/8" line that you can run inside your bird cage...

I was talking about the hose springing a leak. I'd hate to see that water bill.

I'd never leave a water system running in my house if I was gonna be gone for a significant amount of time. In fact, if I were gonna be gone more than a week or two I would shut off the water in the whole house. But that's just me. If your lanai is just a screened in one, it's probably less of a big deal.

If you have popup close you can use it.

In newer areas irrigation water separate from potable house water.

Thank you'all for these insightful responses. Upon reviewing your insights and advice, I'm going to probably just plant them in the yard. If a pop-up sprinkler head (with extension) can't reach into the pot, I'll convert a head to drip tubes.

That bib-extension into the lanai is great. Not much use for it here in The Villages, but up north on my enclosed screened-in porch it would be great for getting a hose to the second floor for spring pressure washing purposes. Great idea!

I 2nd using the Rachio smart hose controller. They work great and can be controlled from your smart phone using wi-fi.
https://rachio.com/products/smart-hose-timer