Stick a lemon in a cup: a natural trick to purify the air and boost your mood

1. Untreated lemons produce more vigorous seeds. Take several: not all of them will germinate.

   Clean the seeds

   Rinse them in lukewarm water, then gently remove the thin membrane surrounding them—a little trick to speed up germination.

   Prepare your cup

   Choose a cup about 8 to 10 cm deep, with a drainage hole (you can carefully make this with a small drill bit). Fill it with a light, well-aerated potting mix, ideal for houseplants.

   Plant your seeds

   Plant them about 1 cm deep. Water lightly: the potting mix should remain moist, never soggy.

   Create a mini-greenhouse

   Cover the cup with clear plastic wrap to retain heat and humidity. Place it near a sunny window and be patient: the first shoots will appear in two to four weeks.

   Caring for your little lemon tree

   Once the first leaves have emerged, remove the plastic wrap and let the light do its work. Lemon trees love the sun: give them at least eight hours of light a day. Water as soon as the surface of the soil seems dry, and rotate the pot regularly to ensure even growth.

   After two months, you can feed the plant with a mild fertilizer (such as citrus or green plant fertilizer), then transplant it into a larger pot when it reaches about 15 centimeters (6 inches) in height.

   The little extras of an indoor lemon tree

Growing a miniature lemon tree is not just cultivating a plant: it’s a wellness ritual. Watching the seeds germinate, smelling their fragrance, admiring the light playing on the leaves… all of this invites you to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with nature, even in a small Parisian apartment.