- Buddha's Hand: Origin and History
- The Different Kinds of Buddha's Hand
- Planting Buddha's hand: This is how cultivation succeeds with us
- Proper Care of Lemon Buddha's Hand
- Harvesting Buddha's Hand: When Can You Eat It?
- Buddha's Hand: Use & Preserve
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The special lemon Buddha's hand with its unusual fruits actually reminds of fingers. We show how to properly plant, care for and overwinter the hand of Buddha.
The Buddha's Hand Lemon (Citrus medica var. Sarcodactylis) is one of the old citrus varieties and also belongs to the large family of citrus fruits citrons. It owes its name to its bizarre, finger-like fruits, which can grow in many different ways. Sometimes their "fingers" are stretched out, sometimes they are more like a fist. In this article you will learn everything about the curious lemon variety from the Far East.
Buddha's Hand: Origin and History
The origin of Buddha's hand is believed to be in northeastern China or India, where the fruit is often used in religious ceremonies and offerings. The frost and cold-sensitive citron also thrives in southern and central Italy or along the southern Californian coast. In Germany, too, Buddha's hand can be cultivated well in a larger vessel, but it must overwinter in light. The fruits that ripen in winter can stay on the lemon tree for months and do not have to be harvested immediately.
The Different Kinds of Buddha's Hand
Especially in Asia there are different varieties of citron. A distinction is made between types with an open hand, or fingers spread outwards, and types with a closed hand. In Germany, fruits of the varieties 'Digitata' or 'Fingered' are particularly common on the market. According to Buddhist tradition, Buddha himself preferred a closed fruit as it more closely resembles a hand closed in prayer.
Planting Buddha's hand: This is how cultivation succeeds with us
Although Buddha's hand is one of the more exotic types of fruit, citron can also be grown in our latitudes. If you are now thinking about buying a lemon tree of the Buddha's hand, it is best to opt for a container plant that has already been grown. Although is alsoCultivation from seeds is possible, but this is often difficult and it takes about eight years for Buddha's hand to bear fruit for the first time.
Proper Care of Lemon Buddha's Hand
As with all citrus plants, the location of Buddha's Hand is particularly important. From May to October, Buddha's hand can also be placed outside if you can offer it a sunny, but at the same time sheltered and warm place. Here, however, you should make sure that the plant does not get too much of a good thing. The root ball of Buddha's hand in particular can quickly overheat. Therefore, in the summer, you should pay attention to additional shading and the use of plant pots that tend to overheat less quickly (e.g. made of terracotta) instead of black pots. The substrate for Buddha's hand should be as permeable and stable as possible. Citrus plant soils are particularly suitable, as their slightly acidic pH value and nutrient composition best meet the needs of the Buddha's hand. Additional mixed expanded clay, broken lava or gravel ensure better drainage and thus minimize the risk of waterlogging. Because of its slow growth, Buddha's hand only has to be repotted every three to five years. It's only time for a new pot when the plant has completely rooted through the container - ideally, Buddha's Hand should be repotted before the new shoots at the end of March.
Proper Care for Buddha's Hand: Watering
If you want to grow Buddha's hand, watering is one of the most important maintenance measures. In summer, the plant can be watered thoroughly every day, the substrate can be moistened to the bottom. Ideally, the substrate never dries out completely - if it is dry for a long time, Buddha's hand can react by shedding flowers and leaves. In addition, for a long time it was said that Buddha's lemon should only be watered with rainwater that was low in lime. However, experts now agree that the calcium contained in tap water has a very positive effect on plants. In order to keep the balance between calcium supply and an acidic pH value of the substrate, it is advisable to alternately water with tap water and rainwater.
Proper care for Buddha's hand: fertilizing
Like almost all citrus plants, Buddha's hand needs a sufficient supply of nutrients. About every two weeks, the plant should be fed with a special citrus fertilizer, such as the Plantura Organic Citrus &Mediterranean fertilizers are supplied. Above all, this provides the required potassium in sufficiently large quantities. Fertilize during the growth phase, which lasts from March to October. If Buddha's Hand is held in a heated conservatory, the growth phase can last well into December. During hibernation, Buddha's hand is not fertilized.
Wintering Buddha's Hand Properly
One of the most difficult aspects of caring for Buddha's Hand is winterizing it properly. As a Mediterranean plant, Buddha's Hand is not hardy - in fact, the ideal temperature in winter is well above zero. The room temperature during the winter of Buddha's hand should be between 8 and 15 °C, a constant temperature of about 10 °C is ideal. The right amount of sunlight is almost more important than the right temperature. The room in which Buddha's hand hibernates should be as bright as possible. Sunny conservatories or slightly tempered greenhouses are ideal, for example, but a large south-facing window can also bring in enough light. Overall, the warmer the location, the brighter it needs to be. If there is a lack of light, the plant reacts promptly by shedding leaves, which should be avoided if possible.
Since the growth of Buddha's Hand is dormant during the winter period, there is no need to fertilize the plant during this period. However, you should under no circumstances stop watering: Even during the winter dormancy, the substrate of the plant should never dry out. In order to determine the correct watering intervals during the hibernation, a moisture meter can be installed in the bucket. Here you can read how high the moisture content is inside the root ball and thus ensure that the substrate always remains well moistened.
Cutting Buddha's Hand Properly
Like every lemon, Buddha's hand needs to be cut occasionally. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Use sharp, clean rose scissors. Prune all dead and diseased shoots back to he althy wood. Then lightly thin out the crown by removing shoots that grow inwards and are lying close to each other.
- Always prune so that the cut is just above a bud or branch fork.
- Buddha's hand is ideally cut at the end of March before the new shoots.
You can find more information on pruning lemon trees in our special article.
Summary: Caring for Buddha's Hand
- Substrate: Structurally stable, high mineral content, well drained
- Put outside from May - October
- Location: Warm, sunny, sheltered from the wind
- Protect bales from overheating
- Repot in March when the pot is full of roots
- Keep the soil always moist in summer by watering it daily with tap water and rainwater
- Winter bright and well above 0 °C, keep root ball moist
- Pruning if necessary at the end of March
Harvesting Buddha's Hand: When Can You Eat It?
Depending on location and care, the citron Buddha's hand can bear fruit all year round. However, most of the fruits of Buddha's hand ripen in late summer, so they can usually be harvested shortly before winter. It is not always easy to determine when the fruits of Buddha's hand are ripe. However, if the fruit no longer grows visibly or turns slightly brownish, the time has come to harvest.
Buddha's Hand: Use & Preserve
The buds and outer petals are slightly purple in color and emit an intense and lemony smell. The fruits also have a very pleasant lemon scent and are often used in Asia as a fragrance dispenser for rooms or wardrobes, similar to dried lavender flowers in our country. In addition to being used as a fragrance dispenser or in the kitchen, the fruits with the closed hand are used as an altar offering in Buddhism. Buddha's hand is a popular New Year's gift, especially in China, as the fruit symbolizes contentment, luck and he alth.
Meanwhile, top chefs around the world have also discovered the fresh and intensely fragrant fruits. In winter, Buddha's hand is one of the most expensive citrus fruits. Since the fruits usually do not contain any pulp and therefore no juice, the lemon peel is mainly used in the kitchen. The zest can be used to flavor a wide variety of dishes and desserts because, unlike other citrus fruits, it is not bitter. Larger slices of lemon zest are often added to cocktails to give the drink a fresh and aromatic note. Processed into lemon peel, the peel of Buddha's hand can also be used to bake gingerbread or stollen. It is also suitable for the preparation of jams or the production of lemon liqueurs. Also try lemon s alt with Buddha's hand or as an exotic ingredient in salad dressing.
If you can't use the fruit right away, you can freeze the Buddha's hand. In fact, the fruit is so easy to preserve and retains much of its natural aroma. It is best to cut Buddha's hand into slices for freezing - this not only freezes the fruit faster, but also makes it easier to portion later. The aroma lasts particularly well if the lemon slices are vacuum-packed before freezing. But Buddha's hand can also be frozen and stored in other suitable containers without any problems.
Tip: First lay out the lemon slices on a baking tray and place in the freezer for a few hours. After the slices are frozen, they are placed in another container - this prevents the slices from sticking together during freezing.
You can find more information about citron here.
If you are interested in other extraordinary citrus fruits, you can find more about them here in our special article.