Please help! I was germinating some lemon seedlings and they were doing REALLY well up until today. Yesterday, I had to move some of the seedlings into another pot so that there was more room and so they don't choke each other out. Today, apparently it got fairly warm in the window they are always in during the day (I take them away from the window at night to protect against the cold). They were fine this morning but I checked them a little while ago and they looked wilted like they got steamed! Please, from this picture, can you tell if they will be alright and what I should do to help them recover? I removed the plastic bag I keep over them for the greenhouse effect for now to let them cool off and hopefully recover. A swift response would be most appreciated but any responses would also be very appreciated. I am VERY worried for my babies and I can't stop crying over what has happened to my used to be very strong happy seedlings that I've already grown highly attached to. http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/329/1002422.jpg
I have some mandarin cuttings which underwent a similar experience. They were growing underneath a plastic dome that was exposed to direct sunlight; the hot, humid air was quite apparent when it was lifted. The new growth was totally wilted - worse than that seen in the picture - but fortunately I had caught it in time. They recovered after some time in a darker and cooler part of the room. So there is hope.
I removed them from my window and put them on my bed where there is still light but not as intense plus, it's cooler as there is a floor fan near them. It is not blowing directly on them as I was afraid of giving them "wind damage" in their weakened state. You have given me some hope for my poor little guys, I just hope that them being smaller, I would assume, than your cuttings, that it doesn't mean mine are beyond help. I love them so much and they have already brought me so much joy and excitement just by watching the little guys grow and I would be devastated if I so much as lost one of them.
I would not expose them in their current state to any draft which may increase the loss of moisture from the leaf surface.
Okay shoot I hope I didn't hurt them then. As I said the fan wasn't directly on them, just in their general direction. I have turned it away from them. Should I continually mist them to help keep their moisture? I will not do so until I am told this will not hurt them in their state also, should I put the plastic bags back over them or leave them in the open? Thanks for your help!
With mine I left them under the dome after first releasing the hot air then misting the plants and the tray with cool water. High humidity is maintained in this way which further slows moisture loss from the leaves.
Alright I will be sure not to do that, I have watered them today so I won't do so again for a few days and I have done everything you have instructed me to do so I really hope you have just helped to save my seedlings. Thank you so very much for your advice, I really, really appreciate it.
I have one question if you are still reading this, about how long did it take for your lemon cuttings to recover?
Their condition was discovered in the late afternoon so it may have been anywhere from a few hours to overnight.
Alright cool. I just had to know so I knew about how long I should wait. They are actually starting to look better now so I'm hoping that means they will be alright.
You should never have put your seedling trees under a plastic cover, and then set the covered seedlings in the direct sun? You almost cooked them to death. However, I believe they have an excellent chance of recovering. Citrus seedling do not need any type of cover, in fact they do better without a cover. Without a cover, they will become a stronger seedling. When your seedling is approximately 2 inches tall, they should either be put outdoors, placed in a gentle breeze (*IF* the weather is warm enough) or in the path of a fan. At first, just run the fast enough to gently rock them back and forth. As the trees grows, and the trunk becomes stronger, the wind speed can be increased a little. Nature's uses wind as her method of strengthening a tree's trunk. The trunk of a young tree, flicking back and forth in resistance against the wind, is how nature makes a strong straight tree trunk. Without doing this, the trunk will be very weak and flimsy as it grows, thus requiring a stick, or other type of support to hold the tree erect. The best of luck to you and your trees. - Millet (1,189-)
Oh okay.. Well the cover did really well for them and they seemed to really like it. It's what I used to germinate them and they grew like crazy using it. I guess I will take it off but keeping it on during recovery really seemed to help! They recovered well to my greatest relief! I felt so bad for what I did, I was crying so long today because of it and I am so glad they survived because I never could have lived with myself if they hadn't had made it. I never knew this would happen, I've had them like this, even in direct sun before and never had a problem but I have certainly learned from my mistake and I am glad it didn't cost my poor seedlings their lives. I feel like such an idiot. I do hope my lemons will forgive me for what I did to them unintentionally. =< Anyway, I will definitely keep the fan thing in mind as they grow bigger, I have a nice floor fan with three settings I could use and I can turn it so that the breeze they get is just right. Thank you muchly for the tip. I greatly appreciate the responses I have received.
Glad they are all ok, they are quite tough I find. If I were you I would buy some oranges or clementines and start to grow the seeds from them too. It will take a long time to get fruit from any of them but growing them is still a pleasure. We are at risk of loving our plants too much to death sometimes, so be wary not to baby them too much or they tend to die...Having another set of seedlings will help divide your attention and affection. I'll try and post a pic of my year old lemon when I get the chance, show you what to expect :)
Thanks for the advice! And actually, I plan to have a new set of plants this coming spring! My mom brought me a seed pod from a Bird of Paradise plant than her friend got off of a plant at our bank. I ready they should be planted in spring and thus I'm now waiting for that. The Lemons would have ended up waiting till spring too but I read they are unlikely to germinate if the seeds are left to dry beyond two weeks. Whether it's true or not, I wasn't going to risk it with the nice, big, healthy looking seeds I managed to get from the lemon. And my mom told me that the people that gave us the bunch of Lemon fruits we had that I got the seeds from, most likely came from Brazil. =P But yeah, I found before I planted my babies that it would likely be about 8 years before I get fruit off of them, but I was really only planting them 1. to see if they WOULD germinate. and 2. If they did germinate, to have the pleasure, as you said of growing them. =3
You should be able to plant citrus seeds at any time of year, but depending when you plant them you will find they grow quickly or slowly when starting out. I planted key limes in the middle of winter and they are very happy. You are right about citrus drying out, avoid at all costs if you can as it decreases chance of germination if they dry out.
Okay cool. Yeah, my Lemons didn't seem bothered by it being winter, plus, I'm keeping them in my room at all times so that helps too. I also keep them away from my window at night in case we get a cold front or something. Mine grew pretty quickly and just went crazy after they broke ground. I'm so proud of them. Especially after surviving my stupidity yesterday. I didn't lose a single one. =3
