Honest to goodness I have searched around in here on this topic, but the closest I've come is the general advice "You shouldn't save a citrus seed....plant it as soon as you pull it from the fruit!" However, I'm in a situation where I can't do that. I am on a work related trip and will not be able to return to my home for about two and a half months (around June 08). I have a lemon tree variety I have come across here that for my own reasons I would really like to start a growth of at my home (I want it to come from this specific tree). Without going into alternate plans such as mailing a lemon home, planting the seed now and bringing it home potted with me or waiting until I leave to pull a lemon, is there a recommended method to prepare/store/save seeds from a lemon so that they will remain viable for a couple months? I realize that there will be a percentage of the seeds that will not be good, but a 10 percent success rate is better than none at all. Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can give. I know, unusual question.... VE
I would save them in the lemon as long as possible. After that wash them and treat them with some fungicide and store them in a ziplock bag in the fridge.
From the document Citrus Nursery Production, Have you considered taking cuttings from the tree just prior to returning home? Lemon cuttings are easy to root and will produce fruit much sooner than a seedling tree.
I should add that there may be restrictions against taking cuttings depending the states involved. Perhaps that is why you are opting for seeds.
Something along those lines...more though that I don't have the kind of access to the tree for cuttings. And thanks for the clip about boiling the seeds. I had never heard of that before....actually that's a somewhat radical idea that I never would've thought of since I'd think boiling them that long would damage the seeds. I know where I can get access to a burner/hotplate and am pretty sure I can get ahold of something to check the temp with. Now,...to figure out where to get some 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate.... Thanks for the information. Hopefully I can get something to work out.
The seeds should not be boiled. Boiling point is 212°F; the document specifies a temperature of 125°F so it's more like a warm bath.
Oops...my bad. Long day and I wasn't thinking correctly when I typed that. Thanks for the correction.
I don't know how common these chemicals are but this AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) document offers an alternative to 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate. It also presents a slightly different hot water treatment.
skeet, I believe you have a background in chemicals. Do you suppose a common household product could be used as the sterilizing agent? How about isopropyl rubbing alcohol (70%), hydrogen peroxide, or a diluted bleach solution?
From doing some reading, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate is supposed to be used in deoderants.....maybe I can rub some underarm stick on it?? ;) Joke! Joke! Funny, I had been wondering about rubbing alcohol myself..... By the way Junglekeeper, thanks for the excellent information! I never would've found any of this on my own.
Thanks, Barbara. You're right. The percentage of chlorine in the bleach will depend on the brand (and the age of the product). According to Wikipedia it's typically 3-6% so it'll have to be diluted to the 1% specified.
I always use 8-HQC (8-Hydroxyquinolincitrate). It is not actually a bactericide, it is a bacteriostat. Works great for most any type of seed, but is used especially for citrus. I have used the sulfate form (8-HQS) before, but much prefer the citrate. - Millet
That had me doing some reading on line and I came across this site: http://ipmnet.umd.edu/cutpost.htm Which actually mentions chlorine as a bactericide. I won't quote the big chuck of a paragraph, just a blurb: "Chlorine is a very effective bactericide.....swimming-pool additives are DICA (sodium dichloroisocyanurate) and DDMH (1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethyhydantoin). Both are highly effective bactericides for floral preservation." Guess if I had a swimming pool available I'd just dunk the little fellers (seeds) for a swim with me.... ;) It's surprising some of the stuff I'm learning here.
The chlorine floral preservation that the article is talking about is use as a bactericide in floral vase water. Chlorine will work, but being in the florist industry most of my life, I can tell you NOBODY uses chlorine, it is to dangerous. A little to much chlorine will cause great damage and reduced the flower's vase life, all floral preservatives solutions are based on 8-HQC or 8-HQS. Chlorine solutions can be safely used to wash vases, which are then rinsed chlorine free with fresh water. - Millet
The 8-HQC preservatives that the florist uses is a formulation blend of a sugar, bacteriostat, and an acid (8-HQC, sugar, citric acid). Many times you see this mix in the little packets that come with a dozen roses. I purchase 8-HQC in 100-lb. drums, as we use it in different products. 8-HQC is a yellow powder. You could probably purchase a ready to use type of solution from a wholesale florist, that contains the bacteriostat. - Millet
I do think that the common household products could work as a sterilizing agent, but as Millet said, chlorine can be damaging, so if 8-HQC is not available and bleach is the only choice it can be used, but at 20:1 and only few minutes soak would be needed, followed by a good rinse. Dilute peroxide (1-2%) would probably do as well, but one other thing I have used is Lysol disinfectant spray.
