I am growing in interest in growing a citrus tree, and I thought to myself "How cool would it be to cross pollinate a lemon, lime, and an orange!" I looke all over the internet and haven't seen anyone else trying this. So, do you all think it would be possible? I live in Wisconsin, so I'd probably have to keep it inside with a heat lamp. But before I go too far into this, I would like to know, Could I possibly graft all of the trees so that they are all one tree? Could they sitll cross pollinate even if they are grafted? What type of citris fruits would you recommend(Keep in mind, it'll be inside most of the time except for when pollination season comes around, it doesn't have to be too small, but not too large, I could just keep pruning it, right?) And What type of heatong lamp would I need? I hope I've provided you with all the needed information, please help me out here, I've been dreaming of this for like 4 months now, just never got around to it. Thanks in advance on any info anyone here can give me. Oh, and I almost forgot, does anyone know of anyplace that I could possibly buy such a tree pre-grafted(not sure if that's a word) Maybe there would be more fruits that would be coll to add onto my super-fruit?
Jakor -- welcome to the forum-- you need to read a lot of the threads on this forum, I think you will find citrus very interesting and different from a lot of other plants, but to answer your question about growing oranges lemons and limes on the same tree --it very easy and fairly common to have fruit cocktail trees. One member on another citrus forum has a tree with over 50 varieties. I do not know where you can buy them --though I'm sure you can--but it is very easy and sort of fun to make your own. As for pollination, that is one of the areas where citrus is very different from other plants-- many, but not all citrus do not need pollination at all and the seeds of many are actually clones of the parent plant ( and we thought cloning was something created a few years ago--- Mother Nature as been doing it for thousands of years). Citrus seeds are another thing that is different-- many but not all citrus have multiple embryos inside a single seed--they are called embryos because they are actually already formed into minature plants and if they dry out they will die unlike the seeds of most plants that will last for years after they dry. Skeet
Thanks for the response, skeet. But your answer seems somewhat vague. could you possibly let me know if you find this feasible? I was thinking of ordering from here: http://fruitsaladtrees.com/html/variet.html with oranges, lemon, and limes. I like this one since it is a dwarf tree and I haven't seen any other dwarf fruit cocktail trees. I know you tried to answer my question, but could be a little bit clearer about what kind of light I would need? I've looked around, but I guess I'm not really looking in the right places. What kind of dirt? I've read that they like soil with room for lots of air and water. Any recommendations? Fertilizer? Sorry for so many questions but like I've said I can't find exactly what I am looking for. P.S. I love this forum! Every answer is in great detail and I can tell you all really know your stuff. I feel like I don't fit in with all of your fancy words and such.
You would probably not want to use a heat lamp on the tree during its time indoors as it would have a drying effect on the leaves. Fluorescent lighting would be a better choice. In fact you may not need any artificial lighting if you have a location behind a window with a southern exposure. Light is only one factor; finding the proper balance between light, water, and temperature is key. A review of past postings on this issue would be helpful. If you are new to citrus, it may be worthwhile to purchase a calamondin as a starter plant to gain experience. They're reasonably priced and readily available - at least in my area - and are easy to grow indoors. It would make a better test case than an exotic (and more expensive) tree.
Junglekeeper has some good advice. A cocktail tree is going to be pretty expensive and citrus in containers can be very challanging, especially in a cold climate such as yours. An even cheaper way to get started is the grow a citrus tree from seed. It can take 5 to 10 years to get fruit from a seedling unless it is grafted with mature wood, but you will know in a year or 2 if you have mastered the basic care requirements. There are many citrus that grow "true" from seed (they are clones of the parent tree), however ther are some citrus varieties that actually use pollination to produce the seed and trees grown from those seeds will not be like the parent tree--they may not even have a desirable fruit, but they can be grafted to make them grow any variety if you have a source of budwood (many members of this forum will share budwood if it is legal to do so--I cannot share budwood with anyone outside Florida since we are under quarentine). As I said earlier, you have a lot of reading to do-- the easiest way to find specific information on this forum is to use the search function at the top of this page (in the dark green bar)-- type in the subject you are interested in -- such as "fertilizer" or "soil mix" and you will find many previous post on the subject. Good luck-- Skeet
