Last year I was lucky to grow a few plants from lemon seeds. Recently I found out that these seedlings in all probability won't bloom. I have now found out that I could possibly graft my seedlings.If I use one of my seedlings as a mother plant and graft another seedling to it, would it be possible for this combination to bear fruit?
Unfortunately that would not have the desired effect. The seedlings could be used as rootstock for grafting using mature wood.
Who said your lemon will never have fruit? Not true, but it will take about 7 yrs give or take 2 or 3 unless you graft "Mature" wood on it. Mature wood is budwood from a tree that is already fruiting. Grafting another juvenile of the same age onto it will not change the time required.
Skeeterbug is correct (as he always is due to his knowledge of citrus). I would just mention that you can get a Lemon that was grown from seed to begin blooming and producing fruit in a little as 3-4 years if the tree is grown in a year around warm greenhouse. A lemon tree becomes mature and fruits when the tree has produced the growth of the required number of nodes. When grown in a year around warm atmosphere the required node number is reached quicker (approximately 1/2 time) . - Millet
i've always wanted to experiment with also grafting the seedling to a faster growing rootstock that way it would get its node count faster. i always get the look like i am three headed monster when i talk about it most people are why waste you're time getting a seedling to produce anyways.you may get inferior fruit but on the flip side you may also get better fruit. i have grafted pieces from a seedling poncirus trifolate to two different pumelo seedlings they are both growing allot faster than the original p.t. the grafted ones are growing faster so the theory is that they will bloom at a faster rate than the original slower growing seedling. and i know, why get a p.t. to produce fruit and thats simple so i can have seeds for more rootstock.and have heard they can be grown from cuttings for rootstock so either way. one i can let fruit and the other use as a rootstock cutting plant. the only other fruit plant i have done this with is a citrus relative called white sapote. they are not close enough related to graft citrus to or visa versa. but i have a seedling that is almost 6 foot tall and no blooms yet but i did graft a bud to a seedling first bud graft and only graft i have been able to do on white sapote. but it is already almost 3 feet tall. from where i took the bud off the larger seedling it has grown maybe a foot from that point up. it may be a waste of time it may help who knows for sure. the main point is to have fun. and i am just a hobby gardener so by far not an expert. i only just recently learned about citrus node count so am stil learning.
The main disadvantage of growing seedlings is the time it takes to get fruit. In most cases, the fruit will be identical to the parent tree, not inferior. There are a few varieties like the clementine and some hybrids that do produce zygotic seeds these will be different from the parent. Your idea of grafting PT onto a faster growing rootstock is probably a good idea as for getting fruit sooner. Lemon is a very vigerous rootstock, so you probably will get much faster growth and therefore get fruit sooner. Lemon is often used a a rootstock to make fruit produce more juice--though lower in quality.
To add another disadvantage to the list of seedling trees, is that when the tree finally becomes mature and begins to fruit, the fruit will forever only be produced by the mature portion of the tree. Therefore, all the fruit production will only be on the top of the tree. The main advantages of a seedling tree is the satisfaction of getting a tree from seed to fruit, which is not easy task, or for zygote varieties the production of a new, never existed before, citrus variety.- Millet
The only thing that can be learned from grafting a seedling to another seedling would be grafting. I suggest instead of doing this. use your seedlings as rootsock and take wood from a citrus tree that you may have or that you are already growing. Along with T-budding an chip budding you may want to try Cleft Grafting , T-budding is best if the scion is taken in the dormaint season Jan-Feb. Chip budding is better in the cold months in the dormaint season. Celft Grafting can be used at this time using 2-3 bud's.
