I have a problem with my Lime Leaf plant, I wonder if anyone here can possibly advise me on the problem Some of the lower leaves on the plant have started producing a clear sticky substance, which drips from the leaves. I have tried wiping this sticky substance from the leaves but this soon returns. The rest of the plant seems to be in good health with No discoloration of the leaves. Any help would be gratefully appreciated Thank you
What you're seeing may be honeydew that has been excreted by sucking insects. One possible culprit is scale. In the early stages of infestion the honeydew is a good indicator of the presence of juvenile crawlers. In this case the sap is seen as tiny droplets on the leaf surface.
Hi all, I've sat and read all of these threads with great interest, I've just ordered my first Kaffir Seeds and 1 small plant and was wondering what would be the best conditions/materials to start the seeds germinating, I've always cooked Thai curries here in UK using the leaves from a local Asian supermarket and decided it was time to save some pennies and grow my own :-) Many Thanks in Advance for any tips on starting the seeds off correctly Wish me luck G
Howdy G UK, Any luck in getting the seeds to germinate yet. How's the plant you bought growing? I have successfully propagate Kaffir lime with softwood cuttings. Peace Thean
Hi Thean. Thanks for the interest, Bad news though I'm afraid, my order for seeds and a plant both fell through, so I'm back to square one and trying to source another supply :-( I was gutted but its one of those things I guess. you must have more luck than me. Any ideas ? Kind Regards G
Howdy Et2007, What's my secret in propagating the lime with cuttings? None. I use semi-hard wood. Each cutting has three leaves. I removed the bottom two and half the remaining top most leaf. The cuttings were then treated with 0.5% liquid IBA and struck into very porous rooting medium (1:1 peat: perlite mix). Cuttings were then placed under misting. Unlike other plants, kaffir takes much longer to root - 2 months. Do not try to transplant immediately after rooting. Allow the cuttings to continue producing more roots before doing so - I left mine for another 2 months. Peace and hope this helps Thean
Hi Thean, Now I know Why it doesn't work. I just cut semi-hard wood and removed bottom leaves and stuck into the same pot. Thank you so much Thean.
I see this thread has dried out. Too bad. I think there was some good info being shared here. I have a Kaffir Lime growing in a pot in my back yard. It was purchased as a seedling from a local Thai grocery and it is several years old now. I brought the poor thing home and planted it in an oversized pot on my patio; it is now +/- 12 ft tall and has sparingly produced/borne its first fruit this year. Meh... not much, only 12 limes. I'm leaving the fruit on the tree until they drop on their own so I can preserve the seeds and see if they will germinate. Obviously this tree isn't grafted, and was locally grown from seed. And yes, you poor canucks! Even people in Fla are begging for a seedling! The fruit, as my sister states, reminds her of a "little green brain". The skin/peel saturates your fingers with oil as you pull it from the tree, leading me to believe that you'll receive one helluva punch if you add too much zest to a sauce, stew, soup, whatev. Ordinarily I just harvest the leaves and never counted on fruit. The production of fruit however, adds a new dimension. I'm curious to ask if anyone has produced a fresh tree from seed and what their experiences might have been. From past and present. The latest post in this thread dates back to 2007. I'm just curious! Don
http://dominionjanitorssupply.com/tangerinefarm/ This is Tiny Tom's Tangerine Farm's website. Just talked to him & he's got lots of different citrus trees of different sizes. Going there to pick up a Calamondin or Calamansi tree & maybe some other citrus trees as well. Reasonable prices too. $30 something for 1.5" tree in a 1 gallon pot with fruit on it. I've been frantically searching online & over the phone & nobody else in the Lower Mainland seems to have any available until Chinese New Year. His phone number is 604-992-3817.
I called up Garden Works and no luck on citrus right now. They won't get in Kalamansi trees till Chinese New Years. For anybody looking to get a Kaffir lime, try Tiny Tom's. He's got quite a few. I now have 2 Kalamansi (1 is 4' tall with fruit and blossoms), a 4' key lime (with all stages of buds, blossoms, juv. fruit & mature fruit), a variegated Pink Eureka lemon (seedling - no fruit or buds), and a Vietnamese lemon from Tom. I also have an Improved Meyers & Eureka from Garden Works. OP, contact Tom if you have questions about growing kaffir limes from seed or need to order seeds to plant. He's been citrus farming in BC for 20+ years (which is why I'm hanging out, helping out, & learning from him). Have a great day. Anthony
I haven't tried growing Kaffir Lime Trees yet although it's on my 'list' of things to do! From what I know, they do well in a zone 9 - 11 and can be grown indoors and very good as a potted tree (they don't get too too big). Frost will kill them so move them indoors after the summer. They should be watered well but let them dry out between waterings and make sure there is good drainage or else the roots will rot. As for cooking, they are a dry fruit and the juice is rarely used as you said. On the other hand, the leaves and the rind more than make up for the lack of juice! Ripped leaves should not be eaten and only used to infuse flavour in soups, curries, stir fries, etc. To eat, slice thin (paper thin if you have any knife skills!). Sliced thin, the leaves also make for a great garnish along with thin slices of long red chili or roasted bird's eye chili peppers. Widely used in Lao, Cambodian, and Thai cuisine although it doesn't seem common in Caribbean cuisine which is something I'll take to my agri friends in the Carib about as I think it would grow well there! For the juice, as with lime, never add it while cooking. Always wait until the pot/pan/wok has been removed from the heat and add it at the very last moment. Otherwise, it will get very bitter. I have some fabulous Thai recipes which make use of the kaffir lime rind and zest (chicken salad, curries, stir fries, pastes, etc) along with a few Cambodian recipes (e.g. fish Amok and chicken curry). Private message for more information. For the essential Thai cooking 'bible', check out David Thompson's 'Thai Food' - this is not a beginner book so plan on growing into it. That being said, he's revered by chefs around the world (including Thai chefs!) You'll get lots of ideas in there.
