I planted seeds from store bought lemons out of curiosity. Plant is thriving indoors but leaves turn yellow. I water in water bath for 5 minutes then let drain. I do this in 2 week intervals. I don't know what variety this is. Does anyone have advice for me. I do not have a green thumb ! Thank you
Welcome to the Forums. The yellow leaves near the bottom are the result of normal senescence or aging; nothing to worry about. I suggest you feed the tree regularly with a water-soluble, high nitrogen fertilizer containing micronutrients. Two that are available in my area are Miracle-Gro 24-8-16 or PlantProd 30-10-10. Apply at half-strength during the winter months. The variety of lemon is likely to be either Lisbon or Eureka. There appears to be two trees growing in the pot. I would remove or cut away the weaker one.
Lemon seedlings aren't exactly true to type. So you can't say, what cultivar it is. Pale, yellowish look may come from lack of sunlight, lack of nutrients, poor root conditions (root rot) or some other reasons. It is unclear from the photo, how well lit this spot is. I would place the tree closer to a window or used a grow light, especially if the room temperature there is high (@ above 20°C). In a cool room (@ ca 10°C) the need for light is somewhat smaller. Do you use fertilizers? Regular sinking the container may easily wash out nutrients from the substrate. It sounds like watering by sinking after each 2 weeks is too often to me. But I don't know how warm and dry or your environment is. I for instance water my citruses only 2...4 times during all the winter, Citruses like less water during the near dormant period than during active growth. Do you check the moisture level before waterings?
No, but I will in future. We are in cold climate here. They sit on my window sill, we heat with wood stove but window keeps them at a cooler state. They are in small container so dry out fast. Maybe I should repot. Thank you for your advice.
Thanks for bringing that up. Both Lisbon and Eureka have a low degree of polyembryony, so there's a good chance the seed is not true to type.
I should add that if two plants sprouted from one seed, then the weaker one is likely zygotic and the stronger one nucellar (a clone). The photo appears to show two trees but it's not known how many seeds were planted.
2 seeds and they were from store bought lemons. It was a test project. Now I hope to get lemons eventually.
If your primary goal is to get fruit, then you're better off to buy a small tree (1-gal size) that is already able to do that. A seedling like yours may take many years before it matures. There are many varieties of citrus available for purchase, including lemons.
