I have just gotton some seeds from a lime grown in a friends yard. I would love to grow it but dont have a clue as to how to even start it. Thanks for any info. jk (a REAL newbie :) )
well, i put them in a pot and am keeping them moist hoping im not killing my few seeds i got. Hope someone will be able to direct me to where i can find out how to do this right. thanks,
Don't worry too much about doing it 'right'. I don't have experience with this particular seed but they're probably not much different than other citrus seeds. Use a starter mix containing peat, vermiculite, and perlite or a well-drained soil. Keep the mix moist but not wet. Some people like to increase the humidity by placing the pot in a covered tray or by covering the pot with plastic. A warm environment would also help the seeds to germinate. This article on Key Lime may be of interest to you.
Yea! and thank you so much for information. I just love this fruit and hadn't had it for so long, i didnt want to loose my chance. Hope they grow, but if not, i guess i can always buy a tree.. Thanks again, jk2
Plant your seed in a WELL DRAINING growing medium. Keep the potting soil between 85F - 90F and the seed should germinate in approximately 21 days. You can begain fertilizing with a weak solution (100-PPM) when the seedling has developed it's first two TRUE leaves. It is best to water the new seedling with warm water in the mornings, so that the "soil" surface dries by night, to avoid the seedling dieing from damping-off fungus. Keep the tree between 75F - 85F. (24C - 29C) for good growth. Note: the number one killer of citrus seedlings is over watering. - Millet
To add to Millet's information. The easiest way to germinate citrus seeds is this. Take a Ziploc baggie fill it with regular potting mix, mix in fresh citrus seeds, moisten the potting mix and set the baggie on top of your PC monitor. My PC is always running and the top of the monitor maintains a constant 86 F. You should see germination in 2-3 weeks. It's that simple without special heat sources & materials. I have been doing this for years and get almost 100% germination.
wow, thanks! that sounds like someting i should be able to do. :) I have seeds in all kinds of situations right now (all from suggestions i've gotton) so this is one im going to start tomorrow.. Right now, I carry my "seeds" (in their various situations) outside to the sun in the morn, bring them in before it gets too cool, put under the stove light, move from there to front room to keep warm....lol Think i'll be giving your idea a shot too. Neet! this is fun!
With my citrus plants now almost dormant I started a batch of these seeds for interest. Unlike the Kaffir lime where many viable seeds were extracted from just one fruit I had to open up 10 key limes to get 25 seeds. The sink sure smelled good afterwards. The wait begins.
How neat, limes are the greatest smell to me...espacially mexican limes :) My neighbor had brought me ONE more lime to try to gather seeds from and there was not a one.. How funny when you want one, there is none, and when ya dont want pesky seeds, there they are. But, I do now have little 1 inch trees happly growing. Just trying now to figgure out exactly what to do about my double sprouts.
Isn't that always the case. I was going to buy only two or three limes until the salesperson was nice enough to slice open one which revealed only two seeds. I'm glad I mentioned I was buying them for their seeds - it saved me a return trip.
The thread grapefruit tree seedlings | UBC Botanical Garden Forums contains some suggestions on dealing with polyembryonic seeds.
Well thank yu very much 'again'. I just took a peek over that the post, and am heading back after my *thank you*. And .. it was very nice of the sales person do cut open the limes for ya. There's some good people out there. Thanks again,,off to read....
One seed in my batch is flattened, disk-shaped. It must have been in the process of germinating while still in the fruit as it lost its coat during extraction without any effort on my part. This is the first time I've seen anything like it in a citrus seed. Has anyone encountered this before?
Hi Junglekeeper. Many citrus have seeds like this. Key lime seeds are poly*embryonic and you should get multiple sprouts from the same seed. I had one seed have 5 sprouts. You can separate them early on, once they get size the roots intertwine and it is almost impossible to separate them.
If there's only one like it, doesn't that make this particular seed monoembryonic? One pair of cotyledons equals one embryo? The seed, less its coat, is like a miniature pancake. Its cotyledons occupy roughly the area of two regular seeds with their coats still on. Anyway, it has been moved from the paper towel to a potting mix. I'll be keeping an eye on this one.
