Hi all I am little confused! i bought a meyer lemon about a week ago, crap condition, fixed it up bla bla bla usual care story! its quite small, had poor foliage and everything, so i removed the 11 lemons that were growing on it. they were all very deep green. i kept them (to use the rind in a recommended citrus spray :D) i looked at them today in the fruit bowl when i got home from work...and they're turning yellow. i dont mean just a yellow hue here and there, i mean there is now more yellow than green. i am sure there is an explanation for this! can anyone offer one? is it possible to use the seeds even though the lemons arent fully ripe? the seeds inside feel slightly softer than ripe seeds. thanks all! :D
Yes, you possible can use the seeds (depending on how mature the fruit was when you pick them), however, Meyer lemon seed do not come true. You will not get another Meyer Lemon like the tree they came from. - Millet
yes i had read that they do not come true. in all honesty i wanted to try them from seed because i like the thought of having a really nice thorny plant :D
If you want a really nice looking thorny citrus plant, you should try to find a flying dragon seed or seedling--they have curved thorns and will provide some nice color in the fall as the leaves turn. They tend to grow contorted, but when they fill out they make a nice looking plant.
ah that sounds great. i like the contorted look. i have a twisted hazel and a twisted willow out in the garden, will certainly look into it thanks :) do they flower? not fussed if they don't but fruit and flowers would be a bonus!
aesir22. You sure can plant those seeds. Tip... wash seeds good and clean. soak in fresh water 24 hours. Toss the floaters and plant the sinkers. Dale
none of them floated, which i am quite pleased about :) i am hoping they germinate quickly - they weren't hard seeds, they were kinda soft - didnt have the full outer shell i dont think. theyre with the grapefruit and mandarin seeds now, will se how they go! buying a heated propagator today though, its too col over here for them to germinate any time soon by themselves i think!
Your on the road for seed starting Remember fat side down, soil mix 3/4 to 1" deep using a seed starter mix. Keep moist. soil temp 80F 27C for best germination. Baggy method is also good for testing. Your best seedling will come from soil mixes. Best of luck,, Dale
It doesn't matter if a seed floats or sinks as long as they are fresh. Some seeds can have a air pocket which will cause them to float, but they are still viable. You also don't need to plant them in any special way (fat end down...), Just scatter them in a pot and cover with about a inch of soil. Keep them warm & moist and they should sprout in 7-14 days. Use standard potting mix and you will do fine... As Millet stated Meyers do not come true but should come very close to the parent tree. I germinate thousands of citrus seeds a year, they are very easy and you don't need to use any special technique...
thousands? wow! why so many, do you sell them and trade them? the heated propagator seems to be working - i am seeing little sprouts coming up - from lemon and grapefruit. just waiting on the mandarin but they were only planted recently :) the lemon seeds i planted in august from a store-bought lemon are coming up now - they sat doing nothing for a month or more, then i put them in the conservatory on a hot day and a couple sprouted over the course of the day. weather unpredictable here though - freezing today, hence the heated propagator!
I grow my own roostock & T-bud / graft to them. I sell some locally and trade quite a few. I have about 40 different citrus trees in my yard as well as many in containers.
wish i had the space lol. i'm pushing things with the ones i currently have and the seeds im growing! im moving house in a couple of months, and will have a west-facing yard, so i think i might be able to move some out - weather permitting. we havent actually had a summer here. a couple of days back in june that were around 24 degrees celcius are about the best, and about ten billion gallons of rain per second for the last 3 months :(
I suggest that any seed growers test the findings. plant the sinkers and plant the floater's in separate containers an view the germination. The germination rate for the sinkers will always be higher, 98-100%, Floaters will always be much lower 10-20%. or less. For some this finding may be nothing, For those living in the North with a limited time and space means a lot. Best of Luck. Dale
