Citrus seeds?

[Feygan]

Ok so I figured that it might be worth a go to grow some lime and lemon seeds from a few fruits. (would only throw them away so nothing to loose)

I know the conditions needed for that actual plants, but i'm a little stumped on what would be ideal for germinating the seeds and the initial aftercare?

[the.fee.fairy]

I just shoved mine in a pot and left them.

You can buy Citrus compost. Make sure you water them when they have leaves. They die very quickly if you don't!

[frozenthunderbolt]

char old citrus skins and put the ash around the plant - they like the . . . pottasium or phosphourous? that is returned - cant remember which one

[ina]

They need it quite warm for germinating, but apart from that I do the same as Fee Fairy does.

[Cheezy]

I've got an old lemon that I planted as a kid some 25 years ago! from seed.

Two things I just used to randomly put the pips into other house plant pots. Eventually after a long time one grew.

Secondly you are VERY unlikely to get any fruit from seed. They don't usually come true from commercial grown citrus. As they are usually grafted.

My 25 year old lemon is in fact a "lemon" and never flowered.

But I still love it.

[the.fee.fairy]

To expand:

I had 2 plants from seeds that i had stuck in another houseplant.

The rest, i put about 6 seeds in a pot with citrus compost in it. Then i put that pot on a saucer on the radiator (it was last winter i grew them)and covered the top of the pot with a clean, clear plastic bag.

They all grew really well.

Mine are only 4 and 5" tall, so i have no illusions about fruiting yet.

[Thomzo]

My gran planted an orange pip years ago. It took a while but it did eventually grow and fruit.

I guess it's just pot luck whether you get a sterile tree or a fertile one.

Zoe

[the.fee.fairy]

I was reading in Philip moss's The Pip Book (highly recommended!) that if the seed produces 2 plants, then you've got a good chance of one of them growing true to fruit.

As mine are still small, and i can't remember whether they came from a twin seed, i don't know if this is the golden rule.