Could I grow a lemon tree?

Kantankrus_Mare

Im relatively new to gardening having had an allotment for just over a year and of course anything I can grow for free is a bonus.

Just made a lemon sponge and after squeezing my lemons, I thought hmmmmmmmmm ......would it work?

So I have my lemon seeds drying out on a piece of kitchen roll.

Could I plant these in some compost and hope for any thing from it?

If so when is the best time to plant.... would they need to be in a greenhouse and what chances of success do I have?

adouglasmhor

You would need a green house or conservatory

here's a link I found http://www.plantea.com/lemon-tree-indoor.htm

You know they grow up to 20 ft tall and are thorney?

Kantankrus_Mare

So I could possibly get it started in a greenhouse and transfer it to my allotment? I have a lovely warm sunny spot at the bottom.

Thanks for the link.

Thrifty-saver

Don't even think about putting a lemon tree outside, if you do the first drop in temperature will kill it. I had one in my conservatory for 3 years- no fruit until the 3rd year- then 2 lemons.As it was growing out of control I thought I would put it outside on a south-facing wall. The fruit shrivelled & then the leaves turned yellow & dropped off due to the temperature at night falling by more than 5degrees
Good luck with your seeds though

krisskross

I had one when i lived in Spain. It was outside but frosts are practically unheard of. Very very thorny, needs a lot of pruning. Must be in a conservatory in England I think.

EasternMoose

I have recently germinated a couple of lemon seeds just by putting a pot inside a clear plastic bag and then leaving it in the airing cupboard for a couple of weeks. They just need a bit of heat to get them started and then they should be OK.

They are fine to be outside in the summer months but will need indoor or heated greenhouse protection in the winter.

I have previously grown orange pips the same way. One plant grown like this lasted for about 15 years until I pruned it a bit too savagely!!! and it never recovered.

I never had any luck in getting it to flower though

Farway

You may have to wait years to get any lemons, if at all, but it will be fun waiting to see

I have a grapefruit for over 5 years fro a pip, now it is a large tree in a pot outside i summer inside in winter, no flowers yet but I live in hope

You could try an apple from pip, it will grow but the fruit could be wonderful or a rubbish, from a pip it is very much pot luck, but look at all the apples growing on roadside verges, all from cores chucked out the window by motorists, and some are veryt prolific

frivolous_fay

Here's what I do with citrus pips:

Peel away the outer skin of the pip (white or pale yellow) - this might be easier after a brief soaking. Inside it will be pale brown with a ring around the top end. Soak the peeled seeds for a day or so.
Push the seeds point down into compost (ring end upwards)
Water enough to leave the soil damp
Cover tightly with plastic (I have some crummy food bags I needed to use up)
Put in a warm place - airing cupboard is good. The top of my hot water tank is great for me, as it's flat and slightly warm. Peel back the plastic and check for seedlings once a week or so - you're probably looking at a fortnight minimum. I always used to cheat and pick out the seeds to see if the root had started yet.

I just germinated 5 little pomegranate seedlings this way (although they didn't need peeling) I'm well chuffed :j

I confess, I no longer have any of the plants I grew in this way, and I recently bought an orange and a lemon from Wilkos

Once I even grew a date, it died though It would have been a lovely little palm.
More fruit to grow....
kiwi... easy to grow, can be kept outside after a while, very fuzzy! They grow fast.
Starfruit - a bit fragile as a seedling, pretty though, similar to a sensitive plant
Pineapple - find a nice ripe ones with seeds tucked into the spiky skin. Very leafy with a pretty flower spike

bookemdano

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

Im relatively new to gardening having had an allotment for just over a year and of course anything I can grow for free is a bonus.

Just made a lemon sponge and after squeezing my lemons, I thought hmmmmmmmmm ......would it work?

So I have my lemon seeds drying out on a piece of kitchen roll.

Could I plant these in some compost and hope for any thing from it?

If so when is the best time to plant.... would they need to be in a greenhouse and what chances of success do I have?

I planted a lemon pip when I was about 12 years old......I am 34 now and the lemon plant is still thriving. As mentioned the lemon plant is very thorny, leaves smell nice if you rub your fingers on them. It flowered once about 10 years ago but no luck with any fruit. The plant is left outside in summer and put in my parents greenhouse in winter. I'm not sure but I think to get fruit the plant has to be pollinated from another lemon plant........ie one male plant, one female plant.