Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi can anybody give me any advice on whether its possible to grow a lemon tree from seed? I really fancy one but they are quite expensive to buy at my local garden centre.Thanks Annette

Thank you i shall give it a go

Keep an eye out come the autumn in the Garden Centers, we got a lemon tree and an orange tree last autumn at half price, £12 each! Already had some fruit from them, have others ripening and more flowers opening all the time!

They need to be watered infrequently, let them really dry out then give them a really good soaking, and feed with a winter feed in winter and a summer feed in summer!

Good luck!

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Suzanne (aka Mrs Dobby)

'Garden naked - get some colour in your cheeks'!

The Dobby's Pumpkin Patch - a blogspot work in progress!
Last updated 5th November2008 - new piccies!

rember they are to getthe wricht compos think its 3.49 for a small bag dontknow if they have a website try golden days gatly/chedle

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Dobby

Thanks for the advice,don't suppose you could give me any tips on keeping olive tree? I got one on sunday from work was a bargain at £12.99,its about 4ft tall and very healthy looking and in flower.I don't want to kill it!

Dont know owt about keeping Olive Trees, tho I suspect my Mum who emigrated to Greece 6 years ago does! lol!

Heyasson says nothing about them either, or at least nothing in any of our books, sorry! I have a feeling one or two of the more knowledgeable grapes may be along with some info soon tho!

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Suzanne (aka Mrs Dobby)

'Garden naked - get some colour in your cheeks'!

The Dobby's Pumpkin Patch - a blogspot work in progress!
Last updated 5th November2008 - new piccies!

Planted a few seeds back in December and my 9 lemon trees are now about 2ft high. I cannot see for the life of me why people buy from garden centres... Just last week I was trying to get a 4 inch plastic pot and they were 46 pence each! It was only two years ago when they were 15p. Anyway, back to lemons:

Sowing requires you to first wash the seed in water that is not too cold. Similarly, you need a warm, light windowsill. I would recommend at least 5 hours sun each day. Plant them at their own depth and keep very moist and warm (22 degrees Celsius-ish). I disagree with normal watering guidelines and would recommend standing the pots in bowls of water, keeping the compost always moist. This is because the roots develop slowly and a slight breeze can cause the plant to desiccate. Always ensure the watering is at room temp.
Compost is a good medium, pH 6-7 is the way to go. Nothing with lime chips or soil mixed in, go for a good 100% organic mix like that Miracle Grow moisture control stuff. That said, I may swap to a soil-based mix later on.
Growth is fast and from what I've been told, you should not pinch them but let them grow to full height (7-10ft)... which would require a greenhouse.
They are unlike those small, rootstock-grown, ornamental varieties you find in garden centres. Such are all imported from warm, very bright climates and forced to grow that way... these need a good height to develop fruit.

The great thing is that you don't know what you'll end up with... all-sorts of leaf shapes and growth styles... you'll see what I mean.

Thank you so much for the advice it was very informative i shall pick some miracle grow compost up before i go to work tonight and get started.Am also very tempted to try oranges aswell,does the same advice apply? Its just that my hubby thinks he can put any seed in the groud and it will produce! Thats because his dad's a farmer in Turkey and cos they have the climate to achieve it he thinks we can do it in sunny England! Oh well it makes a very interesting hobby doesn't it?


Regards Annette

Hi, i love Lemon Trees and planted a few pips this year, i ended up with more lemon trees than wanted and swapped them for berries and gave to friends, oh yes, you can grow from seed!!
and yes they are too pricy in the shops, havent seen anything under £30.
but gorgeous when in blossom and fruiting.
i used seed and cutting compost, and when i started giving up on them, not watering them anymore, thats when they germinated. so be patient.
happy days!!

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Happy Growing
blue-and-green

http://blue-and-green.blogspot.com/

I think oranges are very similar Annette. I cannot seem to get orange seeds because most plants are self-fertile and you rarely find pips, but Mandarins are to the contrary and I have germinated them with some success. It's just a matter of planting enough seeds in different ways to germinate a few plants. They say that agriculture originated from the Orient and such certainty must be the right ethos!

this thread has given me great ideas and thanks Simon for the tips on getting things started. shall be giving both oranges and lemons a go now!

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Bruce Lee

Hello

In the latest sainsburys magazine there is an offer for patio orange & lemon trees for £14.98 for the pair inc delivery they come from thompson & morgan.

Cheers
Brogusblue

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Brogusblue
Morning and a jolly nice one it is! Just finished work and read your latest post on the lemon tree offer.Have planted a few pips but this offer sounds very tempting so may have a look and see what its all about.
Thanks muchly Netty

Hello

They have some good offers on like 10 herbs and pouches for only £3.25, Blueberry plant £7.99, Tomazing Cherry toms 3 for £5.99, Lavender 5 for 7.99 10 for £9.98

Cheers
Brogusblue

Ps i am going to order these today

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Jay's Humble Little Veggie Plot Blog

FWIW I wouldn't bother with seed grown plants. We've had great success with lemons (in the uk not here - that would be easier!) but grow named varieties. Meyer in particular is worth seeking out. It stays smallish, fruits heavily even when small, has good flavour and generally seems well suited to uk cultivation in the house or under glass. We had 20 fruit on our largest at one point.

Getting named varieties also means they are probably grafted onto poncirus trifoliata and hence potentially a little hardier than seedlings should you cop a bit of a chill. Reads nursery has a good range and sells MEyer for example for 15 quid. Worth the extra in my opinion.
http://readsnursery.co.uk/a1commerce...page=2&sort=2a

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Iremember mine growing a grepfruit tree from seed. It had the most fragrent smelling sap.

Hi all

Thanks Tai Haku for the post on Lemon Meyer - it was just what I was looking for. I'm about to be bought a lemon tree for my birthday, so (lucky me) cost is not so much of a problem.

Any body have other suggestions on varieties of lemon or reliable suppliers to try? This needs to be a variety that is happy outside in the UK (although I intend to have a greenhouse by the winter so will be able to bring it in overwinter).

All ideas appreciated.

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Life is a spreadsheet

Concerning your Olive Tree I have had mine for Four Years, Put it in Compost that contains grit I belive it was Number 3, they really like the the worst compost , if you have been to Greece, you will know.

They do not require a lot of water, in fact I never water, they only get water when it rains. I have repotted it twice it it now in a 20"x 20" pot now, will stay there for another few years, no fertilizer, in fact best left to get on with it.
But I do tidy it up a touch, in winter, after the Birds have pinched the Olives., but as yet I cannot start to press them for Oil., will be hundreds of years before that could happen.

Hi. I have grown a lemon tree from a seed out of a lemon from the supermarket. It is now about 9 feet tall. I just stuck a seed in a pot of multi purpose compost and it grew well. It is in the conservatory and likes the heat in there. It also seems happy being watered frequently-even though most people say to leave until dry (I didn't know any different at first). Mine will wilt if not watered for a couple of days. It doesn't like being moved---even moving to hoover makes it droop for a couple of hours. Not had any flowers/fruit yet. It is only about 8 months old so I live in hope.

Thats given me some hope,thanks.I did plant a couple of seeds about a week ago though nothing yet as is early days,although at the same time i planted a peanut,a plum an orange and a "pink lady" pip,the peanut has germinated much to my excitement but i am still waiting for the others to follow suit!
Netty

Of the 5 lemon seeds that I planted 4 grew-mine doing well--as above---but the others I gave to friends. All but one died and that not looking very well. They were all kept in living rooms that were rather dark. So I'd definately recommend a conservatory/warm green house if possible.
Also had success with 1 peanut growing. It's now in a growbag as all info I have read says they like to spread out sideways and a growbag works well. Here's hopeing. Good luck with lemon. Lynn

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Happy growing. Lynn

i was searching through the forums for a thread like this as i have grown a lemon tree from pip and it's one of my favourite plants!
a few things to consider though, i've read a lot of debate about whether lemons grown from pips from supermarket seeds with produce flower/fruit. the general consensus seems to be they will, but as they aren't grafted, will take anything up to 15 or 20 years. i think mine is about 10 years old now - so i'm starting to let myself hope!
also, this year the leaves on my tree started to go yellow leaving green veins, after i researched it i found it was a nitrogen deficiency. this must be because it hadn't been fed in it's entire life - reading about it now i can't understand how it survived! apparently they are very hungry plants, so for anybody starting out with a pip, i would feed regularly. you'll probably raise your chances of earlier flowers.
as for those of you who have grown olives, i'm very jealous, i would love to. unfortunately i can't afford to buy a tree, and i've heard growing from pips is rather hit and miss? would you reccommend trying to obtain a cutting from someone?