Meyer Lemon Seeds

[just.wing.it]

Historically, I can't grow a seed to save my life.
But the other day my wife came home with these lemons that immediately caught my eye....they look orange in color.
I asked and she said they're Meyer Lemons!
My very first encounter with them.

They taste good too!
Like a sour orange....or a sweet lemon....


I saw the 2 we opened were loaded with seeds....so I grabbed them.

I know I probably won't get a Meyer Lemon Tree from seed, but I just have the urge to plant these.

Any tips for citrus from seed?
I don't even know the dormancy requirements for citrus.....

 

[Silentrunning]

The is no dormancy required and you will probably get a very high percentage of germination. The bad news is that if you don’t graft the trees the fruit will be borderline inedible. You may come up with a tree that could become a killer bonsai with time but you aren’t going to have tastey fruit.

 

[just.wing.it]

The is no dormancy required and you will probably get a very high percentage of germination. The bad news is that if you don’t graft the trees the fruit will be borderline inedible. You may come up with a tree that could become a killer bonsai with time but you aren’t going to have tastey fruit.

I'm good with that!
Maybe I'll give them a shot!

 

[Carol 83]

I have a little Meyer lemon, not bonsai, just because. The flowers smell heavenly.

 

[GailC]

Should be able to buy a improved (dwarf) meyers from big box stores if you want to have fruit too. They generally are stocked in the spring along with various other citrus.

When growing from seed, the fresher the better. The seeds don't like to dry out so get them planted ASAP.

 

[Shibui]

It is my understanding that most citrus seed is polyembryonic, meaning that each seed can have more than one embryo inside. That would explain Silent running 'high percentage of germination'. You may end up with 12 seedlings from just 3 seeds.
The other interesting thing is that only one of the embryos has resulted from fertilisation. Any others develop directly from the maternal nucellar cells around the developing embryo and are thus clones of the parent tree. Not sure if it is possible to tell which is which when they are seedlings but many citrus seedlings should be exavctly the same as the parent and therefore produce exactly the same fruit.
Meyer is believed to be a hybrid between orange and lemon so fertilised embryos will have a high chance of being different from the parent. I suspect that is what Silent Running is alluding to:

The bad news is that if you don’t graft the trees the fruit will be borderline inedible

but this may also be a reference to the influence rootstock has on the quality of most citrus fruit. I have seen mention that citrus vars grafted onto different rootstocks and on their own roots have quite different taste.

Citrus seed are usually quite easy to germinate. Often they actually germinate inside the fruit if it has been stored for some time. Just plant them in good potting mix or seed raising mix. I'd suggest plant seed 1/4-1/2 " deep. Keep at room temp (above 60F) or they may not grow. Like all seed, keep damp but not too wet.
Citrus should grow well indoors, especially in cooler climates.

Good luck with your Meyer lemon empire.

 

[milehigh_7]

I did my kumquat seeds by soaking for 24 hours in a 20:1 water/peroxide solution. Wet a paper towel, wrap the seeds in the towel, throw in a plastic bag and wait about a week until the radicle pops then plant. (I planted in peat pots).

It is my understanding that most citrus seed is polyembryonic

This certainly seems to be the case with kumquats.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I can recommend the use of non-copper fungicides when germinating lemons. I try a citrus batch every year, Meyer citrus seeds (ideal rootstock for my climate) always failed due to fungal issues.
I switched to taking cuttings.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Planted 5 seeds got 5 trees. Still have 3. No idea what fruit will(IF any)be but seeds were Honey Tangerine, Blood Orange.

 

[Anthony]

On our side all citrus seeds turn into Portugals.
Fortunately a small fine leaf and possibilities.

Portugals - a peelable fruit around the sizeof a small
orange, with fairly smooth skin and are very tasty.

Good luck with the growing. J.W.I
Anthony

 

[just.wing.it]

I have a little Meyer lemon, not bonsai, just because. The flowers smell heavenly.

Should be able to buy a improved (dwarf) meyers from big box stores if you want to have fruit too. They generally are stocked in the spring along with various other citrus.

When growing from seed, the fresher the better. The seeds don't like to dry out so get them planted ASAP.

It is my understanding that most citrus seed is polyembryonic, meaning that each seed can have more than one embryo inside. That would explain Silent running 'high percentage of germination'. You may end up with 12 seedlings from just 3 seeds.
The other interesting thing is that only one of the embryos has resulted from fertilisation. Any others develop directly from the maternal nucellar cells around the developing embryo and are thus clones of the parent tree. Not sure if it is possible to tell which is which when they are seedlings but many citrus seedlings should be exavctly the same as the parent and therefore produce exactly the same fruit.
Meyer is believed to be a hybrid between orange and lemon so fertilised embryos will have a high chance of being different from the parent. I suspect that is what Silent Running is alluding to:

but this may also be a reference to the influence rootstock has on the quality of most citrus fruit. I have seen mention that citrus vars grafted onto different rootstocks and on their own roots have quite different taste.

Citrus seed are usually quite easy to germinate. Often they actually germinate inside the fruit if it has been stored for some time. Just plant them in good potting mix or seed raising mix. I'd suggest plant seed 1/4-1/2 " deep. Keep at room temp (above 60F) or they may not grow. Like all seed, keep damp but not too wet.
Citrus should grow well indoors, especially in cooler climates.

Good luck with your Meyer lemon empire.

I did my kumquat seeds by soaking for 24 hours in a 20:1 water/peroxide solution. Wet a paper towel, wrap the seeds in the towel, throw in a plastic bag and wait about a week until the radicle pops then plant. (I planted in peat pots).



This certainly seems to be the case with kumquats.

I can recommend the use of non-copper fungicides when germinating lemons. I try a citrus batch every year, Meyer citrus seeds (ideal rootstock for my climate) always failed due to fungal issues.
I switched to taking cuttings.

Planted 5 seeds got 5 trees. Still have 3. No idea what fruit will(IF any)be but seeds were Honey Tangerine, Blood Orange.

On our side all citrus seeds turn into Portugals.
Fortunately a small fine leaf and possibilities.

Portugals - a peelable fruit around the sizeof a small
orange, with fairly smooth skin and are very tasty.

Good luck with the growing. J.W.I
Anthony

Thanks for the input everyone!
Much appreciated!

 

[cbroad]

@just.wing.it
Grow a bunch and experiment!

If you've heard of Poncirus trifoliata (called Hardy citrus, also with the crazy looking contorted cultivar 'flying dragon'), this species is used to graft a winter hardy rootstock onto citrus trees.

There's a famed orange or lemon tree in a local neighborhood that I work in a lot, that has been grown outdoors in the ground. It's supposedly 15'x15' at least, though I've never seen it. I'm guessing if this is true, it's probably been grafted with Poncirus. I wonder how the fruit tastes

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Poncirus trifoliata is supposed to be hardy into zone 5, I have one, and this seems to be true. I have not had fruit yet. Supposedly it's fruit is inedible.

The hybrids between Poncirus and more culinary citrus usually result in a tree hardy to some freezing, with fruit that is almost edible. Usually referred to as ''Ichang'' as a type, rather than a cultivar name, makes a fairly good 'ade drink, especially with added sugar. So juice is passably good. The second generation hybrids where Poncirus is only 25% of the ancestry are quite good and the resulting trees have some frost hardiness. The big benefit is the fruit will ripen without high summer heat. 'Yuzu' is one of the more famous citrus that is about 25% Poncirus and is quite edible and a favorite fruit for juice in Japan.

@Shibui is right, this means a fair percentage of the seedlings from citrus seed will be clones of the parent plant. Not all of them, but most of them.

 

[just.wing.it]

@just.wing.it
Grow a bunch and experiment!

If you've heard of Poncirus trifoliata (called Hardy citrus, also with the crazy looking contorted cultivar 'flying dragon'), this species is used to graft a winter hardy rootstock onto citrus trees.

There's a famed orange or lemon tree in a local neighborhood that I work in a lot, that has been grown outdoors in the ground. It's supposedly 15'x15' at least, though I've never seen it. I'm guessing if this is true, it's probably been grafted with Poncirus. I wonder how the fruit tastes

Sweet!
Yeah, I may try a bunch!

And thanks for chiming in @Leo in N E Illinois

 

[Bman7689]

My meyer lemon seedling is having a hard time, what do you guys think? It's outside and I put it in mostly shade after seeing this. It's not over watered, could it be as simple as it just needs more food? Appreciate the feedback guys.

 

[just.wing.it]

Mine all died.

 

[Bman7689]

Mine all died.

A moment of silence for their sacrifice please

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

My meyer lemon seedling is having a hard time, what do you guys think? It's outside and I put it in mostly shade after seeing this. It's not over watered, could it be as simple as it just needs more food? Appreciate the feedback guys.

The pale color of the newest leaf says it is not getting enough sun. Move it to a higher light position. The blotchy color is probably a nutrient uptake issue. I would suspect excess calcium interfering with nitrogen uptake. I recommend using an "acid fertilizer" labeled for acid loving shrubs, such as hydrangea and azalea and conifers. Acid plant fertilizer use ammonia as its nitrogen source rather than nitrate. Calcium interferes with nitrate uptake, it does not interfere with ammonium ion uptake..

You either have hard water, with lots of calcium, or you have soil with a lot of calcium. Or a combination of both. This type of spotting is common with citrus.

We use a really nice full complement of nutrients, fertilizer for acid loving plants, on the blueberry farm. It is formulated for blueberries, and works great. I use it for all my trees and even on houseplants and orchids. Though I do have an orchid fertilizer that I like also.

 

[Bman7689]

I indeed have hard water! Good call thank you very much!!

 

[JoeR]

The pale color of the newest leaf says it is not getting enough sun. Move it to a higher light position. The blotchy color is probably a nutrient uptake issue. I would suspect excess calcium interfering with nitrogen uptake. I recommend using an "acid fertilizer" labeled for acid loving shrubs, such as hydrangea and azalea and conifers. Acid plant fertilizer use ammonia as its nitrogen source rather than nitrate. Calcium interferes with nitrate uptake, it does not interfere with ammonium ion uptake..

You either have hard water, with lots of calcium, or you have soil with a lot of calcium. Or a combination of both. This type of spotting is common with citrus.

We use a really nice full complement of nutrients, fertilizer for acid loving plants, on the blueberry farm. It is formulated for blueberries, and works great. I use it for all my trees and even on houseplants and orchids. Though I do have an orchid fertilizer that I like also.

I have some very large citrus (Persian lime, orange, lemon, tangerine, and calamondin) that no matter how much I fertilize, they still have deficient leaves. Barring the calamondin, it does well no matter what. I now believe what you mentioned, a soil acidifier, would help. My guess is that with too high of a pH ion/nutrient uptake is not occurring efficiently.

I have grown lemon from store bought fruit seeds. They had diverse vegetative morphology; one was very compact, with dark green leaves and shorter petioles. Insignificant or absent thorns. Another had more broad leaves, thorns, and grew much faster, with larger leaves and petioles. Others were inbetween. So yes, they are quite different from seed but that is not innately bad.

What's the stuff you use on your farm?