Lemon Plant Propagation Experiment
![Rita C. - Panoply](https://cdn-fastly.hometalk.com/media/profile/2015/09/01/179088_1.jpg?size=91x91)
by
Rita C. - Panoply
(IC: blogger)
I've said before that I wish I could grow my own lemon tree, but I only live in Zone 7a climate, so the chances of a tree lasting through a nasty winter like these last two are slim. I'm enough of a science nerd to try growing my own lemon plant while the garden sleeps with - get this - seeds salvaged from my grocery store lemons!
Not ready to call it a tree by any means, but it sure beats the $69.95 price for an 18-24" plant from Williams Sonoma! The hope is to have the fragrance of lemon wafting in my home by summer (oh, okay, I want lemons - ha, maybe in a few years??)
Not ready to call it a tree by any means, but it sure beats the $69.95 price for an 18-24" plant from Williams Sonoma! The hope is to have the fragrance of lemon wafting in my home by summer (oh, okay, I want lemons - ha, maybe in a few years??)
Day 1: The process to get the lemon seed germination started was fairly simple, but tedious. It took about 1 hr to yield 20 or so seeds. From the photo below, I'll take you through the steps.
Step 1: Slice your lemons to yield your starting seeds. I cut two lemons every 2-3 days, and not all of them yield seeds, but these two had many. I started with about 24, expecting to lose a few while preparing for germination.
It is important to place the seeds in a sunny, warm room, where they're exposed to sunlight at least 3 hours or more daily. Even though it was mid-winter with freezing temps, I placed mine in my south-facing, heated sunroom, where the ceiling is all windows.
Day 17: I planted the seedlings. The photo collage above shows the sequence (counterclockwise, starting from the postage stamp photos at top, right). Keys to planting success: a good soil, and containers with drainage.
Day 18: I set the 4 clay pots on an old dinner plate, placed a cloche over it, and left the styrofoam crate out (since it was still holding moisture).
Day 22: After a few daily checks of the seedlings under the cloche, I noticed one clay pot looked to be showing the beginning of mold growth around its edge, above the soil line. I removed the cloche lid, carefully scraped the inside of that pot with a wet rag, and left the cloche off of the seedlings. I continued monitoring the seedlings daily.
Day 31: I removed seedlings from the styrofoam egg crate and planted them into two additional clay pots. The above photo is day 33, and these babies are just waiting for no-freeze temps to be able to grow outside! I'll keep you posted on the progress.
Enjoyed the project?
![Rita C. - Panoply](https://cdn-fastly.hometalk.com/media/profile/2015/09/01/179088_1.jpg?size=91x91)
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Published March 8th, 2015 8:01 PM
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4 of 8 comments
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Mariann on Mar 10, 2015
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Rita C. - Panoply on Mar 11, 2015
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Gina on May 14, 2017
I started seeds last year and now have a 14" baby tree (two actually). I will have to keep it in a pot because in my area of AZ (HOA rules) I can't plant in the ground anything not native, but I have done this before and ended up with a nice tree about 3' tall.
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Rita C. - Panoply on May 14, 2017
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Have you ever sprayed a light coat of peroxide on the wet paper towel to help the seeds germinate?
There are no lemon trees in Costa Rica and I,m thinking of starting one there. I have heard that a 50 50 water peroxide mix helps the seeds germinate in the wet paper towel. What do you think?