Start Your Own Lemon Trees From Seed
45 Minutes
Easy
The process to start your own lemon trees from seeds is much like the process for starting your own apple trees from seeds. The difference is temperature. Apples like it COLD and lemons like it HOT … well, warm, anyway. But before we begin, let me clarify that this was just an experiment! We are aware that these pretty little trees will not produce fruit that is true to the parent (which was never the goal), and in fact, they might not produce at all unless properly grafted. We acknowledge that we still have much to learn about fruit trees, and as we learn more, we will share it with you. I plan to study up on grafting over the winter. Nonetheless, these little trees make lovely house plants and have a pleasant scent. So although they may never produce a thing, they are still fun to have around! Please do not interpret this article to mean more than is intended. Thanks!
Digressing, I did not think to take a lot of photos of the entire process when I did this, because at the time, I wasn’t blogging. However, I will soon go buy some lemons, photograph the process, and edit this post so you can see it as it happens. For now (since I have folks asking), click the link below to see all the steps.
Digressing, I did not think to take a lot of photos of the entire process when I did this, because at the time, I wasn’t blogging. However, I will soon go buy some lemons, photograph the process, and edit this post so you can see it as it happens. For now (since I have folks asking), click the link below to see all the steps.
My tallest baby (about 10" in this photo, but now at about 15")
Rooting seeds ready for planting.
Seedling at a few weeks old.
All my babies.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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4 of 91 comments
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My Hubby like Limes over Lemons. I guess I could do the same thing with Lime seeds?
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yes you can
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I enjoyed reading this post!
It's fun to experiment with planting seeds from fruit. I tried planting lemon seeds a few years ago and I think every seed grew. I ended up cutting several back to the soil to avoid crowding and when the trees became too tall and leggy, I simply lopped of several inches creating a bushy tree. Be aware that lemon trees have big long thorns!
Frequently asked questions
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The pictures are great but how did you do it? Take seeds from a lemon im guessing. Then what?
My home grown lemon tree is only 2" high. I want it to be short and bushy so I can keep it inside. What should I do, and when?
Where do you get the seeds? Do you get them from the fruit at the store?