Eat a Lemon, Save The Seeds & Grow a Brand New Lemon Tree
Can we grow lemon tree from seeds at home?
Yes, indeed. Although you may need to be patient and realize that you may not get the exact lemon variety in lemon breeding experiment. Citrus trees are grafted onto parent trees and bear fruit after two to three years; however, seed-derived trees are not carbonate copies of the parent tree and can take five or more years to bear fruit, often with worse results than the tree’s fruit. For that matter, your growing lemon tree seed may never bear fruit, but it’s a fascinating experiment and the resulting tree is bound to be a vibrant and beautiful citrus specimen.
How to grow your lemon tree
The first step in propagating lemon seeds is choosing a juicy, great-tasting lemon. Then you should remove the seeds from the pulp and wash them. You should remove any stuck pulp and sugar, which can promote fungal diseases that, by the way, kill your seeds. You just want to use fresh seeds and plant them right away. Allowing them to dry will reduce the chances of them sprouting.
Planting the seed
Make a hole in the ground. It should be about half an inch deep. Put the seeds in the hole and cover with soil. You don’t have to worry too much about the orientation of the seed. The pointed end should be facing up. But if it doesn’t work that way, the plant will definitely grow upwards.
Keep the soil moist
Your container should be kept in a warm and steady place for germination. You can keep the soil in the container moist by covering it with breathable plastic. Indirect light would be perfect. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t dry out.
Seed sprouts appear
In a couple of weeks, you should see a small sprout emerging from the top of the soil. At this point you can remove the plastic and place the baby tree in a location that gets direct sunlight, but keep an eye on it. You don’t want it to dry out or burn out.
Keep the temperature warm and the soil moist
Keep the temperature warm and the soil evenly moist, never wet. If you are growing your seedling indoors, you will need to combat the dry air that is normally produced by central heating and air conditioning. Mist the soil (and then the seedling) lightly with a spray bottle each day. You can also place a bowl of pebbles under the growing plant to create moisture around it.
Caring for your growing lemon plant
Now you will have a longstanding relationship with your little tree. If you take good care of it, you can see it grow for decades.
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