Citrus trees

If you planted a lemon, grapefruit or orange seed will they bear fruit? Roommate planted them and forgot which was which. I put into flower tent today at lights out. Looking yellow to me. Figure it needs nutes.

Citrus may not produce fruit true to type or at all from seed. You may want to do some research before you invest too much in it. Good Luck!

Also some citrus will not produce fruit for the first few years until mature, then start.

It takes years for fruits on most fruit trees

Herb & Suds said:

It takes years for fruits on most fruit trees

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I have 2 fourth year lemons from seed. 1 is three feet and the other over eight. Hoping for some grape sized fruit this year to discard.

No one mentioned that you really should remove the first years fruit for increased production the following year.

Was able to induce flowering on young citrus by drought stress.

Let the soil dry til leaves were drooping then fed. Did this a couple times and blossoms started forming.

Southernontariogrower said:

If you planted a lemon, grapefruit or orange seed will they bear fruit? . . . . . . .

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It's according to how the tree the fruit came from was made. If it is a seedling, it will be true to form. That is the seedlings will be the same. But most are grafted, in which case you will get the root stock seeds. It could also be a hybrid, in which case the fruit would be a blend of the two types used in the cross.

I have lemon tree's .. One 20yrs old Other's by seed's

Got one a long time ago after that i started to get some seed's and got a few going .. But found out that if you use a cutting and root it it will start lemon's faster . Seed's will take 4 5 yrs to make lemon's. But the old one give's me 17 to 25 giant lemon's each yr. Mini Myers Lemon Tree

outside Dixie said:

Got one a long time ago after that i started to get some seed's and got a few going .. But found out that if you use a cutting and root it it will start lemon's faster . Seed's will take 4 5 yrs to make lemon's. But the old one give's me 17 to 25 giant lemon's each yr. Mini Myers Lemon Tree

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Like a clone,, nice one Dixie

Dropped some pot ash on my lemon in the window

injinji said:

It's according to how the tree the fruit came from was made. If it is a seedling, it will be true to form. That is the seedlings will be the same. But most are grafted, in which case you will get the root stock seeds. It could also be a hybrid, in which case the fruit would be a blend of the two types used in the cross.

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The rootstock for most citrus is trifoliata orange (Sour Orange). It is used because it is more resistant to pests, bacteria and fungal issues. The rootstock has no effect on the fruit the graft produces. The graft will produce viable seeds and if planted will produce whatever fruit the graft bears, just won't have a great rootstock. Unless the rootstock produces sucker shoots that are not trimmed off it and allowed to flower, it has no effect on what is grafted to it.

Edit: As an example let's use walnut trees, there are two common kinds of walnuts, Black Walnuts, which have very hardy rootstock, but produce smaller more bitter walnuts, and there's English Walnuts, which produce larger meatier walnuts, but have a more delicate root system. As a result, English walnuts are grafted onto Black walnut rootstock. The resulting plants produces English walnuts, any shoots from the rootstock are trimmed off. Those walnuts can be planted and will be English walnuts, with English walnut root systems The graft lasts about 40 years, then the English walnut portion dies. When the grafted tree dies, the exposed black walnut rootstock often puts out shoots, and will be a black walnut tree and produce black walnuts, if allowed to mature.

Phytoplankton said:

The rootstock for most citrus is trifoliata orange (Sour Orange). It is used because it is more resistant to pests, bacteria and fungal issues. The rootstock has no effect on the fruit the graft produces. The graft will produce viable seeds and if planted will produce whatever fruit the graft bears, just won't have a great rootstock. Unless the rootstock produces sucker shoots that are not trimmed off it and allowed to flower, it has no effect on what is grafted to it. . . . . . .

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You are right. A friend had tons of volunteer satsuma come up under his trees. They did have lots more thorns than the grafted one, but the fruit was the same. I have trifoliata growing wild on the farm.