Fresh Lemonade Anyone?

Fresh Lemonade Anyone?

By Joseph Parish

For today’s lesson I am going to talk about growing lemon trees from store bought lemons. In the past, I have made multiple lemon trees, but my loving wife forgot to keep them watered and they died. Don’t be like Pam water your little trees. Lemon trees by nature are evergreen plants, however they are sensitive to frost and cold. These can be grown outdoors in zones 9 through 12, and could get as tall as 25 feet under those conditions. In our case here in Delaware we are in zone 5 to 7 therefore our lemon tree will have to stay indoors in the winter.

Usually the commercial lemon trees are grown as grafted rootstock and produce fruit in about five years. The average time span to see a productive tree can range from five to fifteen years, depending upon the type planted, the freshness of the seed used and the growing conditions.

If you are patient and want to have a nice plant for your home, you can produce lemon trees from inexpensive lemons found in your grocery store. To begin, fill a common seed tray with moist potting soil. Leave about 2/3 of space at the top of the tray. Tamp the soil so it is secure in the tray.

Cut your lemon in half and carefully remove the seeds. Get rid of the pulp by rinsing them off in a container of water. After the seeds are cleaned obtain a bowl of fresh water and soak the seeds for eight hours, this will speed up the germination process.

While the seeds are still moist spread them evenly over the surface of the soil. Lightly sprinkle approximately ½ inch of soil over the seeds, just enough to cover them.  Tamp down the cover soil and mist lightly. Finally, cover the tray with some sort of plastic to create a miniature greenhouse effect. Avoid allowing the seeds to dry out. During the germination period keep the soil moist at all time but not soaked. One time while germinating lemon seeds I had a soda cup in my window and every time I would encounter a seed, I would clean it and place it in the cup. I kept the cup in a large Ziploc where it would retain moisture and within a few months I kept seeing seedlings sprout.

Place the tray in a 70-degree area, perhaps on an inside window ledge. You can expect the seeds to germinate with a matter of eight weeks. When the seedlings appear remove the plastic to allow air circulation and place them in direct sunlight.

When it is time to transplant your lemon, trees fill a 6-inch pots with moist potting soil. Transplant one seedling to the center of each pot. Place the pots in a warm area of your home, which receives four hours of direct sunlight each day. At this point you can water your seedlings two times weekly. An occasional dose of citrus plant food would be a boost to their growth.

Supplies and Equipment needed

· Seed tray

· Potting soil

· Knife

· Container

· Bowl

· Spray bottle

· Plastic wrap

· 6-inch pots

· Watering can

· Citrus plant food

If nothing else happens and your lemon tree fails to support growth you have a beautiful houseplant to decorate your home with. My father-in-law raised one on his mobile home many years ago and that plant produced fruit and looked like an attractive addition to his home.

Today I am going to obtain the seeds from some recently purchased lemons. These seeds are washed and soaked for eight hours in a container of water after which I planted them in a pot of soil. I will update this after they sprout which should be within an eight-week time frame. I will keep you updated as our experiment progresses.

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