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Post by dvg on Nov 13, 2019 19:13:44 GMT -5
Earlier this year, i germinated seeds from a store bought mandarin orange, that i found to be exceptionally tasty and sweet. These Citrus seeds were sprouted on a damp coffee filter inside a ziplocked bag. The first seed to germinate was very vigorous and seemed to yield approximately six or seven plantlets. Thought that there was something wrong there and chucked that first result out. As soon as the other two seeds showed signs of sprouting, they were transplanted into soil, in their own individual pots. One pot sent up two stems, while the other pot sent up three more, yielding, five plants from two seeds. Turns out that some Citrus plants are polyembryonic, meaning that a single seed can have multiple plants emerge from it. Found this link that discusses growing Citrus from seed and mentions polyembryoidy, in passing. forums.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/threads/growing-citrus-trees-from-seeds-advice-please.6602/Has anyone else tried to grow out Citrus varieties from seed, for fun? Will have to post some pics of my two small pots of sweet mandarins, soon. dvg
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Post by meateater on Nov 27, 2019 10:44:42 GMT -5
Yep, I tried a bunch over the years: lemons, kumquat, tangerine, and a whole bunch of other fruits. Most are fairly easy. Problem arrives after they get to a good size -- no space. Now I only save the kumquat plants and let everything else go.
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Post by dvg on Nov 27, 2019 13:27:12 GMT -5
That's interesting that you have chosen to grow the kumquats over the others, Meateater. Is the kumquat that much more compact in size and structure than other citrus trees? Because space always seems to become an issue. These are my two small pots of sweet mandarin Citrus: with three plants in one pot, and two in the other, so they will need to be upsized soon. The winged segments attached to the leaf bases, caught my attention. dvg
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Post by meateater on Dec 3, 2019 10:13:18 GMT -5
I saw plants similar to kumquat in supermarkets grown to good size in a relatively small pot (eyeballing them to be ~6-8"?). More an experiment than anything. I had a meyer lemon going but it kinda stopped growing in a 6" pot. I didn't (and still don't) have space so I let it go. If anyone had success growing lemons/citrus in a bonsai I'd love to hear about it!
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Post by dvg on Dec 3, 2019 13:26:53 GMT -5
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Post by meateater on Dec 5, 2019 21:20:23 GMT -5
dvg, good info, thank you. That lemon tree in a shallow bonsai bowl still looks like magic to me.
I just noticed my starfruit tree is still alive, in a 3" pot (!) I am still not quite sure what's the best treatment when spring comes...
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Post by dvg on Dec 9, 2019 13:05:54 GMT -5
I just noticed my starfruit tree is still alive, in a 3" pot (!) I am still not quite sure what's the best treatment when spring comes... Have never sown a starfruit seed before, Meateater. How is it doing in a 3" pot? dvg
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Post by gj on Mar 9, 2020 8:39:41 GMT -5
dvg glad I had this thread to refer to. I started some grapefruit seeds, and couldn't figure out why I had more plantlets coming up than seeds I planted. It wasn't until this morning I remembered you mentioning this with your oranges. Thanks!
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Post by dvg on Mar 9, 2020 12:22:39 GMT -5
Gary, it's good to hear that you decided to try some Citrus plants from seed. And yes, having multiple embryos in those seeds can throw ya for a bit of a loop when they all hatch up at once. Good luck with your grapefruit seedlings. dvg
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Post by gj on Mar 9, 2020 20:51:45 GMT -5
It'll be fun to try something a little different. It's my first shot at a fruit tree of any kind since I tried pomegranates about 5 years ago. I've got two of those still around, but no fruit on them so far.
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Post by dvg on Mar 10, 2020 12:28:54 GMT -5
Gary, that's impressive that you have five year old promegranates grown out from seed.
How large are those plants now and what size pots are using to grow them in?
I'm going to have to separate and repot my Citrus clones because they seem to have stalled in growth and probably need more fresh root room to spread out into.
dvg
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Post by gj on Mar 10, 2020 13:57:57 GMT -5
I believe they are in 12" pots at the moment.
I've treated the two I have left a little different over the last couple years which has resulted in different sizes. One I try to keep trimmed so it has grown a little bit more vertically, probably about 5 feet tall or so. The other one I haven't trimmed as aggressively so it's a little more squat (probably about 2/3 the height of the first one mentioned) and is bushier. Due to their shape/height difference, I like to refer to them as Abbot and Costello.
I also have been keeping them in different climates to see if I can convince one to flower this coming season. The tall skinny one has been kept in a relatively bright and warm room all winter. The other has been out in the garage where it's much cooler and darker, in the hopes that this will induce a deeper dormancy.
We'll see how they do, and I'll try to remember to post some pictures when they fill in with leaves during the summer.
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avery
Junior Member
Posts: 50
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Post by avery on Mar 11, 2020 16:12:41 GMT -5
Great thread! Very interesting.
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Post by meateater on Mar 14, 2020 15:16:21 GMT -5
Have never sown a starfruit seed before, Meateater. How is it doing in a 3" pot? dvg So... it did well under grow lights, until I came back from vacation... all crisp and dry
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Post by dvg on Mar 15, 2020 6:47:50 GMT -5
Oh Meateater, sorry to hear of your loss.
With that many tears, your little 🌟 musta had a name as well.
It's still difficult to lose some of our long time little green buddies.
dvg
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