Sometimes, we want to plant our lemons by propagating lemon seeds because it yields produce. You can either buy the seeds from a nursery or purchase them online.
However, do you know that there is a chance for you to harvest the seeds yourself from the fruits directly and propagate them?
Yes, it’s possible, and in this article, you will see how you can propagate lemon seeds even without buying them but using the grains from your fruit.
How easy is propagating lemon seeds?
Propagating lemon seeds is an easy process though it will require some patience because it takes some time.
The lemon tree you grow from the seed will take about five or more years to produce fruits, and the fruits will also be inferior to those of the parent tree.
In other words, you are majorly experimenting, and you need to be ready for any results when propagating lemon seeds.
In case the tree doesn’t bear any fruits hence having it as a specimen and a lovely plant in your backyard.
How to grow Lemon trees from seed
Step 1. Select a good-tasting and juicy lemon
When propagating lemon seeds, you need to get delicious and fresh lemon fruit and remove the pulp seeds. Wash the seeds and remove that flesh and sugar, which might stimulate fungal diseases that could kill off the grain.
Ensure the seeds do not dry, so you need to wash them immediately and plant them right away to diminish any chances of failing to germinate.
Step 2. Prepare the container and potting soil while propagating lemon seeds
Once you have the seeds ready and clean, get a plastic pot, mix your soil with peat moss and perlite or sand, and pasteurize them.
In case the mixture has any lethal pathogens, pasteurizing will help kill them. Put half sand, help peat moss in the container, and pour some water into the mix to have it damp.
Ensure the container has holes, which will help drainage properly whenever you water the lemon seeds and plant.
Step 3. Put the lemon seeds
When you have the mix in the container while propagating lemon seeds, you can now push the seeds into the soil. Plant the seeds about ½ an inch deep in the ground, which will increase the chances for lemon seed propagation.
Step 4. Moisten the soil and cover the plant before propagating lemon seeds
As soon as you finish planting the seeds into the soil, water the plant to ensure the surface gets moist but avoid pouring a lot of water, which might make the ground soggy. You are better off using a spray bottle.
Cover the pot with a plastic wrap, which will help aid water retention. Cut at the wrap’s ends to prevent the seeds from getting much humidity and have some breathing space.
Keep the pot of the growing lemon seeds in a place with 70° F temperatures, and when the seedlings emerge, remove the wrap and place the plant in a brighter area.
Step 5. Transplant the seedlings when they grow further when propagating lemon seeds
We believe that while you are propagating lemon seeds, you start growing them in a small pot. However, seedlings emerge and outgrow that container, and the need to move it to another one arises.
Transplant the seedlings to a vaster pot of at least 4-6 inches and fill it with a sterile potting medium. Fertilize the soil with a fertilizer rich in potassium and add it every two to four weeks. The lemon tree will have enough nutrients.
The propagated lemon seedlings need direct sunlight with an average temperature of 60-70°F. When the lemon tree gets larger, prune it to give it a shape you desire and do it in the early spring.
Re-pot a propagated lemon seedling when it’s outgrowing the current container and put a new mix of soil, and this will help it bloom and fruit due to the new and fresh growth.
Always water the plant, and do not allow the ground to dry out.
That’s it for lemon trees propagated from seedlings, but the critical point is to be patient with your tree as it will take more years for you to get lemonade from those lemon fruits.
How to germinate lemon seeds in a paper towel
Planting lemon trees in paper towels is easy and effective, and it’s best in the winter.
1. Gather seeds from the lemon
You need to have like five seeds out of fruit in case one doesn’t germinate. Clean off the pulp and rinse them with water and dry the seeds with a paper towel.
2. Peel off the white skin from the seeds
Removing the skin helps accelerate germination. Try not to cut through the embryos because you might punch the bud inside.
3. Wrap the seeds in a moist paper towel
After peeling off the skin, wrap the lemon seeds about an inch in a paper and carefully cover them with another paper towel. Then wrap them gently and spray the towel until it’s damp.
Seal the paper towel, put it in a plastic bag, and remember to note the current date. Leave some air inside the bag since the seeds need moisture, warmth, and ambiance to blossom.
4. Put the plastic bag in a warm area.
You do not have to put the lemon seeds under light at this stage, but rather in a shaded area. Find a warm and moist place and keep the embryos away from the cold, and it will quickly shoot.
5. After 2-4 weeks, the seeds are ready for planting into the soil.
After a month, lemon seeds will germinate in a paper towel, and the roots will be 1.5 inches long.
- Prepare the soil and a pot for each seedling; the ideal soil mix should have 5.5.5.
- Single out the paper towels’ seedlings and carefully remove them without breaking off the roots if the paper is sticking to them.
- Plant the seedlings up to once inch deep in the soil. Pant down the ground, but avoid pressing harder because you might still break the roots.
- Keep the soil damp until leaves begin to appear on each lemon plant. The tree needs to face the south side for enough sunlight.
- Water appropriately and allow the soil to dry out in-between waterings without altogether leaving it dry out since lemon trees enjoy moist soils.
How to plant lemon seeds after germination
The best way to plant lemon seeds after germination is when you put them in a paper towel.
So you need to cut a lemon into half and take out its seeds and peel off the out-most shell and place them in a paper towel and place them somewhere, pour water until it’s wet.
Please place it in a bag and store it in a warm place, and in a few days, the seeds will begin to germinate out of the soil and then move the seedlings to small pots with potting mix.
Two weeks later, the plant will develop, so you need to keep it inside.
How to grow a lemon tree faster
Lemons do not require high temperatures, so they are easy to grow in frigid atmospheres. Proper growing conditions encourage a lemon tree to grow suitably.
Lack of sunlight, underwatering and poor drainage and general lack of care slows a lemon tree’s growth, reducing fruit production.
1. Plant a one-year-old nursery tree
Planting this kind of lemon tree helps it grow faster because it’s already establishing its roots. It will grow more actively. The already growing tree will be quickly in its production of blooms and fruits.
2. Sunny location
Since lemon trees love enough light, you need to place it in an area with direct sunlight, and that is the south side of your window or house, and the lemon tree will grow faster.
The place also needs to be well-draining, and you need to take this first. Dig a hole and pour water in it; if the water drains into the soil, then the place has enough drainage.
If the area isn’t well-draining, you need to build a planting bed and increase its soil levels.
3. Clear the place where you plant the lemon tree
If there are any weeds, clear them to reduce how they take away the lemon tree’s nutrients hence having your tree enjoy its nutrients by itself and growing faster.
4. Fertilize the lemon tree
Ensure to add fertilizers rich in nitrogen, and it’s best to do it each month from spring to summer, especially in the first year of the lemon tree’s growth.
The fertilizer needs to be even over the ground above the tree’s roots. Your lemon tree will grow faster when it’s healthy and energetic.
5. Water the lemon tree
Watering is essential for a lemon tree when you want it to grow faster. Whenever you water the soil, it will remain moist, but you need to pay attention to the weather conditions.
If it’s a dry season, you need to water the tree more often than when it’s a winter season where you will need first to check if the soils are dry and then water again.
6. Avoid pruning for a young lemon tree.
When a lemon tree is not yet mature, it will need to grow independently without pruning its branches hence having it grow faster. Whenever you remove the limbs, you are slowing down a tree’s growth.
And in case you choose to prune a mature tree, please do it in late summer or fall to avoid the development of new branches, which will be sensitive to cold weather damage.
How to plant lemon seeds without soil
Planting a lemon tree without soil is a way of starting seed germination until it turns into a seedling ready to transplant to a small pot.
1. Put the seeds in a paper towel
You can follow the procedures above in this article on how to germinate lemon seeds in a paper towel.
2. Use the untreated waste paper card.
Such material can include toilet tissue, cardboard box material, and pages from old books.
Use the same procedure as paper towels above.
3. Put seeds in sponges or organic cotton wool.
When you have seeds ready and place them into a natural sponge, it will help hold the moisture close to the lemon seeds, allowing them to germinate.
In the same way, you can soak organic cotton wool into the water and use it as a seed starter for a lemon tree.
4. Use wet natural materials or plant fiber mats in pots.
Materials such as linen, hemp, and cotton are suitable for seed-staking and growing lemon seeds without soil. Keep the seeds moist in a container.
5. Fine wood shavings
Wood shavings work well as animal beddings, and so they will help as seed starting for a lemon seed starting for germination.
7. Put in a Jar
Germinate your lemon seeds in a jar.
Lemon seeds can grow without soil, and after germinating seedlings, you can move them into a pot with potting soil mixture.
Frequently Asked Questions
When growing a lemon tree from seed, it may take as long as 15years before you can harvest any fruits out of it, so you need to take proper care of it.
A lemon tree that you grow from seed will take some time to produce fruit, and there are also chances for the tree not to bear fruits.
A lemon tree takes about 3-6 years to produce fruit after germinating from seed. It’s gratifying growing a lemon tree from seeds, and if you give it the proper care, it will grow faster.
Lemon seeds take at least one to two weeks to germinate and show signs of shooting. A small whitetail emerges from an embryo when a young root is forming.