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rammankin

Clementine Seed Germination

rammankin
17 years ago

A while ago I found a couple seeds in some clementines (those miniature orange looking fruits) and I'm thinking of trying to plant them. Someone on the germinating "from seeds" forum said that it was probably possible to do so, even in an apartment (the person said a friend of theirs had successfully done so.)

I'll have to keep them inside my apartment. I'm thinking of putting them near a window for sunlight, or using an office style flourescent tube light, which works fine with indoor tropical bonsai plants.

I have two seeds to try with. I have two regular gardening tera cotta pots that I think will be fine for a while if they actually germinate. Do citrus plants require a special sort of soil, or should I go with a regular general potting soil mix? Any advice or directions would be very helpful, as I've never really done this before (though I've taken care of some plants successfully for some time.)

Comments (15)

  • gardner_dragon
    17 years ago

    I use a plastic zipper bag to germinate all my citrus seeds I usually have 100% germination with this method.

    Quart size zipper bag
    handful of peat moss
    water
    Heat source

    Place a handful of peat moss in the zipper bag. Add enough water to make it very damp but not sopping wet. Toss in the seeds. Mix to cover the seeds. Flatten the lump of peat moss and zip it up. Place the plastic bag on a warm heat source such as the top of your water heater, cable box, older style monitor if left always on, or even a reptile heat stone. In about 2 weeks the seeds will have germinated and will need to be planted into small cups. Paper works fine for this. I cover the cups with a plastic bag to keep the humidity up. Place them in a bright location out of indirect sunlight. In about a month you can start opening the plastic bags up to harden off the new seedlings. If you see any drying of the leaves replace the bag. Make sure to poke holes in the cups to allow for water drainage. When the seedlings are about 4 to 6 inches tall you can re pot them into larger small pots. Use a mixture of peat/bark/very coarse sand as a potting mixture. Be careful when re potting as the roots break easily.
    Hope this helps.
    Andi

  • tcamp30144(7B N.ATLANTA)
    10 years ago

    IplantedaSeed very fast growing only a 2 weeks old

  • poncirusguy6b452xx
    10 years ago

    I have grown 3 poncirus trifoliata, 1 meiwa kumquat, 1 nagami kumquat and 4 sweet lee tangerine tree that are sill alive to day.

    The link below will send you to the processes that work and those that failed and how to do things on the cheep. It is mostly pics with short statements., and will take you through the first year

    good luck

    this is meiwa at 1 year

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/citrus/msg0320572518736.html

  • hermie3rd
    10 years ago

    I tried this with both lemon and clementine seeds, and had success. I just rinsed off the seeds after removing them from the fruit, and stuck them in the soil just so the dirt was barely covering them. (But it did cover them completely). I then slightly watered the soil, and stuck them in my kitchen window, which faces west. I kept the soil moist, and a few weeks later they all sprouted. They've been doing well ever since, and they are in regular potting soil for now. I'm planning on giving some to friends, so I'll change the soil to a more chunky medium then.

    I think the important thing is, at least from what I can tell from reading on here, is not to let the seeds to completely dry out and keep them in a warm place. Good luck!!

  • poncirusguy6b452xx
    10 years ago

    The information that I was unable to fine I asked about on the gardenweb, deals with micronutrients. the following link deas with feeding and micro nutrients.

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/citrus/msg062354098834.html

  • tcamp30144(7B N.ATLANTA)
    10 years ago

    On month old Friday.

  • Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
    10 years ago

    Seeds from a Clementine should grow into a somewhat attractive and thorny foliage plant for you.

    I believe Clementine is one of a few citrus that does not produce a large percentage of seedlings that are true-to-type. So don't expect a cloned 'clementine'.

    It will likely need to get quite large (maybe 12-14 feet tall or more) before it will bear, if at all, so that I why I say you can grow it as a foliage plant.

  • tcamp30144(7B N.ATLANTA)
    10 years ago

    3mo old

  • hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
    10 years ago

    Most citrus are polyembryonic, and will produce a clone seedling (the first and strongest of multiple sprouts from a seed). However, there are some citrus that a monoembryonic, and thus will only produce a hybrid (a cross of the mother tree and whatever other citrus pollen was around the tree at the time of flowering). One of those citrus cultivars that are monoembryonic are clementines. They will not be true to type. You'll get some hybrid, and it can be anything, most often not as good as the mother tree. So, just warning those trying to grow clementines from seeds. You will not be getting a Clementine.

    Patty S.

  • tcamp30144(7B N.ATLANTA)
    10 years ago

    I know Patty it's just fun to see what u get who know maybe mutant monster tree that I have to put down because it eats other trees lol.

  • johnmerr
    10 years ago

    Patty,

    If a Meyer is pollinated with another Meyer; because that is all that is around, will the seed not be a Meyer? I have had some mixed indicators on this; some of my seed grown trees had different phenotypes; but all of them seemed to produce Meyer lemons.

    John

  • hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
    10 years ago

    Yes, it the clementine was grown in a block of trees, the liklihood would be the pollen that pollinate the flower was another Clementine. And, commercial growers often will deliberately grow blocks of like tree to actually either prevent seeds (self-incompatible cultivars), or reduce seeds. BUT here in California, where we have SO many citrus growing all over the place in back yards, and bees travel quite a distance, that you can get hybrid seeds easier than you think. Especially if that fruit came from the outer perimeter of the orchard. So, still a decent chance that the clementine seed is not a clementine.

    Patty S.

  • Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
    10 years ago

    In the case of Meyer lemon, it is believed to be a hybrid -- a true lemon that has crossed with something else -- maybe an orange or a mandarin. I have heard it has a large to maybe 100% percentage of off-type seedlings.

    So, even when it pollinates with itself, you are going to get some mixup of those genes.

    The seedling may come out closer to one or the other parent, is my understanding.

    But it will likely NOT be a true Meyer lemon clone.

    Now if you happen to observe that any of the seeds are polyembryonic and send up multiple seedlings from the same seed, at least one of those may be a clone.

  • Talon Schweibenz
    7 years ago

    gardener_dragon/anyone that can help,

    when the seeds are germinating on a heat source, should that source have some form of sunlight, or is it okay if it is completely in the dark (i.e. cable box)

  • johnmerr
    7 years ago

    Seeds don't need light to germinate; but once germinated the plant needs light to make chlorophyll

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