No, complete fallacy. Have no idea where this idea comes from, but on occasion, it will pop up. It is completely impossible for this to happen. Plant your tree wherever you would like. I have over 100 different varieties of citrus all planted together, many are lemons and other sour citrus. My sweet citrus are as sweet as ever.

Patty S.

Thank You Patty! I was really worried, having seen some of the posts on other websites about how cross pollination has affected the fruit coming from their different varieties of citrus trees. I know that scientifically, cross pollination is only "supposed" to impact the seeds of the fruit bearing tree. But know I that sometimes, mother nature can do funny things that can test the rules of established science.

Hearing that you grow 100 different varieties without any negative impact of one plant imparting it's traits to another plant gives me some peace about planting the lemon tree next to the orange tree.

Thank you for your helpful insight!

Lots of Love!

As was said, that bit about lemon tree making oranges sour is a bit of an old wives tale. Been around for many. many years. Ignore it.

As far as cross pollination goes, if it occurred, would affect the seeds, not the fruit.

Urban legends and Old Wives tales die hard; some, like the market for Meyer lemons is too small; and Meyers don't have a long enough shelf life for commercial shipment, are partly responsible for my success.

CreatedtoCook, understand what happens during pollination - it is the SEED that is affected. The pulp of the fruit has nothing at all to do with the pollination of the seed. The pulp is produced by the mother plant. It is the mother plants genes that create the pulp of the fruit. The pollen parent is responsible for creating in some citrus (not all, and not a lot) a possible hybrid between the mother plant and the pollen parent. Many citrus are seedless, or are sterile. So, nothing at all happens. Some citrus will become (more) seedy if there are other citrus in the area, but that isn't really very important to me. I just spit out the seeds. You can let you mom know she has nothing to worry about, and neither do you :-) Plant your lovely citrus exactly where you want them, and enjoy.

John, have to tell you - my Meyer lemons last FOREVER in my kitchen. I find that very fascinating, as the skin and pith and much thinner than my Santa Teresa Femminello lemons, which go bad much more quickly. I will leave my Meyer lemons in my kitchen basket for weeks until I get to the bottom of the basket, then go out and pick more. We have an endless supply of lemonade here from my Meyer lemons. I'll toss in St. Teresas, too, so they don't go bad, but I can always count on my Meyer lemons to last in my kitchen. After I squeeze them, if we don't use the peel for limoncello, I toss them down my garbage disposal, to freshen it up. I love that about Meyers - I don't have to pick them as often. I just pick a BIG bag or two full, on occasion. Pretty awesome.

Patty S.

Thank you for sharing that great picture of your Lisbon Lemon Tree. How big was it when you bought the tree?
My tree is currently in a large pot, waiting to be transplanted to it's permanent home in the ground. I bough my tree earlier this spring, in a 5 gallon pot. It's only about 3 feet tall right now.

I'm wondering how long it will take to get 8 feet. Mine is a semi-dwarf variety.

Hah. If you take very good care of it - 3 years easy. Here is S. California, we're actually in "lemon country". Lemons literally grow like weeds here. Crazy growth. I have a hard time growing them in containers without having to pretty severely prune them back. Which sort of defeats the purpose of citrus, as they fruit on the tips of their branches. In fact, I have a Santa Teresa Femminello in a pot that must come out this weekend. I have to find a spot to squeeze it into my landscape. Somewhere. Running out of room, lol!

Patty S.

The tree was planted in April 2013. It was about 6 feet tall. The wall behind it is 7 feet tall. I am pretty sure it is on standard root stock. I wanted the size, thus the standard. I plant as big as I can afford. I don't like the waiting game, especially at my age. This picture was taken at planting. Vigorous grower. Large thorns however.

Yes, Lisbon is wickedly thorny, but does produce very nice lemons. Well done, Doc, your tree looks lovely.

Patty S.

Hoosierquilt:

How does your Santa Teresa Femminello compare to a Lisbon?
I have a nice looking Santa Teresa, marketed as an "Italian Lemon" tree that I bought from Costco recently, but it had no flower buds or fruit on it. I had read somewhere on one of these forums, that it took someone 2+ years before theirs started fruiting. So I'm seriously considering just taking it back, since I also have the semi-dwarf Lisbon and a semi-dwarf Meyer. What do you think, should I keep it or return it?

Created, this doesn't have anything to do with cross-pollination but it was a mistake I made. I was, and still am, quite green with citrus when I planted some of my trees. At the time, my trees were very small and my primary goal was for them to live. Now, five or six years later, I wish I had planted them twice as far apart. The trees have grown to unexpected dimensions and are competing with each other for sun and root space. To make matters worse, a fig is beginning to crowd into their space. I wish I had enough room for the hundreds of trees Patty has....and who knows how many tree Johnmerr has :>)

Created, "2 years" is relative. 2 years new to the owner? 2 years old from date of graft? Lemons are precocious, almost as precocious as limes. They will set fruit usually around their 3rd year or so. As far as I know, not any different than LIsbon in that regard. Not as thorny, but still thorny. The Santa Teresa has a very high oil content in the skin, which is why it is the primary lemon used to product limoncello in Italy. It has a very, very sweet, lemony scent when cut. I would NEVER return a Santa Teresa, it is probably the best lemon cultivar around (not counting the Improved Meyer, which is in a different category, all to itself). If I had to pick between any lemon (mainly what you see are Eureka, Lisbon, and a handful of Italian lemons), it would be a Santa Teresa. My 3 Santa Teresa lemons set fruit the year I put them in the ground.

John, move the fig, it is the most tolerant of being moved. It is basically a weed here in California. :-) Even more so than lemons.

Patty S.

Oh no!... I returned my Santa Theresa yesterday... I got from Costco for $18.99 ... I gotta go and see if I can re-purchase it! It was a beautiful tree... just no fruit or flower buds on it. Whereas the Lisbon has both fruit and flowers on it. I only have room for two lemon trees:

1) Semi-dwarf Improved Meyer Lemon

2) Lisbon OR Santa Theresa???
I feel your pain Johnorange. I also live in a space challenged area.

Hoosierquilt: I can just kick myself! I can't believe I made the mistake of returning the Sister Theresa, "Italian Lemon" Tree. I went back to Costco to beg them to re-sell it to me, but they said it's already on its way back to the vendor.

So now what should I do? The Lisbon is in a pot and seems to be doing well and has a lot of new growth on it. Should I try and seek out another Sister Theresa Lemon tree, although I'll probably end up having to pay twice as much for it now. I think the one I had was grafted on Semi-Dwarf Rootstock also.

Hoosierquilt, Do you also have a Lisbon Tree in addition to your 3 Sister Theresa Lemon Trees? If are fruit on the two trees that different that I should try to seek out a Sister Theresa? Prior to reading your post, I had been given the impression that the Eureka, Lisbon, and Italian Lemons were all pretty similar when it came to the fruit they produced. But that it was only the Meyer Lemon that had some really distinguishing characteristics when it came to taste and scent.

I don't have Lisbon - to wickedly thorny for me. Have enough thorns to deal with having 100+ citrus and 150+ roses, thank you. Plus, lemons are quite prolific, so 3 Santa Teresa's and 1 Meyer (hah, John, you'll appreciate the ratio 3 regular lemon trees' production = 1 Meyer lemon's production) is more than enough lemons for us. And, it's Santa Teresa Femminello (not Sister Teresa). Santa Teresa is known for its high oil content in the skin. Plus, their lemons are a little larger. Up to you and what you want to do with your lemons. We make home-made limoncello, so, the high oil content is a plus. I can clearly smell the difference between my Santa Teresa lemons and Eureka lemons. And, we make a killer Meyer limoncello as well, which is as popular as our regular limoncello.

Patty S.

I had no idea Lisbon Lemon Trees were so thorny! Had I known, I would have definitely kept the Santa Theresa and returned the Lisbon.

I do a lot of cooking, so I was looking for a lemon with a great true lemon flavor. It sounds like I made a big mistake returning that Santa Teresa.

Now I have to go find another Santa Theresa. Thanks for your insight.

Wow! So many citrus and roses... do you see them or is it all just for you and your family to enjoy???

Strange that you do a lot of cooking and are not a solid Meyer lemon fan; it is a chef's dream; and I would not have any other lemon in my kitchen. Last year when we sent lemons to Fruit Logistica in Berlin, there was a famous chef there, who told the media... "When I can get Meyers, I don't even CONSIDER any other lemon in my kitchens."

Could it be that your Meyer is not yet producing? The editor of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper once devoted a half page editorial to the joys of the Meyer lemon, in which he said, "Until you have had a Meyer lemon martini, you have not experienced that small piece of heaven on earth". I myself am an amateur gourmet chef, which is the reason I became a lifelong fan of the Meyer; now I have made it a business and soon will be not just a fan; but the biggest producer in the world at the least cost.

Johnmerr:

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Meyer Lemon Tree... Did I mention that I LOVE my Meyer Lemon Tree?!? I even wrote a post on my blog celebrating the Meyer Lemon. I've also created many recipes using Meyer Lemons. If I could ONLY grow one lemon tree, it would definitely be the Meyer Lemon tree. It was actually the very first tree I bought for myself when I moved into my new home. I have even considered buying another Meyer to grow in a pot in the house, just because I think they're such pretty trees. But since I don't have acres of land to grow as many trees as my heart desires, I've only chosen to grow one right now, because I read on this forum that one Meyer lemon tree is all I need since they produce so many lemons. I decided to grow another variety because I wanted a lemon tree that had more of tart lemon flavor... like when I make Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken. Do you think I need more than one Meyer Lemon tree? I love the way they look and I've considered making an espalier with them in the front of my house, but have been going back and forth on that idea. Right now I am very tempted to get a second Meyer, because while my Meyer Lemon tree is producing, it's still a very young and small tree. I was using at least one or more lemons a day, and the little tree could not keep up with the demands I put on it. Should I return my Lisbon and get another Meyer? My Lisbon has not yet produced, but my Meyer is already on it's second fruiting.

How many Meyer trees do you have? What are a few of your favorite Meyer Lemon Recipes? I'm curious to know if you also use them in savory dishes as well as sweet dishes. While I have not had a Meyer Lemon Martini, I have made a Meyer Lemon Drop.

Well. John is an extremely large commercial grower of Meyer lemons in Guatemala. He has thousands of trees, but also has a few planted at his house, too :-) I only have one because my Meyer lemon is SO prolific, I can't even keep up with just the one tree's production. I have to freeze, give away, and I drink lemonade every day, all year 'round. As well as cook with them, clean with them, make limoncello with them, etc. For me, one is more than enough. And, we give away a lot of our fruit to friends and family. If I end up with too much fruit, I can give some to shelters in my area. But, for our (and family/friends) use for now.

Patty S.

Created,

At the moment we have 21,000 Meyers; and will be adding 10,000 more in the next couple of months and perhaps more before the end of the year. Incidentally, two local chefs I know here actually make Lemon Rosemary chicken using Meyers; one cuts thin slices with the peel and slides them under the skin over the breast of the chicken. If you Google "100 things to do with a Meyer lemons" you will find lots of good ideas. BTW, we are doing feasibility studies for the release of our Mayancello (limoncello made with fresh Meyer lemons and our proprietary recipe ...an improved version of an old family recipe from an Italian restaurant in Rome). Perhaps one day you will find it on your local shelves.

This post was edited by Johnmerr on Fri, Jun 6, 14 at 15:10

I had the same fear of my orange trees going sour as they are next to lemon trees. I actually wanted to move them over the weekend. Now they stay were they are!

Now if you were to plant a seed the possibility of that seed producing whatever trees that it crossed pollinated with may produce a tree with all the flowers of the cross pollinate the trees meaning you could have oranges and lemons flowers on one tree

This is lemon tangerine grown from A crossed pollinated seed from a tangerine tree

The difference of a grafted tree is that the branch would only have one type of fruit on it where it is grafted from the seed it can have whatever flower is on the branch as seen in this picture where there's a tangerine and a lemon where two flowers were side-by-side

Lisbon lemon Valencia orange and my new addition to this group of trees The Vernagated pink lemon i'm hoping that when the Vernagated lemon flowers it will cross pollinate and maybe if I'm lucky I will a cocktail tree. A tree with all the flowers of Valencia orange Vernagated pink lemon navel orange and and Lisbon lemon. I have a blood orange in the yard to but I think it's too far away to cross pollinate but who knows I might get lucky!

Lisa How did the ripe lemon-tangerines taste. I have a new Zealand lemonade tree that is a cross between a mandarin crossed with a lemon and that was crossed with a mandarin again. It has not fruited yet.

6b Steve

That is amazing, I didn't realize that could happen, I just thought all the fruit would be a cross, not that it would be capable of producing multiple kinds of fruit on the same branch.

Lisa, That is not a possibility. Cultivars don't change fruits when pollinated by other cultivars. Whatever your seedling turned out to be was not from a poly embryonic seed and therefore did not turn out to be the same as the mother plant. Your VARIEGATED lemon tree will always be a lemon tree, no amount of trees next to, near or in the vicinity will change the variety of the fruit. Sorry but it's just not possible.

Evan

I agree with Evan. That has to be either a fruiting sucker from the lemon rootstock on your tangerine tree or a cocktail tree grafted with multiple cultivars on a rootstock.

Pick the lemon when it is ripe and see if you like it. If so you can have a dual purpose tree.

Help....my lemon tree had large yellow lemons last year and this spring it is full of small orange yellow round lemons that look like oranges or tangerines.....how did that happen?

pictures please. It sounds like your rootstock has flowered and produced.

Created, I am so jealous that they sell Santa Teresas for $18.99 down there. I have been trying to get my hands on one for months and cant find any in stock.(even mail order) I am pretty much convinced that I need to live somewhere like California to be able to grow/have access to all the things I want. I have a Meyer now but (Sorry John) I am not in love with it. Not enough of that lemon acid for me and I actually dislike it fresh, like a weak orange. I had many Meyers over the years from store bought to home grown and I thought for sure homegrown would make a difference but I can't seem to come around to it. The tree was a birthday gift from my grandmother and my first successful citrus so I'll keep it as long as it will live but I'll only use the fruit for cooked applications. I hope that I'll be able to get a ST this spring. I cant wait to have a nice tart lemon! even if it takes me a year or two to get fruit.

I can't restrain me from commenting this for the thread author:

"If you move next to a chinese man, your eyes will become slanted too ? "

Help! I think my neighbor's funny Greek citrus tree has invaded my beautiful orange.

Yesterday my son showed me a HUGE lemon and said he had picked it from our orange tree.

Its the size of two grapefruit and the rind is an INCH thick.

Anyway, I investigated and discovered that our orange tree has several branches producing lemons identical to the ones on our neighbor's tree.

How did this happen and how do I fix it?

i looked at the offending branches and they're coming from the trunk of our orange tree.

Thank you for any help.

Sammers, Meyer lemons make amazing lemonade and lemon curd.

I like tart lemons too, but I encourage you to embrace the possibilities of your Meyers.

maybe add slices to your water.

Linda my guess would be that the rootstock took over. Can you post a picture?

echo Susanne... it could be that the orange is on Cuban Shaddock rootstock and that that is the fruit that was picked... and you describe. They are huge and taste like lemons.

You will need to do a thorough review of the trunk(s) and ensure that you trim out the rootstock - - - if that is what happening.

please post multiple pictures of the trunk area(s) and certainly above / below the graft.

Linda, I am afraid that I have tried many applications of Meyers and never like the result, in complete contradiction to John and many others to me anything that has a Meyer in it would be better with a traditional lemon. Meyers have a "dirty" taste most of the time and at best have a weak orange flavor. I cannot tolerate drinking anything with Meyer in it, or any fresh application. I have made cakes, curds, pies, lemonades, fish with lemons cooked or grilled on top, etc with Meyers and never particularly like the result, though cooked they are more tolerable then anything with the fresh juice. However I had to toss out the salmon I made as the orange undertone flavor was awful. I just tried a jar of preserved lemons I made with Meyers and they were very bland compared to traditional preserved lemons. I keep trying to like them but I haven't found anything I prefer with them in it yet, mostly just things I find less offensive. I used to cook professionally and used Meyers pretty consistently in many applications and still never cared for them (same with kumquats though I REALLY don't like Kumquats and don't even want to try them in things anymore). I am pretty sure I am a traditional lemon kind of girl, which means more Meyers for the rest of you that like them! ;)

Also I agree that its likely that your rootstock is taking over, cut off any branches that have different fruit and take note if the leaves look different in any way to your orange, that way you can identify it earlier and remove branches before they fruit and steal energy away from your oranges. Take pictures so if it happens again years from now you won't be struggling to remember what they looked like. Its likely that your neighbor had a tree whos scion died back/was taken over by its root stock at some point. If your friendly with them and they are the ones that planted the tree ask them what kind of tree it was when they planted it and if it changed at any point. If they didn't plant it they may not know. If you show us a picture of the tree we could help you figure out when to prune it.

I had 2 Meyer lemon trees and they turned out to be Cuban shaddocks.

I have a lemon, satsuma orange and a navel orange tree. They are about eight years old. Last year they crossed pollinated and my orange trees were sour lemons and my lemons were sour but a orange color. So, yes they will cross eventually. I cut the lemon tree down and the orange trees are still sour and wrong color. Going to cut them all down and just stick with one kind. I am wondering if maybe the wild lemons around the national forest crossed with them though and it wasn't my lemons fault. I had great fruit until last year's crossing.

No. Your rootstock (likely sour orange) took over the scion and now what you have is a sour orange tree. Look for the graft line towards the bottom of the trunk and see if there are branches growing below the graft. If the scion is no longer viable and you don’t want sour orange trees then remove it and start over. No amount of cross pollination will change the type of fruit your tree produces.

Evan

I never had a sour orange. I had a lemon. Something definitely happened to make my oranges sour and yellow and turn my lemon sour and orange and different shape. There is no new growth on my oranges. I may not be getting what your saying. Do I need to cut down and start over?

HU: Most all oranges, etc are grafted onto a different variety rootstock for various reasons. What Evan is saying is your rootstock has likely taken over and possibly outgrew your edible variety (maybe even eliminated it). Your rootstock could have been sour orange or possibly a citrange. Either would be sour. If you can take a pic of your fruit and the leaves of the tree, someone here might be able to make a positive ID on what you actually have growing.