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fireweed22

Bhudda's hand about to flower indoors, pollination?

fireweed22
9 years ago

My Bhudda's hand is about to flower, can you please tell me what to do to get fruit? It's too cold/crap out to put outdors and let the bugs at it.
I have a Meyer with a couple open flowers, should I steal it's pollen and freeze? The BH won't flower for a few days yet.
Thanks!!!

Comments (22)

  • citrange2
    9 years ago

    I don't believe Buddha's Hand needs any pollination.
    As soon as the flowers open you will see the tiny fruits at the centre of the flowers. Many drop off naturally, but on a healthy plant some will continue to grow and form full-size fruits.

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

    Parthenocarpic. No need to hand-pollinate. Very few citrus require cross pollination or self-pollination to fruit. And congratulations on getting a Buddha's Hand to flower, they are probably the most persnickety of all citrus with regard to flowering and fruiting.

    Patty S.

  • fireweed22
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Great, thanks! I had read they were difficult to have flower, but weeks after purchase last summer it set buds which quickly dropped after I neglected to water it....(too small a pot), and now that it's come indoors it's trying again.
    Hopefully it wasn't mislabeled!
    Foliage is incredibly fragrant, I'm pretty sure this is it.

  • anne33kb
    9 years ago

    So glad to see messages about Buddha's Hand. I bought one last year which bloomed frequently with half of the blooms showing fruit but they all fell off. I nearly lost it over winter when I tried to keep it inside where it lost all its leaves and small branches died. I thought it might be happier (or die) in the green house which runs as low as 45 degrees in winter. It came back out and started blooming again with most of the blooms setting fruit which fell off. But two fruits growing side by side on the top of tallest limb are growing and slowly expanding their "hands" One is 41/2" long and 8 inches in diameter and the other is 31/2" long. I staked the limb they are growing on and still fear the weight of full grown ones will break the limb. What I have done since it nearly died last winter is quit babying it and give it the same care I give the Meyer lemons and Key lime-lots of fertilizer and watering when it begins to dry out. I bought it from Four winds as a 2-3 year old tree. It is hard to find much about growing them and I believe Hosier is right about them being difficult. Love to hear from you and anyone else growing them in containers.

  • Damian Knight
    8 years ago

    not seed....that was my Yuzu...sorry

  • annebellchloe
    7 years ago

    Thank you I have been worried so much that I'm doing something wrong with my Buddhas hand it keeps dropping its fruit. Very frustrating. Maybe I will try some mushroom compost it seems to be working very well on my tomatoes and peppers.

  • Laura LaRosa (7b)
    7 years ago

    How difficult is it to grow in a container? It would need to spend the winter indoors.

  • User
    7 years ago

    Laura, it is no more difficult than any other citrus. I had one many years ago.

  • Laura LaRosa (7b)
    7 years ago

    Did it produce fruit for you Vladimir? Why don't you have it anymore? I searched some threads on it and found many saying they were either not getting blossoms or the fruit would fall off...made me a bit hesitant.

  • User
    7 years ago

    It produced fruit but I had no use for it so I got rid of the tree.

  • Laura LaRosa (7b)
    7 years ago

    Yeah, I hear you. That's my concern as well.

  • HU-126979273
    3 years ago

    Hopefully someone knows the answer for my Buddha Hand tree. Costco had small ‘trees’ and mine is now about 4 feet high with only one major stalk. It’s got 10 buds on it and one just flowered! My friend just told me a master Gardener she knows said not to let this tree flower the first year because it will be difficult to get it to bear fruit. I hope this is not the case As I’d hate to cut these off ... anyone know the answer? Thank you

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

    There's no perfect answer without seeing your tree and knowing where you are growing it. Can you take a pic of your BH tree?


    Four feet high is pretty good sized for a container if it's filled out. I don't see why it can't sustain at least a few fruit. Citrus tend to flower prolifically, but drop all the small fruitlets they can't sustain. No reason why you'd have to remove the flowers. If your plant is NOT filled out with a good amount of foliage, AND the plant is hanging on to more than a half dozen fruit, THEN you might consider removing some of the small fruit to encourage more foliar growth this season.


    The point is it takes a lot of energy from the tree to sustain fruit. If the plant is smaller, it will be at the expense of growing leaves. But of course the whole idea for growing citrus is to get fruit, so if you plant can sustain them, let them be.

  • HU-126979273
    3 years ago

    Thank you so much for helping I planted it about 2 months ago - we live in central California coast about 4 miles inland weather is very mild my tree budded almost immediately Any recommendations from you are much appreciated!



  • Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    OK, not all that much foliage on the plant. Since you planted it in the ground, I'd probably remove any small fruits that develop this year...in case any actually hang on. You might leave maybe one if you like. This way it will concentrate most of its energy into growing foliage and then you'll be all set for the next season. Fruiting plants take a few years to get established in the ground. You don't have to remove the flowers though. Enjoy the fragrance!

  • HU-126979273
    3 years ago

    Thank you very much Dave!

  • Silica
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    A citrus fruit only draws energy from the three closest leaves to the fruit. Therefore, in HU's tree all the other leaves are manufacturing growth energy for the tree. As many leaves as HU's tree has she could leave 2 or 3 fruits and still have plenty energy potential for growth.

  • Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    While it may take only 3 leaves to develop a fruit, there is a more systemic affect on the following year's bloom.

    I think what's important is how this particular variety interprets a heavy fruit set. For alternate-bearing citrus (like many mandarins), leaving too many fruit to hang in the 'on-year' will adversely affect the next season's bloom. I've seen this with my potted mandarins. For younger plants, even a modest amount of fruit on maybe 20% of the branches seems to affect next season's bloom on the entire plant. No bloom at all!

    Now this doesn't seem to bother my 'Oroblanco' in the least, which tends toward being less seasonal. It is just a blooming machine. So I think it will depend on the characteristics of Budha's Hand.

  • HU-126979273
    3 years ago

    I’m learning so much from your comments Silica and Dave, and thank you both! BTW not sure where my Houzz handle came in, my name is Sunny 😎

  • Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Sunny, you should be able to change your handle. Go to 'Your Houzz'.

    Then 'Edit Profile Settings'.