That is so cool. Do you know what type of lemon the seedling came from, Ponderosa? That is a short time to get it to fruiting age.

Do ponderosa come true from seed?

Unless one of your seedlings produces desirable fruit and you can successfully clone it by grafting or cuttings I would waste time trying to sell just seedlings.

mike

Um...

Not saying I don't believe you, but I have never heard of anyone to get a seedling to fruit like that so fast, let alone grow that big.....

Quite interesting and congrats if so!

MIke

Apparently Ponderosas produce true from seed. The seeds I planted came from a tree of a co-worker who also planted his from seed. Ponderosas have LOTS of seeds and bookoos will sprout where you toss out the peels and such. I could be off by maybe a year in my age estimate but I planted the tree after I cut down a pine (stump in the background) and there was a new patch of sunlight. I'll see if I can dig around in photos or some other stuff around the house to get a time reference since there is some interest.
I have a potted Ponderosa I planted from a seed that sprouted from year before last's crop. It hasn't produced yet but here is a photo of it.

Here are some new trees that just produced their first fruit this year. I planted these from seeds three seasons ago.

Here is a two photo series of my five main trees that I started with. I don't know what year I planted them but here is an 8/31/08 photo. (The tree in the foreground is a fig)

Here is the second photo taken four years later on 10/11/2012. This obviously wasn't the first year they produced :>)
The fig from the first photo is on the left and there is a little bitty lemon in the foreground that I planted a few years back. It hasn't done well but this year it is showing signs of filling out. I planted all these trees way too close together and too close to the powerline right-of-way.

I took some photos the other day of seedlings from last year's lemons. These came up where I put the peel and pulp discard around a blueberry bush I recently transplanted.

Well, if your getting fruits and flowers from seed planted trees......Good for you!

MIke

meyermike, I haven't been so lucky with some calamondins that came up from seed. They are just thorn bushes thus far.

I spent some time looking through photos this weekend and found a post-Hurricane Ike photo (Sept. 2008) that didn't have the Ponderosa tree in it and a photo four months later with the tree. That would make it five or six years old now assuming I had it in a pot for a year before I planted it. So, time flies and you are correct.....3-4 years was inaccurate in my original post. A little skepticism is a good thing :>)

Finally getting to harvest a few fruit from this tree. It reminds me of a Christmas tree with yellow ornaments.

Not important!! Not important how old it is, how you created it, whether or not it is a true Ponderosa. The important thing is it produces fruits that you love and use; and they cost you little more than a little care, fertilizer, and water. Even if they "cost" you more than you would pay for them in the store, they are still treasures.

Good on ya, mate.

John

Citrangequats and Calamondins have been known to go from seed to fruit in 4 years. I guess the Ponderosa might be as vigorous as those ones! It kinda looks like an Ichang lemon as far as the size of the fruit.

It amazingly beautiful and nature decorating at its best.

Good work and enjoy!

MIke

manfromyard, I had never heard of the Ichang lemon. I just read up on them. A lot of the descriptive info for the Ichang lemon is similar to my trees/fruit but the leaf petioles are not broad-winged on my trees as an Ichang would be. I just have it on faith from the person from whom I got the original lemons that they are Ponderosas, otherwise just reading up on them.
Johnmerr, you suggest these might not be a true Ponderosa. Are there some characteristis to look for or other varieties I might have? You are right, ultimately, if it lives here, produces useful fruit, is pleasing to the eye, and has sweet flowers....I could be called out for looking in the mouth of a gift horse :>)

Thanks meyermike, I always wanted to have an orchard so I guess I finally have one. To me, landscaping with citrus gives me pretty evergreen trees, sweet smelling flowers, and a bonus when the fruit ripens. I only have a little over a half acre but I'm getting lemons, satsuma oranges, kumquats, calamondins, figs, and even a handfull of blueberries now. Hopefully I'll get blood oranges, limes, and loquats too when they start producing. My blood orange fell victim to a really cold freeze but it's coming back strong. I may post photos of it at some point. I was certain it was killed back below the graft and didn't even bother to water it during a realllly dry period. It sprouted out with trifoliate leaves (which I pruned off) and others which I took to be graft stock. The one orange I got before it was killed back was small but REALLY tasty! I would trade most of my lemons for one good producing blood orange!

John,

I wasn't trying to suggest any other species; only that since you planted it from seed, it could be many things, including an entirely new variety. FYI no true lemon has leaves with winged petioles; but the Ponderosa, like the Meyer is not a "true" lemon, but rather a hybrid. My real point was you have it; it produces; and you like the fruit; so enjoy it.

My goodness yah!!

I wish I could stick Citrus all oround my home in the ground and a few other tropicals....Think of all the money you are saving not having to put bulbs on that tree..

You are very lucky and don't let one day go by that you don't appreciate it...If that happens, you can always spend a day here at my house just to remind yourself of how lucky you are...lol

Mike:-)

I'm in zone...8 I think so citrus will do ok outside here but once in a while we get a really cold winter (at least for this area) and it gets some of the less hardy citrus. We got several nights in the 20s a few years back and it knocked most of the leaves off the larger trees I couldn't cover. That year I found out the little votive candles will burn almost all night under a tarp-covered tree :>)