Does anyone know how to propagate a lemon tree? Ours has baseball or larger size lemons, is freeze hardy, and smells like heaven when it blooms. Several people would like clones. Is this possible?

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002

Answers

Don't know how to propagate the tree=----tho we are experimenting with grafting apple trees. Add me to the "wants a start" list, tho. I'm told a lot of citrus is grafted onto Hedge or Osage orange (same tree, different name) because it is compatable and hardy. You might try that.

-- Rosalie (Dee) in IN (deatline@globalsite.net), April 14, 2002.

If it is not a hybrid tree, can you try just planting the seeds? Seems I have seen some discussions on this at CS, but don't know where or when...Sorry. I wish I lived where it was possible to have a lemon tree! Maybe some day I will get that huge greenhouse I always wanted!!!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 14, 2002.

was a purchased tree, probably hybrid... just dunno what exactly... have had it a LONG time.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.

Citrus, all kinds are "budded" on to sour root stock because the sour tasting orange roots are best for strength and survivability. The seeds of any citrus will grow to be sour orange, when the tree is about 4 feet tall there is a pair of cuts made into the bark, shaped like an unside down "T", the flaps are opened and a bud (about the size of a pencil eraser and shaped like an egg) is inserted, stem up. All fruit that grows above the bud will produce what ever fruit the bud came from. It is common practice for a tree to have more than one bud - yes you can grow oranges, grapefruit, tangeranes, lemons, lime, any of the 28 varities of orange all on one tree at one time. Of course the quality suffers ona multi bud tree, but their fun to play with. My grandfather had a tree with 14 types of fruit, got his picture in the paper every year. Groves are not planted multivarieity so the grover can concentrate on the best of his own type.

Note that all citrus we have today came from 4 seeds that came from the foot of the Andies mountains, any citrus fruit other than sour oranges are cultivated mutants, one of our better mistakes! I have budded thousands in my earlier years when no other jobs were available, if you try it remember to wrap the bud with waterproofing plastic.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@cutlink.net), April 14, 2002.

I have an orange tree that was planted from a seed approx. 20 years ago. It is very large & started producing fruit only about 4 years ago. I want to know how I can start more trees from this tree. I have tried to plant it's seeds from the oranges, but with no luck. Help would be greatly appreciated!

-- Tracie Stanley (TracieLS@aol.com), August 02, 2002.