My mother-in-law surprised me one day with a bag of Meyer Lemons and Meyer Lemon seeds she had harvested.
I’m not much of a green-thumb, so I was quite intimidated by this! However, I LOVE lemons and really really want my own Meyer Lemon tree. I had previously read and saved an article on how to grow them in pots and in-doors.
My mother-in-law and my step-mother both have Meyer Lemon trees planted outside in the ground. Both of their trees were 4 to 6 years old before they started producing. Sooooo right off the bat this is a commitment.
I figured it wouldn’t hurt anything to attempt to grow my own from the seeds my mother-in-law gave me….I mean really….what’s the harm in trying….right??
The research began…….I found a couple of articles that I liked….one and two.
This is what I did….
- Purchased high-quality composting soil from my local nursery down the street
- From the first article: Soak the seeds in water for 2 to 3 hours
- From the first article: Let them dry on a paper towel
- From the first article: Gently peel the outside shell off the seed and place the seed in a cup of water
- I mixed my composting soil (1/3) with my potting soil (2/3) and made sure it was moist.
I didn’t know how many would sprout so I planted all of them; see article one’s pictures, that is how I placed them in the pot. About 23 seeds in a medium sized containers; see article two for more information on this.
- From the second article: I placed my seeds in the pot and covered with about ½ an inch of soil and gently watered.
- From the second article: I covered each pot with parchment paper, secured with a rubber band, and poked a few holes in the top so they can breathe. Covering it creates a mini green-house.
- From the second article: I put them inside (because I planted them during winter months) near a window that gets light from outside all day but afternoon direct sun for an hour or two.
After a couple of weeks I checked the soil to make sure it was still moist and it was because the soil I used was really good and it was covered. Nothing happened!!!!! So, I checked again after another week and gave them some more water. Nothing happened!!!!! After a couple/few more weeks….nooooooothiiiinnnngggg happened!!!! So…..I gave up and decided I was going to buy a tree in the coming spring that was already going and established. I put them in the garage stacked up on each other.
Then a couple of weeks later as we were leaving for a long holiday weekend trip….my husband says LOOK!!! They grew! I didn’t know what he was talking about! Hahaha – I went over to see what he was looking at….and I’ll be dang! If they didn’t grow! I had five sprouts. So, I unstacked them and left them there while we were gone.
When we got home they were bigger so I took them inside, removed the covers, gave them water, and put them back in the window. As you can see four of them are bitter than one….but….whatever! I got FIVE! I’m waiting for them to get a little bigger and stronger before I transplant them into their own pots.
In the meantime in Huntsville, TX in January we had a couple of days in the teens and despite her best effort of covering them, adding a heat lamp, and bucket of water the leaves froze. My step-mother had to harvest all the lemons off her trees.
The bucket-o-lemons below was so big and heavy it had wheels.
She gave me 15 or 16 lemons (some the size of oranges) and I took them home to juice them and freeze the juice for future use……meaning that I had a bunch of seeds to share with others.
I promptly posted on Facebook that I had some seeds if anyone wanted them, I’d happily pass them along. A few people responded and I’m going to send them seeds.
Then a friend of mine and my cousin started telling me that I’d have to graft them in to another plant, because their root system on their own aren’t strong enough.
WHHHHHHAAAAAAAT!?!?!
The research begins…..
As the journey continues, How-to: Grow a Meyer Lemon Tree (Part 2) to follow….
