How to grow lemon trees from seed - Everything you need to know (Applies to all citrus seeds)

[@nancyruland9421]

Great, informative video! Exactly what I was looking for! Clearly and easily explained the steps! Thank you so much! I’m going to give this a try. 😁

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you so much Nancy Ruland! Comments like yours make my day! :) Best of luck with propagation!

[@michbaker9774]

Thank you. This is one of the more realistic videos that I've seen on growing citrus. I purchased a few lemons around April and planted 5 of those seeds all in 1 pot around 2 weeks later. 4 of the 5 germinated. After placing each 4-5" seedling in it's own pot, I now have 4 lemon plants. 1 plant has grown to around 4-5" and 3 have reached over 18". 4 lemon seeds on their way to becoming trees. Be encouraged, you can do it!

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you @Mich Baker, I try to keep my videos informative and down to earth. Congratulations btw! Sounds like you're doing a great job with your seedlings! I wish you and your plants the best.

[@kuzcatlan]

One of the best videos I’ve seen. Everything needed to get started. Thanks!!

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you kuzcatlan! Your comment made my day! I'm glad you found the video helpful, and I'm glad you're willing to try growing! Good luck!

[@VioladeniseSimmonsEvoulouga]

I'm starting my lemon tree as of last month 😊

[@AGoodLife]

Happy to hear it Violadenise SimmonsEvoulouga! Good luck and happy growing!

[@johnifly]

I use this method as well and it's a GREAT way to start citrus trees but I disagree about them not being fussy about the soil! I used to grow them in regular soil and without exception, they dropped their leaves, the growing tips turned black and the tree died! I then looked at the medium that they grow in Florida and it's a sandy soil! That's better because citrus doesn't like "soggy feet!" I changed the soil mix and BINGO, it worked!!

[@AGoodLife]

Thanks for commenting johnifly. As far as plants go I do find citrus to be quite tolerant of a variety of soils (within reason.) They grow well in sandy Florida soil like you said and they grow well in really hard, very clay-rich Southern Arizona soil as well. I also personally grew them in variety of soils; like high-clay soil from my backyard, some really nitrogen-rich, compost-heavy soils, and some regular commercially-available potting soil, and they did alright in most cases. I agree though, extreme soil conditions would not be good and if a plant is not doing well, the soil quality is a good factor to consider. Take care!

[@katinkakyara]

i just saw a you tube film , and the seeds without ziplock bag, sprout earlier.( i d'ont know what's best now, i also remove the shell of the seeds) what helps is , to mix a product in the water, that remove chloor, i used a product for aquarium(aquasafe) and from then , no death plants, and best growth. beautifull films that you make!!!!!! grts from belgium

[@AGoodLife]

Hi katinkakyara! I've been meaning to do a video where I compare peeled seeds to unpeeled seeds to see if one is better than the other. I also hear that it may be best to just stick them in soil instead of napkins and ziploc bags. Maybe I can do a video testing that as well. Until then this method is quite successful for me and hopefully it is for you too! Do you mean you mix aquasafe in the water when watering the plants, right, not during sprouting seeds? Btw, if you let your water sit for a few hours without a lid the chlorine will evaporate anyway. (I hear this is good to do before drinking the water, too.) Thanks for commenting katinkakyara! Greetings to Belgium as well! :)

[@75littledeer]

Thank you for a great video. You clearly explained the steps. I now have two seeds planted. 😊

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you Rhona Joyce! I'm glad you found the video helpful. Best of luck with your saplings! 😊

[@yd4287]

Just started growing my first seeds and your method seems to be even more successfull. I simply put 6 seeds in a big pot, and 2 did grow leafs after 5-6 weeks. Next time will try it like you showed. Looks like it is way faster! 👍🏻

[@AGoodLife]

Thanks YD! A lot of methods work, and some seem a bit faster than others but this method I show in the video has been the most reliable for me. I hope you'll try it and I hope it'll work well for you too! Good luck, and hopefully the seedlings you already grew will do well too!

[@coffeebreaktude]

Outstanding information. I'm doing everything wrong. Switching to this method.

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you Landscape Tude! I hope you'll have better success with this method.

[@FrankFolupa]

Thank you for the video, i really don't want to grow fruits but i wanted the plant it's self and that was helpful!

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you 中山明子! I'm glad you found it useful. Good luck!

[@eray-z5m]

Çok bilgilendirici olmuş özellikle aşılama bahsi, ben de toprağa ekmiştim birkaç gün önce umarım filizlenirler:).

[@AGoodLife]

Teşekkürler e! Faydalı bulduğunuza sevindim. Umarım ektikleriniz sağlıkla büyür! :)

[@miimcollection]

That's amazing... mine aren't going so well but I might try your tip of leaving it for an hour but cutting the outer shell open. Thanks ⭐️

[@AGoodLife]

Hi MIIM collection, sorry to hear that yours aren't going that well. What's the issue? The good thing with citrus seeds is that it's not too hard to come across some lemon seeds or something, so hopefully you can try again soon. Good luck!

[@RandomGirls650]

Please please please, continue postinf updates and tips on your lemon tree. I have 3 that look exactly like your tall one (90cm) of just one single tree, no branches at just over a year old. I'm sooo confused about what to do next and happy to finally find someone who's tree looks like mine.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Taliaa Mariaa, Don't worry, your sapling should start branching soon! :) MIne started branching a short while after shooting this video and is still doing well. I'll try to do an update video or maybe share pics of it in the community tab to let everyone know how it's doing.

[@RandomGirls650]

@@AGoodLife 🤞 did you cut it (prune?) as to why it started branching out or was it natural? That works be great, thank you.

[@AGoodLife]

@@RandomGirls650 No, I didn't cut or prune. It was one long trunk for the longest time, and then it started to branch all by itself. It mostly happens after they are about 1m or 3ft. So if yours is close to that height it probably will start branching soon too. Good luck!

[@AGoodLife]

@@RandomGirls650 How is your sapling doing? I hope everything is going well

[@RandomGirls650]

@@AGoodLife i very much appreciate you checking in. Thank you. They are doing reallyyy well. I think about 2 months ago now they started branching, i have 2 branches on each tree, looking healthy and still growing. The central trunk is not growing in height anymore, this may be because i cut about a cm off the top and i think that along with the unexpected extreme heatwave we got in the UK (plants lived on the window seal) caused the trunk tips to start dying. So once i cut that back to stop the death by sun by moving them, i saw branching.

[@angiecats5298]

Thank you for this video, I didn’t peel my seeds beforehand but I’m sure that will be fine.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi, thank you @angiecats5298! You are right, peeling the skins of seeds is not really necessary but it seems to improve the odds of success some. I'm actually right now working on a video comparing seeds with and without skins. It should be out soon. Take care!

[@angiecats5298]

@@AGoodLife I’ll definitely be looking forward to that. Thank you ☺️

[@rayemaclennan888]

Where do you find seeds? Thanks very much for this video. Also what do you use to feed it?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Raise Our Eye View, I collect the seeds from the lemons we buy at home, but you can use any citrus seeds. So if you buy any lime, tangerines, oranges, grapefruit, etc, you can collect their seeds and propagate them the same way as I show in this video. Good luck!

[@nachoparishgoberna9632]

I literally pull the seed out of the lemon, rins it with water and put it in soil straight away, it works every time, on the last one I potted 3 and got 4...

[@AGoodLife]

That's great, and it is supposed to work that way of course Nacho Parish Goberna. When you put the seed right in the soil sometimes the seed won't stay properly wet and dry out before it fully sprouts and becomes established. This method gives the seeds a better chance of sprouting and survival, but of course it is not necessary. I'm glad you're finding success with a simpler method. Good luck, keep growing, and take care!

[@Carma.Carisma]

Same! I just put it right in the soil from Orange. Got only one seed from the fruit but sprouts 5 😄

[@441rider]

For grafting Mandello is very strong and rapid growing. You also get seeds to plant.

[@AGoodLife]

I've never grown a mandelo but good to know @441rider! Thanks for sharing 🙏👍

[@chengwaitforitli]

Great Video. Love it! Does lime seed work the same way? Are the leaves edible? Thanks❤

[@AGoodLife]

Hi C L! Thank you! I'm glad you liked the video :) And yes, all citrus seeds, including lime, can be propagated this way. Citrus leaves are edible. They don't taste that great, so they are not commonly used, but some people add a little bit to curry's and some other dishes as a spice. Take care!

[@beraycayli6486]

Thank you for this clear and detailed tutorial ! I have managed to germinate so many citrus saplings but they keep dying on me after giving me just 5 leaves. Any advice?

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you beray cayli! I'm sorry to hear about your saplings. Just 5 leaves big is too soon to require fertilizer or repotting (assuming the original pot is big enough.) I would recommend placing your sprouted seeds in about 9cm/4inch high and wide planters (about - doesn't have to be exact.) That should be enough for the first 5-6 months. And I would water them a little every 2-3 days ( I personally do Tuesday, Thursday, Saturdays for my citrus saplings), and they should be placed somewhere bright and get some direct light. If you're already doing all this, another cause may be pests. Your saplings may be getting pests either from the soil you use, or from other plants nearby. You can try and can keep your saplings away from other plants, and use a fresh batch of soil and see if that fixes your problem. Best of luck!

[@DisgustingJustinAD]

One time I got lucky enough to find one large seeds in a grapefruit, I managed to get it to grow in my cold climate. I got too impatient & placed it outside for a few hours of sunlight. But my cold region is unforgiving on most of my plants 😂

[@AGoodLife]

Ah, sorry to hear that @PublicEnemyWithin but I'm glad you got that far. I hope you'll try again, if you do, you can keep it indoors indefinitely! They do well and look great as indoor plants too. Take care

[@juliarai7287]

Nice video, keep uploading more

[@AGoodLife]

Thanks Julia! (I figured better late than never!)

[@MicheleStancil]

I’m going to start tonight! Been wanting to do this for a while. I have many succulents and Catcus and I so miss being in California when I could pick my citrus fruit every morning! In SC now and I use artificial lights for my plants on my porch. We also have HIGH humidity in SC (USA). Any recommendations for me given my location?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Michele Stancil, not really, I'm not sure about your soil, but weather-wise SC is an excellent spot for growing citrus, it should work just fine. And soil-wise, wherever you are citrus trees do best with regular feedings (fertilizers) anyway. Good luck!

[@TheControversialChronicles]

Right to the point! Thanks!

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you, I try to keep the videos informative and to the point. I'm glad you appreciated it

[@gardencitygrowers9313]

Can I put a bit of compost in the bag around the napkin?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @gardencitygrowers9313, I wouldn't recommend it because it's better to keep the wet napkins as clean as possible. Otherwise, any additional dirt or compost may increase the likelihood of mold developing and wasting the seeds. Good luck, and take care

[@gardencitygrowers9313]

@@AGoodLife Hi, thank you 💯👏🏾👏🏾

[@Kath11789]

Thank you, this is so helpful!!

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you Kath Lee! I'm glad you found it useful :)

[@thetokentrain9478]

How did you get on? Any fruit yet dude?? I watched this video about 2months ago and I’ve now got a plant with 5 leaves (the latest started growing yesterday) It’s definitely really cool 👍

[@AGoodLife]

Hey @thetokentrain9478, I love it! I'm glad you tried and succeeded and let me know. You made may day! 🙏😊 My biggest plant is still going strong. That big one you see in this video is now taller than about 120cm/4 feet, and looking great. Still no fruit but I never grafted it so that's expected. I hope your sapling does well for you too! Take care

[@martiantv805]

Did you keep it in shade for the first few weeks so it doesn’t burn in hot weather or dry?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @martiantv805, they don't need light before they grow leaves and they don't need direct light for some time when they grow leaves, just a bright area. So, yes, I keep them out of direct sun at first. Take care

[@SecurityOffDuty]

Thanks for sharing. Mine lemon is mature stage with thorns in it then produced another sprout in between which my mom cut it off today. Thinking it’s taking all nutrients from the plant? Need help!!

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Officer.Laur10k, can you elaborate please. Was the sprout a new branch? Did your mom cut it thinking it was taking nutrients from the plant? I would be happy to help if I can, but I am not sure I understand your question.

[@SecurityOffDuty]

@@AGoodLife Lemon steams are branching out into other stems, then assuming other new growth is taking nutrients out from rest of the lemon bush?

[@AGoodLife]

@@SecurityOffDuty Got it, yes, if there are branches growing at weird spots that are crowding other branches it is best to remove those so that the plant doesn't waste resources on that unwanted branch. I have a video on pruning, it is actually for jade plants but this part applies to most plants and trees, I would recommend checking it out to learn about pruning basics, to see if other branches may need to be cut as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4Orio1tiLWrjtE I hope you'll find it helpful. Good luck!

[@k.e.M_]

My 2 year old lemon tree is yellowing. Not from overwatering. It’s more like the leaves all faded. What can I do to make them dark green again. Oh and the same is going on with my tangerine tree as well.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Kimberly Elizabeth, sorry to hear about your citrus plants yellowing. There are a few potential causes, but the most common reason I've seen is over-watering and root damage. If that's the case and if you act quickly you can correct the problem. Check out the information at www.bhg.com.au/lemon-tree-with-yellow-leaves and good luck!

[@k.e.M_]

@@AGoodLife thank you so much! Great info

[@AGoodLife]

@@k.e.M_ No problem! I hope it helps and I hope your plants recover soon.

[@Mr.M1STER]

I grew a lemon plant from a seed. It is a few years old now but still only about a foot high. I recently repotted it in a larger pot and it seems to be starting a bit of a growth spurt which should be expected for spring/summer time is that right? I'm hoping it will get a bit bigger in the new pot because overall I am a little bit disappointed with how small it is.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @Mr.Mister, some do grow more slowly than others but a foot high is a little too small for a sapling that is a few years old. Besides being a slow starter, there may be more to it. I'm sure the new larger pot will help, that may very well be the only thing it needed if the previous pot was lacking nutrients and you never fertilized, but you could also try placing it somewhere brighter and maybe giving it a little bit more water, too. Either way if it stays green and healthy don't worry too much, it will eventually grow. Best of luck.

[@Mr.M1STER]

@@AGoodLife Hey thanks for the reply. Yes, I am hoping to see some nice growth this summer with the new pot and I used a citrus specific potting soil. I also bought citrus specific feed that I will use.

[@AGoodLife]

@@Mr.M1STER Great! that should do it. Hopefully you'll see good amount of growth starting soon. Good luck again, and take care!

[@taylorsaige9116]

what if i used a hydroponic garden (with a pump system) to help start my seed, took her out of that & now im doing the Kratky Method so she’s in a jar. getting too big & im wanting to transfer to soil. i’m just nervous its gonna shock & kill her. can anybody give me advice? should i continue the Kratky method or try potting? i’m lost.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @taylorsaige9116, honestly I don't have experience with putting plants in soil after hydroponic or the Kratky method but my guess is it should be just fine. I would maybe keep the soil really wet at first, and slowly transition to a regular watering schedule from there over a couple of weeks or so ( I water mine Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays). Good luck, and take care!

[@Flamer997]

I have a question, I have a sampling lemon tree, just a year old and it's started getting warmer so I've started to put it out, I've only done it about 2-3 times but each time the leaves are curling and drooping, today I brought it in after about 3-4 maybe 5 hours of sunlight, it was direct sunlight and it started drooping, it did recently get watered but it did dry out today in the sun and I've given it a little water, is there something I'm doing wrong as last year when I was growing it, it was outside in direct sunlight all day and grew fantastic so I don't understand why it's struggling now.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Flamer997, sorry about your lemon tree drooping. The most likely cause is underwatering of course, but check the soil to make sure that it's not too wet. Overwatered and underwatered citruses tend to appear similar. If you don't think it's a watering issue, another culprit may be too much sun. Plants take a while to adjust to new conditions and the bigger the plant, the longer that may take. So since your plant is larger this year, it may take it longer to adjust to being outside. (Again, assuming it's not a watering issue) I would recommend putting it outside for shorter durations each day and gradually increase that time. Good luck, I hope everything goes well.

[@EC-ig8ts]

Thank you for sharing. I want to graft my lemon seedlings too, but I don't know where to get cuttings of other mature lemon trees. Where would you get them?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @EC-ig8ts! You can get citrus grafts from friends or neighbors, if you don't know anyone with a citrus tree you would want, you can also ask the owners if you see a good citrus trees around. Most owners are happy to offer a small branch for grafting. Another option is you can post on local sections of sites like facebook marketplace or craigslist (or whatever site is popular near you) that you're looking for a citrus graft. Good luck with both finding a graft and grafting your seedling!

[@EC-ig8ts]

@@AGoodLife I see. Thank you very much for your advice.

[@nlegacysolo]

I can’t understand why people peel the outer shell of a lemon seed. I put 7 seeds in a bag w/out peeling and they all germinated quickly. So, I’m just curious why every vid I watch they peel the shell first🤔🤷

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Nikki Legacy, I was wondering the same thing so I did an experiment with a lot of peeled and unpeeled seeds and started to put together a video sharing the findings. Keep an eye on it if you're curious about how much of a difference it makes but here's a spoiler: it does help some to peel the seeds. Take care!

[@YardyardFrontyard]

Word I planted my straight into the dirt

[@moglisgarden8732]

Nice sharing dear 👌. Stay connected 🙏

[@AGoodLife]

Thanks Mogli's Garden! Sorry I didn't respond sooner.

[@eal4361]

I've grown a lemon tree from seed, and beared fruit. Took like around 5 years to do so, only to die due to frost.

[@AGoodLife]

Ah that's terrible @eal4361! Sorry to hear that. I hope you will try again and grow more. Take care

[@Lakelandcowboy69]

No need to dry or peel seeds at all. Planting is so simple. Just put the whole seed in good soil and it works the same as if u go through the trouble of peeling seeds.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Lakelandcowboy69, I was wondering about peeling seeds myself so I did a little experiment where I tried to germinate 50 peeled seeds vs 50 unpeeled seeds. I will soon share the results in a video but peeling does seem to help a bit. But you are correct, peeling is definitely not a necessary step, just improves the odds a little bit.

[@KatTom415]

Great video and I agree that peeling isn't necessary. I simply put them in a moist napkin and wait 10 to 14 days and put my long sprouts in dirt. I've gifted most of my saplings and currently have 3 healthy plants that are a year old. I'm excited to see when they will produce fruit. I didn't realize the whole grafting thing was necessary, but for now I want to see what will happen without doing that. Or I may decide to graft just one.

[@bwang5176]

What type of lemon are you growing? Thanks.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @bwang5176, I did not graft a specific type, just grew my plants from lemon seeds (and as I said in the video, citrus seeds are not always true-to-type) so I am not sure what type of citrus I am going to get -no fruit so far. Take care

[@Dax13Dax]

I've had success germinating citrus seeds unpeeled in a flat of normal compost. It's a bit easier. What do you think would be the best understock for a citrus multi graft?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Darren Dressels, I currently have an experiment going where I am sprouting 60 peeled seeds vs 60 unpeeled seeds to see which group sprouts more. I am a couple of days away from seeing the results! I'm curious! I should have the video sharing the results in a week or so. I've never personally tried multi-grafting (but it is definitely on my "bucket list"!) but I've heard sour-oranges make good citrus understock. I've googled it too just to be sure and sure enough many people suggest sour-oranges also (besides some other types) You might want to look it up what's recommended for your zone/area since it would depend on the local availability as well. It's great that you're looking into multi-grafting though! That's very cool! Good luck!

[@taariqkistnasamy1543]

@@AGoodLife hey, have you the video available?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @@taariqkistnasamy1543 unfortunately not yet. Thanks for checking. The first experiment failed... Most of the seeds just molded in the plastic bag for some reason. So now I'm trying to gather enough seeds to try again. (I had 100 seeds before, 50 peeled, 50 unpeeled... Hopefully I can try again soon.

[@biblebarbie6243]

I have like 10 seedlings I grew a year ago, all in one pot. They are only at 2 ". I saw that their roots were entangled when I went to repot. I was afraid to disturb so I just repotted in a bigger container all together. I have one that got away and I was able to repot by itself. Interestingly a baby is growing next to it and they both now seem to be growing pretty fast, I am new at planting and this video helped lots, I have had therm in direct sunlight by a window and water twice a week in Florida weather. I see the by your video my seedlings should be bigger. What is the bet way to separate the roots to put them in their own individual pots? Thank you

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Bible Barbie, you can take them all out of the soil, rinse away any dirt that's left on the roots and try to separate the roots as best as you can. If you have to cut them apart here and there, that's ok too, just make sure each seedling has at least 2-3 inches of roots, or as much as you can make them. When they are that little above the soil that little bit of roots should be enough for them. Hopefully they'll all survive (they should, don't worry) but even if you lose some you will be saving the rest by doing this because it will be much better for them in the long term to be separated. And the sooner you can separate them, the better and easier. Good luck!

[@9Hickson]

Thank you for sharing

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you Faith9! I hope you'll try and grow healthy saplings :)

[@MorrisandApril]

Since these plants don’t grow true to seed… what have your fruit results been like?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Morris & April, I still have the big plant that's in this video, it is now close to 1.5m tall (5 feet) but still no fruit. I never grafted though, and without grafting it may take 5-8 years to get fruit and it's just getting close to the 5 year mark. Maybe (hopefully!) I'll see some fruit in the coming years.

[@MooreLegacyFarms]

@@AGoodLife That is super cool! Let us know what happens. Lots of people still have great fruit from citrus, avocado and apples anyway.

[@AGoodLife]

@@MooreLegacyFarms Thanks :) Will do!

[@janmatejcik9787]

Please tell me where I can get citrumelo 4475 seeds. I can't find anyone who sells them anywhere. Thank you

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Jan Matejcik, I don't have a place in mind, it would also vary depending on where you live, but if you want the fruit I would recommend looking for "citrumelo 4475 grafter" rather than seeds. If you are interested in growing them as rootstock, you can find "citrumelo 4475 rootstock" more easily than seeds, and if you want to commercially grow and sell rootstock yourself, I would recommend checking with your countries agriculture ministry/office. Good luck

[@craftsandgardening5487]

Nice video dear

[@AGoodLife]

Thanks crafts and gardening!

[@woutmoutong]

Is it possible to grow lemon (citrus in general) from seeds in Belgium?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Wout Mouton, indoors, yes! At room temperature you can grow citrus most anywhere. But if you want to plant outside, the western side and especially the coast of Belgium would mostly be ok. Citrus grows best in hardiness zones 8 to 11, and you can see Belgium's hardiness zone map here: www.plantmaps.com/interactive-belgium-plant-hardiness-zone-map-celsius.php

[@woutmoutong]

@@AGoodLife thanks

[@HYDROPONIQ]

Do you have to wait 2 weeks?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi HYDROPONIQS, 2 weeks is a good amount of time to wait. In two weeks most of the seeds that will sprout do. You can, of course, check your seeds in 10 days or so, but if you do that I'd recommend putting the seeds that did not sprout back in and give them a few more days to sprout. Take care and good luck

[@HYDROPONIQ]

@@AGoodLife appreciate it, what about keeping the napkin wet, do you have to put water every few days?

[@AGoodLife]

@@HYDROPONIQ No, you wet the napkin at first, then seal it shut and leave it alone. It will dry eventually of course but it should stay wet for 10-15 days without adding any water.

[@HYDROPONIQ]

@@AGoodLife Thanks alot, I feel like I’m talking to a tree lol

[@valeriesanchez3074]

Beautiful 😍

[@AGoodLife]

Thanks Valerie Sanchez! 🤩🤗 Glad you liked it, and I'm glad you let me know!

[@goldenwhisper66]

I'm trying to grow lemon trees, the seedlings leaves are looking wilty?? What should I do???

[@AGoodLife]

hi @goldenwhisper66, sorry to hear that. Wilty leaves happen most often due to under-watering or too much sun. Don't keep them in direct sunlight for a few weeks and make sure you water them some every few days. Check your pot's weight and soil. If the soil completely dries and the pot feels really light before waterings, increase the amount of water you give them. Take care and good luck!

[@lauraseaman39]

Thank you 🍋🍋🍋😘

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you Laura Seaman! 😊🙏I'm glad you found the video helpful! I hope you'll try it. Best of luck!

[@MalaysianTropikfusion]

From your experience, do the seeds of commercially grown oranges grow true to their parents?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Malaysian Tropikfusion, some citrus are true-to-seed and some are not. It won't matter whether they came from commercially grown fruit or not. Having said that. most typical oranges will likely be true-to-seed. (There is a good list of which citrus are true-to-seed and which aren't at redwoodbarn.com/PDF/Whichcitrusfromseed.pdf)

[@MalaysianTropikfusion]

@@AGoodLife Thank you so much for the resource 😊 For some reasons unknown to me, people just don't plant oranges over here. I was thinking of planting some from store bought oranges. As they say, better late than never, right?

[@AGoodLife]

@@MalaysianTropikfusion You're welcome! And you are right, no time like now! 😊Best of luck with the oranges!

[@WaterKing1]

Thanks

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you @WaterKing1! Take care

[@NecieytheGREAT]

Thank you

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you Jernese hill! Glad you liked the video :)

[@NecieytheGREAT]

@@AGoodLife 😄I did

[@karenstair4001]

How and when do you graft you sapling of the lemon tree?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Karen Stair, as the video says, the soonest you can graft is when your sapling's trunk is about as thick as a finger, or when it's about 2 years old. "Side grafting" seems to be the best method for grafting citrus. (Source: citrusrt.ccsm.br/article/10.4322/crt.ICC100/pdf/citrusrt-38-2-1.pdf) and you can find many sources on how to side-graft citrus, this one by the University of Florida explains it well: propg.ifas.ufl.edu/06-grafting/02-graftingtypes/12-grafting-side.html Good luck, and take care!

[@mariageorgieva5418]

Soooooooo, i guess planting and gardening is my new way to cope with life

[@AGoodLife]

It's a good one @mariageorgieva5418, welcome to the club! :)

[@FireT-yg9oc]

I don’t do any of that. I sit the seeds in water for a few days and then plant them and I have grown loads of lemon plants

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @FireT-yg9oc, you don't have to do it this way. Putting them straight in soil will work too, as it does in nature. These methods are used to improve the odds of successful germination only, like you setting the seeds in water first, not really necessary, but I'm guessing it would help. I will try out that method too and see how well it goes so thank you for sharing. How long do you keep the seeds in water?

[@Dragonfly-ce5jn]

How often do you water a sampling

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Dragonfly 1111, I water all my citruses, whether they are sprouts or saplings, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays 👍

[@vampiredetective]

Thank you good sir

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you Bertha Dicciliano! :)

[@christinelyons8402]

What is grafting?? Please explain.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @christinelyons8402, basically, grafting is a pretty common practice among fruit tree growers. It is done by attaching a branch from an already-fruiting tree to another tree, called a "stock" tree. The stock tree is usually a young one that would take many years to bear fruit on its own, but grafting shortens that time and makes the stock tree 1-grow fruit much sooner 2-ensures the stock tree grows that same kind of fruit. There are various grafting methods. You can find out more online about how it's done. Take care

[@california8118]

My sisterz lemon tree is about 4 feet tall. Never been trained in any way. How far down can she safely cut and not kill the tree. I would like to plant(propagate) the cut taken from the top.

[@AGoodLife]

Hey Cali Fornia, a cutting (a piece/branch) from a citrus can be used as a graft on another root stock citrus, but I don't know of a way to propagate citrus from a cutting. When it comes to how much you can safely cut off of a citrus, the recommended max amount is about 1/3. So if your sister's sapling is a single stalk of 4 feet you can cut about 15-16 inches off the top. I am not sure that the cut piece will be of use but doing so would help your sister's sapling to branch off at that spot instead of being a single overgrown trunk. (Please let me know if you manage to propagate using a cutting.) Good luck!

[@california8118]

@@AGoodLife I really appreciate the info. Very helpful. I will definitely let you kno if the cutting takez, I'm curious too. I'm growing one more just for fun so maybe I'll try both, the cutting to see if it rootz, and I'll try grafting when mine getz big enough. Thankz again!

[@AGoodLife]

@@california8118 No problem, you're welcome. Good luck! :)

[@xl5009]

How long lemon seedlings to mature & produce fruit? I have Calamandorin / dwarf lime (native in Asia) / Bitter orange, Lemon & Mandarin Orange, it is ok to plant them together? Im worried it may change the fruit.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi X L, without grafting, they may take up to 10 years before they bear fruit, but after your sapling is about 1.5 years old, or when it reaches about 1m (3ft) in height you can graft a specific type of citrus and it would start bearing that type of fruit after that. Also, it is totally fine to plant various types of citrus trees together. You don't want to plant citrus trees to close together but that applies to both mixed varieties as well as the same variety citrus trees. Here's the recommended spacing for citrus trees: dwarf trees should be 2 to 3 meters apart (6 to 10 feet), semi-dwarf should be 3.5 to 5.5 meters apart (12 to 18 feet), and standard trees need to be 5.5 to 7.5 meters apart (18 to 25 feet). Good luck!

[@Larsbor]

So my citrus seee can suddenly bear orangefruits ..?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Lars J, not "suddenly" but yes, a seed from some lemons can grow to be an orange tree, or a seed from an orange can grow to be a lime tree, etc. Some citrus seeds are not "true-to-type" and that's basically what that means; you may plant the seed of one type but it may grow to be another type.

[@MA-mh2hd]

I planted lemons from seeds,it's now a small plant with few leaves but the leaves are falling now ,does that mean I should repot it or the weather is to hot for it?

[@AGoodLife]

Hey M A, sorry to hear that. Check the bottom of your pot, if there are too many roots coming out the drainage holes, yes, it's be best to repot into a larger pot (if there are no drainage holes, again you should repot since that may cause root rot.) Too low or too high temperatures may cause leaves to drop as well but that's not a very likely issue indoors. Most likely the pot is too small or the soil quality is poor (either needs citrus fertilizer, or the soil may be too salty or something.) Good luck!

[@MA-mh2hd]

@@AGoodLife yes the pots are basically small plastic cups that I made drainage holes in them , I should mention that the soil is peat moss but it gets dry quickly

[@AGoodLife]

@@MA-mh2hd Repotting should help then and if you have some add some soil to the mix as well. Peat moss is ok to add to soil but it doesn't make a good growing medium by itself.

[@tracyking7145]

When is next vid?

[@AGoodLife]

Very soon hopefully Tracy King! I'm currently working on two. Thank you for your interest! :)

[@gilzuniga6692]

Put mine in a plastic bag with a wet napkin after about a week and a half they haven’t grown much. I put it in a dark place so maybe they needed light…I’m afraid they will rot so I just put them in small pots with soil and a plastic container on top to keep moisture. Fingers crossed….these are very special lemons

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Gil Zuniga, it takes the seeds about 2 weeks to start rooting, and even then some of them will only have tiny roots, so be patient. You did the right thing by placing them somewhere dark, this rooting phase is mimicking the seed rooting under the soil so they should not get any light during that time. Of course you can place your seeds in soil as well, that's what normally would happen in nature anyway, but placing them in a reliably moist environment, like the wet napkin in a bag in the dark, increases the success rate and speeds things up a bit. Hopefully your seeds will be ok either way, just make sure the soil doesn't dry out (keeping them out of the sun at this stage also helps with preventing your soil or napkin from drying out too quickly.) Good luck, and thanks for trying!

[@gilbertcarrizales7592]

@@AGoodLifeHow do you avoid mold if placing seeds in sealed plastic bag?

[@AGoodLife]

Good question @@gilbertcarrizales7592 , a clean ziploc bag and clean napkin/paper towel help some but I usually get some mold in every bag, but most often it only destroys a few of the seeds and the rest will be ok.

[@lukeatillo6954]

Thanks!

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you Luke Atillo!

[@asmrslol848]

You guys, it’s still easy to remove the skin of you just wipe them in a dry napkin, it won’t be slippery anymore

[@AGoodLife]

True. Thanks

[@Nour-ro9xf]

i didnt peel the seeds, is it gonna work?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Nour, yes it should, don't worry. I'm glad you're trying! Good luck :)

[@pammiganesa3942]

U very useful upload

[@AGoodLife]

Thank you, pammi Ganesa garden!

[@PearlTheSpinster]

Ssooo i should not just throw whole lemons in the dirt and hope for the best 🤣🤣🤣

[@AGoodLife]

🤣 That could work too but I think you'd have better luck with the method in the video :)

[@hiwibira7295]

Funny

[@buskingkarma2503]

That's how mother nature does it! Right?😂

[@diyangeluk]

I have 2 very beautiful lemon trees. I just dried out some seeds for a week and then planted them straight into soil.I gave them lots of love and they grew..They love the sun and not too much water❤

[@Nene88945]

Lol 😂

[@10from10]

hey i planted different things in a pot n some seeds growing but i dont know what it is? can u help me if i put d picture ( cant post links right?)

[@10from10]

planted lemon too so supposing that its lemon but i m not sure

[@AGoodLife]

Hey @@10from10 , you can't upload images here but if you can upload it somewhere else (your blog, instagram, facebook etc) and share the link with me I can take a look and see if I can ID any of them. It would also help if you can tell what all you planted along with lemon.

[@10from10]

@@AGoodLife tried to post but its deleted at once

[@AGoodLife]

@@10from10 Bummer... You can try posting it on another platform maybe? Let me know and I can take a look. Otherwise if you use reddit there is a plant identification group there www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisplant/ you can post and ask there too.

[@10from10]

@@AGoodLife posted a pic there ty

[@eiramu]

Have you tried to grow seeds even with the skin? They must do it in nature, don’t they?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @eiramu, you're right, you don't have to peel the skin of the seeds, of course it will work like that too, like you said; as it does in nature. But peeling the skin seems to improve the odds of successful germination a little bit. I actually did a test comparing peeled and unpeeled seeds and I am about to upload that video in the coming days. Take care

[@eiramu]

@@AGoodLife yes please. I got a bunch of seeds growing after peeling them but I have a load that I’ve been too lazy to peel yet and I was looking for experiences before I waste them 😅 thanks!

[@danotyone]

what is grafting??

[@AGoodLife]

Hi frances cousins, basically, grafting is joining 2 (or more) plants together. Usually, a branch from a fruit-bearing plant will be attached to another plant so that it starts producing the same type of fruit. You should look into it, it is a very cool method. Take care.

[@iamsdaughter8625]

Did it produce lemons?

[@AGoodLife]

It is doing well, and stands over 1.5m/4 feet but still no fruit... Soon I hope though. Maybe next year... :)

[@sarahbeee5240]

Mine always mold 😢

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @sarahbeee5240, sorry to hear that. Mold can be a problem for sure. Some of my seeds mold sometimes too but generally there will be mold-free ones in each batch as well. It's not a fool-proof solution, and I am sure you do some of this already anyway, but using a clean bag and a clean tissue/paper towel, and keeping the seeds more spread apart seem to help some. I hope you'll keep trying. Good luck, and take care.

[@sarahbeee5240]

@AGoodLife I do, maybe it's the temp. I'm in texas 🥴

[@AGoodLife]

@@sarahbeee5240 as long as you're doing this indoors (and have AC!) all should be good in Texas too :) If you have lost too many seeds to mold, another thing you can try is placing your seeds in a diluted mixture of "hydrogen peroxide 3%" and water, about 1.5 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide in 1 cup of water, and soaking them overnight before this process. that should help prevent mold as well. Good luck!

[@sarahbeee5240]

@AGoodLife ooo I'll try that thanks

[@CorkyWine]

great

[@AGoodLife]

Thanks, Corky Wine!

[@carmenortiz5294]

Doesn't grafting defeat the purpose, if you need a tree to graft it into?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Carmen Ortiz, grafting is not necessary but most growers do graft because it is much faster to get fruit that way, and they can control exactly which fruit the tree will make. I wanted to share these good reasons with viewers so they know about them. It wouldn't have been fair imo to not mention grafting and why people do it. But a tree grown from seed will bear some citrus fruit too, grafting is not a requirement for that.

[@carmenortiz5294]

@@AGoodLife Thank you?

[@VioladeniseSimmonsEvoulouga]

The germination process

[@Dendrobenarium]

Cool

[@AGoodLife]

Thanks DENDROBENARIUM! :)

[@kingjames4886]

ya... you don't need to remove the shells.

[@AGoodLife]

king james488 I always do and the germination rate is quite high, but I was wondering that myself too. I should do a few tests comparing the germination rates of shelled and unshelled seeds. Thanks for the comment!

[@kingjames4886]

@@AGoodLife when I started my citrus seeds a couple years ago I left most of them whole and tried shelling a couple. I didn't notice any significant difference. nice trees anyways! :)

[@AGoodLife]

@@kingjames4886 I've done both too and haven't noticed any difference either. But now I am curious. I might do an experiment and compare both methods. Thanks again for commenting and for the compliment! :)

[@voiceofraisin241]

Growing a tree from seed does not guarantee that it will be the same as the parent or that it will fruit at all. If you choose this method know it is only for fun and education.

[@AGoodLife]

Thanks Voice of Raisin. I already do address this in the video (starting at 3:45).

[@effectivefox2844]

I want to start bartending and i want to grow my lemons so i dont have to but them all the time

[@AGoodLife]

That would be cool effectivefox2, I hope you'll try but it would take a few years to start from seed until you get fruit. You might get a dwarf lemon tree until yours catch up. Good luck!

[@alicexirou1125]

I have tried once and with no success...with 10 seeds...

[@AGoodLife]

Sorry to hear that ALICE XIROU... There must have been something wrong somewhere. I hope you'll try again.

[@cafeinn4354]

You forget to tell us about the light and temperature

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Café Inn, indoor temperatures are ok year-round. Also, once your seedling has leaves, they like a lot of light so it's best to keep them by a bright window from then on. Good luck!

[@martinhyska1206]

But better seems to get it from sprout and save like 2-3 years.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Martin Hyska, I'm not sure I understand what you mean

[@kingofcannabisshakur711]

Yours took long cause you kelp transplanting and had it under low lux light

[@AGoodLife]

Good points King of cannabis shakur, but I'm not sure they apply in my case; I only transplanted as needed by root ball size (which was twice altogether, because I went ahead and put it in large pot the second time) and it sits by a large south-facing window -but more light wouldn't hurt I'm sure.

[@chasitygillenwater3918]

😭 I thought I needed to put it in the window.

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Chasity Gillenwater, I am not sure what you mean exactly but if you're talking about placing your saplings by a window, that's great! They do love a lot of light.

[@Lashay7]

I had to stop watching when he said “you might plant a tangerine tree and get a lime tree” wtf…. And never take seed coat off lemons. It causes premature growth and leaves will be yellow to light green. Idk why but just is

[@AGoodLife]

Hi Kallie, I am not saying “you might plant a tangerine tree and get a lime tree” in the video, I'm saying "you might plant a tangerine SEED and get a lime tree” since citrus seeds are not always true-to-type, as I explain in the video. I've heard both pros and cons for peeling the seeds before germinating them. I'm actually right now working on a video comparing 50 peeled seeds to 50 unpeeled seeds to test some of those claims. It should be posted in the coming days, if you're interested.

[@justinrobertsendoftheage]

thank you good video. Do u have email?

[@AGoodLife]

Hi @justinrobertsendoftheage, thank you! What did you want to contact me about? Let me know here and if it needs it I can give you my email address later.

[@justinrobertsendoftheage]

@@AGoodLife dont worry about it then just to save as contact for a rainy day 🤣

[@janmatejcik9787]

Please tell me where I can get citrumelo 4475 seeds. I can't find anyone who sells them anywhere. Thank you