In article ,
writes

I have been told by a professional citrus grower that lemon and orange
plants grown from pips seldom flower or fruit.

Is this likely to be an accurate statement ??



In the case of citrus, there is at least some chance that seedlings will
in fact be clones of the parents. While I can't find the reference I'd
like, I believe that the term for this is adventitious embryony, and you
can get some confirmation by searching the web. For instance, at
http://thecity.sfsu.edu/~sustain/chap8.html I find

2.1 Adventitious embryony in Citrus

Citrus commonly reproduces by an asexual process called adventitious
embryony (Koltunow 1993). The offspring are genetically identical with
the maternal parent because the embryo of the seed derives exclusively
from maternal tissue. The tissue is called the nucellus, and in all
sexual plants it supplies nutrients to the unfertilized egg and then,
after fertilization, to the embryo and endosperm. The adventitious
embryo derives not from the fertilized egg cell but from a group of
cells (a proembryo) formed in the nucellus (Koltunow et al. 1995). This
asexual process in Citrus keeps the line pure and predictable in its
fruiting and other characters, but it also prevents citrus breeders from
improving their lines through sexual hybridization with a contrasting
cultivar.

Of course, this doesn't help you with the practicalities of growing the
things in the British climate.
--
A. G. McDowell