Any thoughts on how I can encourage 3 green lemons to ripen? Being in
shitty England the weather is going poo so I am now concerned these 1st
born are going to go to waste before they become useable....

Thanks
Eddie

I see two choices you might have. I would leave them on the tree until just
before the first freeze. Then I would pick them and put them in a paper bag
with a couple of apples. The gasses put out by apples will cause a lot of
items to ripen. I don't know if it will work on citrus.

Your second choice is to pick them and tell everyone that they are limes,
big limes. OK, I apologize for that, but I thought it was kind of cute.

Dwayne


wrote in message
ups.com...
Any thoughts on how I can encourage 3 green lemons to ripen? Being in
shitty England the weather is going poo so I am now concerned these 1st
born are going to go to waste before they become useable....

Thanks
Eddie

As long as they are mature size, picking them green is usually fine (that's
what they do commercially). You can just leave them on the counter to ripen.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Any thoughts on how I can encourage 3 green lemons to ripen? Being in
shitty England the weather is going poo so I am now concerned these 1st
born are going to go to waste before they become useable....

Thanks
Eddie

Thank-you both! Lol about the lime suggestion! ;.)

I will hold my nerve over the frost as long as I can & then try the
apple/bag/counter-top combi.

Eddie

wrote:
Thank-you both! Lol about the lime suggestion! ;.)

I will hold my nerve over the frost as long as I can & then try the
apple/bag/counter-top combi.

Good luck, but don't expect true ripening from the ethylene gas
produced by the apple in a bag idea. Sad truth is that some fruits
ripen after picking and some don't. Citrus doesn't, so your best bet
is to leave it on the tree just as long as you can. -aem

How bad are your frosts? And how many hours? I have an orange tree
and I've been able to sneak through a light frost for a few hours.
Here in California they use little gas heaters for the citrus orchards.
Maybe some kind of poultry heater would work too. If you don't have
one handy you can improvise. I fill a clay pot about 3/4 full with
sand (coarse or fine). Then I light a few pieces of charcoal. By a few
I mean 5 or 6 pieces, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
Feel free to roast marshmallows while you're waiting for them to die
down. After the coals die down I cover the pot (full of coals) with
another clay pot that has a hole in the top. I put the pot a few feet
away from the trunk.

You don't want a lot of heat. You just need to keep it slightly warmer
than freezing as long as possible. And be very paranoid about using
open flames outdoors. Be sure your pot won't be disturbed and can't be
knocked over. And give yourself a few feet of clearance around the pot.
Be sure it is covered and secure before you walk away. My tree is in
the middle of my lawn and the nearest structure is 15 feet away. Don't
do this if there is a breeze.

I've thought about filling a small barbecue or cast iron hibachi with a
concoction of stones and sand to see if it says warm longer. I suppose
if I had to do this more than once or twice a year I'd invest in a real
heater! Anyway, that's my crazy idea for you. Good luck!

On Fri, 04 May 2007 17:43:06 GMT, Dave wrote:

On 22 Oct 2006 13:07:06 -0700, wrote:

Hi,

I have a lemon tree which I rescued from the warehouse where I work
last year and it has developed 2 marble sized lemons over the 'staying
in' period. I'm just trying to acclimatize it now to outdoors.

They are both green and look like small limes.

My point is this... you can buy lemons dead cheap,

Mebbe where you are, but here in LA area, I've seen them as high as 50
cents a piece. SO glad I planted my tree [censored] years ago!


why try and force
your tree? Mine has bushed out in all kinds of all awkward ways, but
hey, I say to it... if you want to grow like that - good on you.

I prune it occasionally but not because I want it to supply me with
lemons.

Follow it's

ITS

progress intently, and watch it grow. What better
pleasure?

Regards,
Dave

Any thoughts on how I can encourage 3 green lemons to ripen? Being in
shitty England the weather is going poo so I am now concerned these 1st
born are going to go to waste before they become useable....

Thanks
Eddie

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