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#1
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
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 ?? |
#2
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
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#3
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
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#4
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
In article ,
Martin Brown wrote: wrote: 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 ?? Pretty well. They might eventually flower but the fruit is unlikely to be much cop. The decent cultivars grown for nice edible fruit are all grafted. Same with apples and pears you might just get lucky but the odds are against you. The difference being that the odds are against you with citrus, even WITH a productive variety! In the UK, at best you will get fairly mediocre citrus fruit from the more cold-tolerant species. Our weather is just too miserable for decent ripening, and you don't have much hope with the seriously cold intolerant species (like limes). This doesn't stop it being fun to try, but don't expect a real crop. And you can get a fairly decent amount of flower and as many fruit as the plant will bear on some varieties - just not very good ones. Regards, Nick Maclaren, University of Cambridge Computing Service, New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England. Email: Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679 |
#5
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
"Nick wrote in message The difference being that the odds are against you with citrus, even WITH a productive variety! In the UK, at best you will get fairly mediocre citrus fruit from the more cold-tolerant species. Our weather is just too miserable for decent ripening, and you don't have much hope with the seriously cold intolerant species (like limes). This doesn't stop it being fun to try, but don't expect a real crop. And you can get a fairly decent amount of flower and as many fruit as the plant will bear on some varieties - just not very good ones. Our bought grafted plants, which are outside against a S. facing wall all summer and kept in a small greenhouse heated to min 50°F in winter, do produce fruit. The oranges are very small but sweet, the Lemons are a useful size and wonderful, the (Tahiti) limes are good too if a little smaller than in the shops. Others, we haven't had long enough to find out. Just don't expect too many fruit on small trees, we have 7 good sized lemons this year, a G & T with your own Lemons is something to savour as is using the peel in your Christmas cake. :-) -- Regards Bob Use a useful Screen Saver... http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/ and find intelligent life amongst the stars, there's bugger all down here. |
#6
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
In article ,
Sue & Bob Hobden wrote: Our bought grafted plants, which are outside against a S. facing wall all summer and kept in a small greenhouse heated to min 50°F in winter, do produce fruit. The oranges are very small but sweet, the Lemons are a useful size and wonderful, the (Tahiti) limes are good too if a little smaller than in the shops. Others, we haven't had long enough to find out. Just don't expect too many fruit on small trees, we have 7 good sized lemons this year, a G & T with your own Lemons is something to savour as is using the peel in your Christmas cake. :-) You are doing pretty well! But don't get people's hopes up too much, as I suspect a disinterested observer would be a little less, er, enthusiastic :-) I did say you can get fruit (even I have done it), just that I regard it as more fun than a crop. Perhaps I am being a little harsh, though, as I don't regard the citrus you can buy in the shops here as up to all that much, because it is picked unripe and artificially 'ripened'. Oh, and the Tahiti lime isn't the same as the highly aromatic tropical lime, which is the one I was referring to. Regards, Nick Maclaren, University of Cambridge Computing Service, New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England. Email: Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679 |
#7
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
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 |
#8
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
In article , A. G. McDowell
writes 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, "The Pip Book", Mossman (1973, reprinted 1975, Published by Witherby). If you plant one pip and get more than one seedling from it then the extras are clones of the parent. It doesn't provide any way to tell which is which, though. It reckons 6-8 years from pip to fruiting for oranges, and an 18-inch pot. -- A. G. McDowell |
#10
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
In article ,
Ken Riley wrote: We are currently carrying in and out of the conservatory (out in the evening into the warm living room, back into the light conservatory for the day) a 12inch twig. It had leaves on when we bought it in the spring and has had lots of flowers but by November we were singing "four leaves on my lemon" then "three leaves on my lemon". Two weeks ago the last leaf fell off and on Monday last the pathetic little half-inch green lemon hit the carpet. Is there any hope for it? Are we wasting our time carrying it in and out? It's in very well draining compost and I only water it when it's almost dry. In my experience, no, but I am no expert! Regards, Nick Maclaren, University of Cambridge Computing Service, New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England. Email: Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679 |
#11
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
In article , Ken Riley
writes We are currently carrying in and out of the conservatory (out in the evening into the warm living room, back into the light conservatory for the day) a 12inch twig. It had leaves on when we bought it in the spring and has had lots of flowers but by November we were singing "four leaves on my lemon" then "three leaves on my lemon". Two weeks ago the last leaf fell off and on Monday last the pathetic little half-inch green lemon hit the carpet. Is there any hope for it? Are we wasting our time carrying it in and out? Probably, though it may re-shoot if you are very lucky. Two things seem to go for citrus: scale insects - you will see round shiny brown lumps abut 1/8 inch long on the twig which can be pushed off with a fingernail Red spider - any fine cobwebs on what remains? Remove anything you can see, wipe the twig with a damp tissue, and hope. -- Kay Easton Edward's earthworm page: http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/ |
#12
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
Joan wrote in message , We are currently carrying in and out of the conservatory (out in the evening into the warm living room, back into the light conservatory for the day) a 12inch twig. It had leaves on when we bought it in the spring and has had lots of flowers but by November we were singing "four leaves on my lemon" then "three leaves on my lemon". Two weeks ago the last leaf fell off and on Monday last the pathetic little half-inch green lemon hit the carpet. Is there any hope for it? Are we wasting our time carrying it in and out? It's in very well draining compost and I only water it when it's almost dry. Sounds a bit like bad news Joan, especially considering the time it's taken to slowly die off. Might be the right time to remove it from the pot to take a look at the roots which will either confirm death or otherwise. Lemons require a more acid compost than other citrus so I would always recommend ericaceous compost and rainwater with an occasional water with hard tapwater to provide the minerals needed. Feeding is important to. We did bring our Tahiti lime back from an almost no leaf situation. When we bought it we were on holiday in Cornwall and it suffered total dryout due to my stupidity. It was in full growth and leaf within a couple of months. Just bought a Kumquat for £10, reduced as it's badly in need of some TLC. -- Bob www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in Runnymede fighting for it's existence. |
#13
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
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#14
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
Kay Easton wrote: In article , Ken Riley writes We are currently carrying in and out of the conservatory (out in the evening into the warm living room, back into the light conservatory for the day) a 12inch twig. It had leaves on when we bought it in the spring and has had lots of flowers but by November we were singing "four leaves on my lemon" then "three leaves on my lemon". Two weeks ago the last leaf fell off and on Monday last the pathetic little half-inch green lemon hit the carpet. Is there any hope for it? Are we wasting our time carrying it in and out? Probably, though it may re-shoot if you are very lucky. Don't throw it out until is is warm enough for it to live outside. I have had "dead" plants recover from apparently lifeless sticks before. As long as it is green there is still some hope for next year. Two things seem to go for citrus: scale insects - you will see round shiny brown lumps abut 1/8 inch long on the twig which can be pushed off with a fingernail Red spider - any fine cobwebs on what remains? Probably the latter. They seem to be martyrs to it and attract them from everywhere. I have even had to spray mine with soft soap in late autumn to keep control of rsm. The main symptoms are that all the leaves will drop off if left untreated. Remove anything you can see, wipe the twig with a damp tissue, and hope. I also suspect it doesn't much like being moved in and out of warmth. Thermal shock is bad. Provided it is kept frost free it may be better off being left somewhere out of drafts and slightly on the dry side. Not likely to lose much water if it is entirely without leaves. Mine still has plenty of flowers even now but is kept in the main living room against a south facing floor to ceiling picture window. I am still a bit vague on the correct feeding regime for citrus plants. Any recommendations ? Regards, Martin Brown |
#15
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Lemons & Oranges from Pips ?
In article ,
Martin Brown wrote: Provided it is kept frost free it may be better off being left somewhere out of drafts and slightly on the dry side. Not likely to lose much water if it is entirely without leaves. Mine still has plenty of flowers even now but is kept in the main living room against a south facing floor to ceiling picture window. Most common citrus can take some frost if fairly dry at the root, and it is merely overnight. I am still a bit vague on the correct feeding regime for citrus plants. Any recommendations ? The usual one is never to feed a plant in its dormant or inactive seasons. The agrochemical companies sell expensive "winter feed" but my guess is that it is pretty pointless. Regards, Nick Maclaren, University of Cambridge Computing Service, New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England. Email: Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679 |
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