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Lemon trees are among the easiest fruit trees to grow indoors. All they need is a sunny windowsill, good soil and a lot of patience. Before you learn how to grow a lemon tree from seeds today, let’s discuss some important things you should know.
It may take a few years for an indoor lemon tree to flower and produce fruit, but it is worth the wait. Their glossy leaves and rapid growth fascinate any green addict and you really can’t compare the taste of indoor-grown lemons to store-bought fruit. As we said, lemon trees are among the easiest and most spectacular trees to grow indoors, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay full attention to their germination and propagation.
This article is a step-by-step guide to help you grow a lemon tree from seeds.
First, we’ll go over all the items you’ll need to make sure your lemon seeds germinate and then we’ll explain in detail how to germinate the seeds and have healthy growth.
What you need to grow a lemon tree from seeds:
– One or two lemons: we recommend organic varieties that have been subjected to the least treatment with pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers.
– A small plastic zipper bag and paper towels
– Sterile citrus soil or peat moss, perlite, vermiculite and organic fertilizer.
– 10 cm pots (terracotta or plastic).
You will also need a warm, shady location to germinate lemon seeds and a sunny location to grow lemon trees once they have germinated.
Seed Germination on Paper Towels:
I tried germinating lemon seeds with the paper towel method this winter and was surprised by its simplicity and effectiveness. I had a 90% success rate with germinating lemon seeds on paper towels.
1. Collect the seeds
Cut the lemon and harvest its fleshiest seeds.
Keep in mind that some of them may not germinate, so you will need several. I recommend trying this with a minimum of 5 seeds.
Clean the pulp from the seeds, then rinse them with warm water and dry them with a paper towel.
2. Remove the white skin from the seeds (optional)
This speeds up germination as the little sprout no longer needs to pierce the skin, that makes sense right?
However, be careful not to cut the seeds or you could puncture the sprout inside.
Note: Some tutorials on growing lemon trees from seeds also recommend peeling the second (brown) layer of skin to further speed up the germination process. I didn’t, but I don’t think it would hurt if you were careful enough not to pierce, cut, or break the cotyledons.
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