Lemon Trees?

[cheshiremusicman]

I don't seem to have seen any Lemon trees growing in Thailand and would like to incorporate a few in my garden. Does anybody know where I can obtain any plants?. I am based in Hua-Hin. I would have thought that they would grow well in Thailand, but they seem to be scarce in the shops and expensive - any reason for this, or don't the Thais like them? Limes, or some hybrid between a lime and a lemon seem to be popular in the shops.

[stoneman]

I don't seem to have seen any Lemon trees growing in Thailand and would like to incorporate a few in my garden. Does anybody know where I can obtain any plants?. I am based in Hua-Hin. I would have thought that they would grow well in Thailand, but they seem to be scarce in the shops and expensive - any reason for this, or don't the Thais like them? Limes, or some hybrid between a lime and a lemon seem to be popular in the shops.

While I was back in the US for my annual visit, I went to the WalMart SuperCenter and bought lemons and Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit...I saved the seeds by wrapping them in a wet paper towel and put in a zip lock bag... I planted them in small pots and got 100% germination...Have 3 grapefruit and 9 lemons...Will let them continue growing on the balcony for another year and then move them to the farm where they can live out their lives with the avocado trees..

Stoneman

[rice555]

what kind of root stock are you going to graft onto?? I was going to use sour orange for my lemons. rice555

[stoneman]

what kind of root stock are you going to graft onto?? I was going to use sour orange for my lemons. rice555

Had not really given it much thought...just really interested in seeing if they continue to grow...But I think the logical choice might be the native lime tree...

Stoneman

[cheshiremusicman]

what kind of root stock are you going to graft onto?? I was going to use sour orange for my lemons. rice555

Forgive my ignorance 'rice555' but why is it necessary to 'graft onto a root stock' , will the plant/tree that emerges from the lemon 'pip' not grow into a lemon tree eventually; or this a way of speeding up the process?

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Musicman this will give you a little info.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/...ure/DG0532.html

[rice555]

the main reason I asked him about grafting is tree size. Bush, small tree, large tree. Some people put lemons in pots, you don't want a large tree. I'm not a 100% sure, but "most all" citrus are grafted. I will go through my files and give you links to my research, thats why I asked; sour orange?, it had the growing properties I wanted. My source of BO seed was The Banana Tree in Penn. in the US. I need to time things as they only have fresh seed in a small time window. I also got coffee(2 kinds) and papaya seed from them. You can use some types of lime trees for the graft too.

rice555

[rice555]

the following is what i've always followed, i could be wrong!

rice555

Grafting citrus trees

Many of the fruits we eat come from trees. Fruits are an important human food, rich in vitamins. Some fruits, such as papaya and passion fruit, grow easily from seed. But if you have tried growing citrus fruit from seeds, you may have been disappointed with the results.

These trees will take many years to produce fruit, and the fruit is often not very good. These problems can usually be avoided by raising grafted fruit trees. Many people think that bud grafting is too difficult for them and needs to be left to experts. In fact, with practice, it is very simple.

What does bud grafting mean?

Bud grafting means taking a small bud from an excellent mother tree and joining it under the bark of a young seedling (called the rootstock) which will provide the roots for the new budded tree. The budded tree will have the stem, leaves and fruits of one type, and the roots of another type.

How does budding help?

Budded trees combine the good points of both the mother tree and the rootstock.

They start bearing fruit after only three or four years.

Some types of citrus do not have seeds, so they can only be produced from buds.

They do not grow so tall, so they are easier to pick.

How do you raise budded citrus trees?

You must first raise rootstock seedlings. The seeds from large, rough-skinned lemons, or sour oranges are grown in nurseries to provide the rootstock. All types of citrus – orange, tangerines, grapefruit, limes and lemon – can be budded onto these rootstocks.

1. Choose only the best seed from fully ripe fruit. Cut them carefully and plant the seed straight from the fruit. Do not store this seed.

2. Plant the seed in large, strong, plastic forestry bags (20cm x 30cm) or in large tins with holes in the base. Grow in a tree nursery for about a year. Allow only one strong stem to grow; rub off any small side shoots (A).

3. When the stems of the rootstocks are as thick as a pencil, collect budsticks from healthy, high yielding citrus trees of the kind you want. Cut off the leaves carefully (. Use immediately or wrap in a damp cloth to store for up to two days.

4. With a very sharp knife or razor, remove each swollen bud, starting just above the bud to 2cm below, to make a “tail”©. Don’t touch the cut face of the bud – hold it by the tail.

5. Cut an upside down T shape into the bark of the rootstock about 30cm above the soil (D).

6. Open the bark gently with your knife. Push the bud gently upwards into the cut, under the two flaps of bark (E). Cut off the tail (F).

7. Wrap a thin strip of plastic (cut up bags) firmly around the bud (G). Remove the plastic after three weeks. If the bud is still green, you have succeeded in citrus budding! Congratulations! If it is brown, try again a little lower down the stem.

8. Cut off the top of the rootstock just above the bud. Remove any lower buds that start to grow (H). When the new bud is one metre tall, remove the top and allow four strong branches to grow.

[cheshiremusicman]

the following is what i've always followed, i could be wrong!

rice555

Grafting citrus trees

Many of the fruits we eat come from trees. Fruits are an important human food, rich in vitamins. Some fruits, such as papaya and passion fruit, grow easily from seed. But if you have tried growing citrus fruit from seeds, you may have been disappointed with the results.

These trees will take many years to produce fruit, and the fruit is often not very good. These problems can usually be avoided by raising grafted fruit trees. Many people think that bud grafting is too difficult for them and needs to be left to experts. In fact, with practice, it is very simple.

Many thanks 'rice555' for the very detailed explanation of the grafting process. don't know if I will live that long to see 'lemons' that I can pick in my own garden! Maybe continue buying them at the high prices asked here in Thailand, or I could stop the wife drinking gin and tonic; hence the need for the lemons.