I've seen this pin come up again and again but it never leads to a link with instructions, but I've been dying to try it, so I decided to just wing it based on the pictures.
The following is my interpretation of the photos with a little help from online lemon tree tutorials. Keep in mind I have little to no gardening knowledge or skills.
Step 1: Take seeds from lemons and place in warm water overnight. According to my research this helps the pulp and lemon juice to separate from the seed which helps prevent seed rot after you plant them. I let my seeds sit for about 20 hours while I planted strawberries (which will be blogged about tomorrow).
Now here is where my lack of gardening know-how kicks in, as I was about to plant the seeds I realized I didn't have as many seeds as were pictured on the pin so I cut up three more lemons right then, stirred them around for a bit and proceeded to step 3.
Step 2: I have no idea what is going on in this photo. It looks like someone with sharp tools and a steady hand was able to peel back the outer layer of the seeds. I attempted this and what happened was similar to a cartoon character trying to grab a slippery bar of soap. If you have luck with this, or know how it was done or the benefit of doing it, I'd love to know.
Step 3: Plant seeds. I did not plant the seeds in a mug. I wanted to, I even have a few mugs that would be so cute for it, but since I'm new to gardening I don't have a watering technique down yet and I decided that a pot with drainage might give me a better chance at getting one of these seeds to actually sprout. I tried my best to plant the seeds in a beautiful pattern as pictured above but since the last three lemons worth of seeds had only soaked for a few minutes, they stuck together in clumps. I recommend getting everything ready (pot, soil, seeds, etc.) before you begin, that way you don't do what I did and skimp on time. I left a small layer of skin around some of the seeds. We'll see how they do. I filled the pot most of the way full with an organic fertilizer, sprinkled the seeds around a bit and then continued to step 4.
Step 4: Cover seeds. Since I just wanted to get these seeds planted, I didn't take the time to find enough small pebbles to cover the seeds even though in the picture it looks adorable. I covered the seeds with more potting soil until they were under about about 1/2 an inch of soil. (If any of them sprout, I'll move a few into a new container and cover the dirt with rocks as pictured above.)
Step 5: Water. According to the internet, lemon seeds need a lot of moisture. I watered the seeds and soil until the water ran through the drainage on the bottom. Everything I read said to water 'gently' with a spray bottle and not to let the soil or seeds dry out at any time.
Step 6: Build a greenhouse. (not pictured) When I read other "grow your own lemon tree" articles I found that lemon seeds need a lot of sun and warmth to sprout and since this is January and I've seeded them in a container, I might be able to get away with this! I placed a plastic bag over the top of the planter and used a rubber band to hold it in place. I poked a few holes in the top and presto! A tiny breathable greenhouse. I'll be keeping the plant indoors for now to help maintain a stable temperature until the low of the day is consistently above 50 degrees.
Hopefully by keeping these little guys watered and warm they will sprout in about two weeks. Photo updates to come.
Bri
Update! 1/31 The seeds didn't make it. :( They molded and died. I'm disappointed but definitely looking for advice. If anyone has any tips on germination or any suggestions, I look forward to reading them!
Any sprouts yet?
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