growing a lemon tree from a pip

[Dynamite]

If you are looking for a cheap citrus plant rather than the challenge of growing from seed they were selling Meyer lemons in Lidl today for £3.

Of course, if this is just about the sheer challenge of growing from a pip, ignore me.

How soon would the Lidl one fruit?

Kind Regards.............Rob

[Gman]

How soon would the Lidl one fruit?

Kind Regards.............Rob

Sorry rob, I have no idea as never grown citrus. Small plants atm though - about 10-15cm tall in square pot that must be around 9cm if this helps. I presume will take ages to fruit but maybe someone with more experience can advise..

[farendwoman]

.
Rob - I bought a calamondin tree from Lidl last year .... it’s doing brilliantly. At the moment it has two fruits and more blossom.
Have been waiting for them to be in store again, and bought another one yesterday for £2.99.
Photos show last year’s and yesterday’s.
Would definitely recommend them.

[devonuk]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]86588[/ATTACH]. [ATTACH=CONFIG]86589[/ATTACH]
Rob - I bought a calamondin tree from Lidl last year .... it’s doing brilliantly. At the moment it has two fruits and more blossom.
Have been waiting for them to be in store again, and bought another one yesterday for £2.99.
Photos show last year’s and yesterday’s.
Would definitely recommend them.

Brilliant!

That looks to me much more like a Meyer's lemon than like a calamondin. Were the buds pure white before they opened, or were they tinged pink/red?

[Gman]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]86588[/ATTACH]. [ATTACH=CONFIG]86589[/ATTACH]
Rob - I bought a calamondin tree from Lidl last year .... it’s doing brilliantly. At the moment it has two fruits and more blossom.
Have been waiting for them to be in store again, and bought another one yesterday for £2.99.
Photos show last year’s and yesterday’s.
Would definitely recommend them.

That’s year 1! Brilliant. I shall get some g&t ready for if/when mine crops

[Ocelot]

That LIDL plant is amazing. I bought a kumquat 2 years ago and it did nothing last year, apart from lose its leaves and the same is happening this year, despite being laden with fruit when I bought it (for £9.99 down from £50).

[Dynamite]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]86588[/ATTACH]. [ATTACH=CONFIG]86589[/ATTACH]
Rob - I bought a calamondin tree from Lidl last year .... it’s doing brilliantly. At the moment it has two fruits and more blossom.
Have been waiting for them to be in store again, and bought another one yesterday for £2.99.
Photos show last year’s and yesterday’s.
Would definitely recommend them.

Wow that’s good!

Kind Regards.............Rob

[farendwoman]

Brilliant!

That looks to me much more like a Meyer's lemon than like a calamondin. Were the buds pure white before they opened, or were they tinged pink/red?

The buds were sort of creamy white - no pink tinge. Was sold in a box labelled calamondin at £2.99. I’ve been really pleased with how it has grown in just one year at such a cheap price. We had the first fruit from it at Easter with a gin and tonic
Hoping the new one performs just as well , and as you can see from the photo it’s a lovely sturdy little plant.

[devonuk]

The buds were sort of creamy white - no pink tinge. Was sold in a box labelled calamondin at £2.99. I’ve been really pleased with how it has grown in just one year at such a cheap price. We had the first fruit from it at Easter with a gin and tonic
Hoping the new one performs just as well , and as you can see from the photo it’s a lovely sturdy little plant.

Lemon almost always has a pink tinge. I am just puzzled because calamondin fruits in my experience are orange coloured and tangerine shaped - they are indented at the blossom end while yours have a slight nipple. Anyway enjoy it!

[ameno]

Lemon almost always has a pink tinge. I am just puzzled because calamondin fruits in my experience are orange coloured and tangerine shaped - they are indented at the blossom end while yours have a slight nipple. Anyway enjoy it!

The colour will just be because those ones didn't get cold enough over winter, probably.
Skin colour in citrus actually has no bearing on ripeness. Rather, the skin changes colour much like leaves of a tree, with the green pigment turning orange or yellow in cooler temperatures. This means citrus grown in the tropics never change colour (they gas them for sale in British shops, as we think green citrus aren't ripe so won't buy them).

[devonuk]

The colour will just be because those ones didn't get cold enough over winter, probably.
Skin colour in citrus actually has no bearing on ripeness. Rather, the skin changes colour much like leaves of a tree, with the green pigment turning orange or yellow in cooler temperatures. This means citrus grown in the tropics never change colour (they gas them for sale in British shops, as we think green citrus aren't ripe so won't buy them).

Yes I know that, thanks. But calamondin fruits are either green or orange, they don't go through a lemon yellow phase as in the photograph.

[farendwoman]

Lemon almost always has a pink tinge. I am just puzzled because calamondin fruits in my experience are orange coloured and tangerine shaped - they are indented at the blossom end while yours have a slight nipple. Anyway enjoy it!

Well all my pals think it’s a lime tree. The picture on the box saying that it was a calamondin showed a squat little orange fruit that looked similar to a satsuma. Nothing like what I ended up with!
Like you said “Enjoy it” - and I will (whatever it is).
And thank you for showing an interest and providing the info. It will be interesting to see if this year’s calamondin ends up looking more like the picture on the box.

[Babru]

My friend bought a Lidl lemon a couple of years ago and gets a few lemons every year. Enough, this year, to make some little pots of lemon curd.

[bikermike]

gaah!
so three sprouted, the one in the lead had put out little leaves. Now the top has died off - (in a few days it has just dried out and died). Any thoughts? I'm wondering about damping off, but the soil is pretty dry.

[nickdub]

gaah!
so three sprouted, the one in the lead had put out little leaves. Now the top has died off - (in a few days it has just dried out and died). Any thoughts? I'm wondering about damping off, but the soil is pretty dry.

Probably some sort of soil born disease - always a chance of loosing a few seedlings in that way, even if the soil is on the dry side.