Kaffir Lime

[starloc]

theres loads of books available, some easier than others, the internet has the most upto date info though, i ahve these ones

success with citrus , by Patricia Oliver ( global orange groves ( also import and sell plants in uk ))
Success with citrus fruit ,published by Murdoch books
All about Citrus & subtropical fruits by meredithbooks.com
Ornamental citrus plants by Oscar Tintori ( also sell / breed citrus plants in italy)

There all different, the one that sems best to me is the one by Oscar tintori, it covers things in more detail, ther company website shows some of the plants they have grown

To germinate seed, reliably from citrus plants, you need to use a propergator, set at about 25 to 30C , wash the seeds, crack the outer shell off them, then fold up a piece of kitchen roll and damp it with warm water, put the seeds in it, fold it over the seeds, put it in a plastic bag and leave it to germinate in the propergator, doing it this way it usuay takes a few days, if the seeds are old it can take a couple of weeks, check them every day and change the paper every few days
Once you get seeds sprouting, plant them carefully in a fast draining mix, such as the 50/50 perlite mix

Its not nornaly worthwile growing citrus from seed as they take ages to fruit, but kaffir limes are used mainly for the leaves so it is worth growing them, the best place to get seeds is from a kaffir lime, i have had the malasian ones and about 50% of them germinated, the ones i had from tradewinds fruit in usa for other citrus plants was about 80% germination

You will need het for most citrus to start germination, sometimes the heat from a rdiator or tv set can be used,
once there germinating thy dont need the heat, but if you keep them on the base of the propergator or similar after germination , they will grow quicker, with the roots at 28C and in bright light or so a mandarin tree will fruit in about 4 years, without heat it could be 10 years , so keeping them warm can make for far more rapid growth, but again with a kaffir you normaly want leaves so fruting isnt a problem

[Ader1]

Thanks again and especially the book suggestions. Just two points or rather questions from what you say above Starloc. How do you crack the seeds? I suppose the crack must be almost hair-line or the seed would be damaged? Secondly......I am looking for the fruit for my kaffir Limes because the rind of the Kaffir Lime fruit is used to make the Thai Green Curry Paste. I have been told that this is almost the only use for the fruit. Normal Limes can be substituted but they aren't as good apparently. I have read that a Kaffir Lime will take 3 years to produce fruit. Would you agree with that?

PS I just had a look at your web page and the pice look interesting. I will keep and eye out for more content as you mention you will add.

[starloc]

To crack the seed, i usualy cheat and put them in the wet paper towel overnight first as it softens it a bit, then i force my fingernail through the edge and peel the shell of the seed open, you can peel the hard outer shell off , just be carefull not to pull lumps out of the soft bits inside, there not that fragile though, try it with something easy to get hold of like a lemon to save wasteing the kaffir seeds before doing the kaffir seeds

Im not sure how long a seed grown kaffir will take to fruit, i know that keylimes are very quick to fruit about 3 years, but that is years in ideal conditions, so to do it , you would need high temperatures , high root temperatures, high humidity and high intensity light for about 18 hrs a day or more ( citrus dont need a dark/night period ),

kaffir limes may be quite quick to fruit as wel im not sure on that one as there are alays loads of variables such as type of feed etc,l, my seed grown ones are only about 6 months old , and there tiny about 6 inch high and spent that time under growlights and on heaters, so they dont look like they grow that quickly

[Ader1]

I've now managed to upload a picture of the plant. It doesn't look to good. I've now put it in a smaller pot and added more perlite and would say it's now more of a 75 perlite to 25% Citrus compost mix. The old pot was larger and teracotta. I might have to purchase another plant. What do you think? Oh yes, the dark blotches which have come out on the picture are all just compost which have stuck to the leaves when I re-potted. Looks much worse than in real life.

[starloc]

It doesnt look good...., but it may survive, just keep it in good conditions, let it dry out to lmost dust dry before watering again, as theres not much water needed this should be some time before watering again
Myself, i would try and keep it happy, incase it recovers and get another as well, as you can fix anything wrong with a new one before its ill,

I have had one of the kaffir from the citrus center ( about £30 ) for a bushy plant about 18 inch high , for about year and i havent had to do anything at all, apart from water and fertiliser, it is potted in decent compost and a decent pot with good drainage, its easy to look after

LIMES

The ones from ebay i got were fine as well ( from uk ) they just were smaller and needed repotting, but cost about £8 , i would still buy the larger one though as its easier to grow it

[Ader1]

Thanks Starloc. I have just bought the Tintori book. I may leave out buying a new plant until I get time to read it although I think you are correct in what you said a while ago.....over watering/not draining well enough. Cheers.

[Dashy]

I've put my kaffir lime in a pot with potting mix and haven't touched it since and it couldn't be happier. I know it won't have to suffer through frosts but just FYI we have low humidity (down south) and I haven't needed to put any mist over the leaves but I do cover it with a white sheet during the day over Summer to stop it burning.
Also a quick recipe: turkey mince, chilli jam and a few shredded kaffir lime leaves make the best burgers!!!!

[greasyfire]

Why don you put it in a nice humid envrionment like the bathroom and stop watering it with tap water and start watering with rain water. Tap waters contains salt

[ophiopogon]

its definitely dead

[Ader1]

Yes....it's gone to wherever Kaffir Limes go to when their number's up. I'n going to get another though soon.

[Scottishnewbie]

Lemo germination advice please

does anyone know the best time to start off a lemon? have some seeds and would like to try and germinate myself but not sure if now is too early? I have a heated propagator.

[greasyfire]

ive started lemon and oranges from seed all the time, ive got 20 seeds with nearly a 100 percent germination rate. I dont use a propagator, just one of those fast food containers and towels or tissue.

[Scottishnewbie]

ive started lemon and oranges from seed all the time, ive got 20 seeds with nearly a 100 percent germination rate. I dont use a propagator, just one of those fast food containers and towels or tissue.

thanks greasyfire - any tips?

[greasyfire]

I would say repot before the plant touches the wall of the container because if the roots touch the wall it stops growing for some while or even permenantly and that is quite a problem which i do not know why.

Another hint is to give them a good full watering and is does matter if its soggy, mind you is does depend on where it originates from. They are very slow growing and mine are very strong since they have fell and never been damaged. Look out for sun positioning because they grow towards the lights and for me a have had a problem with fungus gnats which i have found out on the vine.

I would suggest putting them out when its spring and summer as soon as possible, it tends to grow better , i dont now why.

Hope i was help