Hello all. I planted 3 Moro Blood Orange seeds a few weeks ago. 2 have sprouted and each has 2 stalks. I was. Wondering if they should be separated and if so how long should I wait to do it. Also I have been having issues with fruit flys in and around my pots. Is there anything I can spray on them to get rid of them. Thanks as always!


Jason

This phenomenon is calle poyembryony. It is quite common with Citrus. You can separate the seedlings when they are big enough. They are not linked in any way.
/Robert

Just out of curiousity how hard was it for you to find seeds? I've bought a few sunkist moro blood oranges lately and could not find any mature seeds to sprout.

I believe I was very lucky. I purchased 3 oranges and found 3 seeds that were of good size. I have since looked through probably a dozen more and found just a few very small seeds that didn't look totally formed. The first few I bought didn't have a grower label. But the ones with underdeveloped seeds were all sunkist.

Hi,

I've had loads of both orange and grapefruit seeds give two seedings. I usually wait until they are a couple of inches high then try and separate them by gently peeling off any remains of the seed skin and then the smaller seedling usually comes loose from within the seed and can be separated.

I have found though that the smaller seedling doesn't grow so well and many of them have died this winter.

Richard

And what seedling should I keep if I have 2 seedlings sprouted from a seed.
Is it true that one of it is true to its parent?
Now they are looking similar , but I guess that there will be some differences between them.

Also if the seed came from a tree that had been growing in an big orchard with lemon trees (all the same), well , then the tree/flower have been polinated with the same type of lemon so probably will have the same characteristics with the parent tree.

Isn't true?

Thanks

Hi, a few days ago I found 2 seeds from 7 Moro blood orange fruits. Both seeds are good size and I will plant them today after having soaked them in water for a few days.

I assume like most other oranges they will be true to type but it would be nice if someone can confirm. I can't find an answer for this on google.

If the roots don't grow into knots together they should be easily seperated, I've done this with Valencia orange and grapefruit seedlings.

The black flies around your pots are probably fungus knats not fruit flies. I have the same problem! They are so difficult to get rid of. You can kill the adults with a UV bug zapper, or yellow fly paper, but the real problem is the larvae in the soil. I can't get rid of the little nuisances and I'm sure they're responsible for some of my seedlings dying. If someone has a safe organic method for killing these annoying pests completely I'd be glad to hear it! I don't want to use any poisons in the house. I've read that a solution of 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide with 4 parts water kills the larvae and decomposes into water and oxygen. Has anyone had any success with this method? I might make a seperate thread to ask these questions in the pests section.

Organic control : insert a few garlic cloves , peeled , for 2 L app 3-4 pieces

Hi Danero, thank you very much for your advice. So I add 3 to 4 peeled garlic cloves to 2l of water and then water my plants? Or is the garlic inserted straight into the soil? Do I crush the garlic cloves or leave them whole? How does this method kill the fungus knats? Is it because the garlic kills the fungus they feed on, or does the garlic kill the fungus knat larvae directly? Have you used this method yourself with success? Thanks for your help.

Hi , you just have to peel them and insert them just as they are in the soil and the oil from the garlic kills almost any "guests"

Garlic Spray


Making a Garlic Spray
•1
Crush an entire bulb of garlic. Use a garlic press or simply smash the cloves with the backside of a large kitchen knife against a cutting board.

•2
Fill a pot with 1 qt. of tap water. Add the crushed garlic to the water. Place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Turn off the heat once the water begins to boil. Allow the mixture to cool.

•3
Strain the garlic out of the water with a small strainer or colander. Pour the water into a clean spray bottle. Spray the affected areas of the plants generously with the garlic spray. Repeat as needed until the fungus is gone.

Thanks Danero I'll give the garlic a try, it's about time these "guests" left!

jagfire, Sunkist was not the grower of your Moro Blood oranges. Sunkist was only the packing/shipping house of the oranges. They have many many different citrus growers that ship their fruit into their packing house. The three Moro Sunkist oranges that you purchased probably came from different growers.

Dnero, there is an EXTREMELY good chance that both of your seedling are nucellar and true to type. However, there is always a small chance that one of them could be zygotic, but I doubt it. - Millet (697-)

So you say that I should definitelly keep those seedllings 'cause they are somehow true to their parents.

Wow that is good news.

My friend told me the fact that if we are growing lemon tree from seed in a container prolongs the time needed to fruit.And in fact growing it outside cut those years to only few of them.
Is it right?

Thanks

@Lemandarangequatelo

Garlic is a powerfull organic insecticide/fungicide , but for some fungus that appears at the surface I , sometimes, use the cinnamon powder to eliminate this.

You should give it a try to that too.

Millet thanks for the tip. Its been awhile since I have been on the forum page! Since my last post alot has happened in my citrus growing world. I killed everything but one lemon tree last spring when I took them outside. I am assuming my night time temps were too low. I have since started a new crop of key limes and am looking for some more blood orange seeds. I cant wait for some fresh fruits from my trees some day. Thanks for all the advice from all. Happy growing Jason

You know what I was thinking , nobody said anything about grafting a seedling (obtained from seed) to a mature tree , what should I be expecting from doing that?

Does the tree send node information to the newely grafted seedling and telling it that it is ready to flower or there will be nothing to wait for?

Weird Science