Hi Everyone,

I am new to citrus, in fact have only the briefest knowledge of ANY gardening at all, just helping my mother in her English cottage garden, so a lot of the things like soil/compost mixes I have read in posts here are way over my head.

I live in London and I really miss the garden and my pot of herps was not really giving me enough to do and I have always dreamed of having a potted citrus collection, so kind of expecting nothing I put some lemon pips (no idea what variety, just some lemons I had bought for drinks and cooking!) in a pot, watered them and shoved a see through plastic bag over the top. My London home has been unheated so I am amazed that five weeks later I have six sproted and there is a seventh just waiting to unfold, I can see the green just by the surface of the compost.

If anyone is able to tell a techniphobe like me how to insert my pictures I will!

Anyway, my main question I guess is what do I do know!? They are not in a big pot, about 4 inch diametre, so will need to be repotted, but when, I don't want to move them too early and dagage the fragile little things or too late, when I will break all their baby roots which must be growing into each other already. I would not have put so many in the pot but I read that the germination rate was very low.

I am reading through existing threads for advice, but as I say, I am very new to it all and while I was aware that soils had pHs, I had never stopped to think how it would effect me before!

I am so excited I am wondering what other edible citrus I could get started. Even the tiniest citrus plants are really expensive.

welcome. I think "pips" is absolutely an adoreable word....

Citrus roots are weird, theyre not like most plants that have lots of really thin roots. Citrus roots are white or beige and fairly thick. You dont want them to grow into eachother, but I routinely grow a couplea seedlings in the same pot until I decide theyre big enough to need their own space. Id probably move them to larger pots within 1-2 months, sooner if they get bigger than 4-6 leaves.

Good luck! Ive got a Key Lime that is about a foot tall now, and just under a year old. theyre super fast growers!

Hey Lulu, welcome to the forum! We are all 'Citruholics' here LOL.
I wouldn't worry about the roots getting tangled just yet - they are still small. Transplant them now into a good well draining soil with perlite & fine bark or whatever. The roots will come apart easily. Don't worry about PH now as they are too young to know.
You will find an answer to all your questions here as there are many pro citrus growers here to help. These lemon pips (new word?) should produce fruit in 3-7years or so. Limes could produce fruit in around 2 1/2-3 yrs or so.
It's so much fun & enjoyment to grow a citrus tree from seed!!!

When you transplant your young seedling DO NOT plant them into a large oversized container, doing so could be sure death. When you water small seedling trees, water in the morning with warm water, so that the top of the soil soon dries from the sun's rays. The number one killer of new seedlings is over watering. I just transplanted yesterday (for the second time) 10 seedling hybrid Clementine citrus trees that are sixteen months old that averaged 34 inches tall. - Millet

Thank you all so much!

re "pips" it is the english word for seeds of fruit, like in citrus and apples or melons. Not tomatoes though, don't know why but vegetables, tomatos and flowers have seeds, fruit have pips!

re watering, I haven't watered them at all since they sprouted as the compst still seems moist, but not soggy. As for letting the sun dry the top surface of the soil I am in England and we don't have sun! In fact, we did today, it was 26 degrees celc, so that is a bit unfair of me on our English weather, but today WAS summer!

They are doing really well though, number 7 unfurled today and the tallest one is about 3 inches tall already and has two largish leaves, the other ones still just look like any old seed leaves. When I take the bag off to check on them (I am leaving it on to be a little greenhouse until they are a bit bigger) I get the faintest whiff of lemon, which brightens me up no end. I feel a bit daft getting so happy from my seedlings but I am so excited that I am growing something that will one day hopefully yield fruit.

My husband thinks I am nuts to be staring at these seedlings so much, but I think I am going to become a batty woman who talks to her plants. I bought a grapefruit for a salad tonight and I am going to try those pips too. I read about providing heat to the base, I don't know how I would do that here, unless I stick them in the airing cupboard until they sprout but then I would presumably have to acclimatise them to the normal temperaturer out side the cupboard pretty quickly so they get light.

I am going to get pearlite and some pots so they are ready to pot on, what size pots should I be putting them in the first time if they are not to be too big.

I am now even more excited....I found a lemon and a lime seedling on ebay and bought them, so I'll have two slightly older plants to love too.

I also saw an amazing fruiting orange tree that is 6 foot tall and wide, I wish my place was big enough to take that one too....hopefully by the time my lemons have grown up we will have moved to a bigger place and I can get some more trees, but just as well to work on trying to keep my babies alive first!

I feel so silly posting about my babies when I look at the photos and read about every one else's great collections and superb plants but I never thought such tiny plants would bring such happiness! They all have four leaves now and look quite strong and happy. I suppose the best thing they have done is to encourage me to look at buying some bigger plants closer to fruiting as I am more convinced I won't kill them now!

I started from seeds and a bargain set of plants from a mediocre on-line store. After several months of keeping them alive in winter, I bought a bigger Meiwa Kumquat (who has several fruits now!) I dont think youre silly at all! seeds are MUCH cheaper, and if you dont mind waiting a while, fun in their own right.

I planted some seeds months ago and watered once in a while, I have 2 Meyer sprouts and 2... shucks, think theyre honey (murcott) tangerine seeds up now....