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propagating lemon/lime trees from cuttings


Question
Are they difficult to propogate from cuttings?

Answer
Hi Ginger,
Thanx for your question.  From what I have read it is fairly easy.  I have never done it.  I have grown lemon, orange, grapefruit from seed but bear in mind the seed came from hybrid fruit so the resulting seedlings will bear fruit that is probably not as good as the parent fruit.  I would take green wood (soft wood) cuttings about 6-8 inches long stripped of all but the last two leaves.  Dip in a good rooting hormone and stick in damp soil or soil less mix and keep warm.  Mist twice a day and keep the planting container sealed inside a clear plastic bag to maintain humidity.  Rooting should occur in 4-8 weeks.  You can probe gently with a pencil around the cutting to guage root growth.  Plant in separate pots when well rooted and allow the saplings to grow this way until they are well established and producing new leafy growth.  Before planting permanently outdoors if you are in a frost-free zone, the saplings need to be acclimated to the outdoors by keeping the pots in an area that is shaded from the sun, rain, hail, wind, etc. for about 10 days and then you can put the plants in direct sun.  Otherwise grow as a container plant but put the containers outdoors during frost-free periods.  I hope this helps.
Tom

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