Key Lime Planting

A while back we planted some key lime seeds, from limes that we used to make a pie. We covered the pot with plastic and left them in a sunny window, then mostly forgot about them. We spritzed them occasionally with water to make sure they didn't dry out. We didn't have high hopes. It was more than a month ago when we made the key lime pie, around pi day.

Today here is what they look like: a few green plants are popping out of the soil. Some have shed their seed coats and are growing strong. Others are just starting. 

We used an orchid potting mix, since that was what I had on hand. It has chunks of mulch. It is in an ecru colored ceramic pot. The plastic was removed for the photo, but you can see a bit of it in the corner.

Key Lime is a fruit tree that usually is "true to seed." Many types of fruit trees are usually grafted, like peaches, apples, and pears. But the key lime citrus trees aren't typically grafted. They grow well from seed. 

Would you like to plant your own key lime tree?

Here is what our Key Lime plant looks like after several months of growth.

Here's more information on growing key lime from the University of Florida extension office.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ch092