Forums > Specific Focus > Mexican Kitchen

lorirobin

Oct 18, 2009, 1:21 PM

Post #1 of 7 (5859 views)

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Lemon Tree

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Hi, my wife and I will be driving down to Oaxaca next month and was hoping to find some nursery along the way where we can purchase a Lemon tree. Lemon and not lime. If anyone can help, please let us know.
Thanks,
Lorirobin

bournemouth

Oct 18, 2009, 1:57 PM

Post #2 of 7 (5845 views)

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Re: [lorirobin] Lemon Tree

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I think you need to tell us the route you will be taking to get to Oaxaca.

You can get lemon trees occasionally from nurseries in the Lake Chapala area but often it is a case of ordering on rather than finding one in stock, ready to take home.

lorirobin

Oct 18, 2009, 4:05 PM

Post #3 of 7 (5821 views)

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Re: [bournemouth] Lemon Tree

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Hello, we usually come down Hwy 15 through Guadalajara to Morelia. From there down to the coast and Hwy 200 and on to Puerto Escondido.
Knowing there is a large American/Canadian presence in the Guadalajara area, I was hoping someone might know of a nursery who carried them. But from the posts I received it appears they are going to be hard to find. But I'll keep looking.

Vichil

Oct 18, 2009, 4:49 PM

Post #4 of 7 (5813 views)

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Re: [lorirobin] Lemon Tree

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We are lucky in this area we can buy lemons in some stores. I will check with the nursery where I bought my little tree if they have some.
You could buy some here and try to germinate the seeds and plant them. Super Lake in San Antonio carries lemons and someone on this site may be able to tell you if Costco in Guadalajara carries them as well.

lorirobin

Oct 18, 2009, 7:34 PM

Post #5 of 7 (5789 views)

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Re: [Vichil] Lemon Tree

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Vichil, from what I've read about growing lemons from seed is it can be quite a few years before they bear fruit. Different varieties of lemons are grafted onto a rootstock which 'tricks' the tree into thinking it's a much older tree and they bear fruit quite quickly. I can't really say how accurate this information is but it sounded reasonable at the time I read it. Yes, please let me know if you find any for sale.
Lorirobin

Camille

Oct 18, 2009, 7:54 PM

Post #6 of 7 (5783 views)

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Re: [lorirobin] Lemon Tree

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Citrus fruit can only be grown from seed if the seeds come from a tree also grown from seed.... even heirloom varieties may be grafted on to root stock, which is usually Sour Orange. NOT what you want to squeeze over anything you intend to eat! Cuttings, however, are easy to root and will bear in maybe three years. When I moved to Nayarit, I smuggled cuttings of my Texas Ruby Red grapefruit and Meyer lemon. The grapefruit have born fruit for several years, and this year the Meyer lemon, which came later, is going to have a dozen fruit. I hope you do find a lemon, I would love to bring one back with me after next summer in Chapala. Please post when you find one.

Vichil

Oct 19, 2009, 6:32 AM

Post #7 of 7 (5748 views)

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Re: [Camille] Lemon Tree

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You may be right on taking several years to fruit. A lady gave me a kefir lime she gew from seeds but I only use the leaves so the fruit does not matter to me.
Bitter oranges are great for making aperitif wine , pollo pibil , aguas and of course delicious English mermalade so there is lots of things you can do with bitter oranges.
I have a tree of bitter oranges that also was grafted with a lime tree so the tree gives both limes and oranges, you probably can do the same thing with lemons.