Lemon or lime

About a year ago I found a pip which had started to grow so I put it in a pot
And this is it now. But I don't know if it is a lemon or a lime. Is it possible to tell?
It has just started to grow a couple of thorns.

What should I do next? I recently put it in this bigger pot and now it has started growing
Rapidly! Is it likely to get a fruit ever? How can I keep it small so that I can continue
To keep it inside?

 

Good evening Potluck and welcome to Gardeners Corner. I can see it is citrus but a GC expert will no doubt come along to help soon. Must be very satisfying to watch a pip grow into something like this - it's romping on a treat isn't it!!

 

Whichever one it is, you will be waiting for upto 20 years to find out. Citrus trees are grafted onto rootstock to produce a crop. It could take a long time to find out with one grown from seed.

 

Thats a pretty sturdy looking plant though

 

Hi Potluck , I've grown quite a few oranges, lemons and grapefruits over the years from pips and can definitely say it looks identical to my lemon tree seedlings; oranges and grapefruits tend to have darker slighly more rounded leaves.

But I've never grown a Lime (never been able to find a pip ) so I can't compare the two.

Have to say though that for a 1 year old seedling its doing brilliantly, keep up what your doing..

If you want to slow it down then keep it a slightly smaller pot than you'd think it would need but remember to feed it with citrus food from April to September. You could also pinch out the growing shoots to slow it down, this in turn would produce a bushier plant.

I keep mine on a light windowsill but one that is out of direct sunlight, I water regularly but allow the compost to almost dry between waterings, they also like being misted but make sure its not when the sun is on it. I also pot mine up in citrus compost..

Please note I'm no citrus expert , I just know the above has done mine no harm..

Good Luck

 

Hello, thanks for the advice. When I found the growing pip... We had a lemon and a lime which had been cut in half and left on the side and so I noticed one of them started to grow. I just can't remember which one the seed came from. Every time I look at "Tree" I wonder! Tree has always lived on the bathroom window sill. It gets direct sun in the morning except its a frosted window so it's not actually direct. It must like the humidity in there and has been left unwatered while I have been away sometimes for 2 weeks (watered before I left). It's just in ordinary soil from the garden. I'm just amazed that it's growing so well. I will get some food for it as suggested.

 

I would say it is certainly a lemon there.

Limes are pipless these days ... although there is a very old lime tree on the beach near us that has pips! But, it's so cheap to buy citrus trees here (€3 up) one wouldn't think of doing it from seed.

 

I'm going with the Lemon theory, rather than a lime.
Limes sold here do tend to be seedless, whereas lemons are usually full of pips.

Looking at the plant, I'd say a good dose of epsom salts would green the leaves up.

It could be quite a few years before it flowers, I've never had a seed grown plant flower and I've kept a few for a number of years, but that's not to say yours wont.