Lemon Blossems!

I have started a lime tree and an orange tree from seed. They're both healthy and doing well. But I understand a citrus tree from seed takes a helluva long time to produce fruit. The lime tree is 5 years old. The orange tree is 4. Both doing well but no buds yet. Last summer Annie and I went to Logee's Greenhouse in Danielson, CT. I purchased a Meyer Lemon tree (no relation to the legendary vintage car aficionado and acquaintance Bruce Meyer, a great enthusiast who has a spectacular private exhibit on Beverly Blvd. in LA, which we've had the good fortune to visit), which was a mere cutting from a fertile tree. These types of cuttings are supposed to bear fruit much sooner. Lo and behold, our scrawny Meyer lemon "tree," actually just a small branch, had two buds last week which just opened up today. The fragrance is amazing! We have a heated sunroom where all our plants can thrive in the cold months (zone 6).

Anyone else have experience growing citrus trees in a cold climate indoors?

No zone 6, but being in Florida I've got lots of citrus!  For my plants I grow from cuttings the first year or two I make sure and either pinch the fruit off as it starts or seriously support the branches and fruit. The central trunk just isnt strong enough to support it all without something giving, and citrus in that condition loves to tear branches off when they have too much weight on them. 

In reply to Gary :

I harvested 6 lemons from my tree this year.  It's a combination of benign neglect and fertilizer that does it.  
my last lemon tree was 22 years old still in the pot I bought it and annually yielded 1 or 2 giant sized lemons. 
Set  it outside in the spring until it blooms letting rain wash the dust collection from the winter.  Don't let it remain outside much after the blooms go out. The local squirrels love to harvest lemons. Then south facing windows. Flood it with heavy weekly watering. 
I'm in Minnesota  tonight it will be around zero. It gets a lot of snow reflected sunlight. 

That is rough, I am feasting on tangerines right now.  

You are going to want to build a jumbo sized plantar box if you expect to see much production

Also, most of the citrus and other fruit trees I have seen are grafted rootstock.  Not sure how they do from seeds

This is not what I expected when I clicked on this thread. 

Good Luck!

Thanks folks. But after posting this last evening I realize I mispelled "blossoms". But thanks to my forum friends, you did not call me out on it. That's kind of you. I appreciate it. There's a bunch of great people here on this forum .... probably the best in the forum universe.

My parents had a lemon tree that the planted when it was like 3 ft. It was outside in cold climate so the lemons had a thick skin, but were really good. We had tons of fruit after a few years. 

The problem with citrus from seed, as I understand it, is that you just don't know what you're going to end up with. You can invest a good many years into caring for a plant that won't ever bear fruit, or will not produce the same fruit as the fruit that the seed originated from  (it could be better it could be worse). Obviously citrus will propogate from seed and some of those plants will go on to bare fruit otherwise we wouldn't have citrus plants.... They evolved plenty ok prior to grafting for consistency, repeatability and other associated benefits of grafting.

Basically, don't give up on your two propogated plants just yet, I think it was 5-6 years before one of my seed grown lemon trees flowered, but it hasn't held the fruit to maturity yet (it is potted though, so it's pretty hard on it and I expect better results once it's planted out into soil). Even if they fail to fruit, they could potentially make good Hardy rootstock for grafting a cutting from a known good producer to

In terms of growing your grafted plant, and even helping your seed plants, a glasshouse, hothouse or Polytunnel is worth considering. It'll help keep pests and frost at Bay, and would also serve as a space that would allow you to extend your growing seasons if you grow any other fruit or vegetables. They're especially handy for getting a junk start on spring as you can start your seedlings early in them and then plant out once the risk of frost has passed 

My grandparents were pretty heavily involved with citrus, pistachio and grape cultivation and development back in the day, I might be able to pick Nan's brains for any specifics.

Your grafted specimen still are going to give better fruit but don’t give up on the seed trees, they be useful if you’re creative.  I had an orange tree that gave abundant, but sour and seedy, fruit. No problem; the juice made the greatest whiskey sours ever.  I also substituted the juice for key lime juice and made pie.  Yum. I miss that tree more than I miss the house. 

We have a lime tree upstairs, like the leaf color.  I've tried Avocados from seed, they get 2-3" tall then croak, any idea why?

I remember when my town planted a lemon tree to celebrate the sweet, sweet event of the town's charter being signed...lemons being the sweetest fruit available at the time.

Avacados are said to be really difficult to grow outside of their natural zones, (Ron said after looking at the little one behind him). I wondered if it would be possible to grow my plant into something but some research showed it's not likely to happen.

Lemon drop martini is one of the most dangerous drinks around.

914Driver said:

We have a lime tree upstairs, like the leaf color.  I've tried Avocados from seed, they get 2-3" tall then croak, any idea why?

Several causes but sounds like a wilt.