How to Grow a Clementine Tree From a Seed in the Cold Climate

Clementines have thin, easy-to-peel skin.

Clementines are a fruit native to the Mediterranean region where sunlight and heat are abundant. Most of the clementines sold in the United States are seedless, but the Monreal clementine tree that produces even sweeter and larger fruit with 10 or more seeds. One valued characteristic of the clementine tree is that is does not need a lot of high heat to produce sweet fruit, making it suitable for colder climates.

Things You'll Need

• 6-inch plant pot
• Peat moss
• Sand
• Vermiculite
• Humus
• Clear plastic bag
• Plant fertilizer 16:16:16
• 5-gallon plant pot

Instructions

1. Plant the seeds 1/4-inch deep in a 6-inch plant pot filled with a potting mixture of equal parts of dampened peat moss, sand, vermiculite and humus. Tamp the soil down lightly with the palm of your hand.

2. Cover the plant pot with a clear plastic bag to keep the air moist and to hold the moisture in the soil. Place in a sunny window where the temperatures stay close to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Remove the plastic when the clementine seed sprouts emerge from the soil. Keep the soil damp but not soggy, always allowing the excess water to drain away from the bottom of the pot. Sometimes more than one sprout will emerge from each seed. Pinch out the weak non-vegetative sprout and keep one vigorous vegetative sprouts that carry the mother tree’s genetic information.

4. Transplant the clementine seedling outdoors when the night temperatures stay above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant them either in a 5-gallon container or directly into the ground, depending on the severity of your winters. Bring the tree indoors when the temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Fertilize the clementine tree with a balanced 16-16-16 fertilizer, every two months for the first couple of years, and reduce the frequency to every three months during the growing season. After a couple of years, the clementine tree might start producing fruit, depending on the growing conditions and health of the tree.

Tips & Warnings

• Wrap the plant pot in Christmas lights to help it stay warm enough to bear fruit.

References

• University of California Riverside; The History of Clementines; Robert Willard Hodgson
• Texas A&M System Agrilife Extension: Orange
• University of Florida IFAS Extension; Your Florida Dooryard Citrus Guide; James Ferguson; 1999