Garn, have you reviewed www.gardenwatchdog.com ?
Another place that sells seeds is www.exoticseed.com I've never shopped there, but again you can check out gardenwatchdog.com

If seed is what you want to experiment with, the most reputable source is your local grocery store. Fresh seed is the most viable you can get. Citrus seed are very easy to germinate, and most Lemon, Grapefruit, Mandarin & key lime will come true from seed. Citrus seeds should not be dried out before planting, just wash them off & plant them in a sterile medium.

I have looked at watchdog to research individual stores, but just figured out how to use the GardenScout to search for items I want, thanks!

Thanks Laaz, I am hoping to find a decent source of rootstock seed(and Flying Dragon seems to be a favorite) so in case im sucessful, it will be a good plant. I had some Limequats when I was in California, but I forgot to water the seed.

be well!

Garnet,
I purchased calamondin seeds from seed rack..2 packs.. not a one of them grew. not even germinate at all.. I e-mailed but have never heard back from them. the seeds were not fresh.. and fresh is very important!!! i would not recomend seed rack..
I got my other seeds from fruit me and my kids ate.. I planted about 30-50 seeds.. and have 13 errr healthy baby trees now that are 4 months old.. most all of the seeds I planted that were from fruit I ate came up..

I too recommend seeds from grocery store citrus if you want stock to practice grafting. I've found Flying Dragon to be slow growing, and trees from seeds I planted almost two years ago are still not big enough to use. My seedlings from store fruit were big enough in about a year. Flying Dragon has different characteristics from common lemons, oranges and the like, and you probably will want to plant the Dragon seeds as soon as possible, for eventual use, but the store fruit seeds will give you practice material a lot sooner. Then when you're experienced you will have your Flying Dragon seedlings to use.

mmmm, FrankenCitrus (of the non-gmo variety!)

Thanks so much for the info on growth rates! Ive got 3 windows with great winter sunlight, and a bathroom ledge that could probably support a few seedlings.... The upside is definately that I can leave the Dragons outside until theyre old enough to use.

Flying dragon outside in zone 6 may take three years or more until it is ready for grafting.

I was wondering if it wouldnt slow them down a bit. Thanks for the heads up!

I just moved here, but my fiance lived here last winter. Much more mild than Cincinnati where we were. He said we only had 2-3 hard freezes, but it does indeed freeze

We have some extra windows that were too narrow to bother making a cold frame bed for vegetables out of them, but would be perfect for a 1-2 nursery pot mini-coldframe. I think Ill try that.... I need to get a good outdoor thermometer to check on the temps.

I don't recommend buying seeds now. They are perishable. If you want to buy, wait until citrus season(Thanksgiving - Easter).

Here is a link that might be useful: mrtexas

I've ordered from seedrack before and I would never buy one thing from them again. Out of over 150 seeds, only 5 germinated. From other sources, I usually have a minimum of 50% +...usually 75% + germination.

I have ordered meyer lemons, pink lemonade (varigated lemon), and manquat seeds from Trade Winds Fruit. The prices are very reasonable. I was expecting 10 seeds but got 5 (which they don't specify in there website) but they were all fresh and within 2 weeks I have 3/5 germination for the pink lemon and the mandarinquat. Still waiting on the meyers. They also have alot of interesting things. I also have key lime growing from seeds. I started these from a small bag of limes I purchased at the supermarket. I got about 30 seeds from a bag that was under $2 and ended up with 40+ seedlings since many seeds were polyembroyonic. Some things grow "true" from seed (like the key lime and meyers), some may not (like the pink lemon). I enjoy growing things from seeds and watching them grow so it's worth it to me.

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: Trade Winds Fruit

I ordered Flying Dragon seeds from Tradewinds. Not one germinated. I planted them the day I received them. I think there were about 8 seeds in the pack. Didn't do anything special though, just planted them outside in warm weather and kept them watered. Maybe I should have soaked them. gary

I plant my FD seeds in the fall, they sit all winter outside in a pot (Yes in freezing temps sometimes). Once spring breaks they sprout like crazy. Once they sprout I move each to their own pot or planting location in the yard. Be aware that FD take two to three years to reach grafting size (More in colder climates). You need to plant a new batch each year to continue the cycle. If you are looking for a quick growing rootstock try Swingle.

here is a site for quality rootstock seed. They are a MAJOR wholesale grower so don't ask for "a few" seeds, ask for "a minimum quantity."

TreeSource

http://www.citrustreesource.com/

Thanks everyone!

Since Ill be growing the scion from seed, (unless I get real good and decide to invest in good budwood or make friends with someone with a nice collection...) its not a bad thing that the Flying Dragon will take so long to be graftable.

Ill read up on Swingle, FD just seems the most used except where the soil is over-sandy

There is another website that apparently spammed here and got banned, because I was asked not to post their name, but they state their FD seeds are not available until winter.

I saw Tree Source, and was really impressed with the website, but I figured the minimum seedlot was 1L since they state they pack them that way. I dont think my fiance would tolerate that much crazy :-)

as much as Id like to have fruit sooner, and might break down in a year or 2 and buy a tree, I dont know a thing that I havent learned here or on the internet this month. It seems a lot of the new container owners get a citrus, and then have the steep learning curve of keeping a good, mature plant alive. Im a mostly self-taught gardener, and the only maturing tree I have is a Nana Pomegranate. Shes not keeping fruit yet, but she couldnt be much less picky!

Well, it took a bit longer than the mandrianquat and the pink lemon, but the 2 of the meyers have come up from seed so far.

Gary27, maybe it was the soaking cause I did soak them for about 5 days. Or maybe it's just this super hot Florida weather because everything seems to be coming up especially palms, citrus, etc. The only thing that I haven't seen yet is the pink banana but they are supposed to be slow.

I'm going to place another order at Tropical Winds Fruit and get some rootstock. I would love to have a tree with 3 types of citrus! I'll order a couple extra FD's and if they come up and you want them...maybe we can trade in the future.

I'm not sure how reputable they are, but someone on Ebay is selling Calamondin seeds. I found them under the search "citrus tree". Calamondins are a great seed to plant because they will actually bloom (from seed) within 2-4 years.

Has anyone ever had any luck purchasing citrus trees from Ebay? It looks like there are a couple good sellers.

GG

From what I read in other topics in the forum, best source of seeds would be the grocery store. However, if you must buy from Ebay or other online stores, make sure to learn the best way to ship the seeds to maintain freshness. Freshness is important in seed germination, especially in citrus.

Here is a link that might be useful: Calamondin facts