Plants from seeds in the garbage

[Fred588]

I have been experimenting lately with attempting to grow plants, generally trees, from the seeds left over from supermarket fruit. I am fully aware that these are extremely unlikely to come true, but that's not an issue as its really just about growing things. I've been successful with apples, pears, grapefruit, kumquat, star fruit, and pineapple. I've not been successful with avocado, guava, kiwi, or papaya, and I am avoiding mango due to the potential for skin irritation.

I am curious if anyone else here has done anything along these lines.

[Chimerix]

Several of the staples in our herb garden came from a grocery store: lemon grass, mint, tomatoes, a couple of varieties of basil, and chives to name a few. We've tried, so far unsuccessfully, to turn an avocado pit into a tree. There was a promising start to a watermelon patch that succumbed to some blight, and we had a kaffir lime tree that started as a fruit, but it got large enough that the landlord took it down.

[Boggy Man]

I have a potted California Mandarin orange tree around 5 feet tall that I grew from seed. I used to keep it in an eastern window in the basement, where it would start to bloom in the spring, before I would set it outside for the spring/summer, where the set fruit would develop, and bring it back inside when frost threatened in the fall. Then, the oranges would ripen the following January or February, and be small but sweet. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to keep it in those places anymore due to my parents not wanting it to clutter the basement kitchen, and instead have to keep it inside the garage for the winter, and then outside for the summers, where it would perhaps create a few fragrant blossoms, but no longer set fruit, or if they did, they would be radish sized. Then, I started getting knee, hip, elbow, and shoulder injuries, which kept me from moving it outside at all, and it has been looking rather sickly, with back branches dying, while front branches closest to the light through the windows growing longer with larger leaves.

I used to have an uncle who grew a Chinese apple pear from seed, and he gave the young plant to me. I planted it in our front yard, and it grew up into a nice 8 foot tree that was basically one large stem with fruiting spurs on the sides. But, the fruit was rather small like crab apples, and while the flesh inside was very crispy and sweet with a perfumy taste, the skin was bitter. After many years, it eventually died. He also started a Bartlett pear tree from seed at the same time as the apple pear, but after planting it, it died (but we already had two pear trees anyways, including one Bartlett). I also lost a baby date palm that he started from seed and gave me.

I did plant one pineapple top years ago, and while the main crown didn't grow, it sprouted from the side. But, it was years ago when I was younger, and it eventually died from neglect (lost interest in it).

I planted water chestnuts from a supermarket in a fiberglass tub, and was disappointed that they basically like rushes. And, the tubers they produced were smaller than the originals I planted.

I bought taro root, and planted it in the garden one year, where it did grow into a small taro plant. I also bought two arrowhead tubers at a supermarket labelled "See Goo", which I planted in my pond, and they grew into really nice plants which multiplied quickly. Years later, I came across more arrowhead tubers at a supermarket that looked different (rounder with a smaller sprout), and bought two, which also grew into nice plants with slightly broader leaves than the first ones, which also multiplied ever since. I still have them, and one basket of them (the first "See Goo" ones) is starting to break the surface of the water, while the other batch still have just underwater leaves.

Years ago, I bought a lotus seed pod used for flower arrangements, removed the seeds, filed away a part of the side of the shell to expose the white, and put them into a cup of water. Almost immediately, I had lotus seedlings sprouting, but I wasn't able to keep them alive, with them suddenly turning into mush.

[Fred588]

Several of the staples in our herb garden came from a grocery store: lemon grass, mint, tomatoes, a couple of varieties of basil, and chives to name a few. We've tried, so far unsuccessfully, to turn an avocado pit into a tree. There was a promising start to a watermelon patch that succumbed to some blight, and we had a kaffir lime tree that started as a fruit, but it got large enough that the landlord took it down.

I have tried starting an avocado about five times with no luck. Given that I've seen many claims that it is one of the easiest to start I have begun to wonder if the ones in the supermarket have been treated in some way that reduces their viability, such as being harvested unripe.

[Fred588]

I have a potted California Mandarin orange tree around 5 feet tall that I grew from seed. I used to keep it in an eastern window in the basement, where it would start to bloom in the spring, before I would set it outside for the spring/summer, where the set fruit would develop, and bring it back inside when frost threatened in the fall. Then, the oranges would ripen the following January or February, and be small but sweet. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to keep it in those places anymore due to my parents not wanting it to clutter the basement kitchen, and instead have to keep it inside the garage for the winter, and then outside for the summers, where it would perhaps create a few fragrant blossoms, but no longer set fruit, or if they did, they would be radish sized. Then, I started getting knee, hip, elbow, and shoulder injuries, which kept me from moving it outside at all, and it has been looking rather sickly, with back branches dying, while front branches closest to the light through the windows growing longer with larger leaves.

I used to have an uncle who grew a Chinese apple pear from seed, and he gave the young plant to me. I planted it in our front yard, and it grew up into a nice 8 foot tree that was basically one large stem with fruiting spurs on the sides. But, the fruit was rather small like crab apples, and while the flesh inside was very crispy and sweet with a perfumy taste, the skin was bitter. After many years, it eventually died. He also started a Bartlett pear tree from seed at the same time as the apple pear, but after planting it, it died (but we already had two pear trees anyways, including one Bartlett). I also lost a baby date palm that he started from seed and gave me.

I did plant one pineapple top years ago, and while the main crown didn't grow, it sprouted from the side. But, it was years ago when I was younger, and it eventually died from neglect (lost interest in it).

I planted water chestnuts from a supermarket in a fiberglass tub, and was disappointed that they basically like rushes. And, the tubers they produced were smaller than the originals I planted.

I bought taro root, and planted it in the garden one year, where it did grow into a small taro plant. I also bought two arrowhead tubers at a supermarket labelled "See Goo", which I planted in my pond, and they grew into really nice plants which multiplied quickly. Years later, I came across more arrowhead tubers at a supermarket that looked different (rounder with a smaller sprout), and bought two, which also grew into nice plants with slightly broader leaves than the first ones, which also multiplied ever since. I still have them, and one basket of them (the first "See Goo" ones) is starting to break the surface of the water, while the other batch still have just underwater leaves.

Years ago, I bought a lotus seed pod used for flower arrangements, removed the seeds, filed away a part of the side of the shell to expose the white, and put them into a cup of water. Almost immediately, I had lotus seedlings sprouting, but I wasn't able to keep them alive, with them suddenly turning into mush.

I've had one experi3ence with the Asian pear. About a dozen years ago I bought one and ate it. A half hour later I was in the ER with anaphylaxis. I would love to try the lotus root. I used to be able to buy lotus root in a can but it does not seem to be available anymore that way and the fresh ones are impossibly expensive.

[Fred588]

I should add that quite a few years ago I started a pineapple, from a crown cut off a supermarket fruit, in a large pot. About two, it might have been three, years of keeping the pot outside in the summer and inside in the winter it flowered and set fruit. The fruit was much smaller than the parent fruit, about the size of a large fist, but as I left it on the plant until fully ripe it was MUCH sweeter than anything in the supermarket.

After the fruit was harvested the crown it came from died and a new crown grew from the base. I moved before there was time to see if that one would flower and fruit. The two plants I have now are in their second year so there is hope for a snack this summer.