Seeking advice on growing tree seedlings

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I was hoping to learn how to treat citrus seeds to make them last - I heard conflicting things about letting them dry. I was also expecting to share some of the seeds and was waiting to hear back on both these topics (nobody expressed interest). Well, time passed and now my seeds have mould growing on them! So, I am now considering perhaps trying to grow them all.

So I would love advice on 2 main topics:

  1. How to deal with my seeds right now? I guess I should wash them with water at least. Then I was considering sterilising them. I have this product which is a steriliser power for brewing, you add it to water and soak the vessels for a few minutes:
    https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/vwp-cleaner-steriliser-4kg/
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I can’t find out what it’s made of but it seems to work via chlorine. Would that be good to use? Or should I use or buy something else? Advice how to sterilise would be great!

  1. I guess the best way for me to grow these for now would be in germination trays. I really have quite a few seeds so this would seem better than individual pots. We have a company here that sells good trays, they last for many many years. The trays they have are here:
    Deep Propagation Trays 350 x 215mm Archives - CONTAINER WISE
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I would really love to have advice on what cell size would be appropriate. I can grow them inside in my living room for now. I could plant them out next year or perhaps keep them growing or repot them - but advice as to what size would be good for now, and when to repot and to what size, would be great!

Here are the cell sizes they offer - these are for the deep ones, I’m assuming tree seedings requite the deep ones though let me know if this is not the case for citrus!

Cell Size: 30mm
Depth: 87mm
Cell Volume: 60cm³

Cell Size: 42mm
Depth: 87mm
Cell Volume: 115cm³

Cell Size: 49mm
Depth: 120mm
Cell Volume: 210cm³

Cell Size: 69mm
Depth: 150mm
Cell Volume: 500cm³

And for anyone in the US, Liberia, or Myanmar, here is a scale for converting the metric system into imperial:
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I also have Asian persimmon seeds, so would love to know the same for them. Though they are less of an emergency, I assume their seeds store fine. But would be nice to start some now anyway. Maybe same requirements as citrus?

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I’ve grown plenty of lemon plants started at this time of year from fresh seed, planted directly into 4" pots, until spring. Mine always get spider mites in their second winter, but they germinate and start out just fine. I’d recommend planting them soon, as you say.

I’ve never done this somewhere they’re hardy, just for fun, probably as a habit I picked up as a kid, so no word on whether this impacts some sort of a taproot and later productivity or not.

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Thanks. 4 inch is 100mm, that’s pretty big! How ling did it take until they seemed they really needed that much space? Since that’s a lot bigger than the biggest of all the above, and since I have many seeds and not so much space, I am hoping they don’t need that big of a cell! …?

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4" pots are the standard ones you get plants in at the grocery store here? They definitely fill those pots by the end of winter. Your long, narrow plug trays might have more volume for less shelf or grow-light real-estate. Growing them substantially cooler might slow them down a little, too.

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Healthy seeds generally won’t grow mold (although it will pass from a dead seed to a healthy one), so you may have some die-off already.

I generally let my citrus seeds dry out just because they’re easier to store that way. I just planted 6 in a six inch pot and have 3 germinated so far. They do tend to grow slowly compared to some other trees, but my guess is that they would outgrow the seed cells within the month.

Watch the bottom of the seed cells. If you see roots, try to get them transplanted asap. In my experience they will grow quickly for the first few months, get a good top and a good root system, then stall out and barely grow at all for a year or more.

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