Can regular citrus flowers (lemon,lime etc) act as a pollinator for Finger Lime?

[MisterPlantee]

Hey Guys,

Wondering if anyone knows if finger lime flowers can be pollinated by non finger lime flowers (ie. Lemon, Lime, Orange etc.) I know most citrus species are usually quite compatible at cross pollination but couldn't seem to find information if it worked for Finger Limes too

Thanks
Chris

[Pandan]

Yes faustrime is a tri-hybrid of a fingerlime and a limequat (lime/kumquat) and the redlime is half fingeerlime half rangpur lime. Go for it and save the seeds, they should be hybrids

[shaneatwell]

Also you might want to try the reverse too. I read here somewhere that at least one cross has finger lime leaves.

[MisterPlantee]

Thanks guys! The question was mainly in regards to cross pollinating the fruits in order to get a good crop yield (as I only have one finger lime plant) but in the future I may try to grow the seeds as well

Chris

[lebmung]

since you are in canada use a brush

[pagnr]

Finger limes are reported to have a high % of male flowers. Thats one reason they seem to flower heavy, but have lower fruit set.
You could inspect some flowers and count the ratio to see if that holds true for your plant.
Some high yielding type might have a better ratio.
You only need to hand pollinate female flowers. Active insect pollinators might be better.
I think a lot of the hybridisation has been fingerlime pollen into Citrus flower, as it is easy to quickly pick the hybrids.

[MisterPlantee]

Thanks for the replies.

I do use a brush normally, however I have a Ponderosa Lemon that always seems to be blooming and with such big blooms it allows me to just brush using the flower itself. I have had the Finger Lime for several years and last year late fall it started to bloom but not one flower set and they 90% female flowers. They started blooming again (although less this time) so hopefully using the other lemon flowers will get some to set.

[Calreef18]

What percentage fruit set is normal? I have two finger lime trees planted last year, one is setting fruit but the other is not, about 50’ away from each other. One is significantly smaller so may be less mature.

[citrange]

I don't think pollination of fingerlimes will make any significant difference to the amount of fruit produced.
As PAGNR suggests the main reason for lack of fruit is the tendency to produce male flowers without the capacity to form fruit. It is easy to distinguish any female flowers with the tiny immature fingerlime at the centre. I think these then can develop parthenocarpically without pollination, or be self-pollinated from the same tree, or be cross-pollinated from any nearby citrus. They can also drop off due to external conditions such as intermittent water, but probably not due to lack of pollination.
The percentage of female flowers seems to depend on maturity of the tree and on the particular variety or particular tree if a seedling.

[lebmung]

Fingerlimes like hot temperatures during the summer, but not strong sun. Water all the time. They are a little bit different from lemons and limes in that any change in environment will cause fruit drop. Also choose a cutting over a grafted tree and they will fruit earlier.

[850FL]

Fingerlimes like hot temperatures during the summer, but not strong sun. Water all the time. They are a little bit different from lemons and limes in that any change in environment will cause fruit drop. Also choose a cutting over a grafted tree and they will fruit earlier.

Can you even root finger limes? I have red and green giant, but have not been able to root from cuttings.

[pagnr]

According to Nan and Hugh Nicholson, expert Australian rainforest tree growers, finger limes are slow to establish from cuttings.
They are in the subtropical Nth Nsw, probably an ideal environment to wait for roots to form.
You might try pre callousing the cutting while it's still on the plant, i.e. wound and heal before trying to strike.
What else are you doing ?? Covering with plastic bag? Bottom heat ?? Rooting hormone ?? Anti drying dip ??

[850FL]

According to Nan and Hugh Nicholson, expert Australian rainforest tree growers, finger limes are slow to establish from cuttings.
They are in the subtropical Nth Nsw, probably an ideal environment to wait for roots to form.
You might try pre callousing the cutting while it's still on the plant, i.e. wound and heal before trying to strike.
What else are you doing ?? Covering with plastic bag? Bottom heat ?? Rooting hormone ?? Anti drying dip ??

Nothing too crazy. Really just for ease I take a few cuttings from here and there and stick em in some big pots of perlite and see what roots most easily (outdoor, not very controlled, dappled sun and screen if necessary. Sometimes I use that indole3butryic acid powder. Almost always high humidity here. I understand to root more difficult plants it needs to be more controlled, preferably inside.. just dont have that setup at the moment..

Anti-drying dip? Couldnt one just dip cuttings in some type of oil (not sure if castor would be too thick, but i woulnt want a real runny oil making its way down into the cut..

[850FL]

Pre-callousing is a good idea, haven't tried that on citrus yet. However every time I pre-callous I always saturate the medium a bit too much and it rots. I actually have a big loquat cutting that is callousing up in a clear plastic garbage bag with a few drops of water.. scared to put it in a medium out of fear it'll rot, but soon i guess ill have to because its pushing new growth..

[Millet]

The best time to root a cutting is when the tree has reached it highest energy level, this is, of course, the same time that cuttings  taken from the tree will be at their highest energy levels.   This time is just before the period of the bloom, and before a period of a flush.  During the bloom,  or flush, much of the tree's energy is used up producing flowers or new growth. Therefore, in your area if your tree has not produced a hint of the bloom yet, any cutting taken will be at a high energy level, and the cutting will have a much greater chance of a successful rooting.   Same goes for just before a tree flushes new vegetative growth.