I sprouted a bunch of Citrus sinensis seeds from a juicing orange on a whim and something wild happened: several seeds pushed 3-5 seedlings each. I learned this is polyembryony (most are clones of the mother tree, but one can be a unique zygotic seedling). Now I’m obsessed with trying to pick the “new” seedling early and fast-track it to fruiting at home. Here’s what I’m seeing so far among sprouts from the same seed: Vigor varies a lot: one is compact and thorny, another lanky with almost no thorns. First flush color differs: some coppery, some light green. Leaf scent when rubbed is surprisingly different: one smells sweet-orange-y, another has a sharper, almost mandarin note. Root architecture at pricking-out wasn’t identical; one had more lateral roots. My rabbit hole reading says thornier, slower, and “different” looking may be the zygotic one, but I’d love real-world confirmation before I commit space. Questions for anyone who’s played with Citrus sinensis seedlings or citrus breeding at hobby scale: Early ID: What reliable, non-lab cues have you used to spot the zygotic seedling among nucellar clones? Thorn density? Leaf shape/venation? Flush color? Aroma of crushed leaf? Any trick that’s worked consistently for you? Aroma as a proxy: Does leaf oil aroma profile correlate well enough with being the zygotic seedling to be useful, or is that too variable in juveniles? Fast-tracking to fruit: If I graft pencil-thick scions from each candidate onto an already-fruiting citrus (I have a mature calamondin and a Meyer lemon), how much does that actually shorten juvenile phase for C. sinensis in your experience? Years shaved off? Any interstock you’ve found that really boosts precocity? Dwarfing + speed: Would using Poncirus trifoliata ‘Flying Dragon’ as an interstock on a mature tree both dwarf and accelerate flowering of the seedling scions, or does the juvenile-to-adult transition still dominate? Container strategy: For those who’ve fruited seedling sweet oranges indoors, did root restriction (smaller pot, air-pruning pots, or rootmaker bags) help push earlier bloom without wrecking fruit quality later? Culling early: If you’ve grown out multiple embryos from a single seed, what’s your go/no-go at 3-6 months so you don’t waste years? Any trait you regret ignoring? My tentative plan is: Keep all sprouts from 5 seeds, tag them by seed and sprout position. Rub-leaf sniff test and note thorniness/flush color. Topwork two scions per seed onto a mature citrus and keep one on its own roots as a control. Track time to first flower and basic fruit metrics (seed count, peel aroma, Brix/acid by cheap refractometer and taste). If anyone has done this at home, especially with Citrus sinensis vs mandarins, I’d love your hard-won tips or “don’t do this” warnings. This feels like a fun way to potentially stumble onto something unique without a big setup!

Citrus Sinensis

vinevictorvince

I sprouted a bunch of Citrus sinensis seeds from a juicing orange on a whim and something wild happened: several seeds pushed 3-5 seedlings each. I learned this is polyembryony (most are clones of the mother tree, but one can be a unique zygotic seedling). Now I’m obsessed with trying to pick the “new” seedling early and fast-track it to fruiting at home.

Here’s what I’m seeing so far among sprouts from the same seed:

Vigor varies a lot: one is compact and thorny, another lanky with almost no thorns.
First flush color differs: some coppery, some light green.
Leaf scent when rubbed is surprisingly different: one smells sweet-orange-y, another has a sharper, almost mandarin note.
Root architecture at pricking-out wasn’t identical; one had more lateral roots.

My rabbit hole reading says thornier, slower, and “different” looking may be the zygotic one, but I’d love real-world confirmation before I commit space.

Questions for anyone who’s played with Citrus sinensis seedlings or citrus breeding at hobby scale:

Early ID: What reliable, non-lab cues have you used to spot the zygotic seedling among nucellar clones? Thorn density? Leaf shape/venation? Flush color? Aroma of crushed leaf? Any trick that’s worked consistently for you?
Aroma as a proxy: Does leaf oil aroma profile correlate well enough with being the zygotic seedling to be useful, or is that too variable in juveniles?
Fast-tracking to fruit: If I graft pencil-thick scions from each candidate onto an already-fruiting citrus (I have a mature calamondin and a Meyer lemon), how much does that actually shorten juvenile phase for C. sinensis in your experience? Years shaved off? Any interstock you’ve found that really boosts precocity?
Dwarfing + speed: Would using Poncirus trifoliata ‘Flying Dragon’ as an interstock on a mature tree both dwarf and accelerate flowering of the seedling scions, or does the juvenile-to-adult transition still dominate?
Container strategy: For those who’ve fruited seedling sweet oranges indoors, did root restriction (smaller pot, air-pruning pots, or rootmaker bags) help push earlier bloom without wrecking fruit quality later?
Culling early: If you’ve grown out multiple embryos from a single seed, what’s your go/no-go at 3-6 months so you don’t waste years? Any trait you regret ignoring?

My tentative plan is:

Keep all sprouts from 5 seeds, tag them by seed and sprout position.
Rub-leaf sniff test and note thorniness/flush color.
Topwork two scions per seed onto a mature citrus and keep one on its own roots as a control.
Track time to first flower and basic fruit metrics (seed count, peel aroma, Brix/acid by cheap refractometer and taste).

If anyone has done this at home, especially with Citrus sinensis vs mandarins, I’d love your hard-won tips or “don’t do this” warnings. This feels like a fun way to potentially stumble onto something unique without a big setup!

petalpioneer

I've dabbled with polyembryonic citrus seedlings for years, mostly mandarins and satsumas since sweet oranges are fussier, but your setup sounds solid-kudos for the multi-scion grafting plan. On early ID, I've found thorn density and growth habit the most reliable home cues; the zygotic often stays chunkier and pricklier through the first year, while clones stretch out fast and smooth. Leaf aroma? It's fun but too subjective and variable in juveniles-I've sniffed "mandarin" notes on confirmed clones before, so don't bet the farm on it.

For fast-tracking, grafting onto your Meyer or calamondin should shave 2-4 years off, getting you flowers in 1-2 years vs. 5+ on own roots, but sweet orange precocity is genetic roulette; no interstock I've tried (including trifoliata) guarantees speed without stressing the tree. Flying Dragon dwarfs well but won't magically adult-ify a juvenile scion-expect some lanky growth first.

Culling tip: At 6 months, ditch anything matching the parent tree's exact look too closely; I regret keeping "promising" lanky ones that turned out boring clones. Your sniff-and-track method is smart, but brace for most being duds-nature's way of hedging bets. Good luck, and report back on those Brix numbers!