Grow Your Own Lemon Tree - I Did!

How to Sprout a Lemon Tree from Seed

If you have lemons around, chances are pretty good that you can sprout a tree from the seeds inside. Lemon trees tend to grow well indoors and outdoors in warm humid climates. They have fragrant blossoms and shiny dark green foliage.

What you will need:

1. ·         Sunny location
2. ·         Soil (Peat Moss)
3. ·         Container (preferably with a lid to keep humidity in)
4. ·         Lemons seeds

I have tried a few different methods to sprout the lemon seeds. One of the methods I found was unsuccessful was wrapping the seeds in paper towel which was kept damp until the seeds sprouted. The method that seemed to work best for me was peat moss or potting soil in a container which was kept warm and humid.

·         Remove the seeds from the lemon and rinse them right away to remove any of the acid that might hinder the seed from sprouting.

·         Do NOT let the seeds dry out completely, they must be kept moist at all times.

·         After removing the seed from the lemon you will notice it is white or an off white color. To maximize the chances of the seed sprouting you can remove the white husk protecting the seed.

·         To remove the husk, gently pat down and remove any excess water from the seeds that were rinsed. It’s best if they are not slippery when you try to remove the husk.

·         Use a paring knife or a similar knife to gently remove the white husk around the seed. Usually once the husk starts to come off you can use your fingernails to remove the rest. Be careful not to damage the seed underneath this layer. It will be brown in color.

·         Fill a small container with 1-2 inches of potting soil or peat moss. A clear and transparent container with a lid works best. I used an old Ferrero Rocher container since it is clear all the way around, had a lid and allowed maximum sunlight.

·         Place the lemon seeds about half an inch below the surface of the soil.

·         Add water and ensure the soil is evenly moist.

·         Place the container in a south facing window or the sunniest location you can.

·         Be patient! It may take 2-3 weeks before you see the seed sprout.

·         When the seeds sprout, remove the lid and ensure they continue to receive full sun exposure.

·         Transplant to a bigger container when the sprouts are about 2 inches high.

Other Tips:

Lemon trees love light. Keep them in Southern exposure and if that’s not possible, use a fluorescent light. They will require about 12 hours of light a day.

Lemon trees prefer slightly acidic all purpose soil mix.

Indoor growing will require manual pollination. When the tree blossoms, use a q-tip or your finger to gently rub the inside of each flower.

My Birth Control Detox Plan - Day 1

I started by refusing traditional medication and have looked for  the advice of a naturopath to bring my body back into order.

Since my rhinitis is caused by an excess of estrogen in my body she has given me Calcium D-Glucarate. Its this Thorne brand (you can find it here without a Naturopathic Thorne Research - Calcium D-Glucarate - 90's)

I did some research on Calcium D-Glucarate and have found the following:

"Calcium D-Glucarate includes the patented compound Glucarate which has been shown to enhance the major detoxification pathways in the body. Calcium D-Glucarate, the calcium salt of D-glucaric acid, is found naturally in the human body and in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Animal studies have shown that Calcium D-Glucarate inhibits B-glucuronidase, thereby enhancing the process of glucuronidation, in which foreign organic compounds, fat-soluble toxins and excess steroid hormones such as estrogen are detoxified and excreted from  our bodies"

Basically Calcium D-Glucarate is great for an estrogen detox. The condition many women have when they stop taking oral contraception is called Estrogen Dominance.

The Naturopath has also given me a supplement for my Thyroid that is a Iodine & Selenium blend.

I am to take 2 Thyroid capsules in the morning and 2 Calcium D-Glucarate in the evening. I was also asked to start taking psyillium husk to help ‘pull out’ the excess hormones from the body. I am not a big fan of psyillium so I think I will look for another alternative.

Looking forward to starting today and getting my endocrines & hormones back in balance naturally!

Birth Control Detox

I decided to discontinue my use of the popular birth control bill Yasmin (Yaz) back in May 2010. It is now April 2011, and although many things I have read say that birth control detox is not necessary after 6 months, I have had a totally different experience. It did not occur to me that many of the symptoms this past fall were related to going off the pill until a Google search on rhinitis took me on this wild adventure.

I have been on birth control pills for well over 10 years. I have gone on and off them as needed be and never had any noticeable side effects. My doctor convinced me to try Yasmin because it was healthier for me and I agreed with her. Within 2 months of taking this birth control pill I noticed I was gaining weight significantly. I attributed the weight gain to stress, life, change in diet etc. No less than one month after being on this pill I also noticed brown patches forming on my face like never before. It happened when I went in the sun. There was a distinct freckle moustache that was awkward and embarrassing. I used bio oil and it seemed to fade enough so I didn’t feel so out of place in public places. I also had lost my libido.

Throughout that summer I continued gaining weight. I still didn’t really understand why I was gaining weight and was still lacking any libido. This continued for months and then depression ensued.

The spring of 2010 was an unusually sunny one for a Northern climate like the one I live in. I took full advantage of any day light I could get. I was horrified to see that within 2 weeks of partial sun exposure my freckle moustache was back. Not only was the freckle moustache back, but a large brown patch on my forehead, two patches of brown under each eye and just enough white on the sides of each nose to make me look like a clown!

That is when I started looking for real answers. All answers I found led to estrogen and oral contraceptives. I spoke with my fiancé and we agreed it was in my best interest to discontinue the pill.

I stopped taking it just in the middle of May. I didn’t notice any significant changes then and I was optimistic the patches would go away soon. The patches didn’t go away at all, in fact they stayed for almost the entire summer. Within a few weeks I started t develop a stuffy dry nose, and gain weight more rapidly to when I started taking the pill. Within a month I went into a deeper depression and erratic mood swings. After months and months of research I started to find that all my symptoms related to the discontinuation of the pill.

There are many symptoms claimed, but here are some of the ones I found consistent with others who have gone off Yasmin:

-loss of libido

-hair loss

-weight gain

-rhinitis (pregnancy nose)

-discoloration in the face (freckles/brown patches)

-depression

-mood swings

-unable to conceive

I have been off the pill for just about a year now. Everything I have read states that 6 months should clear your system out.  It very well may clear out the excess chemicals, but it doesn’t always restore balance to your delicate hormonal system. I am determined to do this myself.

I recently found out that since going off the pill I have PCOS, Insulin Resistance & Hypothyroidism. I asked my doctor if this was caused from the birth control I was taking and she told me it is very likely. These are common ailments. It’s always funny when you hear these things after the fact but never in the sales pitch.

I know that there is always a natural way to restore your body back to normal and I intend to do this without big pharma.

I will update this blog frequently with my restoration plan, and my progress J