I can tell you that all the seeds of FD I ordered from internet none germinated. I do not remember the vendors though. Once from Amazon and once from ebay - none succeeded. Then a member from here on gardenweb sent me a couple of fresh FD fruits a couple of years back. It was Dec I believe. I planted some immediately and stored the rest in the fridge. In Feb I planted the stored ones and left the pot outside in the cold. Looked like all or most germinated.

To store the seeds I cleaned them first and dried them a bit. Then sprinkled a bit of cinnamon powder to prevent fungal growth. In the ziplock bag I inserted a small piece of rolled tissue paper that was slightly moistened to keep the seeds from drying out completely. It worked like a charm.

Main thing is that the seeds must be quite fresh to germinate. You can plant them as soon as you get them. Time of the year does not matter. In winter you may have to provide some bottom heat.

Thank you ToC, very helpful! I will have to be careful about sourcing those seeds. A shame I can't just pick up some fruit at the grocery store. Why does FD fruit have to taste so badly?!

Flying dragon is difficult to grow from seed. Phoenix is to hot to grow a good Flying dragon. Now is the time to get seeds. If you can get a sour orange that would grow well in your climate.

Steve

Thank you Steve! I was mainly interested in FD because it is a dwarf rootstock. Is there a better rootstock for Phoenix that is also dwarfing?

I doubt Phoenix would be too hot. Flying Dragon is very drought and heat tolerant and its AHS heat zone rating fits right in with that of Phoenix. Maybe just provide some afternoon shade. If you can get your hands on an actual plant, it is pretty easy to strike from cuttings.

Thanks gardengal! Good to know about cuttings.

It's not the heat but lack of a cold period that is the problem with FD

Sour orange trees (and fruit) are everywhere in Phoenix. They make a great rootstock for many citrus.

Flying Dragon is easy peazy to grow from seed. Best to have someone send you a fruit. Fruit is full of fresh seed. They do grow slowly though. I would say at least two years before they are large enough to graft to.

But I would contact a local nursery and find out the best rootstock for your region.

It gets plenty cold enough in winter!! If it is cold enough in winter to grow poncirus in Southern California (zone 10) - and it's all over the place - then it is also cold enough to grow in Phoenix (zone 9).