Anyone here grow citrus ?

[Mell]

[QUOTE=starloc;773580] the summer has higher nitrogen to allow a build up of energy to hold fruit in the winter, if you feed the high nitrogen all year round the plant may not flower as much , it may just grow more branches + leaves but ive never had that problem, [QUOTE]

Biologically the problem of late leaves, grown with excess nitrogen feeds would be a greater sucesptability to frost for those leaves. With your giant trees the biomass will be quite different that for most of us with lesser trees ! As the woody to leaf ratio will be quite different as the biomass accumulates and the N intake will therefore differ.

Can you explain what at naranja orange tree is as that is Orange orange tree as far as I know ? (naranja is I think Spanish for orange ?) Can't find anything on Google either, enlightenment would be good

[starloc]

The naranja , is the seville orange , but i also have a citrus reticulata ( mandarin tree ) outdoors ,i also have a few small ones of the trees you often see growing in the UK , poncirus trifoliata , they need no protection but will be a bit damaged if theres realy bad weather not killed though

[Mell]

The naranja , is the seville orange , but i also have a citrus reticulata ( mandarin tree ) outdoors ,i also have a few small ones of the trees you often see growing in the UK , poncirus trifoliata , they need no protection but will be a bit damaged if theres realy bad weather not killed though

Why do you call it naranja ? Marmalade orange, shame I don't like marmalade lol. I'd like a Valencia orange, have you tried that ? I have a teeny Satsuma.
Poncirus trifoliata isn't a true citrus though But I have one. I'd like one of the very hardy grapefruit, but not seen them here, in the UK.

I had a look at your website, chunky trees, did you grow them from small or buy them in ? You mention there about bringing one 12ft lemon in how do you manage that ? My ceilings just arn't that high (let alone the door frame wide enough.

I'd be interested to know if anyone here grafts citrus , and onto what ? And what growing medium is being used.

I swapped my pineapples to coconut coir recently and am very impressed.

[starloc]

I can get them into the house through patio widows, the house is an edwardian type , about 18 foot high roof inside so to get them in i now need to prune them, if you prune them you loose fruit, they did need lying down and wrapping in blankets to get them in as the thorns are very sharp on the lemon trees about 2 inch long and seem to get a nasty infection if you get spiked, it takes 4 people to move them but they can be pulled allong a bit by one person just to shuffle them round, and they have been known to blow over in the wind so there now tied down

one of the trees came with the house in 1988 , grown from seed , it was only 12 or so foot tall then, quite young and it has started fruiting about 5 years ago, i thought it was great having 50 or so lemons, so i wanted some different ones and bought some smaller ones from ebay the 4 foot ones , when they fruited they gave only a few fruit and have never got much better , some now about 4 foot wide ball of a top on the tree but still ony 20 or so fruit, they were a bit dissapointing after the other tree so i searched for bigger ones

about 5 years ago i bought the old trees, the first couple probably about 5 years ago from seagrave nurseries , and a few since from france and italy , the larger trees are so much easier to look after and give so much fruit, the seville orange gives a heaped wheelbarrow full, lemon trees about 200 to 300 each a year

i have a lot of smaller ones as well, the ones used for plantations from spain and alot of very small ( more like twigs ) from ebay of stranger varietys for £4 to £10, i got the small ones to take buds from to add to the larger trees, im just waiting for them to grow a bit before chopping anything off, i want a tree with many varietys on it

ive grafted a few of them to practice, thats why im growing the japaniese bitter orange to graft on as practice for when i graft the large tree as they are great ( just about the best ) rootstock for citrus in the UK , the other ones like you get grafted onto on the plantation trees are not as good for the UK , just like rooted cuttings they are harder to look after in our conditions , you can get the seeds for the trifoliata from around the country ( theres a map of them on home citrus growers) on the floor where the fruit drops theres loads in one fruit, i got some from tradewinds seeds in the USA

[Two_Sheds]

The naranja , is the seville orange

naranja agria is Spanish for Seville orange
Narang is Sanskrit for orange

I love Goggle

[Mell]

My system does not like multi quotes, so it needs to be the old fashioned way..


>I can get them into the house through patio widows, the house is an edwardian type ,

Hmm that explains it, my house predates Edwardian but has low ceilings ! I wonder how a big tree would survive in an unheated barn? Mind you chances are it would get nicked in the summer !

> and they have been known to blow over in the wind so there now tied down

So are these the ones that now live outside ?

>one of the trees came with the house in 1988 , grown from seed , it was only 12 or so foot tall then, quite young and it has started fruiting about 5 years ago,

That is some achievment !

> bought some smaller ones from ebay the 4 foot ones , when they fruited they gave only a few fruit and have never got much better , some now about 4 foot wide ball of a top on the tree but still ony 20 or so fruit, they were a bit dissapointing after the other tree so i searched for bigger ones

Maybe they all need the start of warmere climates (or climate controlled nurseries first.

>about 5 years ago i bought the old trees, the first couple probably about 5 years ago from seagrave nurseries

Literally down the road from me, I know the family well.

> , and a few since from france and italy ,

OK I know what I'll be dragging back next European trip Where they cheaper there ? I saw some really nice potted grape vines reasonabily priced when I was there last. How big were the French & Italian ones. did you pick them up or get them shipped ?

> the larger trees are so much easier to look after and give so much fruit, the seville orange gives a heaped wheelbarrow full, lemon trees about 200 to 300 each a year

this is the worry will I actually live to see a full fruit bowl !

>i have a lot of smaller ones as well, the ones used for plantations from spain and alot of very small ( more like twigs ) from ebay of stranger varietys for £4 to £10, i got the small ones to take buds from to add to the larger trees, im just waiting for them to grow a bit before chopping anything off, i want a tree with many varietys on it

Family citrus trees, good plan, I do many family apple, pear & cherry trees.

>ive grafted a few of them to practice, thats why im growing the japaniese bitter orange to graft on as practice for when i graft the large tree as they are great ( just about the best ) rootstock for citrus in the UK

I heard that, but have not found a source

> , the other ones like you get grafted onto on the plantation trees are not as good for the UK , just like rooted cuttings they are harder to look after in our conditions , you can get the seeds for the trifoliata from around the country ( theres a map of them on home citrus growers) on the floor where the fruit drops theres loads in one fruit, i got some from tradewinds seeds in the USA

So you plant the seeds to use as rootstocks ? But it will take a long time for them to fruit won't it ? I might well try that, I love grafting, but am getting somewhat over-run with apple trees ! I was thinking it might be fun to take cuttings from citrus one sees growing when travelling, but had little to graft them to.

[starloc]

The rootstocks themselves take some years to get there own fruit (if you want it) , but the mature wood you graft to the young seedling trees will fruit after about a year, the rootstocks can take a few years to get big enough to graft or bud onto as its too difficult when there very young

I have tried rooting the rootstocks from cuttings of a mature trifoliate tree but the trifoliate doesnt root easily enough ( even with strong rooting hormones, heaters and water misting ) unlike lemons and most other `real` citrus that seem to root quite easily just stuffed in a pot

[Mell]

Have you tried other methods ? Stooling, layering etc ?

[Mell]

Planted some trifoliate seeds I'll see how they go !

[drichard12]

trifoliate rootstock is a good choice for container citrus, growing them from seed may take a few years before budding an grafting.

[Mell]

trifoliate rootstock is a good choice for container citrus, growing them from seed may take a few years before budding an grafting.

I know but iot is the only way of getting some I've found so far