The Tropical Fruit Forum

I grafted varieties of mandarin 8 buds on single trunk on my planted tree, facing different direction and heights, 3 inches apart. what you think are chances of take? Do you do bud grafting? I want to hear more about bud grafting.

They may take but will they force. the top bud may suppress the lower buds.

Someone else commented that they had been growing kumquats and a mandarinquat outside in the ground in Seattle for a 3 years.
"Hybridizing cold hardy citrus to grow in the Pacific Northwest", Matt Hedlund, permies.com forum, beginning of 2018

Please provide link. I'm from Missouri. I think unprotected kumquats and mandarinquats wouldn't survive the prolonged freezes
in the Pacific NW.

Raised bed.

Quote from: Millet on March 02, 2018, 12:02:54 PM

I have an in ground Valentine pummelo.  It is a great tree.

you

How would you describe the taste of the Valentine? Is it acidic at all?

What would compliment my oroblanco better? Valentine or cocktail? Or should I plant those two and forget the oroblanco?

Oroblanco and cocktail are both white.

Don't you bank your trees with dirt for freeze protection?

Yes they are but why bother when you can get a grafted tree? I pulled up
my seedling when I could get the budwood.

Any satsuma is a PITA wait until they start making good fruit. I'd agree 10 years minimum for any satsuma variety in my actual experience. Best fruit I ever tasted
was on a 25+ year old owari tree planted in 1989 grown in sandy soil. I took buds from those trees and grew my own and got lousy, puffy, fruit for 5+ years.

"Too much N has been suggested but I don't believe I did that." I doubt that as well.

By former adviser to Alabama satsuma growers now at Texas A&M:

How to set lots of blooms for citrus fruit quality and thin skinned satsumas
Fertilize with Nitrogen according to tree age and crop load.
Fertilize early, well in advance of blooming
Protect foliage from winter damage to avoid leaf drop.
Prevent injury to foliage by Red Mites,etc.
Water trees diligently from budbreak through early fruit drop.
Fertility
Citrus are evergreen plants & relatively heavy nutrient consumers.
Nitrogen is main element of concern.
Applied annually
Split applications most efficient
Slow-release may be effective in some sites.
Soil & Leaf testing identifies need of other elements.
Collect current-season spring flush leaves in August for leaf analysis
Without testing, use complete fertilizer with minor nutrients
Nitrogen is key
For trees 7+ years old and healthy
Apply 1.0 to 1.5 pounds actual Nitrogen per tree per year
Divide into 2 or 3 doses
60%, 20%, 20%
Valentines Day
Mother’s Day
Father’s Day
In years with poor April Bloom or poor May fruit retention, skip applications 2 & 3.
Use granular fertilizer (no spikes). Broadcast under tree canopy. Water in with sprinklers or rainfall.

Summary of presentation:

satsuma tree must set a heavy crop of fruit for good quality
fertilize heavily according to the slide,1
5 year old tree 5-8 lbs 13-13-13 per year
fertilize 60% before bloom, water heavily
20% mothers day, 20% fathers day.

Satsuma fruit quality:
https://mrtexascitrus.weebly.com/citrusfruitquality.html

No, most will fall off by themselves. Wait until the few fruit are as
big as a nickel. Then pull them off as there will be very few of them.

no

Pruning is not necessary for citrus like for stone fruits. Prune if you must but you will lose fruit.
Loss of leaves likely due to freeze damage. All my in ground non-satsuma citrus lost leaves but not as bad as
last year.

Grow out a seedling

You can also dry over night and store in the refrigerator in a zip lock bag. Why grow a seedling
when you can get a plant from Florida?