Author Topic: Pictures from middle Georgia  (Read 12980 times)

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #50 on: November 24, 2018, 09:21:16 AM »
Forumfool, after about three years of growth, or 2 to 3 inch diameter trunks, they will be on their own.  That is when the real cold hardiness test will begin.  Mother nature will determine what I can grow at that point.  I am just trying to get them through their first 2 or 3 growing seasons.  I have a few that I will continue to protect, because I really like the fruit, but I have those in more protected areas.  I know I will lose some, but this is all just an experiment, like all zone pushing is.  What doesn't survive will be replaced with something else to try.  There are new cultivars coming along all the time. I treat them like they are my children.  I protect and nurture them while they are young, but when they are grown they are on their own ... lol.


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TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #51 on: November 24, 2018, 10:26:46 AM »
UPDATE: Some fruit is ready!!




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LaCasaVerde

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #52 on: November 24, 2018, 09:45:37 PM »
Do you have a well by chance? I fill ibc containers set just adjacent to citrus trees with water here-runs about 68 degrees year around here - on nights it freezes. Then cover the tree and ibc container with greenhouse poly to the ground. The tree becomes the greenhouse structure itself. Mine are now 15 feet tall.  Slowly drain the second day and refill. The radiant heat is more than enough for 20 degree hard freeze temps.  Will help when your trees get bigger.

Your fruit looks great!

forumfool

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #53 on: November 25, 2018, 05:33:05 PM »
I think it will be tough to watch them die after all that tlc. That is some pretty fruit, great colors inside and out hope they taste as good as they look

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #54 on: November 25, 2018, 08:06:46 PM »
LaCasaVerde, I do have a well, but there is no way I could fill 50 ibc containers every two days.  I don't understand the need of emptying and refilling them.  They absorb heat during the day rain or shine and release it at night.  I use 55 gal. barrels of water for thermal mass. In your zone with ocean influence, I am surprised you need that much thermal mass.  I did not loose a single tree over the last two years, and some only had a couple of gallons of water under the cover.  We reached 14 degrees f. at least twice both years.  The biggest problem is long warm ups and then sudden deep cold. That is what hurt some of my trees the most.  It also wiped out almost all of my temperate fruit and blooms the last two years.  I have gotten more fruit from my citrus trees than my temperate fruit trees and I have almost equal number of each type.


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TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #55 on: November 25, 2018, 08:44:20 PM »
Forumfool, I hope that I don't lose any, but it is inevitable, that I will.  I know that one day a severe cold blast will take out some, if not all of my citrus trees.  It happens, just ask Citrusman99.  I may cover what I can if a brutal cold front comes my way, and hope for the best.  I still have my barrels at each tree, bare soil underneath, and the option of mounding soil around the trunks.  There are commercial orchards of trees across the state from me ( only a degree or two difference) that have only passive heat protection during winter, with no barrels, that are producing quite well.  I don't leave them out in the cold..so to speak.. completely.  I just won't cover the larger trees unless it gets down into the middle to low teens. I pretty much have the north wind blocked from my orchard.  That helps a lot. I did not mean to give the impression that I would do NOTHING to protect them, just that they will not receive the same level of care as the younger trees.  I hope they live for many, many years and give me many, many fruits.  Fingers crossed.  LOL


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LaCasaVerde

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #56 on: November 26, 2018, 04:27:49 PM »
LaCasaVerde, I do have a well, but there is no way I could fill 50 ibc containers every two days.  I don't understand the need of emptying and refilling them.  They absorb heat during the day rain or shine and release it at night.  I use 55 gal. barrels of water for thermal mass. In your zone with ocean influence, I am surprised you need that much thermal mass.  I did not loose a single tree over the last two years, and some only had a couple of gallons of water under the cover.  We reached 14 degrees f. at least twice both years.  The biggest problem is long warm ups and then sudden deep cold. That is what hurt some of my trees the most.  It also wiped out almost all of my temperate fruit and blooms the last two years.  I have gotten more fruit from my citrus trees than my temperate fruit trees and I have almost equal number of each type.


TFN

I empty mine because I ran a 2 inch main out there and can fill 6 in about 20-30 min. These are the full size trees I want to keep after I weened myself off of all the others and culled them.   Ive found the ibc  at 68 degress when the temp is 20 outside- will retain  adequate usable heat for 2 days.. after that the water will be too cold to reheat back to 68 degress for me unless I have a week or more of sun and higher ambient temps..  A 275 gallon Ibc container will not heat up as fast as a 55 gallon drum due to the huge mass of water.  In a greenhouse envirornment i would  not drain mine either but these ibc are exposed to the elements until the individual trees are covered. This way I can acurately regulate temps with constant control over water tamp for individual specimins. This will be inportant to you when you want to save just a few trees and dont have a greenhouse for each..

Also-A full size tree 15hx10 wide will not be warm enough with a 55 gallon barrel.  Actually the 55 gallon barrel will regulate temps for a 22 sq foot area usually already permanatly or semi permanatly enclosed for the winter...say 4x5.5 foot area.   If your full size trees are eventually housed in a greenhouse as others of mine are-- I would not drain the IBC containers or barrels then either. 

I lost a lot of my citrus the winter of 2014 which ill never forget and im south of you... these were big trees.. satsumas, included- no proximity to the ocean could same me.... You are  farther north of me and much cooler. Its good to have a contingency plant for your trees when they get fully mature..

Millet

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #57 on: November 26, 2018, 10:26:26 PM »

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #58 on: November 27, 2018, 06:48:50 AM »
Millet, that is the place I was talking about.  I went there last year, and call Joe occasionally, to seek his advice about various things related to growing citrus in our climate.  He is about the closest citrus farm to me and my climate, so I figure he would be the best one to help me.  Joe is a very friendly person to talk to and doesn't mind helping. I would like to go back and visit his farm again.


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TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #59 on: November 29, 2018, 11:16:29 AM »
I picked my first Kishu off my tree today.  It only had three on it. I found something surprising inside:




I planted them in a pot with bottom heat.  Curious to see what they become.  This is the first time I have ever found a seed in a Kishu.

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TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #60 on: December 03, 2018, 04:23:30 PM »
I had one fruit on my UGA Pink frost grapefruit tree this year.  I had missed it when I pulled off the little fruitlets.  I had also thought that this tree was a lemon ( mislabled).  I did not have high hopes for this grapefruit when it comes to flavor or color, but I was surprised on both accounts.  I almost forgot to take a picture after I saw the color and tasted the juice....




I was pleased with the flavor, though it is your average pink grapefruit, taste wise.  It had a total of 2 seeds.  The wife liked it also.

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Citradia

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #61 on: December 03, 2018, 07:03:58 PM »
What is the actual parent of pink frost? I know Dr Hanna irradiated grapefruit, but which variety?

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #62 on: December 03, 2018, 07:30:23 PM »
Yes, this is a UGA tree bought from Lindy Seville at Savannah, Ga. last year.  It was just planted Spring 2018.  It is listed as irradiated Bruce grapefruit.????

http://citrusindustry.net/2017/06/29/georgia-prison-gets-citrus-plot/

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« Last Edit: December 03, 2018, 07:33:43 PM by TooFarNorth »

Millet

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #63 on: December 04, 2018, 04:12:11 PM »
I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think Bruce Grapefruit is a made up name by the University of Georgia.  What type of a grapefruit it is, or if it is even a true grapefruit, or some other cultivar, the word Bruce is just UGA's trademark.

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #64 on: December 04, 2018, 04:47:20 PM »
That makes sense, because any research comes up empty, except for a mention on UGA website.


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TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #65 on: December 10, 2018, 04:26:55 PM »
Observation:  I let two of my three Owari trees bear a few fruit this year.  One tree had only roundish fruit, while the other had roundish and oblate fruit.  The oblate fruit looks like regular Owari fruit I had last year and have seen elsewhere.  I thought the larger, roundish fruit would be puffy and dry.  What I found was that not only was the larger roundish fruit better tasting than the oblate fruit, it was also completely seedless.  The oblate fruit was pretty seedy and nowhere near as flavorful.  I can only assume that the oblate, seedy fruit was cross-pollinated while the roundish ones were self pollinated.




Does my assumption sound plausible?  Any input is appreciated.

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Millet

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #66 on: December 10, 2018, 09:33:31 PM »
Depending on how close the two trees are to each other, they would both be pollinated by the same insects.

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #67 on: December 11, 2018, 07:38:59 AM »
Millet, these trees are a little over 30 feet apart..  I have plenty of bees and other pollinators, it just seemed strange that one tree had all round fruit and one had both types. One type seedy..one type seedless.

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TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #68 on: December 14, 2018, 11:46:10 AM »
UPDATE:   Pulled one of my larger Dekopons today.




The paper towel it is sitting on is 6 inches wide.  It was very good tasting, though may have been even better if left to hang a little longer.  Not bad at all for first fruit from a young tree.  I have several that I have picked and have in storage in a cool place, that I will be sampling every 10 days or so to see if the flavor changes.

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Luisport

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #69 on: December 14, 2018, 01:51:40 PM »
UPDATE:   Pulled one of my larger Dekopons today.




The paper towel it is sitting on is 6 inches wide.  It was very good tasting, though may have been even better if left to hang a little longer.  Not bad at all for first fruit from a young tree.  I have several that I have picked and have in storage in a cool place, that I will be sampling every 10 days or so to see if the flavor changes.

TFN
Hello my friend, congratulations! Did your fruit have any seed?

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #70 on: December 14, 2018, 06:29:08 PM »
Hey, Luisport, so far I have only found a few flat wannabe seeds out of nearly a dozen fruit.  If the flavor gets better as the tree ages....OH MAN.


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Luisport

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #71 on: December 15, 2018, 10:40:04 AM »
Hey, Luisport, so far I have only found a few flat wannabe seeds out of nearly a dozen fruit.  If the flavor gets better as the tree ages....OH MAN.


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Oh ok. If you get any good seeds of dekopon can you reserve and send them for me, please?

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #72 on: December 15, 2018, 11:24:26 AM »
Oh ok. If you get any good seeds of dekopon can you reserve and send them for me, please?

I sure will.  Is there anything special that needs to be done before shipping?

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Luisport

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #73 on: December 15, 2018, 12:34:18 PM »
Oh ok. If you get any good seeds of dekopon can you reserve and send them for me, please?

I sure will.  Is there anything special that needs to be done before shipping?

TFN
I think just to send it quik to not let it dry too much... Thank's!  ;)

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #74 on: February 07, 2019, 09:26:00 PM »
Update: Found out that my "seedy" Kishu is most likely Juanita tangerine. After talking to the seller of the tree, it makes perfect sense.  Well, at least I have another cultivar to add to my list.

My protected Meyers, Bearrs lime, and Clementine are blooming.  I also have Pomelo, Cara Cara, New Zealand Lemonade, and unprotected Meyer Lemon putting on bloom buds. The NZL has been blooming all winter, though many were damaged during the Polar Vortex.  I hope the mild weather holds.


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