Page Mandarin Test (Standard Citrus Medium vs Cedar Wood Chip Medium

[Millet]

On April 2, 2014 I purchased two 1-year old Page mandarin trees from Four Wind Growers to run a test.  One tree was placed in a standard citrus growing medium.  The other tree was placed in a cedar mulch growing medium  (plain citrus wood chips with no filler added). At first I had to water the ceder wood chip tree every other day.  Being just a 1 year old tree, its root system was quite small.  As of today both trees have been growing in their 3-gallon Air Root Pruning Containers for 70 days. Both trees are currently flushing, which means their root systems have completed their growth cycle.  With their larger root systems, the tree growing in plain cedar wood chips only requires watering once every 4 or 5 days.  The tree growing in  cedar looks very healthy and is putting out a flush  from just about every branch .  The high root zone aeration (oxygen) level of the cedar chips is a medium that cannot be over watered, thus cannot damage the tree no matter how much water is applied.   In another month or two, I expect that the cedar will only require watering once every 10 days or so, as by that time many of the roots will have grown into the wood chips it self. Time will tell which Page Mandarin will out  perform the other. Current they are both doing about the same. - Millet

[Bush2Beach]

What is your standard Citrus growing medium?
Citrus wood chips?  My citrus love any and all wood chip. I lamented over the small size of the four winds Pixie, finger lime, and variegated Meyer that arrived via mail order last year but they caught up in size to my other citrus trees. Container growing in 25 and 45 gals. Is working well here with good fruit set and quality. Thanks for posting your citrus observations.

[robbyhernz]

Millet,

So you've officially jumped ship from the CHC correct? I have also started using cedar mulch due to price and availability, but most of my trees still have the CHC based on your original recommendations and are all doing well!

Robert

[Millet]

Robby, no I have not jumped away from using coconut husk chips (CHC).  CHC is a really excellent medium for growing citrus in containers.  CHC has the optimum pH for citrus growth of 6.5, it is slow to degrade, and holds up to 7 times it weight in water while still providing great root zone aeration. Cedar decorative mulch also  has pretty much the same attributes as CHC, and is WAY cheaper, and it is available most anywhere.  With the cedar mulch I use it much the same way as I do CHC.  Normally I use both at equal parts of the wood chips to peat moss  (or a good potting soil).  As posted, I am experimenting with 100 percent cedar mulch, may be good or may not be the best way to go.  Time will tell. - Millet. 

[Mike T]

Millet is page a true mandarin or a tangor? They sell in the markets quite cheaply here and people buy them for juicing as much as eating fresh.

[gunnar429]

how does page stack up in terms of flavor and production?  Thanks.

[Millet]

Mike, the Page "Mandarin" is a product of the USDA.  It was a cross of Minneola tangelo and Clementine mandarin, and therefore it is actually a Tangelo.  In fact Page is 75% mandarin and 25% grapefruit.  Many many people say that Page is the best tasting citrus variety of them all.  I think Xie Shan is better, but I must say Page is a very close second.  It makes an awesome juice.  VERY MUCH  worth having  in ones collection. I have two Page trees. - Millet

[Sven_limoen]

Millet, is there any replacement for the ceder chips you use (in case that is not available here) ?
At the moment I use regular citrus soil mixed with perlite but I could use some extra aeration during winter and I don't feel like adding extra perlite.

[Riverland]

Millet is page a true mandarin or a tangor? They sell in the markets quite cheaply here and people buy them for juicing as much as eating fresh.

Interestingly you say they are offered in the markets Mike, as the variety is practically extinct and has not been propagated for quite some time. It is absent from Australia's citrus repository.
The experience in Australia has been that Page is very susceptible to brown spot. Not sure if that exists in the US. It requires regular fungicides throughout the season to manage, not just at fruitlet stage. Experience here also suggested that Page is one of the most sensitive to Tristeza problems.

[Millet]

Sven,  world wide the most common container medium used by commercial nurseries is 3 parts ground pine bark, one part peat, and one part sand by volume.  This is a good mix for commercial nurseries because all three ingredients are generally inexpensive, easy to blend,  readily available, and can last for one year or more.  - Millet

[Sven_limoen]

Sven,  world wide the most common container medium used by commercial nurseries is 3 parts ground pine bark, one part peat, and one part sand by volume.  This is a good mix for commercial nurseries because all three ingredients are generally inexpensive, easy to blend,  readily available, and can last for one year or more.  - Millet

What amazes me the most is that there is actually no soil in that mixture. Perhaps I should try this out. Seems very 'airing'.
Could it be any kind off bark? Bark here is mainly 'ornamental bark' or something like that. Mostly not from a specified type of tree.

And the sand I presume could also be any type of sand?

Thanks for the information Millet!

[Millet]

Sven, when choosing what to use to fill containers, never use garden soil by itself no matter how good it looks or how well things grow in it out in the garden. When put into a container both drainage and aeration are severely impeded, and the results are that plants grow poorly or not at all. - Millet

[Sven_limoen]

I use citrus soil with added perlite. Peat I woud've never guessed because I used this for my carnivorous plants because of the ability to be that waterlogging as it is.

[sugar land dave]

I used peat this spring to enable me to plant and maintain blueberry bushes in my alkali clay soil, so don't discount it's use in some areas.  For the citrus, I've used pine nuggets (coarse mulch) but sometimes have ants move in.  If cedar works, that may solve my problem.  Thank Millet!

[brian]

I still get ants in peat/cedar mixture, it doesn't seem to bother them. 

[Millet]

It has been four months since I purchased the two Page mandarins. The first tree is growing in a standard citrus medium, the second tree is growing  in 100% pure cedar chips. They are both producing their second flush of new growth, and at about the same time frame.  However, the new flush  of leaves growing on the tree in the  pure cedar mulch  are some what crinkled, while the leaves on the  Page tree that is growing in the standard medium are normal in appearance.  I don't know if the crinkling on the cedar tree is caused by the roots receiving too much root zone oxygen, or if the problem could be from a lack of continuous water to the root system? I have  been keeping up faithfully with the watering and fertilizing of both trees.  Of course the cedar mulch tree receives water more often, as a  pure wood medium does not retain water like a standard citrus medium does.  I'll will wait for the next flush, (the 3rd flush) to see if the mystery corrects itself.   Any thoughts? - Millet

[sugar land dave]

Is there a ph difference?

[RyanL]

I wonder if as the wood breaks down somewhat, the cedar oils have a negative effect on the roots?