Clementine fruit tree?

[Evildeadguy]

What is a good dwarf variety Clementine fruit tree to get one that doesn't get to big will grow good in a pot and will bare a good amount of fruit and has a good sweet taste and where can I buy them online?

[brian]

For a dwarf citrus you need a dwarfing rootstock such as trifoliate orange.  “Clementines” is a broad term covering many small mandarins.  There are tons of great varieties.  Tango is one of my favorites, seedless and might be sold as Halos or Cuties depending on time of year.

I am not sure where to get mail order trees grafted onto trifoliate.  Most of my trees came from FourWindsGrowers and Harris Citrus, but I am not sure what rootstocks they use. 

[achetadomestica]

Kishu is my best performing tangerine by far.
It is also called cutie.
I proabably have eaten 1500 in the past 5 years and not one seed.
Not sure where to get the tree and it would depend on which state you are in

[Epicatt2]

Hey EDG,

Try Brite Leaf Citrus Nursery in Lake Panasoffkee, FL.  They offer grafted 'Nules' Clementines, both regular and on dwarfing rootstock.  And if you will be growing it in a pot they sometimes have inexpensive, 'rooted cuttings' of it.

Here's a link to their website: [ www.briteleaf.com  ]

I've bought about a dozen different sorts of citrus from them and all have thrived.  Plants arrive always safely packed & are promptly shipped. My Clementine from them produced about a dozen fruit the first season I had it and it was still in the 5-gal pot that I'd planted it in to start off with.

OK — HTH

Paul M.
==

[Evildeadguy]

Hey EDG,

Try Brite Leaf Citrus Nursery in Lake Panasoffkee, FL.  They offer grafted 'Nules' Clementines, both regular and on dwarfing rootstock.  And if you will be growing it in a pot they sometimes have inexpensive, 'rooted cuttings' of it.

Here's a link to their website: [ www.briteleaf.com  ]

I've bought about a dozen different sorts of citrus from them and all have thrived.  Plants arrive always safely packed & are promptly shipped. My Clementine from them produced about a dozen fruit the first season I had it and it was still in the 5-gal pot that I'd planted it in to start off with.

OK — HTH

Paul M.
==

Thanks i will look into it

[Kevin Jones]

I checked-out Mike's recommended KISHU and they had it at Bright Leaf Citrus... looked interesting so I ordered one!
Nice price... $25 with $15 shipping.
The stuff you learn on this forum... Thanks!

Kevin Jones

[brian]

Just keep in mind that a rooted cutting will not be dwarfing and might grow large if conditions are right.  I was shocked to see some of my citrus trees in my greenhouse grow from 3ft to 9ft in a year.  If you are growing in containers that helps to limit their size.

Good luck!

[Evildeadguy]

What do you all fertilize your trees with any recommendations?

[Oolie]

There's no one size fits all fertilizer. It's dependent on your soil and water.

You can have soil or leaf analysis done, or use other means of determining what is needed.

Where I am, soils are dry for most of the growing season and pH tends to climb, so adding things like sulfur and gypsum greatly benefits most of the fruit trees in the orchard, as well as a source of potassium (sandy soils leach most of this during the rainy season). There tends to be enough plant residues to supply nitogen and the soil is not deficient in phosphorous.

Depending on your situation, you may have much amending to do or none. What kind of soil do you have and what is the typical rain situation throughout the year?

[Evildeadguy]

There's no one size fits all fertilizer. It's dependent on your soil and water.

You can have soil or leaf analysis done, or use other means of determining what is needed.

Where I am, soils are dry for most of the growing season and pH tends to climb, so adding things like sulfur and gypsum greatly benefits most of the fruit trees in the orchard, as well as a source of potassium (sandy soils leach most of this during the rainy season). There tends to be enough plant residues to supply nitogen and the soil is not deficient in phosphorous.

Depending on your situation, you may have much amending to do or none. What kind of soil do you have and what is the typical rain situation throughout the year?

I'm going to be growing in pots using Pro-Mix HP potting mix.... I won't be growing in the ground

[Goyo626]

I checked-out Mike's recommended KISHU and they had it at Bright Leaf Citrus... looked interesting so I ordered one!
Nice price... $25 with $15 shipping.
The stuff you learn on this forum... Thanks!

Kevin Jones

I wouldnt call a kishu a clementine mandarin, but it is very good. The fruit is ping pong sizes but extremely easy to peel which makes eating three or four very easy.

[Oolie]

There's no one size fits all fertilizer. It's dependent on your soil and water.

You can have soil or leaf analysis done, or use other means of determining what is needed.

Where I am, soils are dry for most of the growing season and pH tends to climb, so adding things like sulfur and gypsum greatly benefits most of the fruit trees in the orchard, as well as a source of potassium (sandy soils leach most of this during the rainy season). There tends to be enough plant residues to supply nitogen and the soil is not deficient in phosphorous.

Depending on your situation, you may have much amending to do or none. What kind of soil do you have and what is the typical rain situation throughout the year?

I'm going to be growing in pots using Pro-Mix HP potting mix.... I won't be growing in the ground

With a name like that, it's likely formulated for municipal water and for being grown in containers long-term.
I'd just make sure to use a spin-out type substance on the container, and search for any visible symptoms of deficiency. Citrus are heavy feeders, so if you are having to water frequently, then consider feeding frequently with soluble fertilizers like potassium and nitrogen.

[brian]

I just use Osmocote Plus pellets for everything, including citrus, and it seems to work.  I'm too lazy to mix liquid fertilizer when watering

[achetadomestica]

What is your location?

[Epicatt2]

Just keep in mind that a rooted cutting will not be dwarfing and might grow large if conditions are right. 

Hey EDG,

Brian's right.   A rooted cutting won't necessarily be a dwarfed tree unless the cultivar itself is a dwarf or semi-dwarf cultivar. 

However growing the tree in a pot tends to keep it smaller plus there's always pruning to keep the tree from getting taller than you want and pruning is also useful for shaping the tree the way you'd like it.

Just FWIW . . . .

Paul M.
==

[Evildeadguy]

I'm in polk county florida Zone 9b

[brian]

HLB virus is rampant in Florida.  I don't know about your area particularly, but you might want to look into it before you start growing citrus.