The Tropical Fruit Forum
Citrus => Citrus General Discussion => Topic started by: Millet on July 11, 2020, 02:27:18 PM
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Citrus medica ‘Turunji’ never ceases to amaze the gardener with its over sized fruit. Related to the Etrog, the inner white rind is deliciously sweet and can be eaten like an apple. Remember to train the plant when it’s young to develop thick branches to support the weight of the fruit. We recently picked a 7-pound fruit measuring 14" long on a two-year-old SEEDLING. I grew a Turunji years ago. Might be a fun cultivar to cross pollinate with a Finger Lime. It is a fast bloomer from seed. I think I will order another one, just for the fun of it. Much of this post was taken from Logee's catalog.
https://www.logees.com/citrus-turunji-citrus-medica-2261.html (https://www.logees.com/citrus-turunji-citrus-medica-2261.html)
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Wow.. this looks fun! A short plant with unique fruit. I just called around a few nurseries near me here in so cal since logee's can't ship here, and none have it :(
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Large fruit and precocious. I ordered one immediately. What I got was a graft, not a seedling. It was in a 2 inch, 5cm, pot. And the plant was 18 inches tall. 42 cm? I've never seen such a big plant in such a small pot. But it seems quite healthy.
What I read is that C. medica seed is zygotic.
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Walt, exactly the same as the one I received. I bought two.
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So what does the "deliciously sweet" inner white rind taste like? Other than it is sweet. Is this really worth growing?
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Vlad, I cannot personally say, as I just purchased the trees. What I know is from information published by Logees. Anyway, it will be fun growing them. According to published information the tree can fruit in as little and 2 years even from a seedling. The Turunjis from Logees are grafted, not seedlings. We shall see what we shall see. Whatever, the tree is only $14.95.
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Related to etrog ...
Recipe for use and how does it taste?
My family recipe for the Italian dessert Cannoli calls for citron, also related to etrog, you use the flesh, candy it then dice and put into the cannoli filling. . .
DELICIOUSLY sweet !
It would be worth growing if only for that one dessert ;D
alas, I am in Texas and they can't ship here
Happy Gardening,
P J, the Dirt Diva
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I wanted to purchase one of these, however I thought the size of the fruit will lead to a tree I won’t have space for haha. I settled with the Tiger Navel instead.
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did you get any fruit on your Turunji? I just saw this in the Logee's catalog and it reminded me of this thread.
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Brian, no fruit yet, not even a sign of a beginning flower. (3-24- 21). However, I had a Turunji tree years ago, and it did fruit quickly, but did not keep track of how old it was at the time of fruiting. I've been keeping my greenhouse cooler to keep the propane bill down. However, the days are getting warmer so the tree should be putting growth faster.
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The outer peel and inner white pith of a citron is much more tender and less bitter than lemon, so much so that one can reasonably eat them. The peel is not entirely without bitterness but just has a much higher degree of edibility than a lemon peel.
The inner pith doesn't have any bitterness and is even very slightly sweet (though bland), which is a good thing because citrons tend to have a very thick layer of pith. This is in contrast to something like a grapefruit where the bitterness is concentrated in the pith and one generally wants to make sure they don't eat it, and makes extra effort to pull away the pith from all the segments.
I still don't think most people would enjoy eating a citron out of hand like an apple, but it is not impossible to do so, if one enjoys sour things.
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It seems that I got the last one from Logee's.
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Milet. Has your Turunji fruited yet?
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The tree has grown but has not yet fruited.
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Hello everyone! There are any source for this variety in Europe? Thank's!
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It does not look like Logee's has gotten this one back in stock, yet. Other than a guy on eBay selling them for over $70 with shipping using Logee's stock picture, I could not find another source for Turunji online. I guess I will be waiting for Logee's to propagate more of this variety.
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I hope UCR gets it someday so I can grow in So Cal ;D
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Anyone noticing heat/sun wilting sensitivity In the new growth? Seeing some leaf tip dieback in the hottest conditions.
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Had a little leaf tip on mine when the temperature reached 103 and stayed there for an hour.
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Mine died of root rot when it had just formed flower buds but I was able to get two cuttings to take.
Anyone confirmed what the fruit is like?
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The Turunji (2" pot) that I purchased from Logees just 1 year & 8 months ago has already flowered. The flower looks somewhat like a lemon blossom as it is lightly pinkish.
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Logee's now states that this variety is "Currently not in production" on their website.
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They don't have the smaller size, but they do have 6 of the larger size. https://www.logees.com/citrus-turunji-citrus-medica.html
Logee's now states that this variety is "Currently not in production" on their website.
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The citrus in 2" pots I have bought from Logee's have been severely root bound. I had to remove all soil from the root balls and cut away large circling or "J" shaped roots. I had to do that to two Turunji's I bought from them and both now have yellow leaves, which I believe is due to root problems.
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That is how mine went, from Logees except I bought the biggest size. Leaves started to go yellow, then dropped, and then the roots rotted. I was able to take 2 cuttings from the top of the tree and had to start over. Before it died, I did notice the root mass was very tight in square shape of the container when I first up-potted it. I would check the roots for rot before it's too late
I had asked about grafting it to something in a thread back in December, there is picture of the larger sized one. https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=45903.msg447982
The citrus in 2" pots I have bought from Logee's have been severely root bound. I had to remove all soil from the root balls and cut away large circling or "J" shaped roots. I had to do that to two Turunji's I bought from them and both now have yellow leaves, which I believe is due to root problems.
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Just noticed some flower buds on mine today
(https://i.postimg.cc/8jndTT2C/IMG-9175.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/8jndTT2C)
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nice! I read somewhere that the fruit develop quickly, keep us posted
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Hey all,
It looks like Logee has some back in stock. I picked one up.
https://www.logees.com/citrus-turunji-citrus-medica.html
EDIT : just saw someone else post this further up. ! Apologies.
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My turunji is back from the dead via cutting. Battling spider mites now.
Did anyone get fruit yet?
(https://i.postimg.cc/nXC5bZ1w/20220724-184657-HDR.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/nXC5bZ1w)
(https://i.postimg.cc/FY86hqWF/20220724-184715-HDR.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/FY86hqWF)
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I have one small fruit hanging on for a few weeks now but it hasn't grown in size so I'm sure its gona fall off eventually
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Any update to plants and fruit? I lost both cuttings in the picture again, rotting of the roots yet again and the bigger plant had some kind of rot on the trunk at the end of the summer. None of my grafts took either. I have a new round of cuttings and those are rooted now (again lol). Sigh. It's the only plant that I keep losing same growing conditions and soil mix as all the other citrus.
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I have in a 3g pot, but its leaves curl at the end. They get all rubbery in spots (picture 1) and then curl up and are misshapen (2nd picture). . Any advice would be appreciated. I water after dirt dries out, I have sprayed it several times with organic pesticides and not visible bugs on the tree. It keeps flushing out new leaves so I admire its spirit to not die.
(https://i.postimg.cc/5Hq2Dx2S/leaf1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/5Hq2Dx2S)
(https://i.postimg.cc/vxD81fL0/leaf2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/vxD81fL0)
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If it's not insect related could be ph of mix and or nutrient issues. I never got to that stage since I keep losing my plant but I did have a pretty bad spider mite infestation in mid summer.
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If it's not insect related could be ph of mix and or nutrient issues. I never got to that stage since I keep losing my plant but I did have a pretty bad spider mite infestation in mid summer.
If mine ever holds some fruit I'll send you some seeds! I could try rooting some cuttings once I feel its not going to die on me.
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appreciate that! it's said to flower from seed pretty early so lets test out that theory
actually just finished grafting a little piece of the saved cuttings that are now rooted to a spare ponderosa lemon that I didnt want to keep, so I top worked it and stuck a good bit of scion into the bark and now have a grow light as close as I can get it on the whole plant
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Good luck! I always feel like I'm fumbling around in the winter. Between underwatering/ overwatering/ feeding / pruning things in the greenhouse without stressing them out and watching them be stressed out from coming in....It's a battle fellow zone pusher, keep up the good fight.
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Mine didn't set any fruit this past season but its just starting to push buds again
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I’ve never had any luck with Logees. Their prices are top tier for the smallest starter plants. They seem to ship “whenever” without acknowledging the weather during shipping.
The last citrus I ordered from the was a Buddhas Hand. I received two grafted individuals in ONE two inch pot very root bound!
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I have the same complaint about Logee's. Every citrus tree I bought from them has been severely root bound in two inch pots. I had trouble untangling the roots and in one case, there was one thick root that encircled the small pot and I was unable to untangle it. I have stopped buying trees from them.
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I actually picked up a nice ~1 year old plant at a greenhouse I visited in Chicago. It was $7.99 in a 4 inch pot. They even had some to try!
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Sounds like Turunji is a bit harder than some citrus on their own roots. Or perhaps they are too often pot bound by those that sell them. I am in the process of loosing mine I bought from Logees. I think I'll try to save it by grafting in some extra roots using Ponciris seedlings. Mr. Hong in Wichita KS gave me 100 Ponciris fruit last fall and they average about 30 seeds per fruit, so I have plenty to spare. I also have seedlings from the last 2 years, more than I have scions for.
Here is where I got the idea.
https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=48828.0
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I finally grafted a piece to sour orange.
I discovered that a local Hispanic grocery chain sells the sour orange fruit for less than a dollar each. It's used as a marinade in many recipes. But anyway I've got many year old seedlings sitting a pot. They pretty tolerant of neglect.
(https://i.postimg.cc/JGYZyHgT/20230802-000728.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/JGYZyHgT)
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update on turunji grafted to sour orange. on own root it would be dead by now, the other cutting on own roots did just that
(https://i.postimg.cc/tZPqFNdY/20240110-173921.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/tZPqFNdY)
(https://i.postimg.cc/GTCcKTzz/20240110-173926.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/GTCcKTzz)
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Developing slowly but getting there
(https://i.postimg.cc/kDjtbMnc/20240129-121312.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/kDjtbMnc)
(https://i.postimg.cc/qN6n0fHG/20240129-121408.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/qN6n0fHG)
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Looks awesome, just saw your post on FB. How long do they take to ripen up from the flower to yellow fruit stage?
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I think around 4 months from flower. I'm trying to decide when to pick because it still seems to be growing.
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Have you picked the fruits yet? how did the pith tastes?
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My second Turunji from Logie's just died. It, like the first one, was severely pot bound when I received it. Is there another vendor that sells them?
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it know it doesnt help to say this now but you should consider grafting it. mine on sour orange is growing really well. it does not stop growing when its cooler like the previous years. no signs of rot
My second Turunji from Logie's just died. It, like the first one, was severely pot bound when I received it. Is there another vendor that sells them?
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I’ve tasted these before and wasted my time growing these. After growing these before trying, I told myself I would never buy a plant before tasting it first. Total disappointment.
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The citrus in 2" pots I have bought from Logee's have been severely root bound. I had to remove all soil from the root balls and cut away large circling or "J" shaped roots. I had to do that to two Turunji's I bought from them and both now have yellow leaves, which I believe is due to root problems.
This is common from logees. Every plant I ordered was like this. Super tiny pot and root bound for high dollar prices.
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I finally got around to filming a video of the fruit. Nice mild lemony citrus flavor with a 1or 2 out of 10 sweetness. This is probably best for culinary uses. When I was eating it I didn't notice any bitter but later on I did taste it. It might be better to not eat the thin rind.
This is the short version of my video but I'll have a longer version out later.
https://youtube.com/shorts/Upbo2aNWPVY?si=X9j0w0ra0aYv3yzb
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Thanks Gaylord. Your video is the first one I have see of the fruit. I have a tree that bloomed last year but did not set fruit. Perhaps this year.
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Your description eyeckr sounds pretty identical to a citron that I had eaten. Photos in this post here: https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=52087
I have a feeling that there's dozens of citron varieties that would taste basically identical and that Turunji is not special at all.
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Wow JSea I didn't see your post prior to my review but it's interesting how our descriptions did line up!
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This give the new meaning of 'never compare orange to apple.'
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I finally got around to filming a video of the fruit. Nice mild lemony citrus flavor with a 1or 2 out of 10 sweetness. This is probably best for culinary uses. When I was eating it I didn't notice any bitter but later on I did taste it. It might be better to not eat the thin rind.
This is the short version of my video but I'll have a longer version out later.
https://youtube.com/shorts/Upbo2aNWPVY?si=X9j0w0ra0aYv3yzb
Skin it, remove the seeds, and slice them about 1/4 inch and sprinkle some salt or sugar.