Author Topic: Pictures from middle Georgia  (Read 12982 times)

TooFarNorth

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Pictures from middle Georgia
« on: July 10, 2018, 03:59:13 PM »
I went outside and a strange bright light was shining overhead...OMG it's the sun...finally. I thought I would share some pics.

Dekopon 2nd Year

Oh well can't seem to get but one to load.

SoCal2warm

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2018, 04:52:11 PM »
How does dekopon handle the Winters in zone 8a Georgia?
Is it generally as hardy as other mandarins?

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2018, 05:26:22 PM »
The dekopon actually did quite well, even though it is on Cleo rootstock. It held up as well as Owari, Miho, and Brown Select. Very little damage, mainly to new growth. The one that got hurt the most was Kishu from FW. My other two Kishus held up well.

TFN

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2018, 05:40:34 PM »
OK Peoples, how do I get more pictures on here. The first one went on, but the rest did not. I tried to load another one on my last reply..nothing!!!!


TFN

luckycloud

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2018, 06:35:21 PM »
Could you share how you protect in winter? I'm in 7b (NC) and put an Owari in the ground this March, and I'm still deciding exactly how I'm going to protect it this winter.

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #5 on: July 10, 2018, 06:58:07 PM »



I drove 4 pieces of 1 inch pvc cut at angle on one end in the ground at four corners around tree.  Then I made a frame of 3/4 pvc pipe and fittings. I put a 55 gal. barrel with lid full of water on north side of tree, then cover all with 1oz. frost cloth held down with ground staples (6 inch).  The barrels should only be needed the first year or two, or on really cold nights.

TFN

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2018, 07:13:51 PM »

Kishu


New Zealand Lemonade


Finger Lime


Moro Blood Orange


Dwarf Flame Grapefruit

I finally got some to load.

TFN

brian

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #7 on: July 10, 2018, 08:28:59 PM »
really nice looking trees!

And I like your winter heating solution.

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #8 on: July 10, 2018, 08:48:30 PM »
    Thanks, Brian. I have over 50 trees now, so it's getting a little harder to cover all of them.

TFN

luckycloud

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #9 on: July 10, 2018, 09:10:06 PM »
Thanks, that's great. Nice job with them!

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #10 on: July 10, 2018, 09:11:44 PM »

Rare snow last winter.

Millet

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #11 on: July 10, 2018, 10:16:45 PM »
TFN I see you have some engineering skills

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #12 on: July 10, 2018, 10:27:19 PM »
No, just two hands and a smart wife who barks orders and points her finger. LOL

TFN

mrtexas

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2018, 01:00:38 AM »
https://mrtexascitrus.weebly.com/citrusfreeze.html

In my experience dekopan, nz lemonade, and valentine pummelo aren't as hardy as
mandarins. A friend had nz lemonade and valentine I gave him of some size freeze at 19F
and killed the trees. He just got dekopan this year. I imported budwood for dekopan to texas
from florida via the texas budwood bureau at great expense. I topworked a swingle root stock to
dekopon this year and it is 8+ feet tall now.

8a means temperatures as low as 10F. 8a is very marginal for in ground citrus without protection.
10F will kill any unprotected citrus tree. I'd suggest in addition to what you are doing you bank the trees with dirt for just in case.

Here in 8b/9a I bank the trees to cover the grafts so the occasional 19F won't kill them to the  ground.
Even at that, last year's 19F freeze defoliated all but the satsumas.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2018, 01:08:08 AM by mrtexas »

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #14 on: July 11, 2018, 10:18:13 AM »
Mr.Texas, that sounds like a great idea. Will have to round up some nursery pots. My dekopons actually came through the winter virtually unscathed. I did wrap the trunks with pool noodles, and covered with frost cloth on cold nights, but did not have barrels of water next to them. My Xie-shan suffered more damage than the dekopon and they had barrels of water next to them. My NZ Lemonade did suffer minor damage, but has come back looking better than it did before. I am only 20 miles from zone 8b, with a southern slope with a slight western slope also. I just recently installed a BoB fence on the north side of my mini orchard to protect from the north wind. Over in Statesboro, on the eastern side of the state, zone 8b, they have planted thousands of citrus trees and some are already producing. The only protection that I am aware of, is micro sprinklers and trunk wraps.My biggest problem the last two winters, has been very warm February and then mid 20s in March. Even my temperate fruit has not produced in the last two years, because they break dormancy, bloom and then get zapped by the cold snap. I get more citrus fruits than stone and pome fruits. Of course I have to work harder for the citrus. Last year I ate Pineapple, Guava, Papaya, and Bananas from my on yard along with Lemons, Limes, Kumquats, Satsumas, and Clementines.


TFN

forumfool

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #15 on: July 17, 2018, 11:49:19 AM »
Very nice! I plan on doing something similar here in North Georgia, 7b.

How are you fruiting papayas in 8a?

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #16 on: July 17, 2018, 12:15:28 PM »
forumfool, on the Papayas, I grow them like you would tomatoes. Start them from seed early, then transplant into garden when all danger of frost is over. It takes 9 months from seed to fruit on some varieties. Make sure the ones you grow are hemophorditic or plan on growing several to ensure pollination.  I start them in at least gallon pot, in January on heat mat. I am still working on the exact timing. I plan on trying RedLady Papaya next year. The last ones I grew were TR Hoveys.

TFN

Millet

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #17 on: July 17, 2018, 03:03:40 PM »
TR Hoveys  can be grown as a container plant, and never put into the ground,  They don't get very big.

Yorgos

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #18 on: July 17, 2018, 05:19:05 PM »
How does TR Hovey taste? I trust they are much better than store bought because store bought taste somewhere between vomit and soap.
Near NRG Stadium, Houston Texas. USDA zone 9a

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #19 on: July 17, 2018, 05:30:04 PM »
I would have to say that they had a pleasant, yet mild flavor. I did not detect any off flavors as described of some papaya. I am not a papaya expert, but I would say it was good... not mango or cantaloupe good, but still good. My wife made some papaya jam out of some of them, and it was delicious.


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TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #20 on: July 19, 2018, 09:42:19 PM »
A few more pics.


Xie-shan


Owari


Miho


Brown select

Citradia

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #21 on: July 22, 2018, 09:35:17 AM »
Luckycloud, you may need to use more protection in 7b NC than someone in central GA. I'm in western NCand have been experimenting with "cold hardy citrus " for the past 7 years or so. I've learned the hard way that no citrus or citrus hybrid is hardy here without the protection of a heated greenhouse, except poncyrus trifoliata. Even though my recorded low last winter was 7 degrees, I still lost all of my unprotected citrumelo and other citranges and nansho dai dai, etc, except for one 4 ft tall citrumelo planted out by the road and driveway. The problem here is that it can and does freeze and stay below freezing for days to weeks, and one winter didn't get above freezing for a month. My Owari, Kimbrough, Croxton, Changsha, Meiwa live and produce well each year by being grafted on PT and covering them with 4 mil plastic sheeting over pvc or wooden frames, and heated with small electric space heaters that are controlled by thermocubes that only come on at 35 degrees and turn off at 45 degrees. The trees have to be uncovered or vented/ partially uncovered if possible when temperatures outside get into the fifties so trees don't break dormancy. This past year, my 35 gallon black plastic garbage cans full of water that were next to citranges but uncovered by plastic tents and without heaters froze through and exploded. So, if you are below freezing for days, your satsumas will croak without extra heating.

forumfool

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #22 on: July 25, 2018, 10:51:43 PM »
I was thinking about doing the same you are doing with Papaya. I guess I'll try it next year. At a minimum I will be able to harvest green papaya for salad but I'd love it to fully ripen. I never liked papayas until I was in Maui last year and tried "Sold/Sunrise" varieties. I will purchase from alohaseed and give it a go.

Your citrus looks great. Keep us posted on their progress and the amount of fruit you get from them. I will be following in your footsteps hopefully next year!

TooFarNorth

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #23 on: July 26, 2018, 08:26:56 PM »
Will do, forumfool.  Just remember when you start to set up your "orchard", that the north wind is one of your worst enemies. Any windbreak will help, as will a southern slope. But don't forget cold air flows like water down hill and will pool in low spots. I thought I had mine set up good, but found a slight rise on the western side of my orchard funneled cold air across a few of my trees. Those trees suffered the most damage. Good luck on your endeavors. Let me know how it goes.

TFN

luckycloud

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Re: Pictures from middle Georgia
« Reply #24 on: July 26, 2018, 08:57:07 PM »
Luckycloud, you may need to use more protection in 7b NC than someone in central GA. I'm in western NCand have been experimenting with "cold hardy citrus " for the past 7 years or so. I've learned the hard way that no citrus or citrus hybrid is hardy here without the protection of a heated greenhouse, except poncyrus trifoliata. Even though my recorded low last winter was 7 degrees, I still lost all of my unprotected citrumelo and other citranges and nansho dai dai, etc, except for one 4 ft tall citrumelo planted out by the road and driveway. The problem here is that it can and does freeze and stay below freezing for days to weeks, and one winter didn't get above freezing for a month. My Owari, Kimbrough, Croxton, Changsha, Meiwa live and produce well each year by being grafted on PT and covering them with 4 mil plastic sheeting over pvc or wooden frames, and heated with small electric space heaters that are controlled by thermocubes that only come on at 35 degrees and turn off at 45 degrees. The trees have to be uncovered or vented/ partially uncovered if possible when temperatures outside get into the fifties so trees don't break dormancy. This past year, my 35 gallon black plastic garbage cans full of water that were next to citranges but uncovered by plastic tents and without heaters froze through and exploded. So, if you are below freezing for days, your satsumas will croak without extra heating.

Thanks, yes, I'm currently thinking about how to navigate that window of not too warm but not too cold. I am planning to use something pretty similar to what you describe: a plastic pop up greenhouse, small heater on a thermocube, and black 5gal buckets stacked and full of water inside the tent. Tree is planted in a fairly warm microclimate, and is on PT rootstock. I think it will require a lot of taking off the tent on warm days, putting it back on at night. I'm willing to try.