The Tropical Fruit Forum
Citrus => Cold Hardy Citrus => Topic started by: Citradia on October 11, 2015, 08:02:44 PM
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My sats(Kimbrough and Owari) are still green as grass. Last year not ripe until Christmas.
(http://s30.postimg.cc/gn15s9ya5/image.jpg) (http://postimg.cc/image/gn15s9ya5/)
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I don't know about North Carolina maturity dates, but I have relatives in Mobile, AL and their Owari Satsuma fruit are normally ready mid- to late-November. During relatively warm falls Satsumas are ready to eat slightly before the peel turns completely orange. Try a few as the season progresses, so you can better judge the best time to harvest. - Millet
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Is Owari an early cultvar?? There are also 2 months of difference among the cultivars....
Anyway, even if more bitter, you can eat also when are light green (before turning orange) !!!
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As Millet said above in Alabama ( SE USA ) they mature before our freezing weather of winter. Other Satsuma type fruit like Gold Nugget and others mature in spring after winter is over. Gold Nugget fruit would be very difficult to keep from freezing here in Alabama. Usually we don't have a bad freeze until December. We do have to provide protection during temps below 25* F but the fruit is long gone. There might be somebody in Alabama or similar areas growing citrus that would mature the next spring but it would be on a very small scale and I don't know of anybody. Florida is further south and they grow fruit and citrus that mature in late winter and spring.
I guess the answer to your question depends on your seasons and what you call early and late ! I hope that was clear and not just more confusing. Tom
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I know all this. If y'all look at my original post, I was making a statement, not a question. Mine ripen later than everyone else's south of me because my spring starts later and my summers are cooler. My peaches don't even ripen until September.
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Ok. My sats are still green but some turning yellow but all are really puffy. Does that mean they are ripe already? I know they say some sats can be eaten green but mine weeny puffy like this last year in December when yellow/ orange.
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I've picked most of my satsumas already. Most all of them were 50 percent yellow and 50% green. As Citradia wrote, mine were also puffy. The fruit were delicious. It is easy to see if they are ready to pick by picking one fruit and taste it. Best of luck. = Millet
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(http://s30.postimg.cc/arnmpnh0t/image.jpg) (http://postimg.cc/image/arnmpnh0t/)
They're getting ripe now.
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Like the old saying goes..."Good things come to those who wait". Congratulations. - Millet
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Thanks. They did ripen a month earlier this year.
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Interesting post, Citradia. I have been searching for quite some time a place in the USA with a climate similar to my city (Florence) to make accurate comparison between USA growers experience and my experiences, and i though that NC was the most similar place, on east coast, climate-wise, to Florence. Apparently this doen't seem the case: My satsuma (miyagawa) ripened about a month ago (well, at least, i did consider them ripe, they were fine flavor-wise, even if they were alittle more green than yours). So i must assume i screwed something comparing climates? Who knows...
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A difference in the time of ripening could be due to the different cultivars more than different climate !!
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Not sure what to make of this. My satsumas are large and 95 to 100 percent yellow / orange. But they are mostly still hard. Like a new tennis ball or a little firmer.
Should I pick them and let them sit for a couple days? Or wait?
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I would cut one off and peel it to see how it taste. I suspect they are ready. Probably not hard to peel even though they are not puffy. Have you had some cool nights in the 50s or lower ? That helps color turn orange and helps taste too. I like the smaller ones best but they are all good ! Tom
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I went to the southeastern citrus expo in Moncton, SC this November, and learned about "heat units" needed for citrus to grow. The climatologist said citrus need the temperature to be at least 55 degrees F for citrus to grow, he showed the difference in annual heat units from FL to SC to Wilmington,NC, which was significant. I'm in the mountains of NC, and my citrus doesn't break dormancy until May or June, and it rarely gets into the 90's at my house. I think certain plants like citrus and tomatoes need hot weather to really put on growth. I have a Star grapefruit that didn't put on a strong flush of growth until September this year.
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Heat units are a very useful tool to compare climates. I have been pushing their usage for quite some time now, but people don't seem interested... but when comparing climates from different places, they are the most reliable tool.
I see what you mean when you talk about "hot weater". I, for example, have had this issue with lemons. I have been growing lemons for at least the last 20 years and my lemons are never as flavourful as the ones grown in Sicily. I know it's not a matter of nutrition or pot growing because i fertilize them often and I also have a plant growing in ground on a south facing wall of my house. No, i guess that's just a matter of heat. They always remain somehow "bitter/acid" fine as condiment, but don't ever try to do a lemonade with them.
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Kimbrough and Owari mostly all ripe and orange now.
(http://s23.postimg.cc/u2wmy2sx3/image.jpg) (http://postimg.cc/image/u2wmy2sx3/)
(http://s23.postimg.cc/462ylgp9j/image.jpg) (http://postimg.cc/image/462ylgp9j/)
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How were the Owari? I just bought one a few weeks ago and it has some recently set fruit on it.
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Excellent. Sweet. Seedless. Easy to peel.