Author Topic: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??  (Read 4281 times)

Johnny Redland

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Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« on: August 28, 2017, 09:18:43 PM »
I have a tree/bush and I've tried these things at all different times of year and man the only way to describe them is HORRIBLE.  What an awful taste they have; hardly any sweetness, hardly any juice, and they have kind of an off-putting chemical taste to them. Just a bitter mess. I hate yanking trees but this one has to go. Am I missing something here??

Millet

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2017, 10:01:44 PM »
The largest lemon, however the fuit's quality is poor.

Lory

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2017, 10:04:34 PM »
In my opinion they are not the best lemon on earth but they are not so awful.
Yes the rind is thick but there they are huge and there's still lot of juice.
Why are you looing for SWEETNESS in a LEMON??
Honestly i love the taste and especially the scent of its  juice, when   mixed with cold water or squeezed on fish it's just great.
Moreover this variety is sturdy and in my opinion more resistant to citrus greening than other varieties.







« Last Edit: August 29, 2017, 05:18:06 AM by Lory »
Lorenzo

SoCal2warm

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2017, 01:38:00 AM »
It seems to be commonly repeated that Ponderosa lemon is a cross between lemon and citron, but I got to think it must be a cross between lemon and a grapefruit or pomelo.
(It was discovered in Maryland so maybe the lemon tree was being grown inside a greenhouse)

Ilya11

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2017, 04:25:38 AM »
Ponderosa has nothing to do with lemons. Genetically it is 40% pomelo, 60% citron with maternal input from pomelo.
Best regards,
                       Ilya

brian

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2017, 02:12:59 PM »
I ate a ponderosa fruit like a grapefruit once.  It tasted like a regular lemon to me, maybe less sweet.  Its interesting looking but otherwise I wouldn't bother.

In fact, after trying a ton of lemon and lime hybrids, I'm planning to scale back to just a plain old grocery store varieties like Bearss/Persian seedless lime and Eureka/Lisbon lemon and focus on fresh-eating citrus.

Johnny Redland

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2017, 04:27:14 PM »
I ate a ponderosa fruit like a grapefruit once.  It tasted like a regular lemon to me, maybe less sweet.  Its interesting looking but otherwise I wouldn't bother.

In fact, after trying a ton of lemon and lime hybrids, I'm planning to scale back to just a plain old grocery store varieties like Bearss/Persian seedless lime and Eureka/Lisbon lemon and focus on fresh-eating citrus.

I don't blame you. I'm actually considering the same thing.  I have a Meyer lemon that I'll keep that kicks butt as far as production goes, but man that thing wants to stay low and bushy...I wish I could get some height out of it so I could start training it into a tree....right now I wouldn't even know where to start.  My key limes are rockstars as well, but I'm thinking of adding a Persian Lime and a Eureka Lemon to the mix.  Sometimes the most common varieties available actually are the best tasting as well....that doesn't hold up for fruits like mango or jackfruit...but I find it true of most citrus, not just lemons and limes.

Millet

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #7 on: August 29, 2017, 09:19:36 PM »
I'm not a fan of Meyer lemons.  They are not a crisp lemon, nor are the a good orange.  I dug my Meyer lemon out two or three years ago. However, it did make a good addition to the compost pile.  I had an Eureka Lemon, which I think is a great lemon variety. Eventually I replaced it with a Saint Teresa Feminello lemon which is very  much like the Eureka or Lisbon in taste. It was named after Saint Teresa so it won out.

Susanne42

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2017, 08:17:33 AM »
I have Meyer and Feminello. Love the Meyer for ice tea in summer but the Feminello in my opinion is the best tasting lemon not only for the acidity but for the aroma.

Lory

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2017, 09:50:18 PM »
Femminello Zagara Bianca  is the best lemon i've ever tasted .
Just google it.
It's an exquisite variety of south Italy (especially Siracusa and Napoli provinces).
Buds and flowers are completey white.
It's flowering 4 times a year and the quality of fruit is aabsolutely excellent.
I don't know if it's adaptable to tropical climate.
Lorenzo

Susanne42

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #10 on: August 30, 2017, 09:57:49 PM »
Lori would you know if this lemon is available in the USA?

Lory

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #11 on: August 30, 2017, 10:50:50 PM »
Honestly I've no idea!
Maybe some italian immigrant las century has brought some cuttings or budwood as a remembrance from theiir homeland  ;)
Lorenzo

Zarafet

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #12 on: September 12, 2017, 08:13:22 AM »
CCPP has Femminello Siracusano 2KR Lemon, not sure if that's the same.

Lori would you know if this lemon is available in the USA?

Lory

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #13 on: September 12, 2017, 09:07:58 AM »
Yes, you can read a bit more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siracusa_Lemon
Lorenzo

Susanne42

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #14 on: September 12, 2017, 10:23:41 AM »
Lory does not seem to be the same. Zagara Bianca is producing at least 4 crops per year .

Lory

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #15 on: September 12, 2017, 10:32:46 PM »
Hehe, they call it FOUR SEASONS lemon since it's crowded all year round  with flowers and fruits but the actually main flowerings are THREE.
A lot depends on your cultivation/growing conditions.
In Italy we're used to inducelemon  blossoming with a "water stress" period followed by drenching and fertilizing
Lorenzo

Susanne42

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #16 on: September 13, 2017, 10:02:22 AM »
Here is what I found. Of course I'm not an expert just trying to figure things out

Femminello Zagara Bianca (or Fior d’arancio)
Probably deriving from Femminello comune (through vegetative mutation), this fine cultivar, which tolerates well the Phoma tracheiphila, has a continuous blossoming and a high productivity: it can produce on average the 18% of bianchetti, the 36% of verdelli and the 46% of lemons; the last two, with a good commercial quantification.

Femminello siracusano (or Femminello masculuni)
Probably deriving from Femminello comune (through bud-mutation), this type of lemon is a very vigorous plant, with a rapid growth and a fructification ahead of time compared to that of the other Mediterranean lemon trees. It has a certain spontaneous reflorescence and can produce on average the 85% of lemons (because the Primofiore is earlier), the 4% of bianchetti and the 11% of verdelli. This cultivar is of a fine quality, and so it is very appreciated on the market also for its high productivity and for the early growth of the fruit; anyway, it shows some defects: for example, it can’t tolerate well the Phoma tracheiphila.

http://www.limmi.it/en/national-cultivars/


Millet

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #17 on: September 13, 2017, 03:26:09 PM »
In Michigan you don't have to worry about  Phoma tracheiphila, (which is called Mal  Secco in this country).  In my opinion all lemon varieties derived from the Femminello Comune are good lemons.

Lory

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #18 on: September 13, 2017, 09:37:56 PM »
Oh mal secco is a real plague for lemons in Italy
Lorenzo

Susanne42

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #19 on: September 14, 2017, 08:27:39 AM »
I had no Idea what mal secco is and had to read up on it. Looks like it has similar action like fireblight in apple/pear trees.

cory

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Re: Can I get an opinion on Ponderosa Lemon ??
« Reply #20 on: September 14, 2017, 12:52:04 PM »
Thanks for that link Suzanne42.
Cory