Author Topic: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed  (Read 2945 times)

Millet

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4798
    • Colorado
    • View Profile
Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« on: May 08, 2017, 01:18:54 PM »
I have a Seville Sour orange that I planted from seed.  It is now 8.5 feet in height and after a long wait is producing fruit.  The node count on the seed grown tree reached maturity at about 5-feet.  Fruit production starts at 5-feet and goes to the very top of the tree.  There is no fruit, and will never be any fruit, below the 5-foot mark.  The lower portion of the tree, that portion below the required node count for maturity, will forever be immature.  The node count where maturity begins for a Seville Sour orange must be approximately at 5-feet, at least it was for this particular tree, and is probably pretty much the same for this variety. . 
« Last Edit: May 08, 2017, 01:21:54 PM by Millet »

Vlad

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 245
    • Worcester, MA USDA zone 5b
    • View Profile
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2017, 02:39:58 PM »
How long was the wait?

Millet

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4798
    • Colorado
    • View Profile
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2017, 03:33:23 PM »
The tree was planted on the 4th of July in 2002 (my Grandson's birthday).  This July it will be 15 years since the seed was planted.  This is the 3rd fruit set.

mrtexas

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 366
    • USA, Sugarland,TX 9B
    • View Profile
    • MrTexasCitrus
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2017, 06:15:34 PM »
The tree was planted on the 4th of July in 2002 (my Grandson's birthday).  This July it will be 15 years since the seed was planted.  This is the 3rd fruit set.

You might consider bark grafting bearing wood to the stump. You could cut the tree to a 6 inch stump and put bearing wood on the stump so the fruit wouldn't start at 5 feet. You sure about no fruit below 5 feet?

Millet

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4798
    • Colorado
    • View Profile
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2017, 09:25:59 PM »
Phil, yes I'm sure about no fruit below 5-feet.  All the nodes below the fruiting section are not, and can never reach the mature node count, and therefore are unable to fruit as they are forever juvenile.  Interestingly however,  there is one branch originating from the trunk 2 inches below the required mature node height, and this branch has grown long enough so the nodes at the tip of that branch have grown to be above the required mature node number. That branch also has fruit growing at the very end.
« Last Edit: May 09, 2017, 05:54:41 PM by Millet »

JustJoshinya

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 75
    • Los Angeles, CA
    • View Profile
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2017, 05:12:08 PM »
very interesting millet thank you for sharing the info

Ilya11

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 940
    • France, Paris region, Vaux le Penil, middle of Northern z8
    • View Profile
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #6 on: May 11, 2017, 11:44:37 AM »
Millet,
May be it depends on the particular seedling, its age and growth conditions.
In 1999 I collected seeds of sour orange that are growing alongside streets in Seville.
In 2007 one of them has been planted in the ground in the South of France.
It started to flower in 2013 on the branches somewhere close to the middle of the plant.Good harvest happens every second year.
Below is its photo from January this  year.
While most of the fruits are concentrated on the top,  few  are almost touching the ground.

Best regards,
                       Ilya

Millet

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4798
    • Colorado
    • View Profile
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #7 on: May 11, 2017, 03:30:03 PM »
IlyaII, the lower fruit production on the tree could be from a branch that started growing from a juvenile  node  not far below the required node count. The branch(s) grew to the point that the branch ends were able to  reached to a mature node number, thus could fruit.

Sylvain

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 263
    • Bergerac, France
    • View Profile
    • Looking for Wakonai.
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #8 on: May 11, 2017, 07:42:53 PM »
The theory of nodes count is just a fake news.  ;D

Millet

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4798
    • Colorado
    • View Profile
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #9 on: May 11, 2017, 08:35:45 PM »
Sylvain,  I learned the node count theory from professor Dr. Malcolm Manners who is the Department Chair of Citrus & Tropical Fruits @ Florida Southern University in Lakeland, Florida, and a long time member of the old forum.  I fully trust Dr. Manners knowledge on this point,  but your certainly free to believe whatever you wish.  It's evident from reading your posts over the years that you have a lot of knowledge concerning the cultivation of citrus, but on this point we will have to agree to disagree. Have a great day.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2017, 08:45:36 PM by Millet »

Ilya11

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 940
    • France, Paris region, Vaux le Penil, middle of Northern z8
    • View Profile
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #10 on: May 12, 2017, 03:21:37 AM »
IlyaII, the lower fruit production on the tree could be from a branch that started growing from a juvenile  node  not far below the required node count. The branch(s) grew to the point that the branch ends were able to  reached to a mature node number, thus could fruit.
What I observed in this seedling is different. Flowering started on the branches in the middle with node count less than that on the top and gradually was spreading in two directions. The lowest branches never reach the node count comparable to the point of first flower.
I have also an interesting experience with Thomasville. In my conditions its seedlings  start to flower in 4-5 years and the first flower is always on the lowest branches, later spreading toward the top.
Best regards,
                       Ilya

Citradia

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 958
    • USA/NC/Old Fort/6B
    • View Profile
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #11 on: May 12, 2017, 10:23:16 PM »
I think there is truth to node count debate. I've had dunstan citrumelo and swingle citrumelo and Changsha mandarin growing well over 10 feet tall and not bloom. Other fruit trees I've grown from seed that don't flower until 7 years old and 15 ft tall are malus angustifolia and wild apricot, and paw paw. A wild sour orange in the woods of my childhood FL home had 5 inch thorns going at least 10 ft up the length of its trunk and all fruit was 20 feet up in the top of the tree. My poncyrus trifoliata trees have been in ground from seed for over 6 years and over 10 feet high and just started blooming last year, with blooms on long branches starting at at least four feet from ground.

Millet

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4798
    • Colorado
    • View Profile
Re: Saint Dominic Seville Sour Orange Tree from Seed
« Reply #12 on: May 13, 2017, 12:45:04 PM »
Ilya!! on my seedling Sour Orange the first fruits started at about 5-ft. and eventually in future years moved from there up higher into the tree.  This would correspond to Dr. Manners node theory.