Author Topic: Which size tree to buy?  (Read 3160 times)

Waiting

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Which size tree to buy?
« on: June 17, 2017, 07:42:37 PM »
Is it better to buy a small tree (5-7 gallon) or a larger one (15-25 gallon)? Will a smaller tree grow faster, relatively, once put in the ground and "catch up" to a larger tree? Would a larger (and thereby older) tree give edible fruit sooner? I'm talking about a Moro on C-35.

Thanks,

gary

Chupa King

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Re: Which size tree to buy?
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2017, 07:55:26 PM »
The real question is... how big of a hole can you dig?
Biodiversity is key.

achetadomestica

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Re: Which size tree to buy?
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2017, 11:45:04 PM »
One of my favorite trees is a Kishu that I got in a citri cup 6 years ago. It was a stick with a small softball shape canopy.
Now it is 7-8 foot tall and a little wider then tall. It has over 100 bright green ping pong ball sized fruit on it.
It had the same amount of fruit last year and I expected it to take this year off and have a small crop. I think 9 out
of 10 times you are better off planting a small young tree as apposed to a tree that has been raised in a pot?
The small tree will take off and catch a larger tree that will  take a few years to get over the stress. If you purchase
a larger tree then check out the root ball and if it is starting to swirl in the pot I cut the swirled roots off. I know a guy
who has a small grove in Florida and he planted a batch of finger limes he bought that were 3-4 feet. They haven't grown
and he will never buy trees like that again.

Millet

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Re: Which size tree to buy?
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2017, 10:29:51 AM »
When buying larger size container trees, the very best larger container grown trees are the trees grown in Root Maker Air Root Pruning Containers.  They take off right away when planted in the ground.

DFWCitrus

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Re: Which size tree to buy?
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2017, 10:46:25 AM »
I choose according to the shape, health, evidence of rapid growth, and trunk size. Sometimes I get a winner in a 5 gal other times I have to go 15 gal. Usually the bigger the better as you can be fruiting sooner. If you are putting in the ground and are in zone 9b or above, the choice might depend on soil type. I prefer a younger tree when planting in clay soils as it is more likely to root properly. If you are below zone 9b then a bigger, thicker tree will offer better survival. I found 2 Moro Orange trees here in DFW in 5 gal pots that were 15 gal size trees. I potted them up and they are doing great with loads of oranges.

achetadomestica

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Re: Which size tree to buy?
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2017, 11:39:33 PM »
Root Maker Air Root Pruning Containers are great but I don't know anyone around me that grows their trees in them, and
sells to their customers. My brother sells fruit trees including citrus and most people buy citrus if it has a couple
fruit on it. It could be a 3 gallon pot with a four foot tree with 2-3 fruit and people automatically want instant gratification.
In the long run a newly grafted tree in a citri cup will grow bigger and produce more fruit but most people will pick the 4 foot
tree with a couple fruit on it. Groves always plant young trees that they raise themselves. If a grove owner could buy a larger
tree and end up with earlier and equal production they would buy larger trees. I mentioned a kishu I have that I raised from
a citri cup, it is a better producer and much healthier tree then any 7 or 15 gallon tree I have purchased so far. If you want
a citrus tree that will produce 25 fruit a year and you plan to keep it in a pot you might as well buy a larger tree in a pot, if you
want a citrus tree in your yard that will produce 150 fruit buy a small tree and raise it yourself. For me this is also the case with
peaches and mangos. My best trees in my yard are the ones I planted as young trees.

Vlad

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Re: Which size tree to buy?
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2017, 10:01:32 AM »
What is a citri cup?

brettay

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Re: Which size tree to buy?
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2017, 10:24:45 AM »
Is this tree going to be in a pot or planted in the ground?  I am a strong believer that planting 3-4 year old trees (about 5-7 gallon) in the ground is far superior than planting older trees.  They seem to adapt much better and grow much faster than older trees.   In a short period of time they will be larger.

-Brett

achetadomestica

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Re: Which size tree to buy?
« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2017, 10:45:14 PM »
What is a citri cup?
A citri cup is 4" x 4" and 13 1/2" deep.

The nurseries that propagate oranges plant the rootstock in these cups and graft onto the seedlings.
This is how the groves buy their trees. You can put 9 of them in a milk crate. Obviously it is all about space.
The rootstock has a deep area to get started. I have seen fields where the groves pull the plants out of the pot
and then cut the citri cup and use it to protect the trunk of the small trees.

Waiting

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Re: Which size tree to buy?
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2017, 01:15:41 AM »
The tree will be planted in-ground. A Moro, probably on C-35, from Menlo Growers (thanks for the pointer, Badfish8696). We're in 9b (Sunset 14). C-35 is the only non-dwarfing rootstock I've found that we can get here in a quarantine-free zone in Northern California. I'm not sure about the soil, this is for a friend on the other side of town. I know she has very little patience and a bigger tree will look better in her eyes.

On a related note, when's the best time to plant a citrus tree (yes, I know, ten years ago)? But seriously, we've been hitting 108 degrees this week and I can't imagine now being a good time.

Citradia

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Re: Which size tree to buy?
« Reply #10 on: June 24, 2017, 07:24:37 AM »
When I lived in FL 9b/10, we learned that you can plant whenever you want, but you have to make sure that tree doesn't dry out. Don't know about CA, but FL ground doesn't hold water unless you live on muck ground which isn't going to grow fruit trees anyway. Big tree would need plenty of water. They says it's better to plant a small tree vs big tree because it can get established easier with less water needs initially.