Author Topic: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?  (Read 2328 times)

Pandan

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How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« on: October 22, 2020, 07:01:25 PM »
Hi fellow fruit forumers,

I've read that fingerlimes are precocious - is this true from anyone's experience?
How fast do they flower from seed in particular?

Also I've seen some amazing colors on the Australian market - are any of these stateside:
http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=11589.0

« Last Edit: October 22, 2020, 07:04:21 PM by Pandan »

brian

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2020, 07:42:01 PM »
I don't know how precocious they are, but I have never seen any varieties available in the US other than standard green, "red", and faustrime.

roblack

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2020, 09:24:26 PM »
there are more varieties in CA.

FL has green, red, giant, and maybe champagne.

My green is about 5 feet tall and pretty bushy. It is flowering but yet to set fruit. unsure how old it is.



sunny

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2020, 10:57:28 PM »
I have a grafted one (many actually) which is 5-6 years old, bloomed like crazy but never set a fruit.

brian

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2020, 11:15:32 PM »
My green one fruits regularly but the fruit is very tiny, not sure why. 

Pandan

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2020, 11:25:59 PM »
there are more varieties in CA.
FL has green, red, giant, and maybe champagne.

My green is about 5 feet tall and pretty bushy. It is flowering but yet to set fruit. unsure how old it is.
-
My green one fruits regularly but the fruit is very tiny, not sure why.

Could this be an issue of pollination?

Googled it and supposedly thats it!: "if the flowers aren’t pollinated, your Finger Lime tree won’t produce fruit. Alternatively, you can try pollinating yourself with a small, clean and sterilised paint brush."
source: https://boutiquecitrus.com.au/help-my-finger-lime-has-no-fruit/#:~:text=Pollination&text=As%20with%20any%20fruit%2C%20the,clean%20and%20sterilised%20paint%20brush.

similarly poor pollenation results in poor fruit set https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/320272/growing-australian-native-finger-limes.pdf

Finger limes are monoembryonic so perhaps if you all have other citrus trees you can create some interest hybrids AND great fruit :@)
« Last Edit: October 22, 2020, 11:29:31 PM by Pandan »

Mike T

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2020, 09:36:51 AM »
There are some good ones here and propagation by cutting is possible. My red champagne lived fast, fruited well and tragically passed away at an early age. It took about 2 years to fruit from a small cutting and was loaded when only 3 feet high. There are some real brumbies out there that are shy bearers that get too big so look at pics and select carefully. Reds with red inside seem to be best all around.

Millet

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2020, 11:38:01 AM »
If a grower only has one finger lime tree, the two best things to do are: BE SURE the tree is well watered when the tree is in bloom, and use a small artist paint brush and hand pollinate the flowers.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2020, 02:54:56 PM by Millet »

Pandan

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2020, 11:44:12 AM »
There are some good ones here and propagation by cutting is possible. My red champagne lived fast, fruited well and tragically passed away at an early age. It took about 2 years to fruit from a small cutting and was loaded when only 3 feet high. There are some real brumbies out there that are shy bearers that get too big so look at pics and select carefully. Reds with red inside seem to be best all around.

Good information, I would love to get red-on-red but the color options state side are limited especially with rind-colors. I see Logee's has one (sold out atm) but I think its a "blood lime" and not red champagne.

Is it legal to get mailed citrus / rutaceae seeds mailed to the USA? I know they have restrictions and flat-out bans on some countries but idk if Australia is one.

Walt

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2020, 02:33:48 PM »
My 2 foot tall finger lime bloomed this summer and set fruit.  They are still very small.  I don't know if they will stay on the tree.
The only only other citrus in bloom at the time was a kumquat which was next to it.  Both set fruit, but I expect the kumquat self pollinated.

Mike T

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #10 on: October 24, 2020, 06:00:53 PM »
Seedlings are really slow and variable in when they start fruiting. Cutting grown plants are much more reliable.

Pandan

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #11 on: October 25, 2020, 01:31:24 AM »
Seedlings are really slow and variable in when they start fruiting. Cutting grown plants are much more reliable.

True but some is better than none and so I'm definitely still interested in importing seeds if possible.

I maybe mistaken but importing citrus cuttings would be damn near impossible for a hobbyist individual (and the state I'm in cracks down on citrus just as CA and FL do).

lebmung

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #12 on: October 30, 2020, 04:37:18 PM »
My fingerlimes flower and set fruit even now in cold. They are understory plants direct UV light from sun will make the fruit to drop.
This year I made a cross of faustrime x amoa 8, I expect the result to be a deep red faustrime.
Seedlings will take 3 years to bloom if they are grafted and grown in ideal conditions, that means grow lights during the winter, warm temperatures and good balanced nutrition.

roblack

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #13 on: October 31, 2020, 01:55:31 PM »
For those in FL, JustFruits... just listed red finger lime trees for sale. They have green as well.

Green keeps flowering for me, no fruit set yet. 4-5 feet tall.

Pandan

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #14 on: November 01, 2020, 03:16:41 AM »
My fingerlimes flower and set fruit even now in cold. They are understory plants direct UV light from sun will make the fruit to drop.
This year I made a cross of faustrime x amoa 8, I expect the result to be a deep red faustrime.
Seedlings will take 3 years to bloom if they are grafted and grown in ideal conditions, that means grow lights during the winter, warm temperatures and good balanced nutrition.

Exactly the kind of info I'm looking for

For those in FL, JustFruits... just listed red finger lime trees for sale. They have green as well.

Green keeps flowering for me, no fruit set yet. 4-5 feet tall.
Try hand pollinating with another citrus if you have one blossoming at the same time.

I would love to get my hands on those red ones but I'm out of state. Anyone have any seeds LMK lol

roblack

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #15 on: November 01, 2020, 10:36:54 AM »
Thanks Pandan! Going to use Meiwa kumquat pollen with green finger lime.

Pandan

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Re: How precocious are fingerlimes + what cultivars are in the USA?
« Reply #16 on: November 01, 2020, 05:57:25 PM »
Thanks Pandan! Going to use Meiwa kumquat pollen with green finger lime.
No problem! I'm just reintering some of the great advice in this thread.

Besides pollination: Millet up there also said keep them well watered and Lebmung said they're understory plants so beware of sun stress. I hope they set well.

Fingerlimes are zygotic so the seeds will be hybrids, I definitely recommend planting (or mailing me *cough cough* ;)) some of those seeds when your fruit set    ;D