Author Topic: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?  (Read 7343 times)

Zafra

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what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« on: July 18, 2016, 08:42:48 AM »
Not talking about dedicated rootstock types, but rather what citrus can I plant from seed will be compatible with meyer lemon scions? My reading seems to imply that pretty much all citrus takes all citrus, but just wanted to make sure. Will mandarin work? Thanks!

Millet

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2016, 08:51:21 PM »
You could graft Meyer Lemon on just about any rootstock available.  The main reason for selecting a certain rootstock has much more to do with the soil type in your area, such as being clay, sand, dry, water logged acidic, or basic etc.  Know that most Meyer Lemons are normally grown on their own roots, and not grafted upon other rootstocks.  Meyer is among the easiest budwood to root. If it was me, I would just grow a Meyer Lemon on it own stock. - MIllet

Zafra

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2016, 09:04:18 PM »
while i've had fantastic success getting meyer lemon cuttings to root, i've had exactly 0% of the rooted cuttings survive to become plants :(. my one success was a bud graft onto a seedling lemon, which was stolen off my patio. i will now be making my 4th attempt to have meyer lemon - i'll graft a couple of mandarin seedlings because they're what i have, and i'll try yet again to root the other cuttings. just wanted to make sure the mandarins could accept the grafts. thanks for the response!

Millet

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2016, 11:37:09 AM »
Even though you live in Venezuela, a country where you could grow your Meyer Lemon outside in the ground, sounds like you are trying to grow the tree in a container.  Meyer Lemons are among the easiest citrus varieties to grow successfully, unfortunately your luck has not been good.  Therefore, there must be something wrong on a fundamental level.  My first guess would be the growth medium you are using.   For container culture the medium must have good drainage.  It is not the amount of water that causes the problem, you can apply all the water you wish if the tree's medium has good drainage. - Millet

Zafra

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2016, 02:13:07 PM »
no no I was going to plant my tree out in the ground, just hadn't found its spot yet. it was still small, in a medium sized nursery bag (which was why it was so easy to steal). as for the rooted cuttings, I've never been able to get them past the plastic cup stage, when their roots are barely an inch long and just showing at the bottom of the cup. then, no matter how great they look, even if they've pushed a leaf or two, they just stop growing and die. nothing i do seems to change this - i've had it happen with around 30 cuttings. i thought maybe it was because the growing medium lacked nutrients, so i tried transplanting as soon as they had some roots to a mix that included some worm castings (still with excellent drainage), and they still just stopped growing and died. it's the weirdest thing. very frustrating. which is why i was so excited when the graft took off. and so devastated when it was stolen. anyway, i have yet another chance coming. any suggestions welcome.

Pancrazio

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #5 on: July 20, 2016, 12:15:54 PM »
I have heard that lemon on poncirus/poncirus hybrid can give compatibility issues starting from the 2nd year after the graft.
I think that one poncirus rootstock avoiding this is the benton citrange.
Since your location however, i think that maybe you are not going to want pure poncirus roostockt?
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Millet

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #6 on: July 20, 2016, 02:53:14 PM »
Actually, being that Meyer Lemon is so absolutely easy to root, if I lived in Venezuela I think I might just stick a good piece of budwood directly in the ground and grow a tree straight away. - Millet

Axier

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2016, 04:24:08 AM »
I have heard that lemon on poncirus/poncirus hybrid can give compatibility issues starting from the 2nd year after the graft.
I think that one poncirus rootstock avoiding this is the benton citrange.
Since your location however, i think that maybe you are not going to want pure poncirus roostockt?

I have a Meyer lemon grafted on inground Poncirus trifoliata and, for the time being, it grows and fruits like weed.
This is the third year of the graft (grafted by me).
« Last Edit: July 21, 2016, 04:28:14 AM by Axier »

Pancrazio

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #8 on: July 21, 2016, 07:14:17 AM »
I hope you are right because i have a lemone grafted on poncirus trifoliata too (also, self-produced graft). But Bitters reports:

"Problems with both Eureka and Lisbon lemons on trifoliate, Troyer, and Carrizo citrange have been clearly pointed out by Bitters (1952), Weathers et al. (1955), Salibe (1965), Nauriyal, Shannon, and Frolich (1958 a, 1958b), McClean (1974 b), and others. 
However, Long et al. (1978) report that Eurekas grow fine on Benton citrange in Australia. "

http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/links/documents/Bitters.pdf

Page 63.

Maybe since Meyers aren't true lemon won't give problems?
To me trifoliate is very valuable because in my place citrus already don't grow easily, and Benton isn't readily available, but seems that trifoliate isn't the way to go for lemons.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2016, 07:16:24 AM by Pancrazio »
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Axier

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #9 on: July 21, 2016, 10:42:29 AM »
According to this more recent Australian document:

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/137713/5a-lemon-rootstocks.pdf

Poncirus trifoliata is compatible with many lemon varieties

« Last Edit: July 21, 2016, 10:44:24 AM by Axier »

Pancrazio

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #10 on: July 21, 2016, 07:25:49 PM »
Well, better this way then, hopefully i won't have any other issue with my lemon. I trying to save an old clone my grandpa left us, i don't know what rootstock the old man used, but i guess it was some seed grown lemon because few winter ago it got quite some frost and now it's dead for the most part. Half of the plant already crumbled because the old rooststock died for the most part.
Now if i were able to figure what kind of lemon is the one i grow and especially how my variety is called in the US, would be awesome...
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lavender87

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #11 on: July 17, 2019, 02:44:59 PM »
Axier, the chart listed eureka lemon as imcompatible for trifoliate rootstock. Since harvey lemon shared 99% of the traits of eureka lemon, I am wondering if by any chance the harvey lemon would be compatible with trifoliate rootstock.

Bomand

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #12 on: July 17, 2019, 03:51:28 PM »
Volk is compatable with lots of lemon. Its lemon/lemon. Compatibily changes with soil type and area. Poncirus does well in lots of soil types...
but it is not my choice for lemon.

Laaz

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Re: what serves as rootstock for meyer lemon?
« Reply #13 on: July 17, 2019, 03:59:19 PM »
I grow all of my lemons on Swingle & have never had a issue.