first Indio Mandarinquat

[brian]

I picked my first one today.  I'm disappointed, it isn't nearly as good as other kumquats.  The juice and pulp is decent, the skin is thin and sort of dry, has little to no flavor or sweetness.
  I would suggest anybody interested in these to try another variety.

[Millet]

Perhaps the fruit will improve as your tree ages.  Indio Mandarinquat came into this world as a seedling from an old Nagami Kumquat tree, I believe that was growing on the UCLA campus.  How many kumquat types do you now have? The Fukushu kumquat that you recommenced that I might purchase, has a wonderful taste. - Millet

[mrtexas]

The indio IMHO is just a sour citrus. It has lots of sour juice. Not great as an edible kumquat.
I like changshou, nagami, and meiwa. I'm growing nordman seedless for making marmalade.
My favorite marmalade is changshou. I quit growing indio a long time ago.

[brian]

It will be nice if tbe fruit improves, as Im not planning on getting rid of the tree.  Its certainly edible just not as good as tbe others.

I have nearly every kumquat and hybrid available at this point.  My limequat died, so ill be getting another one of those, and another forum member tipped me off on a local source for Red Lime (rangpur x kumquat).   I wish there were more varieties.  I might try open pollinating some.

I have:

Hong kong
Nordmann seedless nagami
Meiwa
Marumi
Fukushu/changshou
Indio mandarinquat
Nippon orangequat
Sunquat

Some I havent gotten fruit from yet

[Millet]

Brian, I don't think that the Hong Kong kumquat is an eatable variety?  Whatever, it certainly is an great looking ornamental tree. - Millet

[mrtexas]

It will be nice if tbe fruit improves, as Im not planning on getting rid of the tree.  Its certainly edible just not as good as tbe others.

I have nearly every kumquat and hybrid available at this point.  My limequat died, so ill be getting another one of those, and another forum member tipped me off on a local source for Red Lime (rangpur x kumquat).   I wish there were more varieties.  I might try open pollinating some.

I have:

Hong kong
Nordmann seedless nagami
Meiwa
Marumi
Fukushu/changshou
Indio mandarinquat
Nippon orangequat
Sunquat

Some I havent gotten fruit from yet

You lack the Texas hybrid meiwa x nagami which is seedless but sour. I used to have one. IMHO limequat is not worth growing. I've grown eustis, lakeland, and tavares. Tavares is best and the largest. It is the size of indio mandarinquat but yellow. Doesn't taste like lime however nor do the other two.

I've tasted the marumi or hong kong. It was much smaller than meiwa but tasted pretty good.

[bsbullie]

I dont see the Centennial Kumquat on your lust.  Of all I have tried, its my favorite. ..of course you have to like the sour/tart fruit (nicely offset by the sweet skin).

[Galka]

I like the Centennial too. Nice ornamental and the taste is good. Meiwa is really good. I have a limequat that is quite good in taste and the skin is soft somewhat sweet, it's not tart or sour. I expected the fruit to be sour like a lime but it has a unique taste. So far these three varieties are my favorite. Never tasted an orangequat.

[Millet]

Dr. Rrlie Powell from Petal From The Past Nursery on the Orangequat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpvinNxnne8

Millet

[brian]

I picked up the Hong Kong kumquat for $10 from a local shop.  I realize the fruit is supposed to be inedible, I got it mostly as a curiosity and to round out my kumquat collection.  It hasn't fruited yet. 

I realize there are a few different limequats and lemonquats... I'll probably just stick with one of each.  Thanks for the reommendation on Lakeland Tavares,  I will likely get this instead of the Eustis that died.  I had tried a ripe limequat of some sort and it was pretty tasty.  Never had a lemonquat/sunquat. 

I forgot to list centenniel kumquat... I do have one of these though it hasn't fruited yet.  I also have a bunch of calomondins which I think are kumquat hybrids. 

The first nippon orangequat I had was unimpressive.  I'm hoping the current batch that is still yellow will taste better.

Mrtexas, I've never heard of the hybrid you mentioned and I can't find information on it online.  Do you have any more info on this you can provide?  Does it have a common name?

[brian]

Thanks for the video on the nippon orangequat.  That is a fine looking tree.  The video mentions that the fruit gets less sour over time so I wil leave a couple on the tree for the next couple months and see how it changes.

[Millet]

Both Tom and I have been inside Dr. Powell's citrus greenhouse, and seen all his trees.  Dr. Powell is very knowledgeable concerning  citrus.  I also met Dr. Powell several times at various Citrus Expos - nice guy. - Millet

[Central Floridave]

Thanks for the kumquat discussion/info. I've been eating my Nagami kumquat every day the past couple of weeks.  I like them. Great for putting in cheek while doing yard work!

[mrtexas]

I picked up the Hong Kong kumquat for $10 from a local shop.  I realize the fruit is supposed to be inedible, I got it mostly as a curiosity and to round out my kumquat collection.  It hasn't fruited yet. 

I realize there are a few different limequats and lemonquats... I'll probably just stick with one of each.  Thanks for the reommendation on Lakeland Tavares,  I will likely get this instead of the Eustis that died.  I had tried a ripe limequat of some sort and it was pretty tasty.  Never had a lemonquat/sunquat. 

I forgot to list centenniel kumquat... I do have one of these though it hasn't fruited yet.  I also have a bunch of calomondins which I think are kumquat hybrids. 

The first nippon orangequat I had was unimpressive.  I'm hoping the current batch that is still yellow will taste better.

Mrtexas, I've never heard of the hybrid you mentioned and I can't find information on it online.  Do you have any more info on this you can provide?  Does it have a common name?

meiwa x nagami was bred in Texas by the older generation of citrus guys here in Texas in the 1960 and 1970s. The old guys are dead and they were the ones that liked to make citrus crosses in hopes of getting more cold hardy edible citrus. But since 1989 there haven't been any citrus killing freezes here in the Houston area. They used to sell meiwa x nagami at some of the master gardeners sales of long ago. Memories of bad freezes are fading fast. Dr Brown(MD) and Dr Nagle(rocket scientist) are two that made similar crosses. I met both of those guys shortly before they died. I bought both similar crosses at one MG sale around 2000. When I discovered although they were both seedless they had far more juice and were more sour than nagami I sold them off to someone else. I'll take nordman seedless nagami or changshou any day as a better kumquat. I don't here too much talk of late of "cold hardy" citrus. Houston is full of large grapefruit and navel orange trees now with a bad citrus killing freeze so many years ago. Dr Nagle used to sell a booklet "Citrus for the Texas Gulf Coast" about the available "cold hardy" citrus that used to be available in the area and I used to have a copy. https://sites.google.com/site/mrtexascitrus/home/citrusmyths

Nagle’s Seedless
Discovered by Dr. Stewart Nagle. This kumquat has a great sweet-tangy flavor without
all those seeds. Survives to 17º F or below.

[Central Floridave]

Nice website mrtexas. I'll peruse it. 

The nagami I have seems to be mostly seedless. 1 in 10 fruits will have a single seed in it.   I really am enjoying them this year. 

Seems like Dec 2015 the flesh was sour, but now here in late Feb, both the skin and flesh are sweet, but of course tart.  It is a perfect fruit to just pop in the mouth and slowly chew on.  It is like citrus candy.  If there is a seed, I chew that and eat it as well as they are tender enough to do it. 

[Millet]

Phil, I was lucky enough to purchase a copy of  Dr. Nagel's book "Citrus For The Gulf Coast" some years back.  The book contains 89 pages of his knowledge.  - Millet

[brian]

Thanks for the info mrtexas, I'll have to keep an eye out for this variety.

I have little interest in "cold hardy" citrus because for me cold hardy means around -5F, of which no citrus can survive as far as I know.  Given this, I have to have a heated greenhouse so temperature is no longer a concern.  I'm interested in kumquats and hybrids because I like the taste and the convenience of being able to eat the whole fruit.  I think kumquat hybrids over a certain size are probably not worthwhile for this because if you have to eat it like an apple you don't get a consistent mix of feel/flesh/juice and likely just a bland peel and a sour interior.  My nippon orangequats are as large as mandarins or small oranges, larger than I would like.

[krsnakumari]

This is a great variety that should sweeten and gain more mature flavor characteristics with age.
The general rule with kumquats is; 'The more heat, the more sweet."

BUT If it never improves despite perfect care it could be a 'dud.' 
UC Riverside research has shown that the side of the tree in which cuttings are taken (for fruiting wood, at least) affects the fruitfulness and growth of the resulting grafted tree. Since seeing this research in person about four years ago, I've not seen these results published.  Which may explain why horticulturists and propagators aren't yet taking advantage of this quality angle. 

As one might expect, the research presented showed that cuttings taken from S/SW/SE sides tended to be most vigorous and fruitful and contribute to best success of resultant trees.  Cuttings from N direction are least vigorous.

[Millet]

krsnakumari wrote: ......."UC Riverside research has shown that the side of the tree in which cuttings are taken (for fruiting wood, at least) affects the fruitfulness and growth of the resulting grafted tree"........

Krsnakumari, your statement is interesting, because it also  has a direct parallel with the taste and quality of the tree's fruit.  Photosynthetic activity in nearby leaves has long been thought to influence levels of soluble solids in fruit, and these solids are predominantly sugar.  Classic research showed that the highest solids were in fruit picked from the outside of the tree on the southeast, south and west exposures.  Positions where the light intensity and photosynthetic activity are the greatest.

On a personal context.  When picking fruit for oneself and family, use the fruit on the outside of the tree on the southeast, south and west exposure, and fruit for your neighbors pick from the inside of the tree and the north side - LOL.

Millet

[SoCal2warm]

Something else many people don't realize, mandarinquat is very cold hardy, more so than calamondin.

One person commented that they seemed to be ready to pick by late September, when they still looked a little green and unripe, and had much more juice and flavor than when picked later in the Winter. It was growing in a container.
"Mandarinquats this year tastes excellent! I want more", calamondindave(Zone 8a, NC) , garden forum Houzz

Someone else commented that they had been growing kumquats and a mandarinquat outside in the ground in Seattle for a 3 years.
"Hybridizing cold hardy citrus to grow in the Pacific Northwest", Matt Hedlund, permies.com forum, beginning of 2018

[mrtexas]

Someone else commented that they had been growing kumquats and a mandarinquat outside in the ground in Seattle for a 3 years.
"Hybridizing cold hardy citrus to grow in the Pacific Northwest", Matt Hedlund, permies.com forum, beginning of 2018

Please provide link. I'm from Missouri. I think unprotected kumquats and mandarinquats wouldn't survive the prolonged freezes
in the Pacific NW.

[Bush2Beach]

I really enjoy the Indio flavor over other Quat's I've tried. It also fruits more and twice a year.

[CA Hockey]

I was disappointed with my Indio mandarinquat as wellZ this was my first year trying it. Was so disappointed I read up more about them (I should have done this first🤬).

Sounds like they do improve wig age but not by much. May be better to season/marinate food which is how I use calamindins. The calamondins though are so very giving.

K

[Linh]

Yes, it is sour, but it looks very nice and dark orange.

[Ava]

My daughter purchased an indio mandarinquat on a trellis and planted it against the front wall of her Houston house as an espalier.  Three years later, it's outgrown the trellis, so we asked our handyman to build a larger, stronger frame.  Noting that the water main into the house was less than a foot away, he asked about the tree's root system.  I've looked all over the Internet and can't find anything to indicate the size of the root system and whether or not leaving the tree where it is may pose problems down the line.  Any suggestions will be deeply appreciated!