Using lousy tangelo as rootstock

[Tropicaltoba]

Hey all,
I’ve had a (now 5ft) minneola tangelo in container for 7 years now and it’s been a complete disappointment. It’s only produced fruit a couple of times and they were the wrong shape and terrible. It has also has a little bit of die back periodically. I’ve repotted, and completely root pruned in the past and the leaves looks otherwise healthy.

My question is with the die back should I use this as a rootstock or just get rid of it?

[sc4001992]

How large is your container/pot for the tree?

[Tropicaltoba]

15 gallon, 5 foot tree, 1.5” trunk diameter.

[Millet]

How  much sunlight does this tree get.   The energy to grow and most importantly to produce fruit requires a lot of sunlight, and of course enough fertilizer.

[Tropicaltoba]

Full sunlight,  I fertigate with every watering. My Meyer lemon and red lime produce 40-100 fruit per year.

[brian]

Tropicaltoba isn't it likely that your minneola is itself grafted?  Do you know its rootstock?  I know you can have interstocks but I don't know much about their usage.

My in-ground light-green/dark-green variegated minneola produced poor fruit.  It was soft and watery and the tree was overly vigorous.  This one was from Harris Citrus, not sure what the rootstock is the label doesn't seem to say.  I removed it and prepared a replacement non-variegated minneola on flying dragon rootstock.  I am growing the new tree in a container for a few years and then putting it in the ground also, hoping for better results.  I have another containerized variegated minneola that produces decent fruit but I will probably go with the non-variegated type long term. 

Some of the best citrus I've ever tasted were minneola tangelos from the grocery store, but they seem to be very inconsistent.  I really don't want to give up on them yet.  Maybe if it is a poor producer for many years I will.

[Tropicaltoba]

Brian, my feelings exactly, the store bought ones (even way up north) were amazing. I’ve never had anything like them. It is grafted but I lost the tag a long time ago before I knew much.

I guess my question is whether anyone else has been in the same situation (semi mature tree, poor fruit so so), just chuck it out? I also have a sugar belle which is of moderate size and looks healthy but has not flowered ye, should I just focus my attention to that one instead? I wondered if they were much diffent.