Meiwa Kumquat (Fortunella crassifolia)

[Millet]

Received a Meiwa Kumquat tree from Logee's Greenhouse today.   As normal Logee's markets  their citrus trees in 2.5 inch and 4 inch containers.  Meiwa comes in a 2.5 inch container. The tree was surprisingly beautiful  in structure and was a well grown tree, standing about 15 inches tall.  I am well satisfied. I transplanted the tree into a square 1 gallon RootMaker Air Root Pruning Container (ARPC), and will move it on up into larger ARPCs as the tree grows. - Millet

[buddyguygreen]

Logees is legit, its amazing the variation on fruiting species they have in Connecticut. All their plants look and arrive in great condition.

[brian]

The first fruit on my meiwa last year were very grainy and without tartness.  I have some nearly ripe right now and I am hoping this year's crop will be better, and that the last was due to poor treatment. 

Also, good to hear that you are happy with Logees.  Their catalog looks awesome but I had heard a lot of bad things about them.  Maybe things have improved.

[Millet]

Meiwa Kumquats are the sweetest of the kumquats. The peel is sweet, and because Meiwa has a thicker peel than the other kumquat varieties, it thickness is what gives it the sweeter taste.  Brian, by the way, my Fukushu Kumquat (which I purchased on your recommendation) is now in fruit, with some of the fruit starting to turn yellow.  I will be able to start eating in a couple weeks or so.  - Millet

[brian]

I had heard that meiwas are supposed to be sweeter but the fruit on mine were almost completely without juice and tartness.  I suspect the tree may have become too dry... I will see very soon.

My fukushu fruits are nearly fully orange now.  I will probably eat them all when I next water all the greenhouse trees.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  I also have indio mandarinquats, marumi kumquats, and nippon orangequat ripening.  These are all varieties I have never eaten.

[cory]

I've bought a lot of plants from Logee's for many years and never had any problems with diseased or unhealthy plants, both directly from their store and online purchases.  The plants may be small but they have so many rare and exotic  varieties that are hard to find anywhere else and because they are small they are relatively inexpensive.  You will find many of their plants in botanical gardens and personal garden collections.  It is a fascinating collection of plants and well worth taking a trip there to see it if you are in the area. Smaller cuttings and seedlings need more TLC than more mature plants and purchasers should realize this and make sure they give the plants immediate attention when they bring them home or as soon as they are delivered so that problems do not set in from stress from shipping or being in a new location.  Unfortunately beginner gardening enthusiasts often do not understand this and blame stress issues on the grower.  Logee's is a family business spanning several generations, and they are nice people and very helpful and would not intentionally sell unhealthy plants I believe after doing business with them for so many years.  I do not know them personally but found them very honest, helpful, and knowledgeable over the years.  Their greenhouses are immaculate and very organized.  Most plants are cuttings from their mother plants that are the most amazing specimen plants you will see anywhere.  Anyone that has a greenhouse knows how difficult it is to keep your greenhouse totally bug and disease free, but after going to the Logee greenhouses many times and seeing the staff constantly at work planting, caring for, and maintaining the plants and growing areas, I have seen they are probably as bug and disease free as a greenhouse operation can be.  They carry a fairly wide variety of citrus plants, but not nearly as many as the specialist citrus growers in the south and west, and many are cuttings from some of their very old specimen plants.  You can get interesting varieties such as Valentine pumello, the huge Ponderosa Lemon, calamondine, Key Lime,Meyer Lemon, some mandarin and Satsuma oranges such as Dancy, Owari,and Gold Nugget, the sweet Ujukitsu lemon, Kaffir Limes, Valencia, and several kumquats and their hybrids, to name a few.....such a variety from a Ct. grower!  They do have some grafted varieties also.  But, if you want larger and more established citrus you should look at some of the growers from true citrus growing areas.  But Logee's does have a nice selection for especially northeastern houseplant enthusiasts that might want to try growing a smaller containerized plant far away from the ideal climate of the citrus growing regions.  Logee's proves it can be done and offers many videos on you tube to help their northern customers do the same.  Once those growers find out that they can actually get citrus fruit and the deliciously fragrant flowers, then they often expand their horizons and start looking for more varieties from the specialty growers from citrus areas as long as the plants are not quarantined.  I am always sad to read negative comments about Logee's as they seem to work very hard to give their customers good value for their plants. 

Cory

[cory]

My Fukushu Kumquat got its fruit late this year because we had such a cold start to spring and summer here in NJ.  But it did finally set fruit in August.  I read that it needs warmer temperatures to start setting fruit....above 70's at night I think.  I bought my tree from Logee's several years ago.  It blooms and sets fruit regularly.   It is a very pretty shaped tree.  The leaves are rounder than any of my other citrus trees, and the flowers are beautifully scented.   The fruit is larger than a Meiwa, round like a Meiwa but more yellow colored when ripe.  It is fairly seedy.  It is almost as sweet as Meiwa, and it is much sweeter than Nagami.  I would recommend it, even just for its looks and fragrance as a houseplant.

Cory

Cory

[brian]

Hmm, my first year of Fukushu kumquats were seedy - the tree had arrived from Fourwinds with unripe fruits already set.  Subsequent years have been few or zero seeds.  I suspect that being pollinated affects this like some other varieties.   

[brian]

My Meiwa tree has a heavy crop this year and the fruit is very good.  Nothing like last year when it was dry and tasteless.  Last year the tree must have been unhealthy or conditions poor. 

It's a little less tart than Fukushu, and a little seedier.  Still very good for fresh eating, though.