The Tropical Fruit Forum
Citrus => Cold Hardy Citrus => Topic started by: kumin on January 31, 2021, 10:35:53 AM
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Interesting video on indoor/outdoor semi-commercial Yuzu growers in New Jersey. The daughter has put her new skills to good use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwTc5929U5g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwTc5929U5g)
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very nice and interesting :)
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Neat video. I have a new respect for my little yuzu tree now.
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Awesome video
It took them 12 years to harvest their first fruit grown from seed, their patience paid off!
Interesting that they mention grafting their potted yuzu to trifoliate for cold hardiness despite having a greenhouse? I'm guessing they also graft for short stature of the trees/ root rot resistance or leaving their pots out longer in the cold?
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Although not mentioned, I'm curious if the top branches were pruned back during the 12 years. If the trees succumbed to the cold, it's possible that they're minimally heated during the Winter. Potted trees are much more vulnerable to cold damage. vnomonee, is this location close enough to you, that you could visit the operation?
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Kumin, Florence NJ is about about a 2 hour drive south west from me it looks like they are about a half hour drive from Philadelphia.
Seems like they grow more than just Yuzu https://www.bhumigrowers.com/products (https://www.bhumigrowers.com/products)
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vnomonee, in that case, they're actually a bit closer to my location. However, it's not an area to which I've ever traveled.
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From the video, it looks like they don't keep their trees outside during the winter, but rather take them inside into the greenhouse.
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Yes, they also cater to a rather posh clientele. Selling profitably on a common consumer market would likely be a financial challenge. The feasibility of growing these fruits in a Winter greenhouse setting must weigh heating costs in the Northeast vs transportation costs from a more climatically adapted area.
The agricultural area in which I live is in the process of an explosion of high tunnel construction. I'm not aware of any Citrus being grown, however. Common crops are, bedding plants, greens, strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, flowers, and vegetable plant plugs. Although not on the elite level of the Netherlands and Israel, almost every small farm has anywhere from one to a dozen cold frames, mostly toward the lower figure.
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I can say from experience that it is *really easy* to grow these fruits in a winter greenhouse. I don't understand why it isn't more common. If you have access to cheap natural gas it isn't even all that expensive.
I donated xerox boxes full of my "exotic, locally-sourced blood oranges" to the nearby food bank because I couldn't give them away fast enough ::)
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Kumin, according to PECO's natural gas availability map: https://www.peco.com/WaysToSave/ForYourHome/Pages/NaturalGasMap.aspx (https://www.peco.com/WaysToSave/ForYourHome/Pages/NaturalGasMap.aspx)
(https://i.imgur.com/Yd6DhzB.png)
wanna start a business? :D
you just gotta move east a bit
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Brian, natural gas is available 2.5 to 4.5 miles from my house, however, I'm not certain if it's available for the rural townships. It's usually available for incorporated municipalities, not farmland, pretty much the same as water and sewer.
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Awesome video
It took them 12 years to harvest their first fruit grown from seed, their patience paid off!
Interesting that they mention grafting their potted yuzu to trifoliate for cold hardiness despite having a greenhouse? I'm guessing they also graft for short stature of the trees/ root rot resistance or leaving their pots out longer in the cold?
Trifoliate is a common root stock selection everywhere. Not just this project. Your never worried about root damage from cold with trifoliate.