The Tropical Fruit Forum

I believe the only diseases that can be transmitted by seed are psoriasis, citrus leaf blotch virus, and variegated chlorosis.  As Brian asked, have you looked in the food stores.  Key Limes are extremely common in the supermarkets.  Key limes are among the fastest to produce fruit from a planted seed.  When yo plant a Key Lime seed you can expect fruit in the second year. - Millet

MicroKote is designed to improve nutrition and root development of plants grown in containers. MicroKote contains calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc bound in a latex coating to provide delayed release of the nutrients when the roots reach the sides of the container. The actual purpose of Microkote is supposed to be a deliver system of micro nutrient and not root pruning.  In the past there has been copper coated containers used for root pruning by coating the inside of the container wall to kill the root tips, supposedly causing root branching.  Copper is an essential element for plant growth, but copper coated pots release huge quantities of copper into the container growth medium, thereby destroying the desirable ratios and proportions among the micronutrients.  John Ruther found that 3,000 ppm of copper is needed to do root pruning.  This  amount of copper cause a problem of copper in excess, absorption of iron becomes restricted, causing the common chlorosis of plants in copper coated pots.  - Millet

There is a special Nursery Marking Pen, called the Garden Marker. The pen is sunfast, waterprof and permanent. It writes on plastic, wood or metal.  I purchase them from HPS catalog. - Millet

Citrus trees, under certain circumstances, are more resistant to frost and freeze than under others.  Disease conditions,  undernourished trees, insects, the degree of dormancy, all bear an important relation to the amount of cold a tree can successfully withstand.  Diseased conditions reduce the resistant power of the tree as much as do attacks of insects.  Citrus trees are in much better condition to withstand cold when well supplied with food, so that they form healthy vigorous shoots and well develop leaves, than when trees are starved or only poorly fed. It has been shown, in many instances, that trees affected by white-fly, scale or mealybugs, suffer to a far greater degree in a cold period than those free from these pests. Unfortunately, the citrus tree is not distinctly periodic in its growth.  It responds readily to short periods of warm weather. The sap starts to flow, and the buds begin to swell. In this condition a citrus tree may be severely injured by a comparatively higher temperature. How many degrees more of cold a tree will stand when dormant than when not dormant cannot be definitely stated, but the difference is appreciable. - Millet

That there exists a mutual interrelation between the root stock and cion cannot be doubted.  In many cases a hardy stock has a market influence on the power of the cion to withstand cold without injury.  In order of frost resistance root stocks can be arranged as follows: trifoliate orange, sour orange, sweet orange, grapefruit, and rough lemon. Further it has repeatedly been observed that tree suffer more from cold if the preceding period had been dry.

To date, Arctic Frost Hardy is one of the most cold-tolerant Satsumas that can be grown, enabling successful fruit production in areas where winter temperatures do not dip below 12 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit for any length of time. Blooms and new foliage emerge later than other citrus, after all chance of frost is past, indicative of its hardiness. In areas that get only occasional temperatures this low, enterprising gardeners can shelter the small tree with a covering of fabric and a poly tarp, weighted to the ground forming a tent to gather and trap heat from the earth. Another strategy is to include a few incandescent light bulbs or old-fashioned, heat-producing Christmas tree lights underneath to add a few degrees overnight. Growing these plants next to a south-facing wall or under a bit of high shade will also offer a degree or two of protection and the use of an anti-transpirant will also help. At some point get too large to cover. Older trees do withstand cold temperature drops more easily so mounded soil, mulch or hay can be stacked as high up the trunk as feasible for protection

Here is the traditional picking bag. - Millet

bsBullie, no if a fruit is classified as a tangor than it cannot be classified as a mandarin.  Actually, the word Tangerine has no  official standing at all.  The official word of description is mandarin.  The word Tangerine came into common  popular usage because the fruit originally came into the USA from Tanagers. In reality no one really know the parentage of the Florida Honey.  I have seen different text give what they think the parents might be.  I would give your UF listing as a highly respected possible parentage. - Millet

Some members have asked why their pictures have shown up sideways.  I asked the forum's administration and here is the answer.   'I think the reason the pics are showing up sideways is because they are not adjusting them before uploading them. Tell the people with the issue to rotate the picture BEFORE uploading it and it should work. If they are uploading from their phone, it may be more difficult." - Millet

citradia, Oh it is St. Fiacre.  No wonder all was well.  I also have Saint Fiacre standing tall in my greenhouse.  He is a hard worker. - Millet

The University of Florida's  Lake Alfred breeding program has found several rootstocks that appear to tolerate greening better than existing trees, Grosser told several hundred growers at a Thursday morning seminar in Bonita Springs.

A commercial citrus tree is a combination of two varieties. A rootstock is designed primarily for the soil conditions in an area. A scion produces a specific fruit variety, such as a Valencia orange or a white grapefruit, is grafted onto the rootstock.

Tolerance means the rootstock has a lower frequency of greening infection or, if infected, the disease has less an effect on tree health, Grosser said.

The greening-tolerant rootstocks are ready for widespread field tests, at least an acre of plantings in various parts of the state, he said. That's the next test before one or more of the rootstocks can be released to growers for general use. - Millet

Tom, did you protect your Satsuma trees throughout the winter months by supplying higher temperatures during the winter? In other words, did your Satsuma trees get the required amount of chill hours to inable the tree's buds to differentiate from foliage buds into flower buds? - Millet

My 4" potted Gold Nugget Mandarin arrived today from Logees greenhouse.  The tree was about 18" tall with two medium side branches and two newly emerging side branches at the top of the tree.   The scion portion of the tree look quite healthy.  Due to  the tree spending its whole life inside a 4" pot, the root system was very root bound.  I washed out all the medium (1/4" pine bark and a little peat), unraveled the root system and temporarily transplanted it into a 1 gallon container.   I have a 3-gallon Air Root Pruning container (ARPC) which I filled with cedar mulch soaking over night.  Tomorrow I will again transplant the Gold Nugget into its permanent 3-gallon home.  The full price of the  Logees Gold Nugget tree was $29.95 for the tree, $11.95 shipping & handling, making a total of $41.90.  Not all that expensive, but still it was a 4" container tree.   It should grow up and become a good tree. In the end I was mostly satisfied- Millet

I told my Doctor about grapefruit, and he switched me to Crestor about 5 weeks ago. - Millet