Author Topic: Best zone 8 hardy citrus  (Read 1507 times)

D-Grower

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Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« on: July 28, 2021, 04:43:52 PM »
Have a bunch of trifoliate orange seedlings that I might be able to graft in the spring. Startinf to think of types of citrus to possibly graft on them. Im in the Florida panhandle in a solid zone 8 environment.  Temps can get as low as 15F every once and awhile but usually don't break the high to mid 20s.  Just wanting to hear recommendations on the best cold hardy citrus out there. Don't care what varieties.  Just want fruit. Kumquats, calamondin, oranges, grapefruit,  what the hell ever. Not picky in the least just want trees I wont need to protect and will set reasonable quantities of fruit. What y'all thinking?
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Millet

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2021, 04:55:52 PM »
Mandarins and satsumas

D-Grower

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2021, 07:54:40 PM »
I have a brown select satsuma in the yard. Actually gonna get fruit this year for the first time. Wouldnt mind getting other types like Owari or Kimbaugh. Mandarins would be great too. Growing out a few seedlings of a local small tangerine of some sort. Very good but not very large. Hope the seedlings make fruit as good as the parent trees.

Also growing out a calamondin from seed. Had one in my grandmother's backyard as a kid and always loved the sourness. Makes a mean jelly.

What varieties of oranges would anyone recommend?  Growing out some from seed that are local in my area and grow pretty much true to parents.  Several generations of trees on my friend's several properties that his dad transplanted from an island in the Chipola river close to a 80 years ago. My buddy is in his 60s and his dad had done this as a man in his 20s. Been along time. Takes roughly 8 years to fruit but they are very good oranges especially for some variety found growing wild and furthermore the trees on his lands virtually receive zero special care. Produce heavily and have juicy sweet oranges. Also on his land there are Duncan white grapefruit trees. Several generations from seeds all over. Pretty good big juicy fruit albeit seedy. 5 years or so to fruit from seeds on those. Also a few kumquats growing out there. Both the oval more tart ones and also round sweeter ones. So awesome having exclusive rights to pick as many as we can eat while they are in season. However would like them going in my own yard so I dont even have to go anywhere.  That is already in progress.

Any odd ball varieties like citrons or sudachi etc are welcomed suggestions.  I'm sure there's tons of citrus I haven't heard about.  Wouldn't mind rangpor lime or whatever too. Suggest away! Really want to hear of stuff I ain't heard of before. Thats the main reason for the topic.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2021, 07:58:07 PM by D-Grower »
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brian

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2021, 09:50:02 PM »
I'm not aware of any citrons that are good for fresh eating.  They are more of a garnish or special ingredient.  Rangpur is pretty terrible in my opinion.  I think you are on the right track with mandarins and kumquats

Galatians522

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #4 on: July 28, 2021, 10:51:56 PM »
Wayne Hannah at the University of Georgia came out with several varieties of citrus in 2016 that are suposed to be more cold resistant: Sweet Frost Tangerine, Grand Frost Lemon, and Pink Frost Grapefruit. He claims that they should be able to be grown by home owners anwhere south of Cordele GA.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://research.uga.edu/news/science-you-can-peel/&ved=2ahUKEwiVqNL6oYfyAhUvSzABHcluC-cQFjADegQIDRAC&usg=AOvVaw20FEfHksRy27VB__LPH6LP

Also, since you said you wanted stuff that you had not heard of before, there is a new variety of orange called Sun Dragon that has genes from trifoliate orange. It was bred for HLB resistance, but would surely have added cold tollerence to my way of thinking. Other options might include kumquat hybrids like, orangequat, limequat, sunquat, and yuzuquat. I have not grown any of these but have been tracking the development of the north Florida/south Georgia citrus industry with interest.

W.

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2021, 12:44:28 AM »
Too bad you are in Florida under citrus quarantine. Otherwise, I have been trying to get rid of my extra rangpur lime seedlings.

Rangpur limes seem to be polarizing. Jared, on his Weird Explorer channel, reviewed the fruit and liked it: https://youtu.be/1pQMyg05mHE. Brian and a couple of other people here on the forum do not like it. If you have plenty of space and can find a tree, give it a try. You might like it; you might not.

D-Grower

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2021, 07:03:19 AM »
Thanks for all the great replies!

I'm not picky in the least with flavors more often than not. As long as rangpur is somewhat similar to limes in general I'm sure I won't mind it at all. Dang wish you could send me a seedling. I would certainly pay for one if I could. Laws...

Up here in the panhandle I haven't noticed any major diseases on the citrus. Maybe leaf miners or whatever but nothing like the trees you see in south Florida where im from. Sad that most residential trees are basically on tgeir way out. So many trees I had eaten from as a kid are totally shot now. Guess shit happens eh? Maybe some resistant varieties that aren't gmo will be bred and available for south Florida growers before long. I mean we were known for our citrus. Very sad indeed.
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poncirsguy

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2021, 09:06:55 AM »
Florida!  don't waist your time or money.  HLB will kill it before it even fruits.  All fruit must ripen before first hard frosts.

manfromyard

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2021, 03:32:04 PM »
North Florida, probably sudachi,  calamondin, meyer lemon, Satsuma.  Keep in mind that in Florida, like georgia,  California,  Louisiana,  Texas, it might be illegal to grow citrus from seed. You might be restricted to Florida approved budwood. In that case,  don't think you'll get yuzuquat, yuzvange,  or any of the rarer varieties.

Millet

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #9 on: July 29, 2021, 05:27:12 PM »
Currently it is illegal to grow a citrus  tree in Florida from seed.

brian

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #10 on: July 29, 2021, 09:23:51 PM »
Quote from: D-Grower
I'm not picky in the least with flavors more often than not. As long as rangpur is somewhat similar to limes in general I'm sure I won't mind it at all...

Fair warning - it is not like a true lime at all!  It looks and tastes like a sour orange with a slight spicy flavor.  I believe it is common in some areas to call any sour citrus a "lime"

Citradia

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #11 on: July 29, 2021, 10:07:08 PM »
https://justfruitsandexotics.com
Try this nursery out of Crawfordville, FL. Just south of Tallahassee. They had a good selection of cold hardy citrus last time I looked at their site. They had Ichang lemon which you should not have to cover. I know some growers in the panhandle still have to protect their satsumas with micro sprinklers in winter. If you can harvest your fruit before frost, meiwa kumquat would be a good choice for you too.

W.

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #12 on: July 29, 2021, 10:33:47 PM »
Currently it is illegal to grow a citrus  tree in Florida from seed.

A pretty draconian policy considering that the horse is already out of the barn door with regards to HLB in Florida. Plus, most sources seem to indicate that HLB cannot be spread through seeds.

D-Grower

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #13 on: July 30, 2021, 09:33:47 AM »
Thanks again for all your replies!

I have been to just fruits. I bought my satsuma there and a nagami (might be spelled wrong) kumquat. Other cool stuff I bought there too. I will make it back there again someday. A few hour drive from me.

W. I wish I could express my opinions on draconian laws about these things. Unfortunately there are those that would jump down your throat if one did so. We really should stop singing the National anthem here in the USA.  Its more like, "Land of the fee, home of the slave", especially these days as laws continue to unnecessarily impose on personal liberty. Not gonna argue with anyone if someone thinks they are gonna say something slick about what I just said. I will straight up ignore you.  So keep it to yourself. This is still supposedly the land of the free right? I'm entitled to my opinions and beliefs at this point  still as far as I know eh?
« Last Edit: July 30, 2021, 09:35:35 AM by D-Grower »
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Galatians522

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Re: Best zone 8 hardy citrus
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2021, 09:53:25 PM »
Thanks again for all your replies!

I have been to just fruits. I bought my satsuma there and a nagami (might be spelled wrong) kumquat. Other cool stuff I bought there too. I will make it back there again someday. A few hour drive from me.

W. I wish I could express my opinions on draconian laws about these things. Unfortunately there are those that would jump down your throat if one did so. We really should stop singing the National anthem here in the USA.  Its more like, "Land of the fee, home of the slave", especially these days as laws continue to unnecessarily impose on personal liberty. Not gonna argue with anyone if someone thinks they are gonna say something slick about what I just said. I will straight up ignore you.  So keep it to yourself. This is still supposedly the land of the free right? I'm entitled to my opinions and beliefs at this point  still as far as I know eh?

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