What’s missing from this citrus collection?

[Cdg4dq]

m in zone 8a NC and have 1 more protected spots for citrus in my yard. I’m trying to decide what I’m “missing” in my collection. In ground I currently have:

- Meyer lemon
- yuzu
- hirado buntan pummelo
- sugarbelle tangelo
- owari satsuma
- Cara Cara orange
- nippon Orangequat
- meiwa kumquat
- Fukushu Kumquat
- ten degree tangerine (yuzu x Clem hybrid)
- NZ lemonade Tree
- US 942 hybrid

I also have a key lime, Buddhas hand, and finger lime in pots

You all have been so helpful as I’ve grown out my “trial garden” here in NC to see what grows well. To that end, are there flavors, attributes, or culinary uses I’m missing? Key harvest seasons (early, middle, late) that I’m missing? I’m leaning towards Xie Shan Mandarin for early harvest and good flavor (based on other posts here), but I’m open to being persuaded.

[Millet]

Your correct that Xie Shan is a great citrus.  It is one that every collection should have.

[Cdg4dq]

Glad to hear it. Hard to find the fruits here in NC, so I have to rely on you all for tasting notes. I’ve see others say that is has “late season flavor on an early season fruit.” I assume that means sweeter/richer flavor without having to wait. Given our climate, early season is always good.

[70Malibu]

I had the - nippon Orangequat, didn't lik the fruit at all, too sour for my taste, got rid of it.
But Indio mandarinquat is really sweet. I was surprised how good this variety is, I got to taste fruits from the UCR research field.You should graft this one.

https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc3759

Also, for kumquat, my favorite is the Seedless Nordmann kumquat. My friend had a large tree (10ft tall) that had thousands of fruits each year. They are so good since you eat the skin and all, no seeds. I have it grafted on my tree, hope it grows faster so I can get more than a handful of fruits.

https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc4070

Also, the best (sweetest) tasting mandarin when I went to a citrus fruit tasting last year was the following 2 varieties, both had a score of 10 out of 10. We tasted about 50 different varieties of citrus fruits that everyone brought over for the tasting.

1. Miho wase
https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc4047

2. Lee X Nova
https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc3991

[akimbo]

m in zone 8a NC and have 1 more protected spots for citrus in my yard. I’m trying to decide what I’m “missing” in my collection. In ground I currently have:

- Meyer lemon
- yuzu
- hirado buntan pummelo
- sugarbelle tangelo
- owari satsuma
- Cara Cara orange
- nippon Orangequat
- meiwa kumquat
- Fukushu Kumquat
- ten degree tangerine (yuzu x Clem hybrid)
- NZ lemonade Tree
- US 942 hybrid

I also have a key lime, Buddhas hand, and finger lime in pots

You all have been so helpful as I’ve grown out my “trial garden” here in NC to see what grows well. To that end, are there flavors, attributes, or culinary uses I’m missing? Key harvest seasons (early, middle, late) that I’m missing? I’m leaning towards Xie Shan Mandarin for early harvest and good flavor (based on other posts here), but I’m open to being persuaded.

Have you thought of adding the Bergamot tree?

[brian]

Grapefruit!

Nordmann seedless nagami kumquat

[Cdg4dq]

I had the - nippon Orangequat, didn't lik the fruit at all, too sour for my taste, got rid of it.
But Indio mandarinquat is really sweet. I was surprised how good this variety is, I got to taste fruits from the UCR research field.You should graft this one.

https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc3759

Also, for kumquat, my favorite is the Seedless Nordmann kumquat. My friend had a large tree (10ft tall) that had thousands of fruits each year. They are so good since you eat the skin and all, no seeds. I have it grafted on my tree, hope it grows faster so I can get more than a handful of fruits.

https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc4070

Also, the best (sweetest) tasting mandarin when I went to a citrus fruit tasting last year was the following 2 varieties, both had a score of 10 out of 10. We tasted about 50 different varieties of citrus fruits that everyone brought over for the tasting.

1. Miho wase
https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc4047

2. Lee X Nova
https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc3991

Very interesting to hear about the Indio. I’m growing it as a lemon/lime substitute + marmalade, but it’d be great to have something fresh eating grafted to it. Any good resources on how to multi-graft? I’ve grafted to root stock, but never to a tree that I’m trying to also grow other fruit on.

[Cdg4dq]

Have you thought of adding the Bergamot tree?

I have, but it seems like it’s pretty cold sensitive. I’m still testing my cold protection methods, but everything I grow outside has to be relatively cold hardy. What do you use the plant for though?

[Cdg4dq]

Grapefruit!

Nordmann seedless nagami kumquat

Great point about nagami and grapefruit. I’m going to try and graft nagami onto an existing kumquat.

I see you’re growing in a greenhouse. How to the grapefruits tolerate being kept small? I need to keep my plants about 6-7 feet tall in order to protect them.

[brian]

Whatever nursery rootstock mine came on was extremely vigorous when planted in-ground in the greenhouse, to the point of being uncontrollable.  I took a cutting of the grapefruit scion and grafted it on to dwarfing flying dragon rootstock and ripped out the original tree.  The dwarf tree is currently in a 5gal container and holding fruit.  I will plant it in-ground at some point when I get a free space

You can get a lot of fruit on a 6-7ft citrus tree.  Before mine got too big it made more fruit than I could eat.  Once I had to aggressively prune it productivity went way down.  I expect the dwarf version won't need much pruning

[akimbo]

Have you thought of adding the Bergamot tree?

I have, but it seems like it’s pretty cold sensitive. I’m still testing my cold protection methods, but everything I grow outside has to be relatively cold hardy. What do you use the plant for though?

Bergamot is the famous added flavor in the British tea, from what I understand! 

Other than that, I don’t know.  I just grow some of these things because it’s cool to grow cool things LOL

[nofspeppers]

Maybe a Blood orange variety or two. Amoa 8 tangor I've seen good things about, haven't tried the fruit yet.

I did eat my first fruit of Excalibur Red Lime which was pretty unique and has some spicyness. I believe one of its parents in a Rangpur lime which is also unique. Haven't tried that one though.

Makrut (kaffir) lime for the leaves if you want to cook those thai dishes.

[Kevin Jones]

Kishu... Kishu... Kishu!
Can't recommend it enough.
Super sweet, EZ peel, seedless and grows great in a container.

Kevin

[BP]

+1 for Kishu, they are sooo good. I bought some and then after eating it bought 3 more little plastic containers of them recently. They made the other mandarins or satsumas I had taste like nothing. The tiniest pieces had so much flavor it blew my mind. I havent tried a lot of the citrus yall have but Kishu are great

[70Malibu]

"Very interesting to hear about the Indio. I’m growing it as a lemon/lime substitute + marmalade, but it’d be great to have something fresh eating grafted to it. Any good resources on how to multi-graft? I’ve grafted to root stock, but never to a tree that I’m trying to also grow other fruit on."

Have you tasted the Indio mandarinquat? It has a very high brix, don't know what makes you think it is a lemon substitue.
It is supposed to be a Kumquat-Tangerine Hybrid. Maybe you got the wrong scions.  The fruits I tasted was from one of our CRFG member who volunteers at the UCR/CCPP research field.

Here's the photo of the fruit and the brix reading I made.

[AndrewAZ]

For your zone, I would get bloomsweet, citrus ujukitsu and "honey"changsha mandarin

[Kevin Jones]

Keep in mind if you grow Kishu you'll need some Winter protection.
It will freeze.

Kevin