Author Topic: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit  (Read 12633 times)

Millet

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Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« on: October 26, 2014, 04:03:53 PM »
I picked and ate the first Dekopon  my young tree has produced.  It was very juicy, but not sweet in the least. I realize that young citrus trees just beginning to produce their first crop normally  do not generate great tasting fruit.  In the crops to come the fruit from this tree  will get better and better.  - Millet

Tom

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2014, 08:58:27 PM »
Millet, congratulations ! At least you have a producing Dekopon ! You are way ahead of most of us. My first fruit Kishu are excellent this year with about 30 fruit on a tree probably three years old . It has leaped to #1 on my list. My first year first fruit on a three year old Xie Shan is very disappointing but I knew not to expect much. i have had probably three crops of Owari and they are still barely edible. Nothing special at all yet but again not a big surprise. I have other Owari at least five years old and still little to zero fruit but last winter was tough even though the leaves stayed on fine. I keep thinking 'wait until next year'. Tom

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2014, 10:02:33 PM »
Tom,  Dr.Manners once told us of mandarins that he picked from a 25 year old Mandarin tree (I forgot the actual variety).  He said that old tree produced some of the best citrus he ever had. My oldest tree is a 10-ft. high and 12 ft. wide Cara Cara pink navel orange.  I guess it is now 7 or eight years old, and is producing fruit that is quite good. - Millet
« Last Edit: October 26, 2014, 10:05:32 PM by Millet »

mrtexas

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2014, 11:06:16 AM »
Best citrus fruit I have ever had came from an Owari satsuma tree planted in 1989. Haven't tasted sweeter.
I budded trees from that one and the fruit was average. Just goes to show what tree age and sandy soil
can do for fruit quality.

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2014, 03:49:01 PM »
The reason that a citrus tree growing on sandy soil generally produce excellent tasting fruit, is due to the amount of extra water that must be applied to a tree growing in sandy soil.  It is a tree's transpiration system that carries the fertilizers, proteins, sugars and the other hundreds of organic chemicals that produce healthy trees high quality fruit production. - Millet

MangoFang

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2014, 06:44:07 PM »
Growing my grafted Washington Navel on some unknown rootstock for about 6 years now (HD purchased)
in SUPER SANDY SOIL out here in the Palm Springs desert and giving it all kind of nutrition throughout the year has produced the most watered-down oranges.  Sweet but like if you squeezed the juice out and then added an equal amount of water.  I'm ready to ax the tree and get a Dekopon that I've heard so much about.  Where does one buy the big D these days???

thanks, Gary

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2014, 06:59:05 PM »
Gary, you could have a problem finding a Dekopon tree, because you live in California. You will have to locate an instate supplier, as no out of state supplier can legally ship a citrus tree into California.  Presently I don't know of an Californiae nursery that sells Dekopon. If you ever find one plwAE put their name on this board as many people in California are wanting a Dekopon tree.  - Millet

RyanL

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2014, 09:19:39 AM »
Millet, Your dekopan was probably not mature? They mature around Feb-March. I have some that are starting to yellow and tasted one and notice the same you describe. They have a while to go still.

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2014, 10:04:20 AM »
Thanks Ryan, your probably right. - Millet

Tom

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #9 on: November 02, 2014, 06:08:10 PM »
I'm starting to get a little color in sats but most still very green. Kishu is coloring great and flavor is really good. Xie Shan showing good color and taste is ok. Meyers coloring just a little. Variegated lemon looks cute.  Low last night was supposed to be 33'F. It wasn't supposed to be that low for long.

Best satsuma I ever had was a Brown Select from John Neighbors and the next year the same tree had fruit that was just ordinary. They are probably 12 year old trees outside with a high tunnel for winter. I guess like grapes, some years are just better than others. Tom

harveyc

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2014, 01:03:52 AM »
Gary, you could have a problem finding a Dekopon tree, because you live in California. You will have to locate an instate supplier, as no out of state supplier can legally ship a citrus tree into California.  Presently I don't know of an Californiae nursery that sells Dekopon. If you ever find one plwAE put their name on this board as many people in California are wanting a Dekopon tree.  - Millet

I attended the grower tasting/tour at Lindcove last Friday and I asked Tracy Kahn if UCR had acquired another line of Dekopon to release to the public.  She said they had, though it might not be the same exact strain as what's marketed as Sumo.  She said it is expected to be released from quarantine in 2015 and budwood will first be distributed to nurseries only.  Looks like we may finally get our chance in a few years!

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #11 on: December 24, 2014, 03:34:46 PM »
Today I was transplanting a two year old Dekopon tree from a container into the ground.  In the process I broke a small branch that had a full sized Dekopon fruit, but still green.  I peeled it and ate.  Even at this stage the fruit was very good tasting.  By heating the soil and lighting the tree from sunset to 10:00 PM, the tree should produce 5 growth flushes per year.  So in two more years I couldd well have a good sized tree capable of producing a good crop. - Millet

plantrant

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2015, 09:40:13 AM »
For an interesting but brief interview with the Japanese citrus grower who got the Dekopan going, you can look at the excellent 28 minute long video presentation entitled "Japanology- Satsuma Mandarins", which is on youtube. He said that the trees that he experimented with made much better/sweeter fruit when he found out which moisture supply worked best over a several-year period of experimenting with watering. The similar video on persimmons is also very good.

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2015, 10:30:43 PM »
Here is a very interesting article that was printed in the Los Angles Times about the much sought after citrus variety Dekopon written by David Karp.

http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-dekopon-20110217-story.html

Millet
« Last Edit: October 24, 2015, 10:48:35 PM by Millet »

Tom

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #14 on: October 24, 2015, 10:51:34 PM »
Great article Millet. Thanks ! Why do they say Dekopon gets sweeter when stored after harvest but other citrus is not supposed to get sweeter or better with storage ? Tom

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #15 on: October 25, 2015, 02:10:57 PM »
Citrus do not increase in sugar content after harvest, Dekopon included.  However, the acid content of citrus begins to degrade after harvest, especially in higher temperatures.  As the acid content decreases the fruit tends to taste sweeter, not because it has more sugar, but because it contains less acid (vitamin C) - Millet

Tom

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #16 on: October 25, 2015, 07:26:20 PM »
Is the same true for lemons and Satsumas ? Thanks. Tom

Galka

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #17 on: October 27, 2015, 07:46:54 PM »
Here is my first Dekopon fruit and the tree is flowering again, so I hope it will set more. Do I have to wait till the skin gets all yellow?



RyanL

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #18 on: October 28, 2015, 02:02:46 PM »
They topically are ready late season. meaning Feb-March, you are still several months away before ripeness.

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #19 on: October 28, 2015, 03:13:55 PM »
In Japan, after the fruit are picked, they are placed in a dark room for 20 to 40 days to enhance their sweetness (actually to reduce the acid content). - Millet

Galka

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #20 on: October 28, 2015, 04:46:35 PM »
RyanL, Millet, thank you. :)

cory

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #21 on: October 28, 2015, 04:49:41 PM »
I am in NJ and my Dekapon fruit on two different trees started turning yellow about 2 weeks ago.  This is their first year to fruit.  It would seem they may be ripe way earlier than February. All of my trees all had a huge flush in early January last year so maybe that is why they are ripening so soon? 

Cory

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #22 on: October 29, 2015, 08:52:36 PM »
Cory, your Dekopon will probably be completely yellow around the middle of November.  If you leave in hanging on the tree for a couple months it will be the middle of January.  Then 20 to 40 days in a dark room to reduce the acid content it will be ready in the middle of February.  That is if you want the maximum of sweetness in taste. Also Dekopon trees are grown different than other citrus, they are normally pruned much the same way peaches are pruned.  This is to provide the maximum of light throughout the tree which also promotes sweetness.  The brix level of the fruit can reach 18.. - Millet

cory

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #23 on: October 30, 2015, 04:33:17 PM »
Thanks Millet.  I will leave them on the tree then and do as you say.  I was surprised they were turning yellow already and would not have realized it would still take that much more time to fully ripen.  Glad I asked!  When are cocktail grapefruit/pumello ripe?  My first 6 fruits, first year, 4 year old container tree.  I knocked two off by mistake when bringing them in.  They didn't seem quite ripe to me yet, but they have colored for a while now.  Not bitter, but not acid either.
Cory

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #24 on: October 30, 2015, 10:38:57 PM »
No matter what you do, a young 4 year old container grapefruit tree will not produce all that quality of a fruit.  It is just too young.  However, with grapefruit, most authorities say to leave the fruit hang on the tree until March for the best tasting fruit. The commercial grapefruit industry picks their fruit as soon as possible to get the fruit on the market so they can receive payment.  If they would delay the harvest until March, many more people would like grapefruit than do now. - Millet