The Tropical Fruit Forum

THOMASVILLE CITRANGEQUAT
This tree is a very old cultivar developed by the USDA, and is considered the best citrangequat yet developed.  The fruit is egg-shaped, with egg-sized fruit that makes a good lime substitute in summer, I find it good on fish and salads, and becomes edible out of hand by Christmas. Due to the fruit having a thin sweet albedo ( the white inner peel), it makes an excellent marmalade.  The Thomasville citrangequat is a fast fruiting tree from seed, which normally is 3 to 4 years. I had a Thomasville tree and thought that the fruit was very  eatable if left hanging on the tree until around Christmas. Hardy to around 10 degrees F (-12-C)  This is a very good tree to try for yards out of the citrus built. - Millet

http://hardycitrus.blogspot.com/2013/07/thomasville-citrangequat-was-early.html

In my personal citrus collection (about 50 trees), in my opinion Xie Shan is the best tasting variety that I have.  I have 3 Xie Shan trees, and they all came from Harris. - Millet

Scott thanks for the very extensive list, it took a lot of time and effort. Tom, when I was at Petals From The Past nursery, I seen the citrus that Dr. Powell was offering.  Does Dr. Powell ship interstate, or are his tree for local sale.? - Millet

BarbJ, I also would like to see your cheat sheet as to when the various Cuties varieties are being sold. - Millet

RadoslaV, some of your varieties are very difficult trees to locate, at least in the USA.  I envy you having a seedless Marsh grapefruit.  I would like to find one.  Dr. Manners says when Marsh  is left hanging on the tree until March it is the best tasting grapefruit variety of them all, at least in his opinion.  Thanks for showing us your trees.  You have always done a good job growing citrus. - Millet

You could also consider using a shade cloth.  Many greenhouse put a shade cloth over their greenhouse during the summe, to reduce sun damage.  The most common is a 30% shade cloth.  Meaning it blocks out 30 % of the sun. - Millet

redster, as Jcaldeira wrote the first line of defense against canker is exclusion.  Where canker is a major problem, effective control require an integration of all appropriate cultural practices.  In regions where canker is endemic, windbreaks are effective , Working among infected trees when the trees are wet from dew or rain, MUST be avoided.  Leafminer control is particularly important on young trees, and cultivars that have a greater frequency of growth flushes.  Copper sprays have been shown to reduce infection.  Because citrus fruit is particularly susceptible to canker during the first two or three months, it is very important to maintain a spray coating of a copper spray on the rind surface throughout this young growing period.  Two or even three sprays may be required, depending on the amount of rain fall .  Unfortunately, even more spraying is generally required to provide  control on grapefruit, which is very susceptible to canker.    If you are growing Satsumas and Valencia oranges, they are much less susceptible to canker.  Redster,  be consistent and faithful to your attempts of controlling this disease. - My  very best to you and your trees - Millet 

Lotusblos, scale are quite easy to control with a good horticultural oil.  In fact horticultural oil also does a great job controlling  aphids, white flies, mites, and mealybug.  The great thing about horticultural oil, is that it is 100% non toxic. - Millet

Has anyone used gibberellic acid (GA3) as a "pollinator" to set fruit on their citrus trees?  I have and got a huge amount of the blossoms to set fruit on the tree. GA3 also works assome  on tomatoes andpeppers. - Millet

I E-mailed Dr. Brown's cold hardy citrus article to everyone that requested a copy.  If you did not receive a copy, or if I missed anyone  let me know. - Millet

Would you like to grow a citrus tree in your yard, but you don't live in California or Florida?  Would you like to have the only citrus tree in your area? A citrus tree growing outside the warm citrus built would be a tree never before seen by your neighbors.  With the many cold hardy citrus varieties available, you can do this. There  are 30 to 40 citrus varieties citrus that can be grown out of the citrus built with either no protection, or with protection of a couple weeks a year. 

TRIFOLIATE ORANGE ( Poncirus trifoliata) - The most hardy citrus that can be grown without protection as far north as Washington DC in most areas is Trifoliate Orange (Poncirus trifoliata).  This hardy citrus tree is generally given a hardy temperature rating of -15-F (-26-C).  If the Flying Dragon cultivar is planted you will have a strangely crooked but beautiful looking tree.

ICHANG PAPEDA (generally hardy to 0-F (-18-C): is a slow-growing species of Citrus, which has a characteristic lemon scented foliage and flowers. It is native of China. Its main claim to fame is its unusual hardiness, with the exception of Poncirus trifoliata, it is the hardiest citrus tree, tolerating both moderate frost and damp conditions. For this reason, it is one the only species of true citrus which can be reliably grown outside in the temperate areas of Europe and the United States. The tree produces a small mandarin like fruit that is quite fragrant, ripening to yellow or orange. Most people grow the Ichang papeda as an ornamental. The best known of its hybrids include the Ichang lemon, and the popular yuzu, both of which have a number of culinary uses and are notably cold-hardy.

There are many other cold hardy citrus cultivars, some that have a taste sufficient to be eaten out of hand, and still can be grown in colder areas.  These will be added to this post in the days ahead. - Millet   

brian, when you make 55-gallon of a fertilizer solution, just e sure to keep the drum's lid on the drum when not in use. - Millet

brian, thanks for the picture.  I see that 25-5-15 does have magnesium.  However it is only .1%, so one would still have to add magnesium every now and them. - Millet