The Tropical Fruit Forum

JJRO,  a variegated sport happens from time to time.  However, it happens more frequently with the variety Cara Cara.  Send us a picture when, and if, the variegated sport develops a mature fruit.

Long ago it was found that adding drainage rocks to the bottom of the container is not a good idea.  Doing so hinders drainage.  Adding rocks only raises the perched water table HIGHER into the container.  If your not familiar with the term perched  water table you can look it up on the internet.

I looked up "adding rocks"  for you::

This is a popular step, but Willis says it’s best to skip it. Adding a layer of gravel or rocks to the bottom of a pot actually reduce drainage rather than promote it.

As Willis explains, water doesn’t move easily from one media layer to another, even from a fine-textured material like potting mix to a denser material like gravel or rocks. So instead of the extra water draining into the gravel, the water will gather or “perch” in the bottom part of the soil until it becomes saturated, leaving no space for air to circulate.

Without good drainage and aeration, the plant roots can become severely stressed and more susceptible to plant diseases, and potentially drown and die.

Lyn38 you should be OK to use seed.

For my trees I use calcium nitrate, either as a soil treatment or as a foliar spray.

There is a reason that the Baboon Lemon is not used commercially.  t is a seed factory.  Keeping the lemon is up to you.  I would rather spend my time growing a worthwhile lemon cultivar.

rainman I cannot agree with your statement. "once peat is wet it stays wet".. As time goes by of course it DRYS out, and that is why one has to water again.

The answer is obvious.  You purchased the tree last year and have never fertilized it.   Purchase a fertilizer high in nitrogen and potassium and lower in phosphorous with the trace elements.  Fertilize the tree every third watering.  Your tree is WAY under nourished.

I planted a Sour Orange seed that I received from a Catholic Nun in a New Jersey Convent, and it fruited in its 8th year.  Now it produces more fruit then I can ever use.

you can use anything that kills thrip.  The new leaves require protection from the start of the leaf's life, until it becomes mature enough in order to deter leaf curl.

Actually, it is just two ingredients that causes root rot-----lack of oxygen and fungal infections.  Over watering and soil compaction eliminates oxygen from a medium.  Especially when a compacted soil is  over watered.

Sorry for your loss.

I am using plain peat moss, however MGGS works just as well.  Actually, I would have used MGGS instead of peat, but I was out of MGGS so I just used regular peat moss. My mix is now going on 2 years and works great.  You should not have any trouble with either mix.  About the roots, I would just watch it and presently would do nothing.

The reason that the perched water table did not last long in poncirusguy's containers, is because he sucks it out with a vacuum cleaner.