Citrus > Cold Hardy Citrus
new thoughts on breeding hardier citrus
Walt:
Last year about this time, a farm supply store was selling citrus marked way down because it was late in the season. The trees looked healthy, so I bought a kumquat tree.
A couple days ago I was there again and there was a kumquat with many flower buds and it was only $7 so I bought it. II took it home and put it by last years kumquat. I then saw that my "kumquat" from last year has trifoliate leaves! I have read many times on this forum that any trifoliate leaves mean it is P. trifoliata or its hybrid. So I googled kumquat leaves pictures. My new blooming tree is really a kumquat. My old tree must be a rootstock whose scion didn't take and no one at the nursery noticed.
So it has been a few days and I'm about over feeling stupid.
I have nothing else in bloom or buds. I'd really like to pollinate these flowers with Hong Kong, Kishu seedless mandarin, or Ponciris trifoliata. I doubt such pollen is being produced this time of year but I thought I'd ask.
kumin:
Poncirus as well as some Poncirus hybrids, in addition to blooming on the previous season's twigs in very early Spring, are capable of reblooming on the newly formed buds intended for next Spring's bloom. These fruits usually fail to mature properly by Fall, but should certainly have viable pollen. I don't have any such flowers at present. but might within the coming month. Your present chances may be better with members farther to the South.
Perplexed:
Precocious trifoliate in my experience can be able to bloom 3 times a year, and right now I see another flower bud preparing to open probably next week. Not able to hold any fruit because of its size but still has viable pollen in spring, summer, and early fall.
kumin:
Perplexed, my standard Poncirus has 3 stages of bloom this year also. In the past, the initial Spring flowers set fruit that ripened in October. The second set of fruit didn't achieve full size, but produced viable seeds. The group flowering at present is a lost cause in regards to mature fruit.
This photo shows large fruit, which will mature, smaller fruit which should provide seeds. The flowers are out of luck, although, as you mentioned, all 3 sets should have fertile pollen.
SoCal2warm:
My thoughts on breeding hardy citrus is it might make sense to try to cross Changsha mandarin with Dunstan citrumelo.
I'm in the PNW, climate zone 8a, and these two varieties have been the ones that have seemed to survive the best in this climate. The others got almost completely wiped out after temperatures went down a little colder than usual. I have trialed a lot of different hardy varieties.
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