Fukushu kumquat Brix vs Time

[poncirsguy]

My Fukushu fruit has just now turned pure Yellow/orange.  Will the acid lessen and sugars increase if I leave these fruits on the tree a month or 2 longer.

[brian]

In my experience, once they are full orange they don't really improve with time like grapefruits and pummelos do.  I am going by taste as I do not hve a brix measuring device.  If they are still slightly yellow maybe wait a bit longer to see if they reach true orange.

The one in your photo looks ripe to me, I suggest you eat it!

[sc4001992]

After reading how Brian really likes the taste of Fukushu, I grafted some scions from UCR and also found a guy with a large tree that gets lots and lots of fruits. Every time I go over to the person's house and pick some ripe looking ones, they only taste ok, nothing as sweet as the Meiwa to me. The fruits are large for a kumquat, but I don't taste anything special that I want to keep it on my trees. I did eat the larger fruits from the Indio Mandarinquat (from UCR field) and it is a very sweet kumquat hybrid.

For me, my favorite tasting kumquats are:
1. Mewa
2. Indio Mandarinquat
3. Nordmann Seedless kumquat

There is a new one now call Honey Crisp kumquat that is supposed to be even better tasting.

[martweb]

Many old me that Indio is relatively sour, but you do not share this experience.

[sc4001992]

That is what I thought before, but the variety I had grafted on my tree that I didn't like because it was sour is the Nippon Orangequat.

https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc3360

But the Indio Mandarinquat is excellent. Very sweet with no sour or bitter taste.

https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc3759

I mentioned the Indio mandariquat on the other post.
https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=54900.msg523182#msg523182

[brian]

Hah, my experience is completely opposite that of sc4001992

I find Nippon Orangequat to be bland, approaching insipid, but certainly not sour
I find Fukushu sweeter than Nordmann/Nagami
I find Indio very sour (and spicy too, like Rangpur).  Though it does get sweeter after hanging on the tree a very long time.

So don't take our word for it, try and see for yourself

[sc4001992]

Brian, that is very interesting. I wonder if it is because I'm in SoCal weather, don't know.

[brian]

I would love to try these types grown by somebody else to get more samples.  I ended up getting rid of my Nippon and Indio after 3-4 years. 

Next time I get a good crop of Fukushu I'll mail you some.  I often get totally seedless crops if they bloom in the greenhouse.  My current tree had a major dieback from phytopthera but seems to be slowly recovering. 

EDIT - oh, I might not actually be able to mail you some due to quarantine.  Not sure if it applies to fruit itself

[Tropicaltoba]

How do know it was phytopthera? Just asking cause I had a bunch of gummosis on my red lime the past 2 winters and it spontaneously resolved this winter. TFF members thought it was copper deficiency. I kept the roots warmer and stopped using organic fertigation in the winter and it seems to have resolved.

My fukushu also had gummosis and dieback again this year. I have warmed the roots and did a light spray of copper, not sure if has fixed anything yet

My container mixes are heavily organic and I think the cool temps in the winter the copper just isn’t available possibly due to slower microbial activity.

[brian]

To be fair, I assumed phytophthera without verifying.  I found gummosis and dieback on multiple trees and treated them all with agrifos/gardenfos.  About half of the affected trees died and the other half recovered.  I had let it get pretty bad before I noticed the gummosis.

I'm not sure what the other causes of gummosis might be, but I am doubtful that I have nutrient deficiencies affect only some trees as they are all fertilized the same and in the same soil