Citrus trees

[NannyGreen]

Just to say thank you all for your help and information and to let you know that the trees have survived the winter (including severe frost and snow) in the greenhouse, Yay!!

Sadly the two flower buds dropped off but I am looking forward to putting them outside in a couple of months time and they are still alive

[Plot70]

The citrus tree that flowered last year while it was small never survived the winter in an unheated greenhouse. I have a much larger lemon tree that is just lush and green and it is over wintered in a lean too that has a central heating radiator on the other side of the back wall so there is a little bit of conducted heat getting through.

[NannyGreen]

Oh Plot70 that is so sad, I am very sorry, particularly as that one was your own pip but pleased to hear we both have healthy trees. You are quite a bit further north than me so the frost and snow must have had a much greater effect.

So now I guess I race you to the G&T?

[Plot70]

It is one of several I have grown from my own pips..
The largest one I have got is a lemon and may be only a year or so off flowering.
It is in my lean too and has no frost damage.

[ameno]

It is one of several I have grown from my own pips..
The largest one I have got is a lemon and may be only a year or so off flowering.

That may be optimistic.
I have a citrus (I believe it's a mandarin) I grew from seed, and it not must be at least 10 years old, probably 12. The trunk it over and inch thick at the base, and the tree is about 4 feet tall (not including the quite large pot). It has never to this day flowered, and shows no sign of flowering this year, either. The tree itself is very healthy, but no flowers.

[NannyGreen]

That is a healthy looking tree Plot70 I must say both you and ameno have done really well, I hope both of you are rewarded with blossom in the near future

As for me? If my trees live my job is done, blossom would be a bonus.

[Plot70]

I have seen trees not that much bigger than mine being sold with fruit on them in supermarkets.
The big one put on six inches last year growing on a mixture of local clay and lime free compost in proportions matching the views of people posting compost advice on the web.

[NannyGreen]

So have I Plot70 but I suspect they were grafted and reared in warmer situations than we could provide. Citrus trees are very picky as I understand it (no expert but I am doing tons of research!) and can take 6-15 years to bear fruit so I'm not holding my breath

This is what I am aiming for -


taken when I was in Fes a few years ago. But I am very hopeful........

[Plot70]

Those street trees in the med are mostly leftovers from marmalade orchards as far as I know.
They rarely plant desert oranges in the streets as the fruits would get picked while the cooking ones stay on and remain decorative throughout the tourist season.

[NannyGreen]

Well I never. I didn't know that, good job I didn't try one off the hotel trees

[Plot70]

Seville oranges stay on the tree until winter so they do not drop and make a mess during the tourist season and are only sold in a short season during the winter. They are most certainly the most suitable decorative planting for streets with there short fruit dropping season outside the tourist season.

[ameno]

I have seen trees not that much bigger than mine being sold with fruit on them in supermarkets.
The big one put on six inches last year growing on a mixture of local clay and lime free compost in proportions matching the views of people posting compost advice on the web.

Those are grafted, or else dwarf varieties, as said above.

For example, my calamondin is smaller than your largest citrus is that picture. I bought it in fruit from Lidl last March, and it flowered again in July or so, and is doing so again now. I bought a kumquat at the same time, in fruit, but it has yet to flower again.
I also have a satsuma and a yuzu, both bought from a proper nursery around August 2019. The satsuma flowered last spring, and is in bud again now. The yuzu was still young, so didn't flower last year, but it has lots of buds on it this year.

I just keep mine in my (rather cold) conservatory over the winter, feeding with a weak feed whenever they dry out. I'll probably put them outside soon, actually, and just keep an eye on the weather and bring them in again if frost is due.

[Plot70]

I also put mine out in the summer.
Watch out for scale insects. They come off with high pressure cold water.
In nature the leaves turn there backs to the wind when it is cool wet and windy to allow the rain drops th knock them off.

[NannyGreen]

I hear you about the scale insects, fingers crossed not a problem for me - yet. Putting mine in and out has proved challenging in this COVID isolation, I have a few steps between the house (where they can be warm, sheltered and enjoy the sun) and the greenhouse so last Autumn was a test of my ingenuity. Whilst I am a small elderly woman I am not weak but I found moving 2 X 50L pots + trees a bit difficult.

My daughter was very distressed at not being able to help (difficult to socially distance either side of a pot!) so bought me a wheelie pot tray for Christmas. April/May will be an interesting experiment in tree moving with wheels

[Peteyd]

It is one of several I have grown from my own pips..
The largest one I have got is a lemon and may be only a year or so off flowering.
It is in my lean too and has no frost damage.

I'm very sorry to hijack the Citrus Tree post but can i just take a moment to comment on your glorious looking money plant. That's really quite impressive! We have a smallish one which we would love to one day look something like that!

Back to Citrus Trees, I would love a Lemon Tree and since having a read through of this thread, i might just convince myself (and more importantly my wallet) to give it another go. I bought one many years ago when i was a student from a nearby supermarket with fruit on at the time but it soon died in my room which was almost completely void of natural light.