Hello Fellow Citrus Enthusiasts, We have just launched the 2022 version of the Great Citrus Pre-Order. There are 57 different types of Citrus available for pick-up at our nursery in Richmond or shipping anywhere in Canada. You'll find details and the links for ordering at www.phoenixperennials.com. Pick-ups and shipping will be in late May or June. Here's this year's list: Australian Finger Lime, Microcitrus australasica Calamondin-Citrofortunella mitis: Normal and Variegated Calamansi Citron medica Assads (Kosher Etrog) Citron medica var. sarcodactylis Buddha's Hand Citron Grapefruit: Rio Red, Cocktail Kumquat-Fortunella: Centennial, Marumi, Meiwa, Nagami, Nordmann Seedless Nagami, Fukushu (Changshou) Lemon: Eureka, Genoa, Lisbon, Santa Teresa Feminello, Variegated Pink Eureka, Improved Meyer, Ponderosa Lime: Bearss, Mexican Key Lime, Mexican Thornless Key Lime, Makrut Kieffer Thai, Yuzu, Rangpur Red Lime Limequat-Citrofortunella: Eustis Mandarin: Clementine/Algerian Mandarin, Dancy, Gold Nugget, Kishu, Pixie, Shasta Gold, California Honey, Owari, Tango, Yosemite Gold, Lee x Nova/USDA 88-2/Super Nova, Page Mandarinquat-xCitrofortunella: Indio Orange, Blood: Moro, Sanguinelli, Smith Red, Vaniglia Sanguigno Orange, Navel: Cara Cara, Robertson, Washington Orange, Sour: Chinotto, Seville Orange, Sweet: Midknight Valencia, Shamouti, Trovita, Valencia Pummelo: Valentine Tangelo: Minneola, Pearl, Wekiwa Musa: Dwarf Cavendish, Truly Tiny Olive, Olea europaea: Arbequina, Chemlali, Frantoio, Koroneiki, Leccino, Manzanillo, Pendolino, Picholine, Taggiasca Passiflora edulis: Frederick, Nancy Garrison Guava, Strawberry: Psidium cattleyanum Guava: Psidium guavaja Tropical Pink and White Pomegranate: A.C. Sweet, Ambrosia, Desertnyi, Eversweet, Parfianka, Wonderful Rubus (Blackberry): Columbia Giant, Hall's Beauty, Snowbank Chinese Five Flavour Fruit: Schisandra chinensis Eastern Prince Sichuan Pepper: Zanthoxylum simulans Cheers, Gary Phoenix Perennials
Oh! I want to try some sort of orange. Can you recommend anything? - Not a kumquat, but an orange or mandarin variety - sweet tasting (vs sour) - container grown, full Sun/south facing area - not too much of a diva, but definitely willing to do some pampering if needed I am inexperienced and have one Meyer lemon that I have made all the mistakes on, and am hoping I can limp it along (used wrong soil which is retaining water, plastic pot not helping! Struggling now with gnats. Emergency repotting happening this weekend!). happy to research options but I don’t know where to start as that’s a long list!
Hi Bibbity, You're right. There are a lot of options. In general the cultural needs of citrus are pretty similar, so once you figure out how to grow one it is pretty much transferable to all the others. So you can focus on what fruit you most want to eat. The mandarins might be a good place to start. Owari is very popular - especially because it is hardy outdoors in coastal BC - but lots of people have lots of opinions on their favourite cultivars for flavour. I have seen people wax poetic over Gold Nugget, Shasta Gold, and California Honey, for instance. Another group to look at are the Tangelos. 'Minneola' is so tasty, very sweet with a flavour like a clementine but with a nice touch of acidity and so juicy. It's a tough choice. Maybe others in this forum will add some opinions. Cheers, Gary
@Bibbity You'll want to do some research on a variety's pollination requirements, if any, before making a purchase. Many varieties of citrus do not have such but some do. For example, Minneola tangelo needs to be cross-pollinated by a suitable pollinator. Not all kumquats are sour, if that's what you dislike. The round Meiwa is quite sweet. Kishu mandarin is a tree with a smaller stature, which I think makes it more suitable for indoor cultivation. It produces sweet but smaller sized fruit. There's a photo of one that I have in the following thread: Appreciation: - Colorful fruit in the darker days of the season.
Thank you both! I did a bit of reading and I’m really leaning towards the gold nugget mandarin. Just a lot of people raving about the flavour, and it’s kind of interesting looking with a really bumpy texture. good points about pollination Junglekeeper! I just double checked and the gold nugget is self pollinating, so I’m safe there. I think one of the reasons that I don’t want a kumquat is that it’s never been a fruit I’m drawn to for eating, though if I ever had enough space I’d like the variety lol. I really enjoy mandarins, and these ones are really easy to peel so that’s sort of a bonus. your pictures look amazing! You have so many trees and they all are fruiting so nicely! I aspire to get at least one tree to that stage! I was wondering, what soil do you use for your trees? I want to try repotting my Meyer into a better pot (terra cotta I’m thinking). I have some pro mix cactus mix I was thinking might work. https://www.homedepot.ca/product/pro-mix-cactus-mix/1000855229
There's one advantage of a kumquat over a mandarin: No peeling - the entire fruit can be eaten as its peel is sweet and edible. Have a look here: Advice for my sad container Eureka lemon tree?
