We harvested the amazing Kiyomi Tangor today. The Kiyomi Tangor is a delicious large sweet and tangy cross between a mandarin and a sweet orange. The little tree did not look too promising when we first got it, but it has grown beautifully after the first year. It is now about 3 feet tall and extremely prolific as can be seen in the photo. We had to use some bamboo stakes to help hold up the fruit! Our little Kiyomi has an endearing weeping form. The fruit is large, juicy, and has a unique flavour that is hard to describe. However, we can say it is quite delicious. Our notes on the Kiyomi Tangor are available at this link: Kiyomi Tangor | Aprici
That is so tempting! Are they susceptible to mealy bugs? The Buddha's Hand in the photo on your growing citrus on Vancouver Island page (from the link you gave us) is stunning.
Unfortunately I have found all citrus that I have grown (over 60 kinds) to be susceptible to mealy bugs. I would be quite interested to hear if there are exceptions. Regrettably the Kiyomi is not an exception. The good news is mealy bugs can be eliminated with some work using an oil spray if they get introduced. Thanks Re: Buddha's Hand comment. We always appreciate feedback. The Buddha's hand we have has given us several astonishing fruit over the last few seasons: Citrus / Citron - Buddha Hand | Aprici gallery and we are very fond of it. Their scent is terrific!
"Astonishing" - that's the word I needed for the Buddha's Hand. It's my Costus that has the mealy bugs, sitting right near where the orange would go. At least there are few enough leaves that I can inspect every one and deal with the bugs when I see them. It has wonderfully silky hairy (serieous?) leaf undersides and I'm reluctant to cover those with oil.
I am not at all familiar with the Costus. Googling it, it looks like quite an interesting plant. While I cannot say if oil would be safe for use on a Costus I have found it to be quite safe on many plants as long as the ambient air temperature is not too hot, you do not use it when using other treatments like copper or sulphur, and you use a summer formula. I tend to use 2 tablespoons of horticultural oil per gallon as a summer formula. That works well for me, but naturally it varies depending on conditions. Maybe try spraying one leaf and see if it has an adverse reaction on that leaf?
It's more how nice the leaves on this particular one feel. Not many Costus have these silky leaf undersides.