I'm really happy to run across all of this experience and expertise. Seems like a very nice group of people as well. I'm in the East bay of San Francisco on the hill overlooking the bay. I am planting my barren landscape starting with Citrus trees. I get the full arc of the sun everyday, no shade, unless I create it. Clay soil. I will probably start everything in containers, as I'm indecisive about what to put where. Once they find spots that they are happy and producing, I can put them in the ground. Is that a good plan? I have seen great advice on container soil mixes here. I'm concerned if I get enough heat for the Cara Cara Orange, or the Rio Red grapefruit. I also get a lot of wind. I'm also looking at the cocktail grapefruit, and the Star Ruby, and don't know what it's yellow mottled leaves look like. I'm mostly interested in good producers for my climate (zone 9). I like fresh orange juice, breakfast grapefruit (which one are we buying at the grocery store, anyway?), I cook everything with lemon, and yes I like real margaritas!!! I welcome recommendations in my dwarf citrus selections! I'm most confused about oranges and grapefruits. Many thanks!
If you are eventually going to put your selected trees into the ground, there is two items you need to pay attention to. !). Soul pH and 2). clay soil. Any tree you purchase from a nursery will be a grafted tree, meaning the upper part of the tree, will be growing on a different variety of rootstock. If you want a dwarf citrus tree, be sure that the rootstock is a trifoliate orange variety called Flying Dragon. Flying dragon also does very well in clay soils, but poorly in high pH soils. Just about any variety of citrus grafted onto a Flying Dragon rootstock should be very easy to locate, as it is an extremely common rootstock. I am not sure about the temperatures on the east bay, but for the temperatures in the west bay would be to cool for a grapefruit to do well. Cara Cara, being a sport of the Washington Navel Orange should do well in the East side of the bay, as should any mandarin, and any satsuma. Grapefruit require high temperatures in order to produce good tasting fruit. Grapefruit are normally planted in locations with daily temperatures of at least 80F. Ruby Red Grapefruit has become the most common red commercial grapefruit grown in the United States. Millet (1,287-) Susan B Anthony - Washington DC
If you are eventually going to put your selected tree into the ground, there are two items you need to pay attention to. !). Soil pH and 2). clay soil. Any tree you purchase from a nursery will be a grafted tree, meaning the upper part of the tree, will not be growing on it own roots, but on a different citrus varieties rootstock. If you want a dwarf citrus tree, be sure that the rootstock is a trifoliate orange variety called Flying Dragon. Flying dragon also does very well in clay soils, but poorly in high pH soils. Just about any variety of citrus grafted onto a Flying Dragon rootstock should be very easy to locate, as it is an extremely common rootstock. I am not sure about the temperatures on the east bay, but the temperatures in the west bay would be to cool for a grapefruit to do well. Cara Cara, being a sport of the Washington Navel Orange should do well in the East side of the bay, as should any mandarin, and any satsuma. Grapefruit require high temperatures in order to produce good tasting fruit. Grapefruit are normally planted in locations with DAILY temperatures of at least 80F. Ruby Red Grapefruit has become the most common red commercial grapefruit grown in the United States. Millet (1,287-) Susan B Anthony - Washington DC