Steven,
I had major back surgery and it has been giving grief since. Mike sent it to me to be nice, and it is not made by him. If it was, he would be wealthy by now.
Andrew

Andrew...sorry to hear that and hope you are on the mend.

Mike is a cool guy 8)

All the best...Steven

Steven,
Thanks for the well wishes. I am hoping by summer I will be A okay! Yeah Mike is one of the nicest people here. Hw was one of the few who was really supportive when I told the forum that I got my 6ft Improved meyer. He also asked me if i wanted a sample of the gritty mix. Mike and Rhizo helped me so much with the meyer and for that I will always be greatfull. Mike als ogot me into the Oro Blonco and now I have this beautifull tree nd I can't wait for the first buds to open. Should be soon!
Andrew

Andrew, both your back and your trees will be fine, even better now that the good ole spring and summer are about to settle upon us. That coupled with all the support and advice here, will make for a great banner year for container citrus for all of us!!

Myecho, don't forget to use your vinegar and thank you for your appreciation too. You will love this forum!

Mike

Mike,
I am very happy that the warm weather is finally upon us. I am very excited about this summer, not just because of my citrus but with my other tropical fruits, I am hoping to have some other tasty treats to eat!
Steven,
One word of caution when you are on this forum. Watch out for the pictures! That's how I ended up with an Oro Blanco!
Andrew

Just am FYI...Slowly intoroduce your trees to the sun..

I put mine in places where they will get morning or late afternoon sun, or under a shade cloth, or under trees or shrubs, for a bout a week or so. Then I graduate them to full sun..

Just don't be in such a rush to give them the sun so as not to burn your leaves..:-)

Also, keep a close eye on your soil mix now that you have exposed them to the outdoors...Make sure consistant rains, and cool rains, can be handled with your mix without rotting the roots. I don't ever have to worry about mine, because the mix is open and very porous..

Take care and happy growing!!

I have all kinds of ideas to make the best use of outdoors in which I will share at another time..

Mike..:-)

"
One word of caution when you are on this forum. Watch out for the pictures! That's how I ended up with an Oro Blanco! "

LOL... I hear ya =)

After living in NYC for 20 years and then Berlin, Germany for 7, I am so happy to be back in my hometown of LA that I am going a bit plant buying crazy. But it's good for the soul and for the eyes and taste for that matter ;)

Yes Mike, I am happy to have found this forum with so many intelligent, kind and informed members :)

Steven,
Were you in the military? I can't imagine what that would be like. I have visited NYC but that was enough for me! Beutifull city around Christmas. I enjoy my plants for the same reasons. I bought my 6ft tall Meyer 2 weeks after my back surgery. I was itchin to do so much and couldn't yet. I went out my favorite nursery and bought the Meyer. Probobly my most expensive impulsive plant puirchase in a few years but it did perk me up a lot. This website did the same thing for me. It renewed my interest in citrus. I really wasn't to into the citrus but I watched a program on TV that was selling citrus and that was all I needed! Not only did I buy the Improved Meyer but then Mike's post got my attention. I had reserved a Champagne Cocktail grapefruit and it would have been billed and shipped to me this month. I did some research and found that it needed heat to ripen the fruit and I tried one and found it to still be bitter. They claimed that it was very sweet and not bitter at all. The clincher for me was when I ate one and found that there were at least 20 seeds in the fruit. That was a big turn off for me. I had a ponderosa lemon that was the same way and I did not like all the seeds. I immedietly cancelled my order and bought the Oro Blanco. I figure between the Meyer and the Oro, I spent $200.00 but I know that I will have both for a lifetime as long as I take good care of them. I don't consider that expensive when I know that they will produce food for me and others to enjoy!
Andrew

Hi Andrew, nope never in the military, but I do tell people that "I did my time in NYC" ;) I loved it there and being a fine artist, it was terrific, but it is to hectic and I love LA more :)

Sounds like you have a few very nice trees. I bought the Oro Blanco for my wife's birthday...March 20th A very good friend, who is Japanese along with being a great cook said that she had just bought an Oro Blanco and how sweet the fruit was, so I went out a few days later and had it as a surprise birthday present for my wife when she got home from a conference in Vienna. She was/is thrilled =)

On another note, if you, Mike, or anyone else here that is fluent in reading plant leaves and flowers, could take a look at my thread where I am trying to identify 4 unknown citrus trees, i would be very happy. It is at my parents house and they were planted long ago and not taken care of. I have brought most of them back to bloom this year, but I do not know what they are :/ I think the one with the double leaf must be a grapefruit.

Here is the link:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/citrus/msg0320460428472.html?5833

Here is a link that might be useful: Help Identify These Citrus Trees... please :)

Hello Steven,
I apologize for taking so long to respond. I looked at your pictures but I am far from being an expert when it comes to citrus I.D. I know that grapefruits can have segmentented leaves, same with kaffir lime. I think you will have to wait unless you take the pictures to a nursery. How is your Oro coming along now? Mine is outdoors but took a beating gfrom the wind storms. I found a few buds that dropped and I have lost a lot of leaves but it is growing and there seams to be several new branches growing where the leaves fell off. I am very excited to see how this tree will perform. I know it will recover fine. It was stressed indoors which confused me because the Meyer was in less than ideal light conditions but I never lost a single fruit. Oh well, my Oro just needs to stop being stubborn and hurry up and do some srious growing! LOL!!

Hey Andrew,

Thanks for taking a peek at the tree pics. I will try to be patient and wait for the fruits to appear =)

Well, I just put an application of Foliage-Pro on all my trees. I gave the trees the full 1 teaspoon per gallon feeding, along with some vinegar. I also gave all my Plumeria and my veggies some too. My Oro leaves are looking a bit on the yellowish side :( I am hoping Mike is right and within a few days it will perk up. I have also lost a lot of blossoms, but there are still a ton left on it. It will be 80 for the next few days here 8)

Hope your Oro perks up as well.

All the best...Steven

Steve,

That does not sound good! I never had that problem with my tree..

It concerns me. What exactly did you do with yout tree the minute it was delivered? Step by step if you can.
How long it took you to put it in sun? How long it took you to feed? How you did the potting process? How long the soil is taking to dry? What kind of pot? All the details...

Thanks

Mike..:-)

Hi Mike,

Ok, when I bought the tree, I brought it home. It was in a 5 gal container. I had a larger clay pot, the one in the picture. I re-potted it with a bag of soil I bought from the nursery. I feed it with Thrive right away and for the next 2 waterings. It has been in the sun since I bought it. I thought that was Ok, since it had been in the sun at the nursery. The soil takes about 3-4 days to really dry, depending on the heat and wind here in the West Hollywood hills.

It was yellowish to begin with. I had even asked the nursery man about it, but he said it was fine and just to feed it. I was hoping it would green with feeding. I am hoping that the foliage-pro will help.

Thanks...Steven

After a re-potting or a transpotting, you'll want to put your citrus (any plant actually)
into a slightly sheltered location where it can recuperate from any root-trauma.

Until the root-system is back "online," your plant won't be photosynthezing or taking up
water at full capacity. This can cause leaf-burn or leaf-drop. Also, the cooler temps
in the shaded container are conducive to new root-growth.

My trees are protected for 3 - 5 days after any root-disturbance, then brought into the sun.

Josh

myecho,

Josh I couldn't of said it better..That is exactly what I was going to say.

You said you stuck it right in the sun.
You should avoid putting any plant that has had such root trauma in the sun for a few days, especially too if it was in shipment in the dark box for a few days.

Would of been a different story if you had just bought it from a nursery, potted up and all..

Now, it is not taking up nutrients or water until the shock has past...I would not feed it until you know for sure the tree is starting to grow in the slightest bit. It is a waste of fertilizer and is going to to make you think the fertilizer is no good..:-(

Take it out of the sun, I think you get dry heat right? I would put a big clear plasr=tic bag over it to keep in humidity to give moisture back to the leaves, or hose just the leaves down as long as the soil mix is still wet.

Mine I got from 4Winds didn't goe through this trauma..It was a rich dark green, potted up into a well draining mix, and only in the shade for about a week..

Please tell us how it goes..It needs rest..Good luck..:-)

Hi Josh....You will be hearing from me soon. Hope you are ok.:-);-)

You live and you learn...

Thanks Josh and Mike.

Mike, it was bought from directly from a nursery 10 miles from here and was potted and had been out in direct sun for weeks, so I did not think it would be traumatized by re-potting...next time I will know :/

But the fact is, it had yellowish leaves when I bought it. There was another one they had with darker green leaves, but the shape was not as good and they told me this one was fine.

I will try to spray the leaves every now and then to keep them moist.

Yes, we do have dry heat here ;)

Thanks for all the help :)

Since you say it was use to being out in direct sun for weeks, then I am going to say if you potted it up well, it should be back in buisness very fast.Make sure tyhe soil is evenly moist..

I would, after a few days once it shows it is holding it's leaves or looks like the leaves are hydrated, start fertilizing....I would use Fp and vinegar.

You should see the gardenia that I just repotted..That thing is so droopy it looks dead, and it is sitting in the shade...

It should be fine with your nice weather and sun..As long as the soil is well draining soil that allows the roots to breath, and is drying out in a reasonable amount of time, it will take off...::-)

Hi, Meyermike. Do you use the normal household white vinegar (distilled) to water your plants with? :-) The leaves on your plants are so nice & green!

Yes, just the white vinegar sold at grocery stores for a buck I think..:-).

Didn't know such a cheap product could be so valuable..Thanks for noticing the green leaves..Your's will be there some day too..

Mike

Thank you !!! :-)

The leaf drop I experienced for 2 or 3 days last week seems to have stopped. I lost about 30% of the leaves, but it still has about 4 flower buds on it that are still swelling. Hopefully it recovers its leaves by summer and blooms again.

Zecowsay,
I have to say that I feel a lot better since you are experiencing the same thing as I am. Mine has lost about the same amount of leaves but my drainage was good all along. I have only lost a few buds from moving it around. My leaf drop also stopped and I now have it under flourescent lights 12 hours a day and at a nice 65-70 degree temperature. I am going to leave it there until it warms up enough to warm up again. I didn't want to move it back in because I know it can harm it but I had no choice. The outdoor temps are very close to the freezing mark again. This weather sucks!
Andrew

Thanks again Mike =)

Yep, it was in full sun when I bought it. It still seems yellow and some leaves and blooms are still dropping, but I am spraying the leaves to hydrate, feeding with F-P and using vinegar. I am hoping it will be Ok.

Here are 2 pics from a few days ago:
{{gwi:574772}}
{{gwi:574773}}

Andrew, I hope your weather gets better soon ;)

All the best...Steven

Steve, Hi!

Can I make one more suggestion? I would take that tree and just till it greens up, I would take it out of all day full sun.

I would only provide morning and late afternoon sun, or stick it under a tree for a while so it get dabbled sun..

Watch you tree turn green!! Sometimes even to much hot sun, extra warm root temps can lighten the leaf color and prohibit nutrition uptake while in a container..Try it..:-)

Hi Mike,

Okee Dokee. I will move it over a bit. It will then only get sun until mid day.

I should still feed it the 1/4 tsp of F-P per gallon thought, right?

Your knowledge and information are much appreciated.

Thanks!
Best...Steven

Absolutely feed it that way..

1/4 tsp of Foliage Pro and a capful of vinegar at every watering in a gallon of water..

Make sure when you water, you make sure the soil in the container has dried out well before the next watering, and then when you do water/feed, let it drain out from the bottom. Complete gas exchange and removal of wastes in the mix..

I forgot, what kind of mix do you use? If you use the kind I do, you need not worry so much about watering or rain every day..If it is in a very peaty mix, watch for signs of compaction and rot from to much rain or watering..

Mike..:-)

Hello guys,
Well I posted a message about an hour ago and it disappeared! Garden Web must be having technical difficulties! Oh well, I just wanted to report that since moving my Oro in, I have now got 2 buds that are fully open. I must admit that these flowers are unique compared to the typical citrus flower. The petals look like they are on steroids! The petals are thicker and when fully open, they curl backwards.The scent is amazing and a welcome site since the Meyer is almost done blooming.
Andrew

Glad your blossoms are opening Andrew and they do smell amazing and are huge, aren't they? =)

Mike, I am using a standard, Ok, maybe the top end standard potting soil. :/

It cooled off here and it rained yesterday and will rain again today, so I am getting natural shade for a bit ;)

Best... Steven

Steve, the reason why I asked, is because you probably used a high based peat mix..

Watch for rapid breakdown and compaction of your mix. It will not be able to handle the amount of rains we get outdoors if it is not draining fast and drying out quickly.
I would hate for you to get root rot.
While inside, a peat mix can be more forgiving since you control how much water your plants get, but outdoors you need to be very careful.

Take care,

Mike

Hello Mike,
I need some of your expertise right now. My Oro is blooming its head off right now. I have been picking off the spent blooms so the tree doesn't waste its energy in fruit production. At this point I really want the tree to focus on growth and maturity. Feeding with the FP and the white vinegar and having proper soiless mix, I am hoping by next spring it will have doubled in size. I must admit, this is the most beautifull looking out of all the citrus but I seem to be having a little problem that has me a little concerned. My Oro has been here for almost a month now, and it has ceased with the leaf drop but the new growth is still very small and it hasn't begun growing yet. Some of the new growth curled and didn't open up until it was either under my flourescent bulbs or outside. I bought bark, pea gravel, vermiculite and perlite. I also have good potting soil so I am going to make a version of Al's gritty mix. Do you think that maybe the soil is too wet? I have had it in and out of the house and we have had some wet weather. I have not needed to check the moisture of the mix because it has been wet for the past few days. My back has givin me a lot of grief so I have not brought it in the past 2 times until after it rained. Is it possible that it is still adjusting and will be fine? The new growth isn't dying so that has to be a good sign right?
Thanks for taking the time to help me. I hope your Logees trees are adjusting. I love your new Myer. I am going to be starting a bunch of cuttings from the branches that I prune.(LOL!) One of the branches on the Oro is long and it hangs low. I was thinking of dipping the center of that branch and burying it to see if it would root or not. I figure it would be worth a try right?
Andrew

I'm worried about your ingredients. For a 'gritty' mix to work the bark has to be of a particular size range. That's why we usually use the words 'bark fines' to describe them. They are about the size of your pinky finger nail (give or take). Bark fines aren't all that difficult to locate anymore, but they aren't the same thing as the typical bark mulch (mini nuggets). Also, pea gravel, at least what I think of as pea gravel, is too large. The particle size needs to be about the size of a BB pellet or a little smaller. Granite grit is readily found in agricultural supply outlets where poultry feed is sold.

Leave the vermiculite out completely. It simply doesn't work in a potting mix. The structure of vermiculite collapses within a very short time (minutes, days). Perlite, YES!

You could get by perfectly well (in my humble opinion) by adding a very large portion of the perlite to the existing potting mix. That would give you the time you might need to locate the other ingredients. That's just a suggestion....

Hello rhizo,
Thank you for helping me. I'm sorry I should have been more specific regarding the bark I am using. It is an orchid bark, but the bark is small and is the same size that the meyer is in. As far as the pea gravel I was just going to mix it in. I am planning on making the mix watering it and seeing how fast it dries out. I need to find a way to make the mix able to hold some extra moisture since I know I will be leaving for some weekends during the summer and going to Florida for a week and a half. If you have any other suggestions as to how I can add something to give the mix some water retention without rotting the roots, I would really appreciate it. Nice to hear from you! BTW what citrus are you growing?
Andrew

Andrew,

I couldn't agree with Rhizzo more! She worded it perfectly!

I am afraid that there is no mix that you will come with that won't have to be watered for more than a few days without having to sacrifice a well draining mix that prevents root rot. It doesn't exist..

You have to choose between a mix that will hold more water for a longer period for time for your benefit, or one that dries out rapidly that benefits the plants needs and prevents rot.

If you choose to make one more water retentive, then one needs to watch for rot, especially if it rains a lot, or once you bring it back in for the fall through spring with less light and cold days..

You can make a mix that in which you will not have to worry, even if it rains everyday, and figure a way to prevent your plants from passing on by coming up with ingenious ways to ensure the pot and soil stays moist while away for that amount of time..If in the hot sun, even a heavy peaty mix will dry out before the weeks end....

Are your plants going to be in clay or plastic? I forgot..:-)

As for the growth on your "Oro", patience my friend..This tree does not grow as fast as you would like right away..For me, just keeping it healthy is all that mattered. Green and vibrant were more important to me that how fast it got bigger.. It will grow rapidly after a while, you watch, and you will also find that these trees don't like to grow straight up, more of like an umbrella shape instead, at least mine does..

Sorry about your back too..:-(

Mike

Hello Mike,
Sorry it took me so long to respond. I think i will just save the gravel for something else. I can't run the risk of losing my Improved Meyer especially considering what I paid for it. Nancy told me that the stuff that they sell at Autozone is actually better than the turface. She said she got that infofrom Bill himself so that is what I will do. My Meyer tree is going in a large plastic tub as soon as I can get one. I think Walmart had one for $27 and it was large enough to acomidate the tree for a long time. Actually I plan on root pruning and pruning the top so it can stay in the pot. I would love a clay pot but too heavy to move and way to much money. I picked up a nursery pot which is what I wanted to use but unfortunetly for me the nursery guy gave me a pot that is barely an inch wider and it is just as deep as the one it is in. My Oro Blanco is in a clay pot and should be able to stay there for at least a year unless it really takes off! How many years do you have to replace the mix, or does it just depend on how long the bark holds up. I'm sure that you just repot when the drainage is effected. I am having a hard time deciding if I want to buy a honey bell tangelo or not. I could get one that is around 2.5-3ft tall for around $40.00. I know the grower since I bought from them last year. I emailed Four Winds and they told me as of now, all they have are the smaller sized trees. The women that emailed me also said that they are more challenging than most citrus because they are more prone to root rot but in Al's gritty mix, I should be fine. The Oro is still blooming now and I really enjoy having the blooms now since the Meyer wrapped up its blooming season. I have at least a dozen if not more blooms. It's been hard for me but I have been removing the spent blooms so the energy goes back into the tree instead of growing fruit. I like the idea of knowing that my tree will produce fruit still but to me I would rather concentrate on getting this tree to grow larger first. Maybe next spring I will let it produce one fruit. I guess it will depend on how large the tree is. I like the umbrella growing habit. I still am tempted to spray the middle of the one branch that is growing really low and dusting it with root hormone and burying it in soil while the branch is still attached to the tree and see what happens. I surely would love to have another Oro! Thanks for the support with my recovering back. I have another appointment in June and I have to have x-rays done before I go and hopefully they will figure out what the heck is going on.
Andrew

Hi, Meyermike! There are too many varieties of fruit trees that we'd like to have than we have space to plant in the ground for! So we're wondering exactly how productive they can be in containers! :-) Your trees are in such great shape that we've got to ask you - how much fruit do you get per tree per year? :-) An idea of what to expect would be nice! :-)

Well, it's been two months since I've gotten my oroblanco and it is coming back around. After losing all but two leaves and making me wonder if I had killed it, the tree is putting out insane amounts of new growth. I've counted fifty new shoots coming out all over the tree, none of which are suckers. (incase anyone was wondering) The first shoot to come out has grown almost 3 inches in under 2 weeks. I was just happy to see the tree alive. I didn't think I'd be getting fruit this year, but after 2 days away from home I come back and counted 38 small blossoms forming. Definitely a tough tree.

Hello everybody! I am a newbie at this forum, still a lot to read... Very beautiful pictures of Oro Blanco Mike! I admire you tree, very healthy and nice! I am , what you call - citrus sick too )) growing them since 13.
When I have bought my first house in NJ, Planted 3 seeds of grapefruit. After a year grafted on them lemon Meyer, now 6 years later they are very nice beautiful little trees in a clay pots, fruiting every year. Year ago I went to Longwood gardens in PA and saw there huge trees of Oro Blanco:
{{gwi:574774}}
{{gwi:574775}}

{{gwi:574776}}

Got asquired couple of branches from that tree for grafting

Grafted cuttings on 2 year old seedling:
{{gwi:574777}}{{gwi:574778}}{{gwi:574779}}

and now I have my very own Oroblanco tree with a fruit!! just year leter!
{{gwi:574780}}{{gwi:574781}}
{{gwi:574782}}

IT IS SO NICE TO BE PEOPLE LIKE YOPU HERE.... Welcome.

I hear what you mean about citrus sick..I have been trying to grown them since 15! I fell in love with them when I would visit my grandfather in Puerto Rico and couldn't bring the trees home...I always took care of them when I was visiting, falling in love with the flower fragrance..Funny, now that property is mine, all those beautiful trees, along with coconut,quenepas,bananas,palms,mango,and lot's of coffee trees, and I can't even care for them! My friends do there reaping all the fruit..I do tell them how to get the best from them from here..So I guess I will have to be satisfied with bringing the tropics to my home for now..That explains why I have decided to put skylights in my plant rooms and invest in popup greenhouses...

I love the "oro balance" grapefruit! It is the ONLY citrus I can eat without the acidity affecting my stomach..It is sweet, sort of a cross between a tangerine, orange, and a bit of grapefruit, along with seedless..Very juicy and non-acidic..Therefore this tree along with huge blossoms, its durability,vigor, and no lack of green leaves has always been a favorite..

Thank you for posting these beautiful pictures...How in the world did you even learn to graft? I can not even root a cutting in water..Wow what a great job you did, and to see it fruit is impressive..I have a feeling we are all going to enjoy your company here..

Darn, I forgot to see what part of the country you live in. Is it Pa?

Mike..:-)

Hello Fotograf,
I love Longwood gardens!!! I was there back in 1996 in the springtime. I saw the one conservatory filled with cymbidium orchids all in bloom. What a site!! I remember all the citrus. Man, I would love to have a conservatory like that some day! Congrats on your grafting!! I am going to practice this myself this summer. My dad grafted the majority of the fruit trees on there property and i am hoping he can teach me a few things or too!
Andrew

I have graduated an agricultural college back in Russia about 15 years ago. There we learned how to graft aple trees. Citruses grafting even more easier becouse they groing 3 to 5 times a year. and trick is that you need to catch that phase of starting to grow, when core is easy to peel off the wood. Grafted more than 100 sucsessfull citruses by now. Expanding my collection with a 7-mile long steps ))) My wish list keep groing and growing ))) Pretty soon I am going to need a bigger greenhouse with a boiler inside.
Regarding of rootening citruses- they will not give roots in a water. Lemons are most easier to root in vermiculit or perlite mixed with a little of soil or send. Rootening powder is a big help. The rest of citruses are very hard to root. So there come grafting on seedlings.
This tree I seeded as grapefruit, then grafted Fukushu Kumquat on it. When it had 4 long branches I grafted on them Lemon Ponderosa, Lemon Sunboukan (very sweet lemon), Kumquat variegata, Red Blush Grapefruit and Variegata lemon
{{gwi:574783}}

Now it is getting biger and bigger
{{gwi:574784}}

So I am trying to collect all my citruses on one tree

Wow! Thank you for sharing!

Josh

Hi Fotograf,
I am glad to see your sucessfull grafting techniques. I am going to try grafting this summer. I too have a large Meyer tree and I am going to root some cuttings and sell them on Craig's List. I also planned on doing some grafting myself. I just need to call my dad and have him come over and teach me. So you say the key is too graft when the tree is going to go thru a flush right? Does the root stock need to be flushing also? What kind of grafting have you had the most sucess with? How about soil. This is a huge debate here. I found that my dwarf key lime is not finicky at all. It seems to thrive in the Miracle Grow cactus and citrus soil. It cracks me up that the Miracle Grow company actually bags up this mix and claims that it is great for citrus. I repotted my Oro and found that Al's gritty mix is very effective in keeping the water away from the roots but it gives them t he necessary moisture they require. I have taken some horticultural classes but I focused more in landscaping when I wish I had focused more in horticulture. I loved botany but hated the technical end of the landscaping. So much I actually ended up dropping out. That was when I went to Longwood gardens. Spring is such a great time to visit. I would like to go back someday. What do you feed your trees? Wow..to have so many citrus you must have a huge greenhouse. That is my plan someday. I would love to move to Florida but I wont go until this citrus ban ends. There is no way in hell I would leave my trees behind or be forced to have them erradicated!! I love my citrus too much. Just like Mike I fell in love with the fragrance of the flowers and also the allure of watching my very own fruit grow and ripen. My first experience with a grafted tree was with a Calomondin. I loved watching that little tree grow but Iwas very dissapointed to pop one of those tiny oranges in my mouth and expect something sweet only to get a lemon flavor! Thanks for the pics and inspiring us to try grafting!
Andrew

Remember this thread>>?

Since then Josh has gotten a beautiful plant for himself and so many have learned so much over the summer!

How are your Oro Blanco's doing anyway?

Mike

I'm about to move back east and have 2 oro blancos and 1 cocktail in containers in my yard here in Los Angeles, thus I'm looking at this thread with acute interest!

But I just picked my first fruit from one of the Oro Blanco's (4 Winds plant) and it was nothing like the Oro Blanco's I buy locally here in LA. The rind was not thick, and the fruit was bitter, like a normal grapefruit. Could this have been a result of
- 1st fruit
- picked too early
- wrong plant?

I'm baffled and trying to make sense of this. Based on the rind difference and the taste I'm strongly wondering if it is the wrong tree and and if anyone has had this experience with 4 Winds before? I hope that's not the case but obviously looking for answers to this strange situation. Thanks in advance for your advice!

Eliza,
First, you're probably better off starting a brand new thread, since this is sort of a different topic. And, that gives you the option then, of checking off the notify box, so you can be notified of responses to your thread. But, to answer your question: It's possible got something else other than Oro Blanco, but Four Winds is really very good about making sure they identify their trees, so I doubt that's it. Sometimes the skin isn't so thick. It is possible it's a Melogold, which is essentially a "first cousin" to Oro Blanco, and frankly, it's a tad bit sweeter, but definitely thinner skinned (I prefer it over Oro Blanco, in fact.) But, most likely for you it may just be a week bit early (Jan through March for us, if you're close to the coast.) That being said, My Oro Blancos are ready now. I've picked two, and they were quite sweet, which I was very surprised for. How old are your trees? Young trees (1st or 2nd crop) may not give you their best fruit. If you can snap a photo of your fruit cut in half, as well as the tree and close up of the leaves, we might be able to help you identify the grapefruit. Really, the only other thing it could be, if the skin is yellow, pulp is pale yellow, and thinner skinned would be a Melogold, and as I mentioned, they're even sweeter by a bit than Oro Blanco.

Patty S.

where can i get this oro variety? I would like the trovita orange as well. I found Four Winds bit the shipping is a bit too steep for me.

Meyermike, I have been trying for some time to find out about vinegar and citrus on several threads to no avail. I just stumble upon this thread today. Thank you so very much for the vinegar advice.

Would love to get an update on anyone's Oro's here as this is such a wonderful thread, chalk full of information, then just kinda fizzled out.

Can anyone tell me what is so special about an oro over other citrus. Some on who has eaten fresh off her own tree.

Steve