Hi Snoggle,
Glad to hear you have been bit by the citrus bug! Meyer lemon is a great choice. They have nice flowers with a nice fragrance and fruit more then once a year. Heaviest fruiting being in the winter. Also ponderosa lemon is a great option with fruit that can get to humungous proportions. I have a moro blood orange and I think they are one of the best "bloods" to grow. Kumquats there are a few varieties to chose from. The nagami is more of a oval shape. You pop the whole thing in your mouth and it is a sweet and sour combo. There is also Meiwa which is more round and sweeter. I have never ate one. I have only grown the ruby red grapefruit, honestly don't have a good opinion on that one but they are fun to grow. I don't have experience with figs but there is actually a fig forum here. You should check it out.
Andrew

Meyer lemon for sure!!

One tree that is so under rated, maybe a best kept secret, but one of the BEST citrus I have ever owned, next to my lemon meyers is the,

ORO BLANCO GRAPEFRUIT!!!

I have been suggesting this one for months now, and can't figure why no one is giving this bute a shot!

HUGE HUGE HUGE blossomS, fruit to die for, easY to grow, hardy, and verY very fragrant! No leaf drop problems, seems to be pest proof, and can take abuse, cool and warm temps, winter sun.. Beautiful in appearance!!

The fruit is big, and tastes like a cross between a manderine, sweet navel orange, and grapefruit, all in one fruit. Seedless, not acidic, and juicey juicey, and delicious!!!It is the ONLY citrus my stomach can handle..

If I had a greenhouse, I would have tons of these!!

They are rare and hard to get...I think you can only get them at the Citrus seller I go to for mine...

Mike..:-)

snoggle75's Meyer lemons are perhaps the most advertised of all citrus. Yet the most difficult to grow.
I suggest starting with Satsuma the most cold hardy and easiest to grow citrus, a fairly large family that produces nice and tasty fruit in 4-6 years.

plant54,
Why do you say that the meyer lemon is the most difficult citrus to grow? I have NEVER heard that, in fact I have heard several people say that they are one of the easist. The nursery that I frequent the most buys tons of these trees every year, and customers come back for more. I asked the owner why he always carries more meyer then any other citrus and he says that they are one of the best citrus fruit trees for beginners. Did you find it difficult? I am not saying that you are wrong. It may have been very hard for you.
Andrew

Unfortunately, i have to side with plant54 on this...

You asked.."Do any of these seem like a bad idea for a citrus beginner?"

That is why I said "lemon meyers" for sure...This could be the reason why the nursery sells so many of them, to replace the ones lost by many who try over and over again, like I did every year to succeed..:-(..That is until it took me several years, experimenting, reading these forums, asking for help, getting ideas, and the loss of hundreds of dollars worth, until this past year..I can honestly say, I can finally master growing these "meyers" with complete success..Thank you to everyone who has helped me, especially Rhizzo!

Andy, yup, now you have heard it, go back and check all the past threads on the frustration many have on these wise guys...lol . There are a few that do not have any issues with lemon meyers for some reason, but a majority, in fact, everyone I know in my area personally, but me, kills theirs before the end of just one year..Then they run out and buy another in spring..

Many people just happen to grow these well by luck..I think I finally found my nitch with these butes...lol

Why isn't anyone here even acknowledging the fact I am talking about the "oro blanco"? Oh well. I will take pics of mine tomorrow and post, now that the entire tree is ready to burst in flowers, then I will take another once they open.

Take care all.

Mike:-)

I could skip the Meyer lemons - I'm not sure we'd use the lemons that well anyway. It's more just that I'd read they were so easy and flower twice a year. I've noticed opinions are one extreme or the other on this - even when I've looked for info other places. Seeing such different opinions on it makes me wonder if it's a matter of your particular situation - like if you're growing it in a greenhouse vs. a bright window or something like that.

I'm trying to limit myself to 4 dwarf trees - the greenhouse is only 10 x 12, so I need to save some room for the veggies. We'll see how long this plan lasts...

Oro Blanco Grapefruit - sound great and Four Winds has them.

Moro Blood Orange for sure.

Nagami Kumquat - they sound yummy, but I'm not sure I should devote space to something I've never eaten before. Does anyone love them or hate them? Can I order some to try from somewhere - I live in the middle of nowhere - I can't buy anything remotely exotic here.

And I'll probably still do a fig, unless there are any other suggestions.

If you want a "lemon tree" that is easy for beginners, I would definately get a "ponderosa lemon"..

They also flower several times a year, and give you fruits the size of a softballs.:-). I have yet to kill one of these, even with mistakes..Fast growers and very fragrant flowers....

Mike..:-)

Hey Mike,
Just the person I need to chat with. First I am glad to hear that you have never killed a pondrosa lemon. Me myself, I have killed at least four. I will freely admit that I porbobly killed the first 3. My apartment has only 2 good windows. I kept my last ponderosa in these windows. I watered and fed it and I finally had 3 fruits after a year of owning it. 2 fell off when they were just smaller then golf balls. I am glad they did or I would have chosen the largest and healthiest looking one and murdered the other two(trust me I felt like I was stabbing myself in the heart!). The only fruit that held on was about 4 inches from the bottom of the pot. I wa happy with its location. I used the rim of the pot as a support. The fruit got to be about the size of a large navel. By this time is was around January. I would say almost 9 months after fruit formed. No problem there as I know that normal size fruit can takwe up to a year to ripen and ponderosa lemons can get enormous. There is a conservatory in Niagra Falls Canada that has one. The last time I saw it I swear it had a fruit the size of a football!(Wish I had a picture to prove it!!) Anyways, the fruit was atarting to turn yellow. I started getting leaf drop which to me is normal on the ponderosa lemon trees. The tree that this was started from almost completly defoliates every early spring. So I thought everything was fine until I noticed that I was getting massive leaf drop. My tree was a lil shy of 2ft but was branched out nicely. I cut the fruit off right then and there, thinking that just maybe, the fruit was pulling to much water and nutrients from the tree. Well it still died on me. I still don't know what esactly went wrong. The leaves showed no sign of stress and it was even growing new stems and leaves after it had lost the fruit, and leaves. I even had flower buds. Now that I think about it, I have a feeling that I should have been watering about 1/4 of what I had been doing. I probobly allowed root rot to set in. Its funny how citrus can be. I have lost many thru trial and error but I am now learning a lot more. I have picked up a lot of usefull information here. Since that ponderosa died I have bought 2 more citrus trees. My dwarf keylime and my dwarf moro blood orange. I have to say that I think some nurseries are full of themselves when they say that keylime trees should not be allowed to be exposed to temps below 60 degrees for any amount of time. Mine stayed outdoors for about a month and a half before I brought it in. It handled nicely when temps stayed in the high 30's. So far this tree is my best. In less then one year I have had that tree triple in size. I can't believe it has grown so much. I have yet to get a fruit but it has bloomed at least 4 times. I was a little upset that they had no fragrance. Logees gives it the fragrance symbol beneath there description. I chatted with some people on the tropical fruits forum and they confirmed my observation. That is one of my biggest problems with Logee's they lie! I bought a yhoya lauterbachii from them and they say blooming begins after 8ft of growth. I talked to a hoya grower/expert in Hawaii. She has a huge one and said that she only had one bloom in 20 years!! Sorry to get off the subject. Well it seems that the censensious here is that the meyer lemon is not easy to grow. I will let you know how I do with mine. I should have a 6ft and 3ft wide tree hopefully by Sunday. I am planning on how to put up a shop light to supplement the natural light in my kitchen. My biggest concern is the hot water base board unit below the window. If I keep the pot maybe 8-10 inches away and keep the heat at 60-65 degrees will that be low enough to not harm the rootball? I have a humidifier that I could run right beside the pot to help off set the dry air. I don't want to have a crispy meyer lemon tree.
Now, I really need some clarity on a few things. I have heard that fish emulsion is a good fertilizer for the meyer lemon. I have heard that superthirve is also a good supplement but I have seen some opposing thoughts on this also. What about the epsom sals and the vinegar. Could someone tell me how much of each I would need? I know ferilizing in the winter is not always the best approach and I wont do it until after the tree has had time to acclimate to its new enviroment. The vinegar though would help with the acidity and can you order the foliar pro online? Well I think that should be good for now or I will end up writing a book!
Thanks a lot everyone!
Andrew

Andrew, let's carry this conversation on your post over to the one you directed to me..Sounds good..

I want snoggle to get the most of the thread he or she started with drifting away from the help needed..

See you at the Mike help thread,,;-)

where you live will make a difference-- so ????

Snoggle,

What zone do you live in, or state? Also, I was thinking, "lemon meyers" might be a bit easier for you to grow since you are planning to set them in a greenhouse? Do I understand that to be so?

I'm in SE Kentucky, zone 6 bordering on zone 7. I will be keeping them in my greenhouse in the winter. All of the walls and the roof are glass (no solid walls like in a lean-to). We have free natural gas (there are several gas wells on our property, pretty common here in coal country) so I can keep it as hot as they need in the winter and it won't cost me a dime. I also figured, if I get anything that needs a lot of heat in the summer to get sweet, I can just leave them in there, with proper ventilation so it won't get too hot, of course. I used to have free water for the gardens too, but DH got rid of our water well, much to my dismay...

I posted these same questions on some other forums and I was told that Meiwa kumquat is better for eating out of hand than the Nagami. I definitely want something I can eat fresh, without the need to add a bunch of sugar for marmalade. Anyone have an opinion on this?

Thanks for all of your help!
Sarah

Sarah, you would be so lucky!!

You will have much more success with just about any plant, tree or citrus fruit with your greenhouse..Congratulations!! I wish I had one..
Your plants will be recieving sunlight ALL day long...Sweet!

You should try a "blood orange"...Also a "clementine". And yes, I can't stress enough, a "oro blonco" grapefruit! Thsi is not your average grapefruit..It ripens easy, and is very sweet..

Mike

Sarah,
I have a moro blood orange tree and if you have a greenhouse that you can keep warm, I would buy one. The fruits are beutifull when ripe. I have read that the color is dependent on cool temps when ripening. I really like there flavor.
Mike,
All right I am leaning towards the Oro Blanco myself. I will shop around for one in the summer when I don't need to pay more for special cold protection shipping. I found that out when I tried to do an order thru meyer lemon tree.com
Mike where did you get yours?
Andrew

Yes, Mike, I am very lucky. Between the free heat and the husband willing to help me with my gardening obsessions, I know I am blessed. We've gotten things like the greenhouse set up so nicely here, we are tempted to never move back home to Ohio.

The greenhouse was free, well kinda free. My husband's godfather built it almost 20 years ago out of materials from a 1920's commercial greenhouse. He'd planned on starting a business building them, but it was the only one he ever built. It sat in his yard, completely unused and full of wasp nests, until I spotted it a few years ago. He and my husband moved it to Kentucky from NE Ohio. My husband and I joke that we could have bought a brand new greenhouse cheaper than what we spent to keep his godfather in beer during the time they were rebuilding it. Just like there is no such thing as a free lunch, there is no such thing as a "free greenhouse"!

Sarah, I can help you a little. Since you can keep the temperature at any level you want, I say get the best of all citrus. And please consider "successive ripening" of fruits so that you can get some fruit all year.
Pigmented oranges - Get the Moro (darkest color), Sanguinelli (just delicious) and Cara Cara pink navel (one of the best and sweetest). The navels are for fresh eating and get bitter if juiced, but the Moro and Sanguinelli are great for blood orange juice. My toddler is addicted to "red orange juice" - bit it is actually a dark maroon color.
Kumquats - I prefer the ripe sweet Meiwa over the Nagami (which is only good in marmalades) - a not so ripe nagami is tart like a lemon. Meiwa is delicious and sweet when ripe and you pop the whole fruit into your mouth and eat it - I have 2 Meiwas in my front yard. Both types have seeds. There is a new seedless kumquat- Nordmann Seedless Nagami Kumquat, but it is tart.
As for grapefruit - I second Oro Blanco. I am not a grapefruit kinda girl - but I can eat Oro Blanco and it has no trace of bitterness in it. And the tree is gorgeous.
Satsumas - they are seedless mandarins and ripen in the Fall/Winter. Get the Owari Satsuma, they are good.
Meyer Lemon - I highly recommend it - it is both hard and easy to grow - if you use a free draining potting mixture and constant fertilizing, it will thrive in containers. They are cold hardy and are sweeter than regular lemons. Great for teas etc.
Though you did not ask, I suggest a Gold Nugget Mandarin (spring and summer ripening) and a Kishu Mandarin (winter ripening and so so sweet) and my personal favorite of all citrus, the Key Lime (aka Bartender's lime, Mexican Lime).
good luck.
PS: I recommend FourWinds trees
PPS: If you have a Trader Joe's anywhere in your neck of the woods, call them - they have Cara Cara, Moro,Meyer Lemon and Nagami kumquats fruits on sale this month (I assume that they carry same produce nationally).

Thanks a ton, Ashley!

I love Trader Joe's, but we don't have one here (I live an hour from a "normal" grocery store). However, I know where they are in Ohio when I go home to visit family. I may just have to take a trip to see my 2 year old niece soon! That or beg my brother to mail me some fruit from TJ's.

Thanks for all of the variety recommendations. That helps a lot. We're driving to Dallas for Easter so I'm going to see what I can get at a particular nursery I found there. If I can't find some of the trees that I want there, Four Winds is next on my list. They have everything I want, but I'd like to save on the shipping by getting them while I'm in TX if possible.

Of course, the only problem now is that I'm looking in my greenhouse trying to see if I can fit in twice as many trees. :-)

It is a great idea to ask your brother to mail you some of these fruit as they are seasonal and may be gone sooner rather than later - it is great to be able to taste test them before buying. Good luck. I started with 2 citrus and now have more than a dozen and now I am taking a break from buying, just trying to manage the plants I have to be successful.
If you want to venture into grafting you do not need to buy so many trees - just graft a lot of varieties onto the existing trees like others on this forum. Do a search on grafting on this forum to get all the details.
Another idea is to get yourself another greenhouse :) Good luck.

Hi ashley!!! Look at you go girl!!! I am so excited to see you growing these plants!!! Sweet!

Andrew, I got my "oro blanco" at 4 winds! The healthiest plants I ever recieve are from them..The price is worth it! Two years and going, and not a ONE problem with this guy..I will post a pic of it today or tomorrow...Keep on the watch..The first blossom of hundreds just opened today!!! I am so happy!

Mike..:-)

Great thread for those of us who haven't tried a lot of citrus yet! I'm so jealous of Sarah and her greenhouse... Hopefully I will be so lucky someday!

hey badsmerf,
Are you growing any citrus now? I have to say, I have been really impressed with how SOME NOT ALL, local greenhouse/nurseries aredabbling with citrus trees. I think people are realizing that they are just like other plants/trees. There are some that are perfect for beginners, and some that can be a little more difficult but I would definetly give it a try. I would start with a calomondin if you don't have any experience or maybe ponderosa lemon. I added a meyer to my collection yesterday and I was amazed at what they had available. they had lemons, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, limes, you name it. Too bad most were too large for most people to handle. I had to leave my meyer there until I could figure out how I was getting it home. I think citrus are pretty easy as long as you know a few things. Definetly give them a try!
Andrew

I started some key limes at the beginning of winter and a ruby red not long after. So far so good. I'm going to wait until I have a better set-up before I start trying more. I chose key lime because it is a smaller tree and I really wanted to grow from seed. I'm very excited for summer to see it grow like a weed.

Hi badsmerf!

I have a ruby red too..It is only 6 inches high though..lol

It is growing 2 grapefruits at the very top of the plant. Would you let the fruit continue to grow, or pinch them off since the plant is so small..

Thans a lot! I too can't wait for those warm summer mornings and the chance to spray down all my trees with water..They just revel in the warmth and smell sooo good!

Mike..:-)

Texas is under a citrus ban. Check citrus greening at
the USDA site.

I wonder if any one can tell me how oro blanco fragerance stand against a golden or good bloomsweet. We dont have them here and I was told they dont do well. Goldens dont have the strong whang like some gf and lemons but they are
so full of fantastic sweet fragerance as to be in a class by themselves. I've never smelled bergemont a leading commercial fragerance in France along with seville.

But goldens they eat good too, more flavor than oro blanco.

Badsmerf,
My keylime tree see ms almost effortless to keep happy. I wouls have to say it is easily the least stressfull for me. Seems verh hardy and tolerant. I give it good light and it just grows and grows, almost without any break, right now it is forming bunches of blooms. Only drawback is the lack of any real fragrance.
andrew

Thanks to Ashley's suggestion my sister is mailing me some citrus fruits from Trader Joe's: kumquats, blood oranges, Cara Cara, Meyer's lemon, and some satsumas. I'll get to try them out before I decide what to plant. Thanks for the great idea!

I find that home grown fruit taste different than store bought. Some things taste better when allowed to fully ripen on the tree and others just have more character or a different range of flavor than store bought - so don't completely base your tree purchase on how store bought fruit tastes. Many people consider Calamondin's inedible but if you have one potted on your porch you will find yourself enjoying them even though they are harshly sour.

I also shove my potted citrus collection into a small greenhouse for the winter (zone 7b) and they handle it ok if I give everyone a haircut before moving them in. The biggest problem is aphids and other bugs which show up about now, when the temps start to warm and the trees sprout new growth. You can get a nice amount of fruit from a small well grown tree. One that you can easily move in and out of the greenhouse. But if you want to take it up a notch you'll want bigger pots and a bigger greenhouse.

Kumquats can stay pretty small, mine is tiny after many years and is usually weighted down with fruit. The good thing about Kumquats and Calamondins is that they have ripe fruit throughout most of the year.

If you can find one of the super dark figs like Petit Negri they will love the same treatment as your citrus. They have the best tasting fruit but not a ton of it and the bushes stay very small. Most other figs outperform them but the flavor isn't the same.

I have no problems growing Meyer Lemon trees but most of them don't have a lemony flavor to me - I can taste the Tangerine in their heritage, and I prefer the full flavor of regular lemons.

The reason a lot of people don't jump all over grapefruit is that they take daily medications that interact with chemicals in grapefruit juice. It is one of my favorite flavors but I can't eat them anymore - waaaaaa

Didn't have time to read all the posts, sorry, but I have to agree with Andrew about Meyer's being the easiest..especially compared to Satsumas.
Calamondins/Kumquats come in second. Can't decide which.

The proof is through my own experience..I haven't had the best of luck w/Sansumas in the past, and won't know until Fl's ban ends, and trees can once again be shipped out of state.

Snoggle, why not get one of each? lol..What size green house are you thinking about getting?
Don't know if you changed your mind, but don't blame you for taking citrus outdoors in summer..who wants higher electric bills when, by placing outside, plants get fresh air, sun and humidity..who needs to run fans? etc..

Plants get rained on, fresh air, 'free, fresh air, lol' and all the sun an area provides.

The only problem is hauling heavy plants outside, but if I can do it, I'm F, 5'5, 116 lbs, I'm sure any man can handle the job. lol.

Please keep us posted on your progress..Toni