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smarsh7903

Complicated kumquat

smarsh7903
12 years ago

So I bought 5 kumquat seeds online without checking facts on the plant first. I wish I had, but then again this plant is very appealing to me. I have read that I will need to soak the seeds prior to planting and keep the seedlings warm so they can grow. I also read that their roots tend to be weak and that you need to graft them. I have never grafted anything (second year gardner here) and I don't know what to do. What is the easiest graft to perform, where do I get rootstock and of what species, and when do I need to perform the graft and what part of the plant do I need to use as the scion. Thanks for the help, this site rocks

Comments (5)

  • don_in_ct
    12 years ago

    Hmmm. I hope they are good seeds (typically, you can use seeds from any citrus fruit, so your local grocery store's citrus selection can provide you with seeds!).

    Next: I would plant the seeds as soon as possible in coir or peat pellets under a plastic cover to keep in the moisture (I have used Burpee's 10-pellet greenhouse kit to start citrus with good success). Citrus seeds do not store well and really should be taken out of the fruit and planted right away.

    The way I sprouted my seeds was to put the Burpee "greenhouse" under a florescent shop light--the lid of the greenhouse was 2 inches below the bulbs (they give off a bit of heat, which was just about right for the seeds). I left the light on 24 hours a day till the seeds sprouted (about a week to ten days).

    Grafting: I've never done it, and I doubt you need to do it either, especially if you grow them in containers. If you did graft them, I suspect Poncirus trifoliata is the logical choice (common name: Trifoliate Orange), since it confers cold resistance on citrus and is often used on kumquats. Citrus are grafted to confer resistance to cold, drought, disease, and nematodes (tiny worms that feed on roots), but for your first experiment, I would say getting the seeds to grow is the goal. In any event, you would not be grafting a seedling: normally, a known high quality fruiting tree is selected for budwood, and cuttings are taken from that tree and grafted onto rootstocks that have been growing for a couple of years or so. This produces a tree that fruits sooner than a seed-grown tree, and one which will have the taste characteristics of the budwood tree. Your seeds may produce trees that bear great fruit, or they may not, but that is part of the fun!

    As zone 8a experiences lows in the 10 to 15 degree F range, I would grow the trees in containers (Nagami kumquats, according to the chart I've linked to below, need protection below 24 degrees, and other kumquats are more sensitive).

    Here is a link that might be useful: fourwinds list of citrus with temperature guide

  • smarsh7903
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Wow, thanks for the great info! As the seeds go, I will follow your guidlines. If they don't grow then I will look for kumquat fruit in our stores here even though I have never seen any. As far as grafting goes I will just worry about crossing that bridge if I ever have to! Another thing that bothers me is that I have heard of fruit being very sour or very sweet. What causes this? Also I was planning on keeping the plant indoors for the winter and outside in the summer

  • poncirusguy6b452xx
    10 years ago

    Hi Smarsh7903

    Did your seeds turn out well. If so I would like to see pics.
    I did meiwa seeds 14 months ago. Here is what a seed grown meiwa kumquat tree looks like

    {{gwi:31428}}
    click picture to open photobucket, use arrow keys on keyboard t9o navigate

    Or click link below for 8meg pics

    Here is a link that might be useful: https://plus.google.com/photos/111099372377958308731/albums/profile?banner=pwa

  • eahamel
    10 years ago

    The sweetness or sourness is determined by the variety. Meiwa is sweet. Nagami is sour and sweet.

    Why don't you buy a kumquat tree at a nursery. I know it's more expensive than growing from seed, but it will take years for you to get any fruit, and grafting is an art that you have to learn. I took a grafting class a few years ago, but nothing took, so it isn't as easy as it looks. The rootstock needs to be grown from seed, too. Good luck finding trifoliate seeds.

    I wouldn't trust anyone selling seeds online, especially not from e-bay, and I suspect that's where you got these. Someone there is selling seeds for a "dwarf pomolo", and it will supposedly produce fruit in 2 years, but there is no such thing. Those blue orchids and "rainbow roses" are scams, too.

  • poncirusguy6b452xx
    10 years ago

    Buying a grafted tree sounds great. I still do for apples, cherries, and pears. %50----80% percent of my purchased grafted tree die with in 3 years so I get them on clearance now. they run $8 to $12 for 5 gallon trees at home depot or lowes. Here in cincinnati I have to mail order my 5 gallon citrus tree at about $100 including shipping. I also can not see the tree in advance. I ordered my kumquats from florida kumquat growers inc. I kept the seeds and planted them. exactly 3 out of over 200 meiwa trees survived. 9 months later I tried again with a success rate of 66% on kumquats from seed. I have found that fruit trees from seed take longer than grafted trees but when they do start producing the trees are strong and they produce in quantity that exceeds grafted trees. If the fruit come true or good from seed then seed it is. The big reasons to graft is roots for the soil in your area. I set up the soil for the roots and then don't need a grafted root stock. How ever If i lived in zone 9 I would go to home depot in a heart beat and get a 1/2 off meiwa kumquat tree for $10 like I get cherry trees here in cincinnati. As for poncirus trifoliata, I did my home work and got p.t. seeds on ebay. Yes I have seen the scams. If i had not done a lot of citrus research I would not know better.

    {{gwi:567683}}
    future greenhouse and the poncirus trifoliata trees from ebay seeds.