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| Im in north Florida (Ocala) and would like to buy a few citrus trees. The local nursery that I usually used sadly closed. Does anyone have any recommendations for nurseries with good selection that is either within driving distance, or that offers shipping. Thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by bamboo_rabbit 9A Inverness (My Page) on Sun, Dec 25, 11 at 12:54
| I use Floyds in Dade city. You won't find better trees and they are very cheap. You could also try Blue Star nursery in Hawthorne. |
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| Oh I loved Blue Star. I drove there yesterday, and it looks like they are closed. I called and there was no answer either. They were my favorite and first choice. Ill check Floyds in Dade City. Thanks. |
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- Posted by gatormomx2 9a (My Page) on Sun, Dec 25, 11 at 20:56
| Ocala is too cold for citrus. The freezes the past three years showed us that! |
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- Posted by love_the_yard z9A Jax FL (My Page) on Sun, Dec 25, 11 at 21:25
| I recommend The Flying Dragon Citrus Nursery in Jacksonville - link below. It is located at the south end of the city. Here is a link to University of Florida information on the cold hardy Flying Dragon (Trifoliate) root stock: Here are photos of our satsuma tree grown on trifoliate root stock. Satsumas are the most delicious and easy to eat citrus. You just can't beat them. Here are photos of our tree, a photo taken from each side:
Carol |
Here is a link that might be useful: Flying Dragon Citrus
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- Posted by gatormomx2 9a (My Page) on Mon, Dec 26, 11 at 6:59
| That is one gorgeous Satsuma! |
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- Posted by marcia_pa5 PA5_FL9b S.SarasotaC (My Page) on Mon, Dec 26, 11 at 9:29
| Beautiful! Do you know which of the satsumas you have, Carol? Is it sweet? I want one! Marcia |
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- Posted by love_the_yard z9A Jax FL (My Page) on Mon, Dec 26, 11 at 10:30
| I think that satsumas beat any other citrus there is: they are 1) deliciously sweet, 2) have very few seeds and 3) have a very loose skin that can be peeled off in two pieces. What other orange can you eat in the car?! They are one of the best kept secrets around because you never see them in grocery stores. They don't pack or travel well - they are too "fragile" for large crates in grocery stores - so you only get them from neighbors, roadside stands or flea markets. But if you ever have one, you will love it. My Dad found out about satsumas shortly after moving to Florida in the 60s. He planted the one above in September 1980, so it is about 31 years old! Unfortunately I don't know which variety of satsuma it is. The one pictured above is my parent's tree and I also have a satsuma tree, pictured below. They are equally good and the fruit appears about identical but I don't which variety either of them are. My guess is that they are both Owari - but I don't really know. On both trees, the fruit is ripe and ready to eat every Thanksgiving. We leave the fruit on the tree and eat as needed. The fruit would last until about March except neighbors and church friends beg to have a chance to pick. We give away hundreds and hundreds. It is so funny because often we will give someone a basket of fruit who has never had them before and they will politely nod and say 'thank you'. Then the next time we see them, they will say, "WHAT WERE THOSE?!! THEY WERE DELICIOUS!" It is not until they try them that they appreciate how wonderful they are! For some reason, the photo below makes my tree appear much smaller than it is. It is actually about eight foot tall. It was planted in 2000. It is on the dwarf Trifoliate (Flying Dragon) root stock which has the benefits of being cold hardy and keeping the tree smallish. The amount of fruit in the photo is deceiving - I bet I got 200 off my tree this year! I still have about 50 hanging on it. No joke, they taste like candy.
The folks at Flying Dragon Nursery know their citrus trees. They are a small, family-owned business and have been selling citrus at that location for years and years. They are experts in cold-hardy citrus for areas that get a few freezes a year like north Florida and south Georgia. Linked below is another website - Mr. Texas - who is an expert on citrus. He has an overwhelming amount of good info. Have fun! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Mr. Texas
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- Posted by love_the_yard z9A Jax FL (My Page) on Mon, Dec 26, 11 at 11:01
| Picked two minutes ago:
Carol |
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- Posted by sultry_jasmine_night Florida z9 (My Page) on Mon, Dec 26, 11 at 13:53
| If you can grow citrus in Jax you should be able to grow it in Ocala. There are all kinds of citrus growing all over the city here. I have about 9 different kinds although some of them are in pots. I do have 2 different mature orange trees in the ground. I have seen lemons, grapefruit, kumquats, satsuma and oranges planted in different parts of the city around here. I grew kumquats, satsuma, and oranges in S central and SE Louisiana and the winters seemed a little colder than here in NE FL. They often went into the 20's and teens there whereas it doesn't seem to get into the 20's near as often here.. |
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- Posted by loufloralcityz9 Z 9 (My Page) on Mon, Dec 26, 11 at 14:14
| Your descriptions sounded wonderful and the pictures were hard to ignore, I just had to get online and buy two 4 year old trees, Satsuma Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) Lou |
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- Posted by love_the_yard z9A Jax FL (My Page) on Mon, Dec 26, 11 at 14:44
| Lou, Wow, that is awesome! I don't think you will be disappointed. With your green thumb - and as much sun as you can give them - they should do fine! I throw citrus fertilizer on both of the trees four times a year: March, May, July and September. I just toss it by hand (hand "broadcast" it) underneath the tree out to the drip line. And that is it. Just sit back and wait for the fruit. Please post photos of yours when you get them! Carol |
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| Wonder how they would do here in St Pete, we don't get that cold that you guys do... where did you order yours from, Lou...??? thanx, sally |
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- Posted by bamboo_rabbit 9A Inverness (My Page) on Mon, Dec 26, 11 at 16:03
| Cava, I spoke with the people at Blue Star a couple weeks ago about fruit trees they will get in February so they are still open. |
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- Posted by westhamutd 8b/9a (My Page) on Mon, Dec 26, 11 at 18:58
| "Ocala is too cold for citrus. The freezes the past three years showed us that!" I'm sorry,but that is just not correct.The mandarin,satsumas & tangerine type of citrus-when grafted with a good rootstock are very cold hardy.I had two tiny tangerine trees survive last year,with just sheets placed over them & we hit 15degs here on several nights.There are also a number of properties in my area,that have very mature trees & they are never protected in the hardest freezes.It seems,if You can get the young tree through the first couple of Years,then after that,there is no real issue.Cavamarie,look for trees that are grafted onto Swingle rootstock,as it does well in our area.I would advise You to plant in Spring,after all danger of freezes are past.This will give the young tree maximum time to establish before a hard freeze occurs.There are also a few ways to further protect the tree,if You decide to select a variety that is not as cold hardy as those mentioned above.These can range from simply placing a blanket/tarp over the tree,to enclosing the trunk in foam pipe insulation(I do this on a couple of my less cold hardy young trees).Best of luck with choosing & growing Your citrus tree. "If you can grow citrus in Jax you should be able to grow it in Ocala." Jaxonville,though much further North is protected by the ocean breezes.Ocala & the surrounding areas can see some pretty low temps,because We are so far inland. |
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- Posted by alys_esmond 9b Orlando (My Page) on Mon, Dec 26, 11 at 20:16
| Meany! No fair posting citrus porno... my mouth watered as I scrolled down watching your satsuma stripping! |
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| Oh bamboo rabbit, I hope you're right. I drove up there last week, and there was orange tape around the entrance and barrels in the parking lot. Okay, you people have KILLED me with that satsuma picture. Is that huge one in a pot?? I have a minneola tangelo that I need to find a pollinator for. Will a satsuma do the trick? I love Florida.... |
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| Oh, and everyone, thank you for all your informative responses. Has given me a lot to consider. I know its possible growing citrus around here, since as I drive around my block I see some monstrous orange trees. Ive had a difficult time the last few years with the ones Ive gotten, since we did have pretty cold winters. This year has been much milder, and Ill be much smarter when getting some new citrus. |
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- Posted by bamboo_rabbit 9A Inverness (My Page) on Tue, Dec 27, 11 at 9:36
| Cava, I just got off the phone with Bluestar so they are still in business. |
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| Excellent!! Thanks, bamboo, its right up the road from me. |
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- Posted by loufloralcityz9 Z 9 (My Page) on Tue, Dec 27, 11 at 10:33
| Sally, I ordered mine from MyerLemonTree.com Lou |
Here is a link that might be useful: Satsuma Orange Tree
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- Posted by gatormomx2 9a (My Page) on Tue, Dec 27, 11 at 13:50
| I live in zone 9a. We grew citrus for Minute Maid but were wiped out by the three freezes in the 80's. Replanted just enough for the family in the early 90's. The last three freezes have killed off half or more of those trees. Two Satsumas were planted in the 90s. They were easily as big as the ones pictured here. But mine were severely damaged by the three years of deep freezes. One Satsuma is dead and will be taken out soon. The other was damaged and may not survive much longer. The temps in my grove were down to 19 degrees last year for more than 8 hours. Many nights of 20 and 22 degrees for long periods. It is a wonder anything survived. So yes, it is correct that citrus cannot survive such cold temperatures as Ocala had recently. You might be fortunate enough to have a warm micro climate. Every yard is different and yards often have cold and warm pockets. If it were so easy and warm enough grow citrus, why are there no large commercial growers in Gainesville, Jacksonville and Ocala? Because the ideal climate is way further south. Homeowners can afford the risk. When you have hundreds of acres planted in citrus, you cannot. There are exceptions to the rules and your place might be the exception. Wishing for warm winters for many years to come and happy citrus to all! |
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- Posted by love_the_yard z9A Jax FL (My Page) on Tue, Jan 3, 12 at 16:40
| Lou - did those puppies arrive?!? Carol M. - Jacksonville |
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- Posted by loufloralcityz9 Z 9 (My Page) on Tue, Jan 3, 12 at 22:10
| Carol, They haven't arrived yet due to the holidays, I was notified there would be a delay as UPS wasn't on full delivery schedule due to the holidays, they should be coming in anytime now since the holidays have passed. Lou |
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| Gatormom nailed it - homeowners can take risks with freezes that commercial growers can't. To a commercial grower, a freeze is financial ruin. To a homeowner, losing a few yard citrus to a freeze is disappointing, inconvenient, and it costs some money (new trees plus buying citrus until the new trees are producing). But it is not a crisis. I have an Owari Satsuma that I bought from a big box store close to 15 years ago. I don't know what rootstock it's on. It has survived temps down to the low teens with minor foliage damage (though it was not exposed to temperatures that low until it had been in the ground a few years). Most years it takes no damage at all, and I do nothing to protect it. There are several other citrus that would probably survive (i.e., worth planting by a homeowner) in North Florida. I added a link to the Just Fruits and Exotics citrus page, because it describe a lot of citrus varieties and has a USDA hardiness zone recommendation for each. (Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with that nursery nor have I ever bought from them...I just thought the page was informative.) Citrus that I see growing in people's yards here (Panama City area, zone 8b) are: satsumas, kumquats, Improved Meyer lemons, and some tangerines and oranges. I also see some grapefruit trees...but only small ones. It makes me wonder whether grapefruits only live as long as they are small enough for homeowners to keep covered during hard freezes. I have a related question: has anyone tasted a limequat? I am wondering if they are *actually* good for lime substitutes or if that is just marketing hype. I'd love to have a "lime" tree. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Just Fruits and Exotics citrus page
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| Thanks a lot, Lou of Floral City. I bought one from the Meyer Lemon place. I have no idea where I'm going to put it, but at least it arrived today, after the freeze/frost. How did you make out? Carol B. in Sarasota |
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- Posted by loufloralcityz9 Z 9 (My Page) on Wed, Jan 4, 12 at 18:13
| Carol, Carol, The UPS truck just delivered my 2 Satsuma Mandarin Orange trees, but it's too dark out to open the boxes and plant them. They will spend the night in my barn. Lou, MOO |
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