Best Mandarin Like 'Cuties' for Arizona

12 years ago

Hi:

I'm just getting started with citrus and wanting to purchase a mandarin tree.

This time of year we love the "cutie" mandarins available at retail supermarkets. I especially love how they peel easily, no seeds, separate nicely, and juicy/sweet.

I'm trying to find a variety of mandarin that are closest to these "cuties" that do well in the Arizona climate, we are in zone 9.

I've been researching clementines, murcotts and tangos but still so confused as to what would be best.

Also, I'm looking for a variety that can be potted for easy of transportation to new home.

If anyone has any experience with these I'd welcome the comments.

Thanks in advance for any ideas/help!7

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Comments (4)

AJBB
12 years ago
Cuties is the marketing term for seedless mandarins being sold out of California.

In the past, they used to be Fremont, Murcott, and Clementine mandarins that used to be sprayed with gibberellic acid to make them seedless.

I think the current group of Cuties consist of Gold Nugget and Tango (a mutant form of Murcott that is seedless). Tango is a commerical variety and not easily obtainable for home gardeners and Gold Nugget is a fairly new variety that hasn't been extensively tested for our growing conditions.

If you want something similar to the store bought stuff and don't mind the seeds, consider the Fremont mandarin. You can also buy Gold Nugget, but the jury is still out as to whether or not it will thrive in our climate. Some mandarins, like Satsumas, for example, don't do very well in Arizona.
thisisme
12 years ago
I purchased a Gold Nugget last year. I asked my local Lowe's to order one for me. No fruit yet but it appears to be doing equally as well as any of the trees I received from Greenfield Citrus Nursery.
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Thanks for starting this thread. I too had wondered about this. I already have a Valencia Dwarf orange tree in a pot and I'm looking for a mandarin to be started in another, and just like you I'm a Cuties fan! Checking out Monterey Bay Nursery, it seems like those guys only deal in wholesale and perhaps with professionals. (not sure if I misinterpreted but this seemed to be the case). I've purchased dwarf citruses in the past from Four Winds Growers (they retail at Summerwinds, OSH and Lowe's etc). My experience with their trees has been great. I learnt about them on GW and lots of folks have had very good experience with their trees. If you choose to purchase from a particular place, please do share the information and pictures (of your container) too! Good luck!!
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Very good! See if you can find the name of the grower on the pot label, or ask your Costco what grower they buy from. That way, you can stay in contact with them to know when they will be sending citrus to the various Costcos or other retail outlets. Australian Finger Lime is its own weird citrus cultivar, but very fun to have in the yard. It has very pretty foliage - tiny little leaves. Very thorny, and grows some very, very interesting looking fruits that can be used in cooking like a lime. Kind of the rage in many high end gourmet restaurants right now. And sorry to hear you were in a car accident, my gosh. Glad you're okay and healing. I would wait to plant anyway, until your weather cools off some, anyway. Keep them in an afternoon shady spot, so the don't cook in their black plastic pots. Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: UCR Citrus Variety Collections: Australian Finger Lime
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An Owari Satsuma mandarin would be a good choice. They are very cold hardy, seedless and very delicious. The are vigorous, but naturally stay small. They have a lovely spreading, drooping habit making them very lovely ornamental trees. The fruit doesn't store well on the tree - they get kind of baggy - but they DO store well after picking. Another option would be a Clementine mandarin, but it can sometimes have seeds (more so if there's a cross pollinator in the vicinity). It is pretty in a container, though, and stores better on the tree. And "Cuties" cover about 4 or 5 different varieties, depending on the season. It is merely a marketing term used to market mandarins over a wide season. Clementines are often one of the "Cuties". I think there was a discussion on this forum a while back about this term you might want to search and read. Patty S.
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agility_mom
12 years ago
I bought a Gold Nugget and a Tango from Baker Nursery in Phoenix last fall. Since they are so young, I don't have any experience with them as far as taste, vigor etc. I got them for the same reason that you are looking for mandarin trees. I love Cuties and wanted to grow something similar. Both of these are supposed to be very sweet and seedless. The Gold Nugget is supposed to be seedless even when planted close to other seeded citrus. The Tango has been promising in trials but the jury is still out on that one.
At least you know of another place where they carry them
for sale.
azjoshb
12 years ago
I have a tango that I bought last spring. Its trunk calipers at about 2.5 inches, but it only stands about 3 feet tall. I have it planted in a fast draining soil in a massive concrete pot. I water it twice a week in the summer and gradually decrease to once a month in the winter. I fertilize it three times a year(never when they are blooming) and I got roughly 20 fruit. Personally, they taste just as good as the cuties, no seeds, thin peel, but are slightly smaller in size.

Best Mandarin Like 'Cuties' for Arizona

Comments (4)

AJBB

thisisme

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