'Bloomsweet' & 'Golden' Grapefruit Varieties in California?
12 years ago
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- 12 years ago
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Southern California Roll Call!!!
Comments (115)I have two sides going so far--lots of seedlings going in the areas that look bare. side 1 (this was the 1st side I did back in March): And this is side 2 (I had a bunch of herbs and potatoes but decided to go above ground with those (I just threw together the wood planters from scraps we had laying around-now ISO soil): I have corn, greens, beans, and a few other sprouts coming up--I threw the straw down (from when I cleared our side yard in May) to give them a bit of shade and extra water---this side gets like 6 hours of INTENSE sun this time of year (especially this year). I have some raspberries to plant in the back corner on side 2--I'd love to have a little berry patch. But through research I've found very few varieties grow in a 10a zone (this part is all new to me) Those retaining wall planters are my next big project but the dirt is so compacted I can't even dig---but I'm thinking of just top filling it after I pull everything...just can bring myself to get rid of all my aloe and succulents that grow up in the shade. I'd love to do something vertical... (Side 1) (Side 2) This is the first year I'm doing this---I pulled the existing shrubs (2 10 year old hibiscus, a 10 year old rosemary, among others) all by hand and turned the soil myself---my husband's around to help but it's mostly a project I've taken on myself. I'd like to get a bit more organized as far as what grows where and when, more vertical growth, etc...one thing at a time I suppose. I've shown you mine--who's showing theirs? (I apologize for any typos, I didn't proofread this)...See MoreHelp Me! I'm lazy!! If you chose 21 varieties, Which Ones?
Comments (27)Okay, Smith Red Valencia is frequently available - I would try calling around your local larger garden centers. Usually Walter Andersen Nursery in Poway or San Diego has it or can get it, same with Armstrong Nurseries - they can usually find one for you. Not sure if Clausen's has them, you can try calling them to see. Lee x Nova is carried by Walter Andersen in Poway, that's where I got mine. Valentine is propagated by Durling Nursery in La Paz/Fallbrook. That is a HOOF, let me tell you, but they do deliver, and frankly, it's worth the delivery charge as they are way, way the heck west of Fallbrook literally out in the middle of nowhere (almost up against the east side of Camp Pendelton). You can also ask them if they ship their Valentine's to a nursery close to you, and possibly set up a special order with your local nursery through Durling's. CCPP allows you to order budwood. You would have to know how to cleft of bud graft, you would have to purchase rootstock, and you'd have to have the ability to keep your grafted trees in a moist environment. Citrus grafting is a little trickier than, say, stone fruit grafting. And, there is a wait of several years before you would see a tree large enough to support fruit. Patty S....See MoreCold Hardy Grapefruit
Comments (48)I'm growing a Dunstan citrumelo outside in Olympia, WA. So far it is doing great. Maybe only three feet tall right now, so it is still too small to produce fruit. I have seen a citrumelo tree outside, up against a wall, in Vancouver, WA, in a suburban neighborhood. Don't know exactly what variety it was. Pretty big tree, about 6 feet tall. I saw several medium-sized green fruits on it. I don't know if they ripen all the way. Both locations are classified in climate zone 8a. I'm also experimenting growing what they call a "Bloomsweet grapefruit". Research I've dug up shows that it probably originated from a cross between a Japanese citrus variety known as "kunenbo" and a "buntan" (Japanese pomelo). Kunenbo is like a large sized mandarin, very fragrant but seedy, perhaps also a little bit comparable to a tangelo as well. It really has no exact equivalent to any normal citrus outside of Asia. Just for further helpful reference, common Satsuma mandarin is believed to have originated from a cross between Kishu mandarin (which is sometimes known as "Pixie") and Kunenbo. So Satsuma gets most of its distinct flavor from Kunenbo. It's a long story with many complex details. Probably this is the same variety that was known as "Kinkoji" in Japan, was probably later brought over by Japanese immigrant citrus farmers who moved to Texas, and there was given its new name "Bloomsweet" in Texas. And from there it has occasionally been grown in South Carolina. This "Bloomsweet" is not really a "real" grapefruit, but that is the closest most apt description of it. The flowers smells more like sour orange flowers than those of grapefruit. Anyway, the tree is planted close to a warm south-facing brick wall, and has survived through two winters so far. The first winter was very cold with lots of snow (which was unusual for this area), and it was covered for protection. Suffered severe bark damage, lost most of its leaves. The second winter (2019-2020) it was not protected. Seems to have done well. Amazingly the leaves from last year seem to have mostly recovered (regained their green color after turning yellow) and it has put out a whole new stem full of big leaves. It remains to be seen how this will do. Sorry, there are just too many details to write them all here. From the research I've been able to do (mostly reading other people's anecdotal observations, failures and successes, in other forums) I have gathered that Bloomsweet is probably hardy down to about 18 F or in the range 15-23 F, and I can also state from my own observations it probably has slightly more cold tolerance than Satsuma. Anyway, I planted the two right next to each other, in perhaps the hope that I might someday be able to develop a new cross between these two varieties, trying to develop a better hardy grapefruit. I'm probably getting ahead of myself with that thought, however....See MoreGrapefruit harvest in zone 8b/9a!!
Comments (47)Just as I suspected... I found this: " Chandler fruits are seedy when cross-pollinated by citrus fruits with viable pollen and seedless when grown in a solid block or in proximity to citrus fruits that are pollen sterile, such as navel oranges and Satsuma mandarin. " http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/chandler.html It appears that Satsuma mandarin trees are very poor pollinizers, which explains why your grapefruit has not been developing any seeds. (You said there were 3-4 Satsuma mandarin trees on your street)...See More- 12 years ago
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