Brandon, kumquats do not go "dormant" in the true sense of the term, dormancy (no edible citrus does). They will, in very cold conditions, attempt to shut down as much as possible and try to survive. Certain citrus cultivars are more cold-tolerant that others (satsumas, Gold Nugget mandarin, kumquats, and to some degree, Meyer lemon). Remember, citrus are semi-tropical plants, and they are not able to go fully dormant like deciduous fruit trees do (pome/stone fruits, certain berries, etc.). If your winter was particularly harsh, it may take a while for your kumquat to revive itself. If you have winter after winter of harsh and cold temps, you may see your kumquat never actually be able to recover enough to produce. And, cold tolerance you may see quoted for certain more cold-tolerant citrus are based on being planted in the ground, where roots are protected by the soil. Planting in a container would not afford a citrus tree that same protection. So, if your temps during the winter are consistently below 32 degrees for long periods of time (days), then you may want to consider bringing your tree or trees into a sheltered area during those cold snaps. It may be that the kumquat just got a colder blast than your Meyer lemon, is in a less desirable area to survive cold temps, or, the roots are better established for your Meyer. Patty S.

I have probably 100 trees in a river bottom farm near the Neosho River in southeast Kansas. In mid October, I pick up big limbs, then bush hog under the trees. Then when the leaves fall, I mow with a riding lawn mower in a spiral path starting at the tree trunk, blowing the leaves out further and further. I made a 'shepard's crook out of a piece of 1/2' or 3/8" rebar a couple of feet long. I fasten that to a 10' long piece of 1" pvc pipe with hose clamps, then fasten a strong rope to the rebar (not the pipe). I have also put a larger piece of 10' pvc with a coupling to get 20' but its a bear to handle and you need others to stand clear as its easy to loose control and I have a couple of scars to prove it. If you stand in the bed of a pickup, and reach up with the 10' length of PVC you can get a significant portion of the nuts. Then you can hook the rebar on a limb about 2" thick and pull hard about 25 times. If the leaves have fallen, the pecans will too. I have a Bag-a-Nut that picks up about 75% depending on how even the ground is. You will pick up a lot of debris to, but you can sort that out later. I priced the heavier equipment but it is quite expensive so this is a sort of middle of the road approach. I also have about a dozen names from newspaper advertisement to pick on shares, I keep a third, they keep 2/3. I also take them to local cracker/blower sites in the area, they charge $.60 to $1.00 a pound to crack and blow them. Its then easy to pick out the meats.

The biggest problem with kumquat trees is "K.U.M.Q.U.A.T." They grow slow and weak and therefore can not bounce back from attacks and problems. They produce in the winter when the plant has to come inside for the winter. The tree goes outside and it looses its leave. Kumquat trees should be grown in ground or in deep bottomless containers set down on dirt, I will take personal ownership on what I said above. Steve

Yeah, I don't mind being patient and waiting. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong or if there was a problem with the tree. And so is the usual timeline that they bloom in the summer and fruit is ready for harvest in the winter? I've heard some describe near year-round blooming.