What indoor citrus should I get next!?!

16 years ago

Hi all, in your opinions what would be a good indoor citrus for me to get next? I currently have a calamondin, meyer lemon, and kaffir lime. I just love citrus! You get beautiful sweet smelling flowers and usable fruit; the perfect house plant I think. I'd love to have a sweet lime, kumquats or some variety of orange. My only problem is limited space in the winter. I really have to pick a small handful of the best suited, most practical and useful trees. I've done some research into cultural requirements for several varieties but I'd love some real world advice from other indoor citrus growers. Thanks so much in advance!

[IMG]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t119/thedablue/citrus004.jpg[/IMG] My meyer lemon putting on new spring growth. I got 15 huge lemon this winter!

[IMG]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t119/thedablue/citrus003.jpg[/IMG] My calamondin which never stops putting on flowers and fruit. It smells divine!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

theda-blue
Original Author
16 years ago
Hmm, not sure why my photos are not showing up.
theda-blue
Original Author
16 years ago
{{gwi:569657}}

{{gwi:569658}}
Related Discussions
Which citrus should I grow indoors?
Q
Comments (6)
lol being picky can be good i guess! knowing what you want is the first step. I am by no means an expert, but hopefully i am on the way to being one! citrus like to be outdoors in the warmer months, so it could be good if you could put it outside during the warmer months weather permitting. if you want to grow from seed, it'll be 10years or more i think before you can start thinking about fruit. i also understand that not all seeds will produce fruit, some are sterile, and over 10 years is a long time to wait and see if you have a sterile seed. and if it does fruit, chances are it will taste nothing like the original fruit you got the seed from, and i have heard they rarely taste good when grown from seed. to my knowledge, most of the flowers on citrus are fragrant, as are the leaves if crushed! in terms of thorns - i have a tahiti lime that is riddled with them, but my two calamondin andmy lemon dont but im not sure if any are thorn-free. containers limit the size they grow to, but constricting it too much cant be good! the minimal-moderate care issue may be a problem - they need good light, good humidity and extremely careful watering and a close watch on fertilizing. those are basics i have learned in the past couple of weeks on here. You might be best off buying a young plant from a garden center/nursery as they are likely to be grafted stock, will in all probability flower and fruit, and are already a couple of years old so not so long a wait for fruits. Like I say, i am no expert, but from what i gather growing from seed is not the easiest or most satisfying way of growing citrus. buy a lemon or a calamondin (little orange fruit) from a nursery - from what i have read and experienced they are the easiest to start on. I did, and I haven't a single regret, I love them. However, i also love growing things from seed, so i have recently planted a few grapefruit seeds. i dont plan to have magnificent plants that flower and bloom prolifically. its just for the joy of growing :) hope you find what you are looking for :) dan
...See More
citrus blooming indoors, what do I do?
Q
Comments (3)
Thanks to both of you. Yes, the whole downstairs is scented with the blossoms. If I get enough calamondin I thought I would try some sort of preserve. The peel is rather pleasant. Self-pollinating--is that so for all of the dwarf citrus? My mystery shrub might be a meyer lemon, or a rangpur lime, or a washington orange. Those were the 3 that I bought, although one turned out to be the calamondin. BTW Mike, do you recall when last summer I posted about one that was not thriving & I found a walnut buried in the pot. The leaves that had yellowed still have not greened up but it is now starting to put on some new growth--finally
...See More
Citrus Pests - What do I try next to get rid of them?
Q
Comments (15)
Hey heavensabvus1, you keep getting rid of these critters but if you enhance the natural immunity on your plants, you may be able to deter these bugs for the long term. I recommend working some worm castings into your soil or better yet, innoculate your soil with worms. Worm castings contain an enzyme called chitinase which eats away the shells of many insects. It will take a while for your plants to absorb these enzymes but it will save you a lot of trouble down the road. You may also want to innoculate your soil with beneficial bacteria and fungi. You can buy prepackaged organic fertilizers like Kelloggs at Home Depot that already have these organisms. These organisms form a symbiotic relation with your plant and soil rhizosphere and protect the plant and inhibit insect attacks by several mechanisms. One of these mechanisms is the direct infection of insects by some of the fungal or microbial organisms. Some of these microbial organisms, the bacillus species for example, are naturally found in the soil and certain bacteria and fungi can directly infect and eventually kill harmful insects. To get rid of your pests, I would also highly recommend putting out ant bait stations. Ants innoculate plants with aphids in order to create a steady supply of sweet plant sap. The ants pretty much farm the aphids. By getting rid of ants around your property, you should see a dramatic decrease in your aphid population. To directly kill the aphids, I recommend using Chrysanthemum tea. Chrysanthemum contains a chemical called Pyrethrin which act as a mild natural insecticide. You will have to spray your trees every couple of days for about a week or two untill the insects finally realize its futile. The aphids will eventually come back and you will have to spray again but hopefully your tree has absorbed enough chitinase from the worm castings and also your beneficial bacteria and mycohrizzal fungi would have established itself well enough in your potting soil that even if the bugs did come back, they will take one bite out of your plant, vomit a little, and scuddle to your neighbors yard for some greener pastures :) Beware of those ant bait traps around pets, small children and rain however. If it rains heavily in your area, the poison can get washed into your soil. I try to stay organic but I haven't found a good way of getting rid of ant aside from the bait stations. Good luck with your citrus!
...See More
What Should I Get Next?
Q
Comments (20)
Not all, here is the ST. Jinny has one also and I think hers has a few lemons on it. Mine just bloomed and has set a few tiny lemons, but I'm not sure she will hold them. She (Teresa) is 3.5-4' wide and a little taller than me (5'4"). I got her from FW in April. It may be that she does not like hot humid summers like we get here. She wilted in the sun, then sunburned. She has the potential to be a spectacular tree, but mine has not done as well as I'd hoped. It's a crappy pic, but I can't get a better one with all the lights.here's the giant key lime. It's about my height also. Another lemon option that has performed better for me is the baboon lemon. Fast grower, prolific bloomer, and the flowers are so very fragrant. The lemons are supposed to be big and juicy (although not as big as ponderosas), although the peel is not as fragrant at the ST from what I've heard.
...See More
meyermike_1micha
16 years ago
Well,
If you like Grapefruit, try an Oro Blanco or Ruby Red! They are so easy to grow and hardy even indoors!! They get LOADED with flowers and fruit. If you like trees on the orange side, try the Clementine Tree. Great tasting fruit but not sure about amount of flowering. I haven't ordered mine yet. I have heard from others they were not disappointed growing this tree. Also there's the Washington Navel, my God, I have one and it grows fruit like you wouldn't believe, tasty too!!.
Four winds nursery grows all of these and very inexpensive to order...:-)
If you buy all at once,then your in sad shape:-( Not much room,as you said, but after all, who of us as self control when we are citrus fanatics!!LOLOL
Mike
theda-blue
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks meyermike! I hadn't even thought of grapefruit; and then the clementine's. . . . I want more trees than I have room for! :(
meyermike_1micha
16 years ago
By the way,

If you recenlty took pictures of these trees in the winter, then you are doiing a mighty good job in growing them! BRAVO!!!:-)
User
16 years ago
In a word, kumquats! They are very hardy, rarely loose any leaves in winter and are much more insect resistant than other (true) citrus. Meiwa and nagami are popular varieties. Also, try an orange or a lemon. I can recommend Eureka or Meyer's lemon. Among oranges, I can recommend Valencia, Washington Navel or Blood (Moro) oranges. I also have found success with limequats and true limes. If you want a mandarin, try satsuma (hold fruit very well)!
theda-blue
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes, I took pics the day I posted; thanks! I'm very lucky in that I have wonderful sunny windows.

Thanks njoasis! Yeah, I'd love to have a kumquat; in fact that seems to be what I'm leaning toward at the moment. Though the mandarin is pretty tempting!

What variety of kumquat does anyone recommend for an indoor grower? What's the sweetest? I'd like something I can eat right off the tree peel and all.

Thanks again everyone for all the input, it's greatly appreciated!!
heirloom_newbie
16 years ago
My vote is for kumquats, too, as I understand they are pretty easy citrus. (wikipedia actually has a good little article on them). I am going to try one and see how it goes. I got hooked when a friend brought some back from Louisana last year (and this year, too). They go down there each year and bring back some to share. Yummy! I love the contrast between the sweet rind and sour flesh. My children are also hooked! While there are lots of fruit that are great here in Nebraska, I do wish I could grow citrus outside!
citrusenthusiast
16 years ago
Personally I like the "meiwa" better than the "nagami". You might also consider a seedless variety called "nordman" No seeds makes eating them a little easier. But they may be tougher to grow. One more kumquat to consider is "centennial variegated" Very nice ornamental but the fruit may not be as good depending on your tastes.

What indoor citrus should I get next!?!

Comments (9)

theda-blue
Original Author

theda-blue
Original Author

Related Discussions

meyermike_1micha

theda-blue
Original Author

meyermike_1micha

User

theda-blue
Original Author

heirloom_newbie

citrusenthusiast

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

What indoor citrus should I get next!?!

Comments (9)

theda-blueOriginal Author

theda-blueOriginal Author

Related Discussions

meyermike_1micha

theda-blueOriginal Author

meyermike_1micha

User

theda-blueOriginal Author

heirloom_newbie

citrusenthusiast

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

theda-blue
Original Author

theda-blue
Original Author

theda-blue
Original Author

theda-blue
Original Author