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Trovita Orange from Four Winds

16 years ago

I live in coastal NC, zone 8a and have a small 12x12 greenhouse for winter. I would like to have a dwarf orange tree for fragrant blossoms and delicious fruit. Trovita orange from Four Winds appears to be my choice, but I have never grown citrus. Is Trovita easy/challenging for a beginner? Is Four Winds a good choice for a vendor?

Thanks,

Hank

Comments (2)

citrange2
16 years ago
Trovita is a non-navel sport of the Washington Navel variety.
I bought one from Four Winds many years ago when import from USA to England was still allowed.
Trovita is often quoted as producing good fruit in cooler regions, and I have found this to be true. It always produces sweet fruit, and is no more challenging than any other orange.
Four Winds is not the cheapest citrus supplier, but everyone reports that their quality is good.
kristimama
16 years ago
I don't know anything about the Trovita, but I can say with confidence my experience so far with Four Winds has been exceptional. They provide a lot of the local nurseries I've been buying from and their plants are always lush and healthy, some bearing fruit in the stores, and better than the other suppliers I've seen around. Then, when I wanted a variety that I couldn't find at retail I ordered online direclty from them. Their order process is extremely easy, they ship quickly, the product arrives in GREAT condition, and they can also answer questions by email before you order.

The one thing I'd recommend is have your soil components and pot ready and waiting for the arrival, though, because they usually come in plastic "sleeves"... kind of like a bareroot sitting inside a bag of wet cedar chips... so they need to get transplanted immediately.

And just be careful, with a 12 x 12' greenhouse, you may very well get addicted and want more than one. I have gone nuts this spring, buying a meyer, 2 owari satsumas, a gold nugget, and a washington navel. And I'm begging DH for more.

Good luck!
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It is a spring ripening orange--my last one fell off my tiny little tree maybe 3-4 weeks ago, something like that. Takes less than a full year to form and ripen and was definitely bright orange, but I live where oranges can be real pretty yet real sour :( I think for many citrus you sorta have to wait for it to look fully mature (size not necesarily color, which depends on your climate) and then you often have to just taste it to judge--which is hard if you only have one to try. The solace is that it seems to be a hardy little tree that is not shy about producing fruit--I got exactly one (like you have now) in year one; and then 7 this last year, w/ tree still a midget ( which is fine with me). The other option is to consider letting it fall from the tree by itself--in my *limited* experience the Trovitas that have fallen on their own have been ok to eat--not breaking down or nasty. And any sun and heat exposure you give it can only help it taste sweeter, even though it's a Trovita...
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Hi everybody, Rootstock selection will change from variety to variety and dwarf and semi dwarf rootstock should always perform better in the ground then in a container. A nursery may not want to disclose what rootstock they use because they feel that information may give their competitors an edge, though generally they will tell you. In Cali everything needs to be registered if it is to be propagated commercially, so getting a name should be easy. As I just mentioned roostock selection varies but there are several rootsotck that I always stay clear of, one of them in particular is the flying dragon. To be completely honest I see almost no advantages to using flying dragon or almost any of the true dwarf rootstocks. I prefer a semi dwarf rootstock like the C-35 or Rich 16-6. They function well in containers and in the ground and have few graft incompatibilities. Before you buy your citrus trees you should do your research. We are talking about something that you should have for years to come and give you great pleasure during that time. Buying a cheap tree on a whim will likely give you headaches instead. Also on a side note, even though Imidacloprid is considered to be 'safe' by the USDA (Ha!), there are many studies finding that Imidacloprid does affect bees and is one of the contributing factors of CCD. In 2013 the EFSA released a report proving this and stated: "neonicotinoids pose an unacceptably high risk to bees". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imidacloprid_effects_on_bees
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