You're correct, this is a scam. There are no citrus varieties that are dwarfed by seed, EXCEPT the naturally occurring dwarf citrus varieties like flying dragon trifoliate. It's a shame that people can get away with this on eBay. That's why the only way I buy plants off eBay is if they are a certified nursery in the United States.

Kristopher

Flying Dragon isn't a dwarf plant. I've seen one that was so large that it was about 8-10' tall and wide.

Yes, people are so easily taken in by scams, aren't they? So sad.

Eahamel,

Considering that standard sized citrus can grow as tall as 20-30 feet, I would consider 8-10 feet pretty "dwarf". But after all it is a comparative term.

Kristopher

You've got a good point, there! I didn't think about that. The regular trifoliate dwarfs citrus down to about 8-10', and FD dwarfs it even more. I was glad to find a cara cara orange on FD, that means I won't have a big tree to contend with. I have some FD growing from seed, and hope to graft something onto a couple of them in a couple of years, and want to keep a couple to grow as ornamentals.

Thanks for bringing this up. Ebay is no place to shop. I saw a listing for a sweet grapefruit that survives temps to 5 deg. the picture was not good but I could see it had trifoliated leaves and I wrote back. He returned message agreeing that it did and was a hybrid with excellent fruit. So I asked my self what is the chance that he was on to something really good. I came to the conclusion that the chance was 00.0%, my good money was staying with me.

Ebay is a great place to shop, you just need to do your research first. Like everywhere else you shop.

You do need to be careful. I got a couple of brugmansias and some seeds from a dealer selling on e-bay and I'm really pleased with them. Of course, this person has a good reputation, so I didn't get burned. But too many people really believe that everything offered there is real, and it isn't.

What I don't understand is how people actually get burned.

Ebay/Paypal's policies are so buyer slanted that its almost impossible to keep an upset buyer from getting their money back. If someone screws you, just file a complaint with Paypal.

Pommelos are monoembryonic. They do not come true to seed. Ever. You will always have a hybrid of the mother plant, and whatever has pollinated the flower. So, don't waste your time buying these "dwarf" pommelo seeds, as they are not true to type. That is the elephant in the room :-)

Patty S.

Posted by JoppaRich 7b (My Page) on Tue, Apr 2, 13 at 15:31
What I don't understand is how people actually get burned.
Ebay/Paypal's policies are so buyer slanted that its almost impossible to keep an upset buyer from getting their money back. If someone screws you, just file a complaint with Paypal.

Thats what I did. one day later they were ordered to refund me back to my paypal account

Well, I looked at this seller's feedback, and he got lots of great reviews that said stuff like, "seeds sent promptly". No one, it seems, came back a couple of years later and said the seeds weren't what was promised. Since this "dwarf pomolo" is supposed to bloom and make fruit in 2 years, that's a long time to expect to get your money back. As long as people are thrilled about getting their seeds quickly, this person can keep raking in the $$.

Well, it's simply a matter of not enough money invested and too much time elapsed for buyers to make the effort. The buyer would have no idea that what they've planted, if it makes it to a tree, is not a pummelo. So, what, 5 to 12 years later they're going to find out that the fruit the finally picked is inedible, or at the least sub-par and definitely not a pommelo? Pretty great odds if I were the seller. Chances of having someone demand a refund are low. An easy scam that has some pretty high return/risk ratio.

Patty S.

Howdy,

Hi Eahamel. How have you been?

I love shopping on Ebay, but normally order plants, very seldom seeds or bulbs.

Seeds germinated, but they were outdoor garden plants. Annuals.

I got ripped-off once, seeds of a very, rare Aloe.

This seller you mentioned downright LIED about Pomelo blooming/fruiting at 2-yrs-old.
Miracle Plant, indeed! lol.

Your friend will learn his/her lesson if/once seeds germinate and grow.

Buyers can only leave feedback about shipping, unless seeds are Annuals and germinate ten or so days..Example, Marigold.

I'm still awaiting FL's citrus ban ending. Toni

I bought meiwa kumquat tree seeds and poncirus trifoliata seeds on ebay. The pt seeds grew very well. The Meiwa seeds were dead on arival dried out.. It was not worth triing to get $3 back an I wrote the seller that these seeds need to be shipped moist. I bought a ten lb box of meiwas from florida kumquat growers inc. If you want the right citrus seed, buy the fruit and eat it--NOT EBAY--

{{gwi:581700}}
this is that tree 13 months later

Toni, good to hear from you! Glad you're back! I'm doing fine, had to cancel a workday yesterday - someone was going to help me move some plants, and take a citrus tree in exchange, but we had heavy rain (2.5" at my house) and more expected, so that will have to wait. I've learned not to plant *anything* close to a Rio Red grapefruit - it's on steroids!

I told my friend to let me know what he gets from the citrus seeds he got from Canada. I doubt that he will have the patience to wait a lot of years to find out what he has, I sure wouldn't.

Someone posted to the orchid forum the other day - he fell for the blue phalenopsis scam and bought what he was told were seeds for it, but what came up looked like weeds to me. It's easy for them to scam people, I guess, because most people don't know better. And don't know how to investigate before they invest.

After reading and comtemplating this thread, I've decided it's easier buying an established tree... :)

Eahamel. It's too bad you took off a workday, only to end up being rained out.

2.5" is a LOT of water..we can use some. The earth is bone dry.
Like they say, April Showers bring May Flowers..
It must be coming down hard!
How many plants nee moving?

Your Rio is on Roides? lol.
What happens when Rio is planted near other plants? Other plants meaning citrus or any type?

Well, if your friend is impatient, he won't be a happy camper.
Why do people ignore good advice? Espeically from an experienced person...makes no sense.

People should check feeback and Gardenwatchdog reviews.
Buying from a nursery that specialize in 'x' plants would be a better place to purchase seeds.
Outside Ebay.

There's numerous nurseries/stores that sell nothing but seed.
To keep up a nurseries reputation, they're bound to send fresh and correct seed.

Happen to have a Rio pic? Toni

Toni, Hi! I'll post a pic of the Rio Red tomorrow, it's too dark to take a pic tonight. I'll start a new thread with pics. My friend is patient, and I'm retired, so it wasn't a day off work! Love retirement! When Rio is planted close to other plants, it grows so large so fast that it overtakes them. My friend and I moved a Bloomsweet graperfruit that was too close to it, last time he came over. It needs some breathing room. Rio is delicious, and every other year it has a heavy crop. This is that year, and it's blooming now, and the harvest this fall won't be nearly as large as I have now. I've eaten quite a few, and given some away, and probably have 2 dozen left on the tree.

You're right, it's better to plant an established tree. Even if you are patient and can wait many years, the tree will be quite large before it produces fruit. A grafted tree will produce in a year or so, and grafting will keep it to a reasonable size. I've seen grapefruit and orange trees here that are about 25' tall! It's impossible to harvest a lot of the fruit because they are out of reach.

We're in a drought, too, and this rain is very welcome. We were supposed to get more rain last night or this morning but it never came.

Morning,

Eahamel, mind if I ask where you're located? These days I suffer memory loss. lol. You probably mentioned location a million times.

Are your citrus in containers or in-ground?
Heck, wish my potted citrus grew like you describe yours. :)

I think most plants need breathing room, although many authors say grouped plants retain humidity.
But, plants kept too close lack air circulation.
Something, plants, 'especially indoors,' require.

How large do Rio fruit get? Ex..size of Navel orange or Grapefruit.

My citrus are grown for decoration, and love of growing.. However, I have eaten lemon, calamondin and kumquats.

As for 25' trees, I'm sure fruit isn't wasted. Birds get to nibble, too. :)

So true..grafted trees fruit much faster than bushes. I think the only ungrafted citrus in my collection is a Calamondin..

Eahamel, citrus are not hardy in IL. One year 'out of desperation,' lol, I bought Poncirus/FD, then planted in- ground.
It survived our freezing winters, think 3-yrs, but so slow-growing.
One year, during winter, some Bozo walked across the garden, 'FD was dormant,' instead of the walkway. In the process my FD broke at the base.
I was SO upset.
It never grew back.

HA! weather people. Plan opposite predictions. lol.
According to forecasters, we're supposed to get rain all of next week. We'll see..we sure need rain, too.

I should have checked to see if you started a new thread before posting here.

We'll all do the rain dance..:) Toni

PS. I have sown store-bought citrus seeds.. lemon. It grew so, very fast, but thorns were longer and more prickly than cactus.

One pro...foliage had super-strong lemony scent. More pronounced than nursery bought, established fruit.