Minneola Tangelo Tree Questions.

10 years ago

Hello everyone.

I found this site via Google and I noticed it has tons of very informative users so I had some questions about the Minneola Tangelo tree and figured I would ask and see what people thought.

First of all, currently I don't have any citrus trees growing. I only have 1 newly planted apple tree. I buy Minneola Tangelos from the grocery store all the time and can only get them during the growing season so I figured I would try my luck at growing a Minneola tree.

I was wondering after I purchase one can I transplant the tree into a nice sized pot and keep it there? or does it need to be transplanted directly into my garden?

I also was wondering if Minneola trees were self pollinating or do I need another citrus tree to pollinate the Minneola? If so what kind of citrus tree would I need?mind you i'm from California(I don't know what kinds of citrus we can and cannot have)

I appreciate any advice given and I appreciate the time taken to help me out. I would really like to grow my own citrus because i'm pretty tired of spending an arm and a leg just to feed my citrus habit!! :P

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Comments (10)

susanne42
10 years ago
i just bought a minneola tangelo and it will spend its life in a container because it gets too cold in winter.
when i asked about self pollinating i got mixed answers. some say it needs another citrus, preferable from the grapefruit family and others claim this tree is self pollinating.
but being in california, you should not have any problems getting fruits on your tree with so many other citrus growing there??
djkleen
Original Author
10 years ago
So maybe I can just buy one and see what happens? if anything I can purchase another citrus later if the tangelo tree doesn't end up producing very well?
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Oviedo -- I don't want to argue, but while you may have been trying to find and recommend the very best pollenizer, what you actually said was "I doubt Meyer will be suitable." I would certainly not claim that 'Meyer' is the best pollenizer possible, only that it will do the job entirely adequately, and the op states that he already has 'Meyer'. So I merely point out that the purchase of another pollenizer is not necessary. Interestingly, I grew up at a house that had 2 citrus trees in the yard -- a 'Minneola' and a 'Meyer' adjacent. Both trees produced huge crops regularly. We also kept bees, so of course there could have been "foreign" pollen coming in from the neighborhood as well, but these were the two varieties we had. I also notice in the IFAS-EDIS site of your link that they list only other mandarin types, for the very reasons I mentioned above -- it would be a very weird grove to have tangelos mixed amongst lemons, juice oranges, or some other dramatically different fruit type. Instead, they recommend other types that grow similarly, and produce fruit for a similar market (high-value fresh in this case), which will need similar sprays (e.g. for alternaria brown spot, scab, rust mite), etc. In a commercial planting, that's only reasonable. But for a home grower with limited space, it is surely not necessary to use any of those specific varieties. The self- and cross-incompatibility that 'Minneola' and its kin exhibit seems to be nearly unique to mandarin hybrids, in which there is a genetic recognition of "self," and if pollen carrying the same genetic marker for "self" lands on a stigma (from the same variety or, in this case, from 'Orlando' or 'Seminole'), the pollen tubes are inhibited from growing down and fertilizing the ovules. Pollen with a different genetic fingerprint is not inhibited, so will form good pollen tubes, and fertilization will occur. At that point, fruit set has occurred (due to gibberellins from the pollen tubes and, subsequently, from the newly fertilized zygote). Then, even if the embryo ultimately were to die, due to some genetic problem from a wild outcross (let us say lemon by tangelo), the deed is done -- the seed is already producing nucellar embryos which are cranking out their own gibberellins, and so the fruit remains on the tree, with seeds. 'Minneola' is also unusual among citrus varieties, in that there is a fairly direct relationship between seed number and fruit size. In most other types (oranges, even other mandarins), either the fruit sets or it doesn't; seed number won't much affect the ultimate size to which the fruit will grow. But for really big 'Minneola' fruit, you want a bunch of seeds in them. I don't know of even another tangelo that does that. 'Minneola' is just a strange variety.
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djkleen
Original Author
10 years ago
So maybe I can just buy one and see what happens? if anything I can purchase another citrus later if the tangelo tree doesn't end up producing very well?
susanne42
10 years ago
that is what i did. well, but some others too but not because of pollination
johnmerr
10 years ago
The Minneola is one of the few citrus that is not self-pollinating; i.e., it needs another variety to cross- pollinate for maximum production.
Soulfire
10 years ago
I have a Tangelo. I had exactly 1 fruit last year and I did not have a single other tree. IMO it is capable ot pollinating itself (I helped a bit with a q-tip), but probably does a lot better with another tree(s).
djkleen
Original Author
10 years ago
Okay so I purchased my Minneola Tangelo tree at Lowes a month back and on the little flyer that comes attached to the tree says that the tree doesn't need a pollinator.... WTF? I'm seeing so much mixed advice. And on the tag it say's if I want I can pollinate with another Minneola tree. Is this correct? I can pollinate a Minneola with another Minneola?
gregbradley
10 years ago
UCR states that it produces more when cross pollinated. Mine is 20' and in my backyard with other citrus. I would say it produced 300 pounds last season, about the same amount as the Washington Navel that is next to it.

My tree has fabulous sweet tasting fruit but I've heard some say Minneolas are tart tasting. I have heard it takes warm summers and cool winter nights to get the best tasting fruit. Modesto should have that just like Upland.

Why don't you get another citrus? The correct number to have always seems to be "One more".
djkleen
Original Author
10 years ago
Okay, Thank you Greg. I've been wanting two trees so I think i'll just go ahead and get 1 more, Should I get another Tangelo or should I get a different "breed" of citrus tree? I'm asking because i'm very VERY new to fruit trees and i'm not to sure if "cross pollinated" means to be pollinated from a whole different breed or if the same breed is okay? I really love Tangelos so I definetely wouldn't mind having two of them if they can pollinate each other. I really appreciate everyones advice and help!!!
hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
10 years ago
Most mandarin-types are suitable pollinators, with the exception of Satsumas and MinneolaÃ¢ÂÂs siblings, Orlando and Seminole per UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection's info on the Minneola. So, pick a nice mandarin, like Clemenules, Gold Nugget, Tango, Page, Seedless Kishu and you're set :-)

Patty S.

Minneola Tangelo Tree Questions.

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susanne42

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Minneola Tangelo Tree Questions.

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susanne42

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