citrus fruit salad tree

15 years ago

I wanted to buy a 36" box Tangelo tree for a very large space in my garden. The nursery just called me back and said that they can't get tangelos over 15 gallon size. As a an alternative, they suggested a 36" box fruit salad tree ...I was so surprised; it sounds like a joke. But this is a large scale nursery that sells wholesale to ranches as well as to residential customers and they said homeowners really like fruit salad trees because they can get a residential size crop of oranges, lemons, limes, etc. without planting 5 trees! Anybody have any experience with these trees such as knowing if they thrive? I know the mail-order catalog trees are often not good, but this is a big box tree. Thanks!

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Comments (8)

mrtexas
15 years ago
A fruit cocktail tree will be lopsided unless pruned. Pruning reduces fruiting as fruit forms on current year growth. I have several trees with multiple varieties as I have run out of room after 25 trees in the gound. Most successful has been 6 varieties of blood oranges on one tree. Least successful was changshou kumquat and fairchild mandarin on a sunquat tree. The kumquat outgrew the mandarin by 3 to 1. I have a grapefruit tree with 6 or 8 varieties but 95% of the tree is golden grapefruit.

Here is a link that might be useful: mrtexas
ErinMiller
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the info. The salad tree the nursery suggested had a mix of honey manderin, Meyers lemon, and key lime with late navel and valencia oranges. I was afraid that different parts of the tree would grow at different rates.
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Heres some interesting info And here Here down in the chemical defense section "Cyanogenic glycosides are a particularly toxic class of nitrogenous compounds that break down to produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN), a lethal chemical that halts cellular respiration in aerobic organisms. Plants that produce cyanogenic glycosides also produce enzymes that convert these compounds into hydrogen cyanide, including glycosidases and hydroxynitrile lyases, but they are stored in separate compartments or tissues within the plant; when herbivores feed on these tissues, the enzymes and substrates mix and produce lethal hydrogen cyanide. Glucosinolates, also known as mustard oil glycosides, are sulfur-containing compounds synthesized by members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae) and produce cyanide gas when broken down by enzymes called thioglucosidases."-Freeman, B.C. and G.A. Beattie. 2008. An Overview of Plant Defenses against Pathogens and Herbivores. The Plant Health Instructor. DOI: 10.1094/PHI-I-2008-0226-01 but heres a breakdown some grass does produce cyanide GAS but not common species and it wouldnt be in significant quantities to alter human, animal, or plant function unless we are talking vulnerable states e.g. impaired immune function animals or like seedlings or weak species of plants. but i dont believe grass will kill a citrus it may help aid its death if there are other factors going on like nutrient defficiency pests lack of water, poor photosynthesis blah blah blah. The main reason we pull out the grass is because its a prolific feeder and outcompetes the citrus. but what some have stated is somewhat true grass does emit volatile compounds as defenses at times but not in significant quantities to kill a citrus. id be interested in starting seedlings from seeds among grass seeds and see if there is a difference to a control group of seedling citrus not among grass seeds. Now i can finally go to sleep ;)
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I would expect that as long as you don't cut any branches back to where they connect to the next branch you won't have a problem. I wouldn't think you would be in any hurry to prune your tree at least for a few years and then only if you feel it really has to be re-shaped to hold it's shape and balance. Paul
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As for the fig do a lot of research to separate the gems from the dogs. black berries are self reproducing. Plant them in a row and they will produce the second year and thinning the excessive runners can be done with a weed whacker. Kumquats have a sweet skin and the Meiwa variety has sweet flesh when ripe. Pop the whole thing in your mouth. Sweet lemons and limes are acid-less varieties of the sour fruit. They have low sugar so they taste mildly sweet. I eat them like oranges out of hand am very new at citrus growing but have over 2 decades with apple, peaches, pears, cherries, and plums. It is very important that you time the fruiting of each of your particular trees with the quality and quantity of available sunlight for the area it is planted. Trees that may not get enough sunlight from above will need to get sunlight from east and west and will need more space between them. I have only picked and eaten one citrus fruit (Cuban Shaddock) that I picked to soon. My trees are small and I have only eaten store bought citrus. I have however picked between 300-400 figs and they are much easier to grow, variety Hardy Chicago.
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It looks good and healthy. I can't tell if the root crown is there... I see some lighter color (possible root) at the top of the soil. If so, that's perfect as the crown should be right at the soil level. The soil (pretty dark) looks like a bag mix. There are plenty of opinions on that. I have been transitioning to a modified 5:1:1 mix - more for weight that anything.else (I still have a few in modified MG which are fine). But a 10+ gal pot gets heavy and the bark does lower that pot's mass by 20-30%. Give your baby more light. And keep doing what you're doing - it looks good. keep an eye on pests - I'd remove all the debris on the soil - it's more areas for pests to hide and also promote fungus growth.
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k-california
14 years ago
Hello,

I have been trying to find a multiple-grafted orange tree for my husband for our anniversary but have had no luck. The closest I have found was a multiple-grafted citrus tree with only one or two oranges.

Would you be so kind as to tell me where you got your blood orange tree with the six varieties? It would be greatly appreciated.
raspberry
13 years ago
I'd also love to know where a citrus salad tree can be purchased in the SF Bay Area (or by catalog, w/ delivery to CA). Thanks.
jonsands_wildblue_net
13 years ago
Raspberry,
Did you ever find a citrus salad tree around the Bay area? I'd love to get one too..
mug1315_yahoo_com
12 years ago
Well here are some sites i've found that offer salad trees 15# or less and a few sites that just offer some interesting individual fruiting trees.

www.fruitsaladtrees.com - has pretty much everything you can think of but since it's from australia it will be a hefty shipping cost.
www.meyerlemontree.com - has citrus, persimmons etc
www.bayflora.com - has figs, olives, and more
www.gardenerschoice.com - no citrus fruit here
www.groworganic.com - only has stone fruit

I'm looking for a company that is willing to put together a tree with blood orange, meyer lemon, ruby red grapefruit, and maybe even yuzu lime. anyone know where i can find one like that?
redshirtcat
12 years ago
Do NOT order from Meyerlemontree.com.

This company was knowingly, illegally shipping citrus trees out of FL which was quarantined. They used to be based in Georgia and were still shipping out of FL.

The USDA found out and tracked down every tree they sold and sent agents to confiscate and burn them (mine included). Many trees were destroyed all over the country. Customers had no recourse. The owners stopped answering phone calls and etc.

It's amazing to me that the website is still functional. Be very careful.

Here is a link to their F rating at the BBB.

They have a bunch of other websites that look the same but under different domain names. I strongly suggest you check the BBB and Dave's Garden before ordering from online nurseries. Lots of cheats out there...
hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
12 years ago
Molly, you'll do yourself a favor starting a brand new thread, instead of tacking onto someone else's message, and one that is very old to boot. That way, you will have the option to check off the notification box, so that way you're notified of responses to your message, instead of having to remember to check this old thread :-)

Secondly, about a "fruit salad" citrus tree? Don't do it. They just don't work. Multi-grafted/budded stone fruits will work okay to fairly well, if you keep the stronger varieties pruned and in check, but it's a different story with citrus. There are scion to graft incompatibilities and other growth issues that make this option really more of a non-option. You're much better off buying the 2 to 4 varieties of citrus you really want as dwarf citrus on Flying Dragon rootstock, and planting them all in one big pot. This actually works much better, and you'll get exactly what you want in the long run - lots of variety in a small space, on strong trees :-) Four Winds uses mainly Flying Dragon rootstock which will keep your citrus trees quite small. I would suggest speaking with them about putting together a really good order that will work in one or two large pots, or in a small area in your yard if going in the ground. Four Winds is highly respected and very, very reputable citrus grower, as the members of this forum can attest. You'll be happier in the long run, trust me :-)

Patty S.

Here is a link that might be useful: Four Winds Growers

citrus fruit salad tree

Comments (8)

mrtexas

ErinMiller
Original Author

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citrus fruit salad tree

Comments (8)

mrtexas

ErinMillerOriginal Author

Related Discussions

k-california

raspberry

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BUSINESS SERVICES

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CONNECT WITH US

ErinMiller
Original Author