Dawgone, Thank-you! I new that is was gib acid but forgot(early onset of alzheimers?) I am going to get a 2footer here in May. I have read that meyer lemon is a good cross pollinator and I hopefully will have one this tommorrow. My parents are in the Palm Beach area. It kills me that there is still a citrus ban in effect. I don't want to give my parents money for one just to have it confiscated at the airport! Last year I brought home a mango tree with no problem. I am going again hopefully around August. I was thinking of trying to find an Oro Blanco grapefruit. If you haven't noticed I am hooked on citrus. Especially the harder to get varieties! I have an order in for a cocktail grapefruit but not sure if I am going to keep it or not. I am thinking that as long as the meyer lemon grows well, and blooms with the meyer, or any of the other citrus, I should be good to go. How large are your Honey bells? My only other issue is how long it will take me to get it to fruiting size. I love these fruits. They are not very cheap here in NY, and I paid $7.00 for 8 fruits but they all were very juicy, sweet but still with a nice tart. I know what you mean about the navels. In my opinion they have a better flavor. I stayed with my friend's family at the time in Scottsdale and there navel was loaded. The fruits were grapefruit size and the best navels I have ever had! I noticed several of the store bought ones were nice looking on the outside but dry and bitter on the inside. I think for now I will stick to honey bells! Could you post pics of yours? Thank you! Andrew

Hi Patty, Thanks again for all your usefull info. You mention the fact that 'Kishu' is a smaller fruit, so small that it prevents it from being a grocery store citrus. This fact is one of the #1 reasons why I chose to buy it. Small fruits mature and ripen much faster. From what you told me before, it sounds like 'Page' will be the same way. I have had my 'ORo Blanco' now for 1 full year now. Over the past winter(I would say up to December), it had 4 nice sized fruits. They continued to grow and mature but sadly they all dropped, and I would say that they only maybe had another month or 2 to go before being fully mature and ripe. I know my problem was that I didn't have enough space for all my tropicals and tropical fruit trees. I alson new that they needed more light but I figure the tree was still too small and now it can concentrate on growing larger and taller. I still will be hoping to get my hands on the Minneola and hopefully if I make it to FL this summer, I can pick one up and ship it back home to me. If I cannot wait that long to get it(when I really want something like that, I tend to get impatient..LMAO!!) I will either order it from Four Winds or try to order it from my local nursery. Hi Mike, I am all ready growing my tropicals in my 2 bedrooms! One I use for figs, plumerias, and a few of my tropicals such as my passionfruit vine and my keylime. I also have Laura'a agave in there. The other I Have my HPS light in and that's where the rest are except for my 'Star Ruby' which is in my living room right now. When I went to Potratz, they had HPS or Hallide lights for sale along with T5's. I was really happy to see this! I plan on buying a new light set up here and there this summer. That way by the time winter roles around again, I will be all prepared and my newly growing citrus collection will have all the light they need...along with the mango and other tropical fruit collections! I really am going to have to stop otherwise I will not have anymore room in this apartment! Were going to have to make a decision on if were going to live in NY or if were going to move FLorida. You know I would much rather live in FL! Mike, I forgot to ask you....if you plan on another trip to Logees, PLEASE let me know!! I have a few things I would like to get there. Another 'Day' avocado, the yellow gardenia, and if they have a decent sized HEALTHY Minneola, I would like that too!! It really does make a BIG diffrence to have a trusted friend(not only a good friend like you but someone who also loves there plants!) to hand pick the plants. Hi Laura, WOW sounds like the PHL flower show was a success! Between you and I, I hate the noids! You don't know what you really have and then if you go and buy something else that's similar or not blooming, you run the risk of getting another noid! I did lose around 7 or 8 plumerias this winter but only a couple were really special. One of them was 'JJ Jenny' but Sonia is looking for another one for me as we speak. Thank god for people like you, Sonia, and Mike, and all the others that I haven't mentioned. You all have made it much eaier for me to get some of these harder to find plants/tropicals. If you stumble across a nice sized Minneola or Washington Navel, PLEASE grab it for me and I will reimburse you. I just don't want to spend another arm and a leg having to order them. Ooh, and yes Laura, I am trying to persuade you to become a co citrus horder with me! What you will find cool about this hobby is that citrus can be easily propogated from cuttings! Mike is doing this all ready, and I will be asking him for some tips so I can get growing my very own cuttings. I did it years ago with Ponderosa lemon. I didn't have any trouble with rooting it but all my recent attemps at rooting have not been productive. Well take care everyone! I did check my delivery status for my Four Winds order. Right now it's in New Jersey so it should be here by tomorrow. Laura, I will be hiding the new arrivals for a while..LOL! I laughed my butt off when you mentioned how during the winter, the rooms are getting greener and greener, and fuller and fuller! Andrew

Greetings from Virginia Beach! Here are the details about the upcoming 2006 Southeast Citrus Expo. It should be a great time and all those in the surrounding areas are encouraged to attend. SOUTHEAST CITRUS EXPO 2006 The Southeast Citrus Exposition is now into its forth year. Its purpose is to encourage citrus growing outside the commercial citrus belt for both the home gardener and the serious enthusiast. This years Expo will feature expert speakers who will provide information on growing cold-hardy citrus in the Southeast United States. Topics that will be discussed will be: in ground or container culture, advice on choosing citrus, cold protection, grafting and selection of root stock, as well as other topics. The Expo will include a citrus fruit contest, plant sale, and tours of citrus trees growing in Virginia Beach, Virginia. When: Saturday November 18th 2006 from 10:00AM to 4:30PM (entries of fruit for the contest must be received between 9:00AM and 10:00AM ( NO LATER) Where: Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Virginia Beach, VA. 717 General Booth Blvd. Virginia Beach, VA. 23451 (757) 425-FISH www.virginiaaquarium.com Directions: From I-95 North 11 miles above the VA./NC. State Line take RT# 58 East to Norfolk/Virginia Beach. Stay on RT#58 until Bowers Hill Intersection. At Bowers Hill, bear right onto I-64 East. Take a right on to I-264 East, stay on I-264 until Atlantic Ave at the Virginia Beach Ocean Front. Take a right on Atlantic Ave, go over the Rudee Inlet Bridge, continue approximately ¾ miles and you will see the Virginia Aquarium on the right. 2006 Expo Agenda 7:30  9:00AM Early Bird Plant Sale at Pungo Palms Nursery Plant Sale promptly ends at 9:00AM ( Note: Vendors can setup at 7:00AM) 9:00  10:00AM Registration and Admission ( Make sure you participate in the drawing for afternoon tour groups A or B) Admission to the Citrus Expo will be FREE for those attending. Admission to the Aquarium will be at a reduced group rate. Raffle tickets for the Expo plant giveaway will be available before the lectures and during the display of the fruit in the competition. Tickets will be $1.00 and will benefit the Citrus Expo. Plants for Raffle will be donated by the Expo coordinators & vendors. These will include: cold-hardy citrus, cold-hardy palms, and other rare plants. 10:00  1045AM Presentation by Bob Koch, "Citrus Grown in Containers", Located in the March Pavilion Auditorium. 11:00  11:45AM Presentation by Stan McKenzie and Ned Rahn, " In Ground Citrus Culture", Located in the Marsh Pavilion Auditorium. 12:00  1:00PM Fruit Competition Awards, Fruit Display, and Raffle in the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean PavilionÂs Promenade Room Note: all fruit entered in the competition will be on display 1:15  2:15PM (Lunch on your own) a list and location of restaurants within three miles Of the Aquarium will be provided. Expo Afternoon Tours and Plant Sale For afternoon tours, all participants will be gathered into two groups. Group A Group B 2:20  3:15PM Group A Will tour Robert MotycaÂs Citrus located in his back yard Robert will give a talk on approach grafting. 3:15  4:00PM Group B Will tour Robert MotycaÂs Citrus located in his back yard Robert will give a talk on approach grafting. 3:40  4:30PM+?? "ALL" End of the day plant sale at Pungo Palms Nursery and tour Of in ground citrus The Southeast Citrus Expo is sponsored by: *GaryÂs Nursery, New Bern, North Carolina Wholesale and retail grower of cold hardy palms, Bananas, citrus, and other plants in eastern North Carolina since 1975. Gary will have plants available for purchase at the Plant sale. Visit GaryÂs Nursery online at www.garysnursery.com *McKenzie Farms Nursery, Scranton, South Carolina Stan "The Citrusman" McKenzie sells many varieties of cold hardy citrus trees, palms, traditional fruit trees, vegetables and other plants. Stan will bring citrus for the plant sale. Visit McKenzie Farms online at www.mckenzie-farms.com or email at citrusman99@hotmail.com *RahnÂs Plant Connection, Port Royal, South Carolina Ned and Faye Rahn sell a large variety of citrus trees and other rare plants and flowers not found at garden centers. They will bring plants for the plant sale. Email Ned and Faye at plantfolks@yahoo.com *Virginia Greenhouse Association, Hampton Roads Chapter Members are greenhouse owners, who love plants and want to share their knowledge and experiences with other plant lovers. *The Southeastern Palm Society The Southeast Palm Society is a chapter of the International Palm Society, Members are devoted to growing hardy palms and other extraordinary plants, including hardy citrus. Visit the Southeastern Palm Society online at www.sepalms.org. *Southern Fruit Fellowship The Southern Fruit Fellowship is an informal organization of amateur fruit growing enthusiasts throughout the Southern United States. Membership is open to all interested parties. The fellowship has a quarterly newsletter and has meetings at different locations In the Southeast. Membership and dues: contact Retta Davis (318)686-4249 or email: DAVISD_R@Hotmail.com *Flying Dragon Citrus Nursery, Jacksonville, FL. Flying Dragon Citrus Nursery specializes in many varieties of citrus which are grafted on Flying Dragon rootstock. Any questions or requests, call: (904)880-5026 or email: www.flyingdragoncitrusnursery.com *The Artist in the Garden, Virginia Beach, VA. Scott Dilatash is the artist in the garden. He is the purveyor of unusual custom landscapes In the Southeast Virginia and Northeast North Carolina area. Call (757) 696-7263 *The Virginia Beach Master Gardeners, Virginia Beach, VA. A fellowship of Certified Master Gardeners in the City of Virginia Beach, sponsored by the Virginia Polytechnic Extension Service. *Pungo Palms Nursery, Virginia Beach, VA. Growers of rare and unusual cold hardy palms, desert plants, citrus, bananas, and other sub tropical plants. The nursery is located in the Back Bay area of Virginia Beach , both Ralph and Kathy Denton will participate in the Expo plant sale. Contact us at: Pungo Palmsfreeserver.com\ or call: (757) 426-3677. The Forth Southeastern Citrus Exposition Fruit Competition Rules and Procedures Fruit Preparation All fruit entered must be grown by the entrant, either in a container or in the ground. Before submission, fruit should be washed and prepared for eating. Remove any pesticide residue. Judges may have to taste fruit in case of a tie. A minimum of three fruit of a specific cultivar must be donated per entry: for example, three Satsuma fruit are required to qualify as one entry. One of the fruit must be cut in half "against the grain (as you would cut a grapefruit) to show the inside of the fruit. (See the illustration above for an example.) Fruit can be returned at the request of the entrant. Fruit must contain at least ½" of stem attached. One fruit should have at least leaf attached to the stem. Check the category sheet to determine proper entry. At the Expo Entries must be submitted between 9:00AM and 10:00 AM. After 10:00AM entries will not be accepted. At registration, you will be given an entry number to ensure anonymity. Make sure that you keep this number with you until the award ceremony. An entry card must be filled out for each entry. Be sure that you put your entry number on each card. Viewing of the fruit will take place from 12:00 to 1:00PM Blue, red, and white ribbons will be awarded for each category. In addition, there will be a "Best in Show, "Honorable Mention", and "Most Unusual" award. Citrus Categories for the Contest There will be a grown-in-ground category and a container-grown category. Any cultivar not listed here will be assigned to a category by the judging coordinator. Sweet Orange Ambersweet Cara Cara Hamlin Naval Parson Brown Pineapple Sour Orange Abers Narrowleaf Bergamot Bigaradier Apepu Boquet des Fleurs Chinotto Citrus neoaurantium Gou Tou Nansho Daidai ( Citrus Tiawanica) Sauvage Seville Smooth Flat Seville Willowleaf Zhu Luan Mandarin Changsha Clementine Clem-Yuz 2-2 Clem-Yuz 3-3 Dancy Juanita Keraji Minneola Tangelo Nasnaran Orlando Tangelo Ponkan Satsuma Shekwasha Kumquat & Hybrids Chang Shou Fukushu Hong Kong Lemonquat Limequat ( Eustis, Lakeland, Tavares) Marmaladequat Meiwa Nagami Nippon Orangequat Procimequat Sunquat Marumi Lemon Lisbon Meyer Ponderosa Sanbokan Ujukitsu Lime Bearss Persian Grapefruit Bloomsweet Duncan Golden Marsh Oroblanco Pink Marsh Ruby Red Thompson Ichangensis Hybrids Ichang Papeda Ichang Lemon Sudachi Yuzu Yuzuquat Yuzvange Trifoliate Orange Standard Flying Dragon Rubidoux Trifoliate Hybrids Citrange (Morton, Troyer, Carizzo, Benton, Rusk, and etc.) Citrumello (Dunstan, Swingle, Changsha x English Large, USDA 80-5, and etc. Citradia Citrandarin (CiClem#10, Citsuma, and etc. Dragon Lime Complex Hybrids Citrangequat ( Thomasville, Sinton, etc.) Glen Citrangedin Razzlequat SancitChang US 119 2006 Citrus Exposition organizers and contacts: Ralph or Kathy Denton, Phone (757) 426-3677 e-mail at: palmlady@cox.net Gaylord Ventura: e-mail ggvm30@aol.com

As a child, our front yard was bordered by Surinam Cherries...The only thing with them is that they DO get wormy if not treated, but make the most amazing jellies! I'm also a huge fan of figs. I do have a Loquat tree that I LOVE! I've learned (on here) that they can be pruned not only to allow sun through (I have pineapples growing around mine) but you can do the "bonsai" thing with them as well. I also love my dwarf bananas. I chose RajaPuri because of the compact size. I started with one sick little plant that someone at ACE hardware was throwing out...he said it was dead. Well, no it wasn't, but it WAS almost dead...waterlogged. Six months later, I now have 9 banana trees! I'm really glad to hear about the nuts that grow here. I used to have pecans in Lake Wales, but they never fruited heavily and the goats got most of the ones we could reach anyway! One should always have a citrus tree. They're fantastic for more than just fruit. I keep a pineapple orange (my favorite) and a Meyer Lemon (dwarf) that does beautifully. I also use the rinds as a disinfectant (I use everything for everything, lol) in my kennel, as well as a deodorizer! One thing about figs: They're pollinated by wasps, so if anyone grows them, cut them in half before biting into them...or you'll never eat another one! Just like Surinams, figs are used by the pollinator to lay their eggs.