Ive ordered a couple things from them. My shiranui was fried in shipping and she was more than happy to send anouther when it cools off. But the other trees are doing good and growing. Ruth is great.

I'm growing two from seed. It was very hard to find seeds, and I had to go through a lot of the fruits to be able to get these two. Right now the seedlings are very small and they seem to be growing slower than other citrus seedlings. I do have to say, for any of you who haven't had the opportunity to taste Shasta Gold, it's a delicious variety, if you like your mandarins a little bit more on the tart and aromatic side. A lot of this has to do with personal preference though. I've read several comments from people saying Shasta Gold has a kind of weird off flavor, but for me personally I didn't pick up on any of that. Remember this is just my individual personal preference (and I think it's very likely you would disagree) but I think this may be my second favorite variety of mandarin, right below Satsuma. (But then again my preferences are probably not representative of most people, for example I'm not a big fan of Dancy and a lot of people say that's supposed to be the gold standard for mandarin flavor) The fruits are a nice big size too, and not too difficult to peel. I've also had the opportunity to try Tahoe Gold, but to me that has a flavor more like a regular mandarin and I like Shasta Gold better. It's really hard to write reviews because I think a lot of this has to do with individual preference. What I like most in a mandarin isn't going to be what you like. It can also be hard to compare sometimes which one is "better" because some of these varieties can have slightly different types of flavor.

My guess from the photos is that it needs Nitrogen, it may also be deficient in something else, it looks like Magnesium deficiencies to me based on the leaves, though I would not expect to see that in the calciferous soils that are commonly found on the west coast. Soil pH effects nutrient uptake, so the first thing I would do is do a soil pH test, get home pH test kits for under $10 in most garden centers. This includes a small capsule of powder that you mix with a soil sample and water then compare colors on a chart. Do note if you have recently fertilized the soil it can throw off the readings if your soil sample is contaminated with any granuals of the fertilizer. (Don't trust he cheap electronic probe pH meters). If your soil pH is above 7 I would suggest the first step being to fertilize with a fast acting Nitrogen source, my first choice would be Ammonium Sulfate, available at better garden centers, Amazon, etc. Just be ware it can cause fertilizer burn if used too strongly. Or Calcium Nitrate if soil pH is below 6.5, though I think the chances of this are VERY low for southern California. If you want to stay Organic use Blood Meal as a fast acting Nitrogen source, though it is a little slower acting than the other two mentioned above. If you do need Magnesium, common unscented household Epsom salts are a great source of it, you can probably add a bit without much chance of overdosing, if you want to try just sprinkle half a cup of so evenly around the tree. p.s. if your pH is above 7.5 or 8 you may also have Calcium induced Iron Chlorosis, the solution is to add iron using something like ironite, and lower your pH over time through the addition of Sulphur, this is a long slow process though.

Both trees look under fed and under watered. Your surrounding landscape tells me you are in a Mediterranean climate, maybe vista, CA or northern LA County/ Ventura Which means it is fairly mild temps with the occasional heat wave. During this time of year your trees should be getting watered at least 3-4 times per week and probably daily when they’re first planted to keep the rootballs moist and help establish growth. Without proper watering and nourishment your trees will not grow very much, the sun and reduced exposure will also have an effect on the trees. One thing I did notice is that you have several suckers sprouting below the graft line which I point out in your photo that I edited for easy identification. Any branches below that graft line will need to be cut back at the trunk. I suggest going to the nursery that you purchased the trees from and ask them what “Citrus type” of fertilizer is good to use for your growing region. If you would like some more help with identifying exactly where the graft line is, take a close up photo of the trunks and post it so we can show you where it is. Your photo with arrows pointing to the graft line Is below. Evan