Record Buck Farm is missing the information on cold hardiness from individual varieties. This is need so people like me planting outdoors in ground can chose which varieties have any chance at all. 3 degrees-F makes a difference between live or dies. There are a few new super cold hardy varieties they lack and this may be due to patent access.

Interesting comments marknicols.... a lot of us up north have many record buck trees but they are all rooted cuttings, I have never seen a grafted one but I know they do exist. My record bucks do pretty well although they seem to have the most problems with light leaves as compared to my grafted trees, but then they also tend to be most of my limes and lemons which require more ferts than regular varieties so maybe that is it. I think I also prefer the shape of grafted trees to rooted cuttings but I can't complain, I will harvest 3 mostly ripe meyers this weekend from a record buck tree!

Also I don't feel like getting worked up this morning but prophylactic treatments of any drugs, pesticides or other is not a good idea. That's how resistance is built up and then before you know it we have superbugs to contend with. We don't dose ourselves with antibiotics several times per year just for good measure right? Same principle applies with insecticides.

I have 6 trees from Record Buck. One just died, one is fine and 4 are doing OK but have dropped about half of their leaves. Out of 30 of my other trees, one died and 5 dropped about half of their leaves.

So, 5 out of 6 (83%) Record Buck trees died or are sick.

Compared to 6 out of 30 (20%) of my other trees died or dropped half of their leaves.

Record Buck trees in my care had a 4 times greater chance of getting sick and or dying compared to trees from other sources.

If it matters to you that the people you purchase your goods from are decent people, then I suggest you stay far away from these people. The owners are horrible bullies. They will lie, cheat and steal, to get what they want. They are the kind of people that are miserable, ungrateful, petty, spiteful, people and will never be happy with what they have. It's never enough. Sad actually.

Vladimir, I'm sorry to hear that. I have not had any trouble with their trees - they are all thriving - better than some trees I got from FW. I have both rooted cuttings and their grafted trees.

Dont Ignore Me, do you know them personally? That is disturbing to hear.

Unfortunately, I do know them personally. It's really incredible the way they are, what they do and how they treat people. I feel it's important people know exactly who they are supporting.

My RB limequat has done nothing but decline since I got it a year ago. It made it thru winter but the branches that lost leaves are now dying back. My RB meiwa is also a year in my care and I can't say it is the most vigorous thing, either. As a newish citrus grower and I don't have good comparison subjects, I will leave it at that.

For those buying locally, there are not always choices in sources.And doing mail order is generally more expensive.

While their treatment of people may be insider info that would be hard to verify (or perhaps not), their treatment of the environment should be more verifyable.

There is a garden center in my town. They have great plants, but they have similar sort of issues that make one ponder if patronizing them is worth it. And now the owner has recently been found out to have done some serious crimes. He is no longer involved with the business in any way, tho.

Just FYI. The only reason RBF, 'survived,' the 2007 quarantine, because they sued the USDA.

Does anyone know which type of lemon tree Record Buck Farms Sell in these containers...

Here is the Lemon Tree after I finished repotting it:

Perhaps someone experienced can help identify it from the photo. I've seen several nurseries selling these trees, but none of them say anything more than "Lemon"

I've only had it for a few weeks, and it seems to be happy in its new pot. Can't say much about Record Buck Farms as a company, but the tree seems healthy. Looking forward to my first fruit!

myles- didn't it come with a tag . they use the same lemon pot for Meyer , eureka n ponderosa . looking at the leaves must one if the first 2.

my experience with RBF has been overall ok . it certainly needs repoting especially the 10 gallon trees the mix is pretty heavy suspectible to root rot.

No, no tag. Just one with the link to mycitrustree.com (which didn't have specific information about the kind of lemon tree). I checked on the ones I've seen around and they don't have tags either. I'll try calling the nursery for clarification.

Was your comment about needing repotting directed toward me? Mine was repotted within two weeks of picking it up (as seen in the photo below the RBF pot). From my understanding it shouldn't be planted in too large of a pot right away.

I have always seemed Meyer lemons in those pots, and your tree looks like a Meyer, but I am sure they sell other lemons as dev mentioned above.

I am surprised to hear that some of you have had trouble with your RB trees. I have never had one die on me (knock on wood), and my oldest citrus is one from them and is huge now.

Rbf also was selling eureka lemons in the store I was at the other day. Btw, I happened to buy a persian lime, are they supposed to have thorns?

Yes jaydub83 they do have small thorns and are very hard to see but they still hurt as much as a large thorn.

Brian

My first citrus was a persian lime from RB farms...yes to thorns like Brian said.

Comments on home grown citrus ...

Cuttings ... from mature wood and flower small. No issues by not being grafted due to container and home grown.
Seed grown ... can vary considerably from the parent due to genetics. Grows much larger before flowering than grafted or cuttings.
Grafted ... selected varieties that have been grafted on tested root stocks to improve vigor, disease resistance at root level, etc. From mature wood and flowers small

Most citrus flower twice a year and make great house plants in a bright window. Wonderfully fragrant.

House outside in shirt sleeve weather. While some citrus can take down to 27 and survive its best not to temp fate and bring them in when temps are expected to be below 40F. Limes and Lemons are most tender.

Fertilize monthly in summer, bi-monthly in winter ... and occasional Tablespoon of Epsom Salts works wonders for color and production. Any balance liquid or time released fertilizer is appreciated.

Check plants weekly for aphids, scale, white flies and mealy bugs .. they like citrus and especially appreciate indoor citrus and will multiply quickly if not treated. All these are sucking insects and produce a sugar byproduct as their urine that will for a sticky coating on anything in their vicinity (other plants, the patio or adjacent floors and furniture). This sticky syrup can also provide the nutrients for sooty mold. Eliminate the insects and the problem goes away. Use a good indoor pyrethrin to treat and be sure to get under the leaves and pour some over the soil as these pests can get in the soil also.

With proper attention to a few details, citrus can prove long term enjoyment and make great house and garden guests ...

Yukon, what does your post have to do with Record Buck?

Nothing, but it was informative to an extent. I have 2 trees. Both of them are cuttings. 1 is from a random place (doing very well) and the other is a cocktail tree from Record Bucks (Meyer/Limequat) The Limequat is still doing well, lost some leaves but is about to give me another ripe limequat in the middle of Winter. The Meyer has severe branch dieback and only has 1 leaf left. When I say it's a cocktail tree, it actually means two different cuttings put in the same pot.... Not really a cocktail lol...but that's what record buck calls them.

Another one of my Record Buck trees has died. I do try to avoid buying Record Buck trees because of the bad luck I have had with them but could not resist buying more when I see a desirable tree.

Sorry Vladimir! I lost the two members of the “cocktail “ tree I adopted from my neighbor fall of 2016. They just died...they were weak to start. I will say though that if you can ever get your hands on one of their grafted trees go for it! They are more expensive, but very nice trees. All of my grafted trees from them are great!

Do you think it's the root stock they use or our faults ? It's pretty frustrating when they just croak like that even with good care ((

As you know I'm with Vladimir on RB trees... my only 2 casualties this winter were 2 RB cuttings that had been fading fast even before they went inside for winter.

That being said, I have a few more RB cuttings that have started to rebound nicely now that spring is (supposedly) here, even inside my room they are growing well. And I did manage to recover a large meyer RB cutting that I thought was a goner but has come back nicely over the past year.

I found a grafted valencia lemon from RB last year and decided to take a chance on it and it has done well this winter. I also just found last weekend a grafted meyer from RB and based on Laura's success decided to take a chance and bought it.

A couple of observations:

The grafted RB trees come in a better medium, they seem to be in the proper fir fines we are always searching for, so maybe that helps with longevity.

Most RB cuttings seem to be in sawdust and I run a 50% kill ratio on those for the most part- all in all a very poor result and every year I tell myself DO NOT BUY ANY MORE OF THESE... and every year I get suckered into at least one.

Hobby, I lost two cuttings this winter from the separated “cocktail “ tree. I now have a limequat that I’ve had for years that is really just failing to thrive. It is partly defoliated, but it was like that before I brought them in for winter. It has had some limb dieback also. I don’t know what’s going on with it. I’ve had that tree since late 2015. The grafted RB trees are awesome. I love mine!

I stopped by Lowe's today and they had tons of RB trees. Ponderosa, Eureka, Persian Lime, Meyer, "cocktail" meyer and Key, Calamondin. Most looked like rooted cuttings and I didn't examine them too closely. Luckily I don't really need any of those trees so I was able to resist. They were inexpensive, though, and looked lush.

I think that my Meyer is a cutting though, I bought it like 14 years ago so don't know the nursery. But it has done fine. Still, I can do without. I have too many trees already...so of course I came home with a dwarf Cavendish banana and a plumcot. ;/

Lucky, Our Lowes carries all of the same RBF trees that you mentioned, but added a Rangpur lime this year. I had to strongly resist...for now :)

Yes Laura, as you know my cocktail tree also bit the dust... I hung onto the limequat side for as long as possible but it always looked terrible. I have another RB rooted cutting limequat that is doing ok, I will repot it soon as it it showing signs of new growth now.

I keep getting suckered into the limequats because I always have your limequat success in the back of my mind, that's terrible yours seems to be fading! Fingers crossed it comes back.

Denise, it's the same story for me with my RB rooted cuttings, I might get a few fruit one year and then they just hang there, mostly defoliated, not doing anything. That's why I am somewhat optimistic right now, about 3 of them are showing signs of new leaves that I haven't ever seen on them frankly. A couple still need to be repotted, hopefully that won't send them downhill.

Glad some of you have better success with them, I think the warmer the zone the better your chances are. I am really pushing my luck out here in 2b ;).

Well, I bought a Meyer lemon from RBF 2 years ago. I clearly said I didn't want a lime tree. I have to say the tree did well in a container on my patio, but I don't think they sold me a Meyer lemon... Can anyone tell what citrus this is? Looks like lime to me.

Looks like a lime to me.

who knows It might turn out to be a sweet lime

Those are the second worst type of lime in my opinion lol.... only behind the Kaffir lime... which you can only use the leaves.

RB strikes again

HU, don't be mad yet. My Meyer lemon looked like yours in the picture when it fruited for the first time. I was sure that it was a Mexican lime but next year the limes got too big in size and later I found out it was a Meyer lemon.

Halyana, thank you for your comment. I had a feeling the fruits were undeveloped at first, but being the second year I gave up on the idea of having a Meyer lemon. Also the fruits are extremely juicy and the skin is really thin...just like a lime.
Guess I just have to wait and see.

HU, wait for them to get completely yellow, then pick one. They should get bigger before ripening and they hold well on the tree. I will try to find a picture of mine, and post it here.

Meyer lemon.

Awwww,,, beautiful... you do have a wonderful tree.
I really, really hope mine will turn out like yours.
I did wait on some of the limes (oops...fruits) to turn yellow, but the skin is soooo thin.. and the shape is just like a lime. although they have so many seeds. Each fruit, no matter how big it is, holds at least 10 seeds, which should be a sign for a lemon! At this point I'll just go and buy another Meyer Lemon tree and compare. A certify one from another nursery.

Let you know.

Thanks.
Yolanda

I bought one more. LOL. But this time an Improved Meyer Lemon.

I got a cocktail tree (lemon and lime trees in one pot). I have successfully grown lemons indoors for years. I immediately noticed the lime tree was dying and insects in the soil. I was able to quarantine the tree and get rid of the bugs before it spread to the rest of my plants. The lime tree was dead. I emailed about my disappointment. I thought at the least I would get a too bad we do not stand behind our products. I got no response at all. I will not buy anything from Record Buck Farms and told the person who gave me this gift what happened so they would not buy from them again either.

I would like to give an update on my Eureka Lemon that I purchased which was a Record Buck Farms Tree. It's still alive and has one fruit on it currently. It has very little or no growth since I posted last which was April 2018. It did put out blooms this spring and I repotted it hoping there was some growth in the rootball. Very little improvement in the rootball area. All my other 25 trees are thriving in the potting medium I make but this thing just sits. I realize that I should remove the lemon so it can concentrate on growth, but I cannot do it. I want to see if it is worth keeping.

I was at Home Depot last week and there were some plants from RBF and I happen to notice that there were pots with two cuttings in a pot to make it look fuller. I live in middle GA and I don't think too many people will pay any attention to how many trunks are in the pot and be educated enough to know that they should be separated. The much larger trees are covered with pests and look sickly.

I don't know where you all buy your Record Buck Farms plants, but our local Home Depot carries them frequently. They are all cutting-grown and mostly marked 'lemon' or 'orange' (usually Meyer or Calamondin). First HD stuck them in full sun in the parking lot on a hot windy day -- no watering. Then after they all got sun scorch, they pulled them in and overwatered them. None of the metal decorative pots had drainage holes, so, as you can imagine, they are sitting in a pond to this day. Don't always blame the grower for a poorly performing plant. They are probably in shock by the time you get them home. But RBF does provide a small niche market for people looking for cheaper citrus. Get one as soon as they get shipped in and you should be OK.

Actually, it is Record Buck Farms fault because they know that all the big box stores do is put the trees in full sun and water until the trees are sold. The trees even come with instructions that it is to be in full sun and the employees don't know jack crap about the plants in the nursery. Record Buck Farms knows darn well that the water has no place to drain away in the 2nd pot and the metal heats up and cook the roots. Orchids are grown in double pots as well and treated the same which is why so many orchids are on the clearance rack. How do I know? Because I was a sucker who bought a few thinking I was getting a great deal. Yep, you get what you pay for with a Record Buck Farms tree. I'll spend more and get a great tree delivered directly to my door from a citrus nursery.

I have never bought a Record Buck citrus from a big box store. All of mine came from a few good garden centers that take good care of their stock. And yet most of the Record Buck citrus I bought die within the first year. Almost all citrus from other growers survive at least a year.

This is a really interesting topic and believe a lot of newbies should be aware of what they are buying. Ever since I purchased one of this company's trees, I am so grateful that there are nurseries who graft because their choices of rootstocks allows the uninformed grower a better chance of success. I firmly believe a grafted rootstock is more forgiving than a tree on its own roots when it comes to over watering.

I got six citrus from Lowe’s last fall when they got a late delivery from record buck farms. They were marked clearance I paid 10$ a tree most of them are holding fruit now and doing well

Great selection, size and cost. They are excellent plants. It's how you take care of them. Which makes it or breaks it.

I heard from a reliable source that this nursery was shut down due to citrus canker.

(Sorry, long comment) I'm not aware Record Buck has ever shut down, steady deliveries to SC area stores every year. Two deliveries so far for 2021: end of Feb and now end of March.

Citrus that are shaped to trees have always shown grafting here (includes 15 gallon and 30 gallon --mature, reliably fruit bearing sizes). The smaller pots are not grafted and are growing on their own roots. Most all citrus will be shrubby and multi-branched from close to its base unless shaping is done by removing all side branches and shaping for one main trunk. The larger, tree-shaped citrus are the grafted ones in the RBF plants here.

Note: As it was explained to me (I'm not a grafting expert: any experienced grafters, feel free to jump in here!) If you remove a nice straight branch from a mature fruiting tree, you can graft that branch onto a rootstock that is selected for hardiness and resistance to soil diseases. That nice straight branch now forms a nice straight trunk, from which you keep removing any sprouting twigs and leaves, so it keeps that single, straight-up trunk shape. The branch, having come from a mature tree will bear fruit more readily, heavily, and likely many years sooner, than one being grown from a small cutting or seed.

i do find lemons and limes to fruit more readily while still a small shrub. I've had Meyer Lemons and Key or Persian Limes, as well as Lakeland Limequats and Calamondins, all give me numerous fruit while still a very small shrub in a one gallon pot. Of course, i have SC weather -- lots of sun, heat -- and i overwinter all small pots inside with extra hours of bright LED lights. i have never seen an Orange or Grapefruit give fruit at that small size. Fruitlets fall off.

My 5 to 15 gal usually fruit the second year i have them. They get same treatment as the small ones. My citrus tend to bloom and set fruit all winter inside, and they ripen the fruit set in summer/Fall: i harvest and eat all winter. I've learned to add lights (as much as 12 hours or more), take care to not overwater, and feed with an organic. Overwatering and need for more light were my downfalls at first.

My 30 gallon are full-size Satsumas and Red Navels and Minneola and stay outside, but those sometimes get incandescent Christmas lights added under frost cloths if temps are freezing or close. Satsumas probably don't need protection at this size, but i'm cautious. I got about 150 satsumas from 1 tree this last year. As i picked the last one this month (march), it is already exploding into bloom.

I have lost fruit over the years from at least 3 different nursery sources, usually my fault. I keep all mine in pots. All of my RBF of size 15 gallon and above -- all grafted trees -- have done great. The smaller citrus have mostly done quite well too, although i can't seem to grow a Harvey lemon or a Murcott honey tangerine past one season. i suspect this is just another learning curve for me. i've killed plenty of citrus over the years, and mostly learned from my mistakes.

I practically worship Espoma brand CitrusTone. Great success inducing bloom within 10 days of feeding with it. Most citrus in this area is from Record Buck, purchased for years, quite satisfied.

I too am a LowCountry SC grower. i have had success with RBFarm’s key lime, meyer lemon and ruby red grapefruit planted in ground here in Beaufort SC. All were healthy and remain so. My key lime was a 15 gallon size when planted three years ago and yielded over 300 limes this past year.. RBF produces beautiful healthy trees. Thank you.