Very nice looking trees ladies! My Bears (same as Persian right?) is very large and I've gotten limes off it, but it is not as productive as my Meyer. That said....this season it has set tons of little fruits in addition to the big ones it already has....perhaps Seth will give Alexander the Great a run for his money this year. I'll post pics later...I'm at a swim meet ;-)

Hobby, it is a great citrus tree! I was also thinking about ordering another... I left one lime on the Bearss. Like you, I could not help myself. It was slow to put out growth, but, now it has some new leafs coming out from the top branch. Did you let your lime turn a bit yellow before picking? I don't want to pick to soon.

Laura, the Persian should be the same variety as the Bearss.

Please do Laura!

Jinny I definitely made the mistake of picking the first one I got too early. It still tasted great but wasn't as juicy as it should have been. The other 2 I got later on I waited until the perfect time. I went more by feel than color and it was perfect! Still dark green but gave a bit with a squeeze.

Make sure you use the zest it will blow your mind! Actually more impressive than the juice I think.

Here was the first one, my avatar pic, you can see it's not that juicy.

How delightful Hobby!! Thank you for the tips and beautiful pictures. Your limes are really a nice size! Wow!! Lol. I will do the feel and gentle squeeze test before picking. Just looking at your fruit, I am more excited than ever to try them. I adore limes. I think I will order another one as I use limes a lot... (The juice and the zest.) :D

You are welcome and yes it will be a great day once yours ripens that's for sure.

I just remembered another ripening tip, I think you will also notice the skin getting smoother as it ripens. I think you can see the diff even in my 2 pics.

Keep us posted on your progress and we are always in favor of treating yourself to a new tree on this forum! :)

That trick does work. I always look for limes with a smooth skin when buying them. You guys will not believe this!!! After this thread, I called Stan McKenzie and left him a message about a NZL. He got back to me about an hour ago....he has ONE left. I don't think it will be quite as big as yours Jinny. He said maybe 1.5-2 years old. He said it took him a while to get back to me because he had to go look around. I ordered it and he will ship out Monday! YAY! That should be the end to my collection....should being the operative word....;-)

Here is Seth, my Persian lime...he would have topped six feet, but I hacked off about a foot to promote bushier growth. He has at least two big limes, but has tons of little ones. Some will fall off, but I hope a good number will stick. I've had him four years...he was tiny when I got him (his origins are likely Roebuck farms, but I did not keep the tag). The last pic is of my thorny key lime...that plant never stops growing!

beautiful trees all of you. I just got back from vacation.

jinnylea

Do you know what rootstock your NZL is on. I believe Stan uses Pooncirus trifoliata., but I don't know for sure.

Steve, if I remember correctly I believe Stan mentioned using that paticular rootstock for grafting his many cold hardy species of citrus. I am not 100% clear on that though because I remember getting a brain freeze when he told me he had one New Zealand Lemonade left in stock. Lol.

I also asked him if all of his citrus stock comes from his farm specifically, but, he mentioned he does get a few varieties now and then from other nurseries like California. My tag on the NZL says it is from Mckenzie Farms.. They wrote 'New Zealand Lemonade ' on that tag with a black marker. I really like Stan. Pleasant, friendly guy to talk to about citrus. I am still interested in ordering a few cold hardy varieties from him that peak my interest..

I hope you had a wonderful, relaxing vacation! :)

Laura, I am happy Stan found "one more" NZL to ship to you. We are both lucky ladies. :)

Yes, Stan is very nice! When I called him back yesterday he said he was out to dinner but that I could call his wife at home and she would write everything down. Then he thought a bit and said he did not make a habit of leaving her a home....lol!

Whoa congrats it was meant to be Laura! I'm happy for you!! Seth looks great, you should get a lot of limes this year.

If anyone in Texas wants a NZ lemonade tree, John the rare citrus grower has them. I believe his address is panzarellacitrus.com. I lived in San Antonio for several years before moving to Japan and wish I could get one here.

Thanks suzuchan! I looked at his site, but no mail orders...bummer!

My NZL arrived today!! She's very cute and has nice branching. I'm very happy with her! Stan McKenzie has nice trees.

It's nice to hear others are so excited about this variety.

The tree is cute and so is your little daughter! What a nice picture. It looks like she loves citrus trees too. It is good to start young.

Cory

Well Pip, your recommendations are very high. I trust your judgement! Thanks Cory! Yes, she loves my citrus, as does my older daughter. She helped me pot her up - and named her Lisa. We name them all!

It's my favorite fruit. there are hundreds of good sweet oranges and mandarins but this is the only high quality sweet lemon I know of. The rest all have some issue.

Very adorable daughter and tree! Again must have been fate that you scored this one when he thought he was all out.

It's new arrival tree mania today... Mine just arrived as well. Will start a new thread have an emergency question to ask about a broken branch.

Nice NZL lemon tree . n Vladimir your finger lime is so bushy mine are 1 year grafts for both variety so a paltry branch mostly.

u guys are such bad influence. lol :). just ordered sudachi, yuzu ,Palestine lime n giant key lime from tropic2tropic

LOL! I'm glad we've been a good influence on you dev! The finger lime is the only outstanding order. I called Nature Hills and they said the supplier (Four Winds) will not ship out the week of the 4th, so it will likely not get to me till mid July. If I'd realized Stan McKenzie had those earlier, I would have ordered from him instead.

Your NZL looks really nice Laura. I am happy my thread and post inspired you to call him to see if he had any left by chance. :) I will wait patiently for my Lemonade to set mature, ripe fruit. It sounds like a winner.

Your daughter is a sweetie, and, I have a feeling she will take after her momma and have the citrus "bug." :)

My first order from Harris arrived today. A Xie Shan. It arrived in good condition, in a very tall box. I had everything ready to pot it up upon arrival. It has a canopy with a couple of branches at the top, and one side branch. The stems and leaves will take a bit to straighten out. The top of the canopy was bent down so they could fit it in the box. I have it in the shade and will gradually expose it to morning sun over the next week. I have another order from Harris arriving next week. I need to buy more pots for them.

I have to say that in spite of a couple with weak trunks, the trees from Harris have been very nice AND they have all sprouted very quickly. Overall, I've been very happy with them. What else did you order from them?

Great job devsense! Although I'm kind of annoyed at tropic to topic right now, I emailed about a sweet lime days ago and still haven't heard back but apparently at least a couple of you I referred have managed to order. And I mentioned my referrals! No good deed goes unpunished right?? Now I'm grumpy about that lol! Well hopefully I will her back soon.

Laura and jinnylea I have a droopy skinny tree too, a kiyomi tangor. Not sure where it came from but i wonder If it is a Harris tree too. I have it staked but let the canopy droop over and I kind of like it that way now! Will post a pic later :).

Hobby, did you hear back from Tropic To Tropic about that sweet lime yet??

Did you ever post that picture of the Kiyomi Tangor?? I have been on a break/vacation for a short bit and have not kept up with all the posts, but will try to catch up.

Laura, my second order from Harris arrived in great shape today and I have potted up half of the citrus plants. I ran out of a few ingredients for the gritty blend I make, so back to store tomorrow. I will post a follow up on the varieties I ordered along with a few pictures. .

We are having a rainy, muggy and stormy day today. Tornado warnings are out in the eastern part of the state. I had all my plants out in the rain over the last couple of days. We sure did need it, it has been hot and dry around these parts.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Jinny, please post pics! I have to say that all of my trees from Harris have started sprouting very quickly....even the one I had with the weak trunk (I did end up pruning quite a bit off the top on Monday). That one has not sprouted yet, but the trunk is much stronger already. What else did you get from them?? I have been eyeing a few things, but I have to stop! I! LOL

Thanks for the reminder Jinny I couldn't remember what thread we were on. Yes I did hear back from tropic finally and he is sending me a Palestine sweet lime... Just as soon as the postal strike figures itself out lol.

Here is the kiyomi tangor. The front:

And the back, you can see my staking is clearly holding the plant up.

It had 10 or so nice grape sized fruit on it but I picked them all off but one. It's super spindly but I kind of like it drooped over with the dangly leaves now. It has new growth so I'm not complaining! Does it look like your Harris trees?

I think we are having similar weather too.

Nice looking Tangor you have hobby. I like the droopy, dangle leaf look! :) It sure looks similar to a Harris tree, but, they do not have the Kiyomi Tangor listed, but, they sell a Temple Tangor. But, that does not mean it is not possible. I have a Shiranui, which is a cross between Kiyomi and Ponkan. It came from Harris.

Wow thanks for the info jinny, I am just so drawn to the unusual types!! Shiranui sounds so romantic I need one too lol! The tags just look like generic greenhouse tags so who knows. Maybe I will try and ask the vendor again, she was kind of cagey about their vendors that's for sure.

It will drop over on its own without staking but I worry about it in the wind.

Does anyone have any ideas, should I keep it staked or let it droop?

My Harris Citrus order that arrived today. Bearss Lemon, (heard this lemon is really good), Baboon Lemon, Mauritius (Kaffir Lime), Etrog Citron, Fina Sodea (Read it is one of the best mandarins for flavor, I love the older varieties.) Red Shaddock Pomelo, Shiranui Dekopon and Oro Blanco.

I am very happy with the trees. Most of them have a nice strong trunk, and a good green canopy. I have a few more to pot up tomorrow.

I finished potting up the citrus over the weekend. Just in time for them to get a good soaking of rain overnight, and, into the next morning. The Baboon Lemon citrus leaves have a wonderful citrus scent when lightly rubbed, a bit stronger than the Kaffir Lime. That surprised me!! I think the leaves would be just as good to use in cooking as the Kaffir. The more mature leaves are large, and, I imagine, will get even larger as the tree matures in age.. Would be great to use the leaves on the grill with chicken, fish or grilled veggies.. I placed another new order with Harris today for three more citrus.. I have the bug..bad. :D

HA! I think you have it as bad as I do now Jinny! Those are great varieties! There are a few that I don't have...I will look them up tomorrow. They look great! I have found that Harris trees do tend to grow/sprout quickly. The one that took the longest for me was the baboon lemon and now it is going crazy. Hobby, that does look like a Harris tree, but they do not use those stakes from what I've seen. As far as the trunk...my shiranui, mine was one of their $36 trees and the trunk was very weak...I hope yours is not that bad. If I had not staked it loosely, it completely doubled over and I was afraid would snap. I did end up chopping off a bit off the canopy and it was the best thing I could have done. I chopped last Monday when I totally hacked my Meyer, and it is already sprouting, plus the stem seems much stronger already. I have removed all but one stake and it is only leaning on it...no longer even tied. I've fed it well and it is responding accordingly. I would definitely order from Harris. Jinny, what else did you order? Hobby, you got me to look up yuzu recipes this afternoon and it seems so unique that I want one one. I sent Stan McKenzie a message today and asked him if he had a finger lime and yuzu. I cancelled my order from Nature Hills bc they were taking so long to ship.

Laura, I just spent a few minutes posting a response but it disappeared on me.. oh, well!! Here are a couple pictures of the Shiranui. I would say the trunk diameter is just over 1/4 inch at its thinnest point. The trunk seems very sturdy to support the trees canopy so far. I have since taken off most all the tape, but left one piece on for support. I will take it off in a few days to see how she does on her own. It is a bit breezy today, they are calling for a high of 93, and we have a chance of severe storms this afternoon. I need to be prepared to bring all of my citrus in just in case. Have you talked to Stan to see if he has a Finger Lime or Yuzu in stock for you? I was planning on getting a Yuzu, but, I am not sure if I will follow through. I have a few other varieties I want to add to my collection first and then I will go from there. I am very pleased all around with my order from Harris. The one year trees I received look healthy, green, and sturdy. Ruth is extremely nice, and, very helpful in every way.

They look great! The stems will toughen up quickly - mine have. If I were you, I would order a giant key lime from them. Mine is very nice and growing well. The limes are much larger, but are supposed to tasted exactly like key limes. That could be a very useful tree.. Which others do you want? I need to read your post about those that you just got. It was late last night and I did not have the time or energy. I have not heard from Stan yet, but I did email him.

Great order Jinny! You got a lot of cool varieties it sounds like. I am desperate for that baboon lemon Laura first mentioned! Not that I don't have enough trees myself lol.

A bearss lemon, wow hadn't heard of that one... is it much different than a eureeka or lisbon from the description?

Also, just curious, will you add a bit more mix to your pots once they settle? A couple of them look a titch too shallow, not that I am an expert. In your last pic on the right the rootball might be a tad too exposed? Just a thought. Gorgeous trees though! That was a mega order, I am impressed ;).

Laura, you enabler you! ! :D The Giant Key Lime was one citrus I have seriously considered ordering. I have two Mexican Key Limes, a Kaffir, and a Bearss Lime currently, after I receive my next order from Harris, hopefully later this week, I still want to place an order later this fall with Four Winds for Santa Teresa Lemon and Bergamot Sour Orange etc.. My collection is increasing and I want to make sure I get the ones I have been coveting and that I have room for all of them come winter. After that, if they make it through the winter alright, and my hubby and I finish building another upcycled GH, I will possibly add a few more...

Hobby, thank you for the concern about the soil settling and the roots showing. :) I actually filled the pots up just a bit under the rim so I would still have room to water without overflow.The pot on the right had more roots showing than I would like, so I did cover them up a bit more this morning after I watered. I don't mind having a few roots showing though.

From what I researched and read, the Bearss Lemon cultivator was selected in a Grove in FL. The parent tree was planted in 1892, supposedly. Description: Is a fast growing tree, very productive, very fragrant blooms and bears an abundance of very juicy acidic fruit July through December. Tree is vigorous, thorny, and sensitive to cold. Bearss out produces both Eureka and Lisbon. The flavor is outstanding. Has up to six seeds per fruit. A true lemon. This lemon is grown in Brazil, much appreciated for its fragrance, . Most of the crop is eaten fresh, some is used for rind oil.

I read a lot of positive reviews on the Bearss and heard the fruit has outstanding flavor and slightly larger than Eureka. Win Win for me!!

Hobby, the Baboon Lemon would be a good one to add to your list also.. the leaves smell divine!! :)

I'm confused...I thought the bearss was the same as a Persian lime...am I wrong? I have a big lime tree...I just am not sure exactly what it is. I think it's a Persian

Laura, I was confused at first when I saw the Bearss Lemon listed on the Harris Citrus Web page. I have the Bearss Lime from Four Winds. They are two separate citrus with the same first name, but, one is actually a real lemon, and one is a real lime. From what I researched, the Bearrs Lemon was selected in the "Bearss Grove" near Lutz, Florida in 1952. It is a real, true lemon. The Bearss Lime is a real lime, and from what I read, came from the Bearss Grove in CA. HTH

And, yes, the Bearrs Lime is the same as Persian Lime.

I looked it up and they are the same. I have one of those. I just broke down and cut off three immature Meyer lemons and one bearss lime to make a "not key lime pie". The fruits were pecked and would have eventually deteriorated on the tree. I'll let you guys know how it turns out. I can tell you that my bearss was immature, and seedless...not nearly as much juice as my Meyers with seeds. As of now, they are my favorite lemons...incredibly juicy! I plan to use some of the zest in a pie and then use the rest to make a variation of the chicken recipe Jinny listed above.

To confuse you even more.. the Bearrs Lemon is also known as "Sicilian" in Brazil, I believe.. :D

Sounds delicious Laura...

Geez...that's confusing! I was wondering why you said Bearss lemon. I'll look it up. I think the pie will be good, but I prefer a more tart pie. I tried the mix before baking. Let's see what it tastes like once refrigerated and baked...

Bearss is pronounced different between the cultivairs due to their different origins. Weird huh?

Like beers right?

Great info on the bearss lemon jinny!