Laura, I am glad you got him. He is a good looking tree and with fruit that you will be eating soon, too!

Thanks Vladimir. Even my husband was impressed with the lemons....that's good bc they will be inhabiting his room where he practices conga and saxophone.....so I hope citrus like music ;-). I just trimmed some of the smaller lemons, but he had quite a few that are a good size...I think he's left with about six - and a few of those are bigger than golf balls. The biggest lemon is already bigger than any of the full grown Meyers, and it is not full-grown! I'm just amazed at how large they are...

I totally get it :) , I have almost an addiction , like last week I went to the nursery in hunt for Ponderosa , I had seen it in spring but it was pricey. no Ponderosa this time but there was a beautiful limequat at discounted price, I controlled the urge then but very next day went back and bought it . lol .

That is a beautiful limequat! Congratulations! I am glad that I have friends here who understand ;-). Let us know how you like the fruits. I've wondered about those for a while now...

Most nurseries around me do not carry citrus and when they do they only have a few small trees of two or three varieties, usually meyer lemon, calamondin, maybe key lime and some other citrus. So, I do not run into situations like yours Laura, or yours, devsense. The big box stores never carry them.

Vladimir, it is like that here also. I did not expect to find ANY citrus, even less a ponderosa. It was very surprising....must have been fate like Hobby said ;-)

That's totally a steal Laura, great negotiation! There is no way you could have left that find behind!

Beautiful tree devsense! Great find as well.

I'm with you Vladimir, I can only find the common types here, and very rarely at that. Usually I will call to ask if they have any citrus and they say yes, we have lemons and limes! And then when I ask what type mass confusion ensues.... our non citrus familiar greenhouse staff have no idea of all the different types!

I hear you....they usually have NO clue!

Laura, be careful about confessions. There is a joke about a guy's girlfriend who says, "I have been a BAD girl, and I deserve to be punished"... so he installed Windows 10 on her laptop!

LOL John!!! I'll confess....I use a Mac ;-)

I got windows 10 and my wife will not let me go back to windows 7.

I got talked into getting a Mac 5 years ago and am so sorry I got one but, on the other hand, I have heard so many complaints about Windows lately, maybe it is a good thing that I do have a Mac.

I have had no problems with my Macs. Yes, eventually they slow down, but I think (at least for me), they function much better than a PC....at least mine seem to last longer. Why are you sorry you got one?

Some of the software I would like to run only runs on PCs.

When I upgraded from windows 7 to windows 10 it was free but I got my download that turned out to be a spam-ers website posing as Microsoft and I got a lot of spam that was loaded into the core software. My windows 7 operates better than any Mac that I have ever used at a fraction of the cost with so much more available software for every day tasks.

Laura, that is one, very large, lovely, ponderosa lemon plant! Great deal!

How many citrus varieties do you have currently? ?

I almost ordered a ponderosa lemon from Harris, but, had my heart set on a few other varieties for now. Maybe someday.. :)

Laura

I am so impressed by your citrus collection. All I have is a Meiwa, 2 fukushus, 2 lemonades, 2 cuban shaddocks, and a partridge in a pear tree. Very impressive collection.

Steve, why did you choose only these 3 varieties? I have heard about how wonderful the lemonade. What about the other two?

Nice list Laura, I am impressed by your choice of varieties! Are you forgetting one? Don't you have a Santa Teresa Lemon also? Lol.. That is one that I am waiting for Four Winds to bring back in stock. I called them last week and they said they are hoping to have that and other varieties back in stock this fall. I hope so.. I am also interested in the Chinotto Sour Orange and the Bergamot. Yuzu is another one I am looking to aquire. I believe Stan McKenzie has that one listed if I remember correctly.

I have at least nine citrus that are on your list. :)

You should get the Meiwa, I heard that is a great one.

PS: The Baboon Lemon is one I just received today from Harris. The leaves smell really good. :)

Thanks Steve and Jinny! Jinny, yes, I forgot the Santa Teresa!! Good catch. I am not sure how much I would use the yuzu. Stan also said he has the Chinotto, but that he would have to graft it so it would not be ready till next year. I know...I've been eyeing that meiwa. Harris has it. I just have been trying to exercise some restraint....;-)

If anyone is interested in containers , you might want to check your local W.Mart for their Better Home & Garden brand. On clearance.. Five dollars each for 20 and 22 inch pots. Some varities include a saucer. Great deal for potting up those plants. :)

Hope you don't mind me posting this Laura.

Those are great Jinny! What material are they made of, and how heavy are they? I like to use plastic and use the 5-1-1 because it makes them so much easier to move. At this point, I'm good with pots, but you never know...;-)

Laura, the brown ones on top are fade resistant, lightweight, 100% resin. The bottom one with the saucer is molded midweight plastic. Both weather resistant. They have a few other/styles available also. They are normally priced around 30 dollars each.

I don't have a WMart near me, but may drive over to it if I have time. I wonder if SAMs club may have them also....?

Sams club only caries what brings in cash. Try a Cosco if you can. My Cosco is 40 MILES from me so I have no use for it

Kudos on the fabulous citrus collection Laura. Your children look like they enjoy your citrus hobby as much as you do! This list looks like a full time job to me!

Thanks Steve and Suzu! Really, they are not much trouble and they bring me peace and quiet during times of need ;-). And yes, my girls especially like the citrus....they name them all and give them personalities...it's fun. Then we can have fun looking up recipes to use them up!

So Laura, of all your varieties, which requires the most care and attention and which seem to flourish without a lot of fuss? I can't imagine bringing all of these plants in for the winter - without an atrium or green house! Sounds like a labor of love but also back-breaking work!

"Back-breaking work"

Thats what children are for.

Suzanne...I know others here have trouble with Meyer lemons, but mine is great. Even before I really knew what I was doing, that tree did relatively well. I have a guava tree (that is not citrus I know), but that one is also very prolific. So far, my calamondin and key lime (the bushy, thorny variety) seem to be the fastest to grow and bear fruit (besides the Meyer lemon, but he is about six years old). Yes, Steve...lol...that is what my teenage son helps with!! He broke his collarbone recently, but it should be well healed by the late fall....;-)

Also, the Rangpur lime has really taken off, but I don't know about its productivity yet.

That is a quite collection Laura. But one thing caught my attention:

Rangpur lime (thanks Vladimir!)

So Vladimir where did you get that? I am originally from Calcutta, India and the most famous lemon there is called "Gandhoraj" which translates to "King of Fragrance". Apparently, those also originate from the Rangpur area in Bangladesh. But that is where the similarity ends. Rangpur lime seems quite different. Do you have a picture of the plant and the fruits? Gandhoraj has the shape of a regular lemon but twice as large, very thick rind, always picked green and very little juice. But the fragrance is awesome.

Unfortunately, I do not have fruit yet, as the tree is still young. However, based on your description, it does not sound like the fruit you are describing. I mentioned it because it really is growing quite nicely. Let me take a pic now....

There are three pots in the bottom...it is the middle tree, next to the little calamondin. It is quite a lovely plant. In my yard, my trees grow larger leaves than they came with because they do not get quite as much light. However, this does not appear to affect their growth or productivity.

Ponderosa is a nice citrus. You realize it is a hybrid. It's a lemon x Citrus medica. Citrus medica is also known as the "citron".

The citron is used in the Jewish celebration of Sukkot (in the Autumn); also, curiously among Buddhists, a variety of citron known as "Buddha's fingers" also plays a special religious role in their religion. Citrons are not considered to have a culinary role, but they are extremely aromatic..., the fruit is almost perfumed. While I did not at the time experiment cooking with the Ponderosa lemon I had, years ago, on an evening that we had a power failure, and all I had in the house was chicken and a few citrons, I decided to use the citrons in place of lemons to make my roasted lemon chicken. Let me tell you, it was the best "lemon" chicken I ever had..., so, I surmise that the Ponderosa had excellent culinary potential! Good luck with it!

P.S., Thanks Laura, I just ordered one, just what I need, another plant, another, citrus.., just when I thought this arc was ready to cast off already! I guess there are worse habits and addictions. LOL!

Interesting!! I hear you about not needing another..,my mom was telling me I'm addicted, but then said, "well, you don't drink or smoke"...heck I don't even drink coffee!!

You are plants look great. I am no expert and by their looks I cannot tell the difference between different citrus/lime plants except a few. The leaves of your plant does look very similar to the one I am talking about. Here is a photo I got of the net of how the "gandhoraj" looks like.

I looked online. Most of the pics I saw of the rangpur lime were of an orange fruit, but some were green. It did look like the green ones had an orange inside. I don't know...I do know it is supposed to be great for seasoning meat and many other culinary pursuits. :-)

tropicofcancer - I was surprised to see mention of Gondhoraj lime , I am also originally from Calcutta, India and over the past couple of years searched a lot for it , that and Kagzi (Assam Lemon) . Indeed some online articles mention Gondhoraj is Rangpur Lime but its a very different cultivar even it were the same variety .

Since I cant bring plants I got seed for both and have small plants from it , hoping it would set fruit in a few years . how many years did it take for your plant to start fruiting

SubTropix - Citrons are one of my most utilized citrus , I make marmalade with the peel n pith or candied peel or steep in liquor . I am looking to add a Etrog to my list

devsense: I had several from seeds at one time but for some reason they died after growing nicely for several years. Last yr (after 5 years) I got one lime and subsequently the plant died. I am left with one grown from seed and it looks healthy so far.

This year I got Kagzi seeds and many of them sprouted. Got to wait and see. Just was talking to my father and he was telling me of his "misfortune" of having Kagzi in our house in Calcutta that has already produced more than 500 limes this season.

What a "misfortune". Lol!

Devsence, if you are growing Citron, that IS 'Etrog' (unless you are growing the variety, Buddha's fingers, which as far as I know is the SAME species (Citrus medica, and has the same characteristics and growth requirements), but would not be called 'Etrog', because the name 'Etrog' is reserved for the Citrus medica in which the carpels are united (not divided as they are in Buddha's fingers). While I have seen a variety of Citrus sold at nurseries, I have never seen Etrog, but I have seen Buddha's Fingers, but rarely (Chinatown would be a good place to look for that one.)

Regarding growth from seeds, most of my Citrus were bought as small trees with the exception of two..., my pomelo and my bitter/sour/Seville oranges. I don't know why, but the latter have been among the very easiest I have grown from seed. I must have 8 of those.

subtropix - I have 2 cultivars of Buddhas Hand plus a Italian Cedro . As for Etrog , many US retailers sell it ( incl FourWind ) , its from UC Riversides Clone bank I think they identify it as Ordang variety from Israel . I also want Moroccan, Diamante , Corsican or Balady but didnt find any retailers that sell .

Dev

Dev, what do you use the Cedro and Bhudas hand for? Isn't the ponderosa somewhat like a Cedro? Subtropix, I have a Seville orange from FW. You grew it from seed? Cool! Has it bloomed yet? I am Cuban, and we use sour oranges to marinade pork.

Laura, the misfortune comes from when his friends look at him suspiciously thinking here he comes with another bag of limes - lol. We have two other shrub/trees back home - one of Gandhoraj and I mentioned earlier and the other is that large fruit - Pomelo I think (we call it Batabi lebu - dev will know). Both are prolific producers. Marinading pork with sour oranges sounds delicious. Just got some ribs today but no sour oranges in hand though.

I totally understand the addiction to growing citrus/lime. Every part of these plants are interesting. Just do not have enough space here or time for that matter.

Laura, do you mind if I ask if your Rangpur has fragrant leaves? I've read that you can use the leaves in cooking very similar to the way that kaffir lime leaves are used. If I can get this not-killing-citrus thing down, it would be fun to grow one!

Laura - the Cedro which to me looks very similar to Ponderosa , I use the Peel n Pith to make marmalade( with orange juice) or candied peel . The juice I use it for lemonade , Ch or Fish marinade , in Caribbean hotsauce that I make . The Buddhas hand primarily for candied peel . I tried seeping in Vodka but we dont get strong enuf ones here to extract the flavour .

Dev

Dev, Hobby found some vodka that is very strong that she used for making extract with Meyer rind. I forget which though. I agree with the Cedro and ponderosa..,they look very similar. PacNorWreck...I just checked the Rangpur lime...yes...very fragrant! The other one that I have that is incredibly fragrant is the baboon lemon. I broke off a leaf by mistake and the scent was wonderful. Tropic....LOL...you made me laugh with your dad and his problems...another bag of limes!! When I lived in S. FLorida people did that to us with bags of mangos and avocados....I miss that!