Thanks for the comment, Steve. Now I am apprehensive that, although my site has full sun, Auckland just doesn't have as many sunshine hours as Sicily (where Moro is believed to have originated). Sunshine hours, Siracusa, Sicily Sunshine hours, Auckland, New Zealand Does anyone have success / any experience to share on growing Moro in not-super-sunny cities?

Thanks Tom. I have too many trees to keep the grass back on all of them by hand and I don't want to use a herbicide so....I just pitch in when I can and let them duke it out until they ultimately shade out the grass. My trees grow slower but I also have more time to play with a wood lathe, remodel my house, play mandolin, keep my car running, and go fishing! I have a neighbor who had a commercial Satsuma orchard that she bulldozed several years ago after a hard freeze. My Satsuma trees survived with practically no damage....maybe it was luck, soil, or exposure differences....or maybe smaller growth rings and a more organic approach leads to a more hardy tree. It's a good point though Tom.....I just don't make the time and I find ways to rationalize it!

Update: on my way out to a wedding Saturday, I was able to stop at Pokey's out in Zellwood to ask in person if they ever sell cuttings. A very, very nice employee told me that, while they don't sell them, he'd be happy to grab me a couple to take home at no charge if I told him what I was looking for. A couple minutes later, I was on my way with three cute little four-inch Moro cuttings to try and root. After a dip in the hormone, they're sitting out on the heating mat on my (very small) patio in one-gallon black nursery pots. If anyone's willing to send some good energy my way that they actually root, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks, Evan! It probably is the difference in climate, since it is definitely colder up here in the foothills. I leave my Moro outside as long as possible so that it gets as much time in the 30F's as I feel it can tolerate. This season, it actually got a light snow. Also, I've held off harvesting them for as long as possible. Josh