Ben, I don't want to pretend to know anything about root stocks. I am just guessing that W&N knows what they are doing. I went to my Costco after you said your Costco had them but before any discussion about root stocks. My Costco is 1 mile from me and the trees are $20. I needed some stuff anyway. Small risk vs reward if it works out. Compared to 130 miles to WAN in Poway, its about free. I just won't plant them until I get more information. I bought two other varieties from the same Costco a couple weeks ago but they must have received another batch. I'm probably not planting anything in the grove until fall as I need to do it all at once and use a backhoe. I have 32 in permanent pots and about 27 in nursery containers. 7 mature trees in the grove. I've planted 5 in espaliers along the wall in between my house and the neighbor in a 10' side yard. Most of the ones in permanent pots may stay in them or get given to friends as the others get bigger and make enough fruit.

Thanks for all the comments guys. Great info and feedback all around. Regarding Gold Nugget, I have one that has been in ground for about 6 years from a 5 gallon nursery tree, trifoliate rootstock. It is only 6ft tall with 6ft width. Just another data point. Mine is from Durling nursery. Where did you get yours kentc? Questions for all you Bay Area growers: Do you have any problems with freezing? What varieties do you recommend for your climate, especially for container growing?

I checked my pics. It's been curly for a long time. So was the LxN before the die back and the kishu and the new pixie in the shade. Only the meiwa, GN, and other pixie do not have curly leaves. Oh and owari Satsuma. The Satsuma is purdy.

Young trees abort fruit when something is lacking. Many times it's age related, related to stress of some sort, incorrect pollination or lack of fertilizer. I have just read recently that you should fertilize prior to the spring bloom which I was not aware of. So I am going to mark my calendar to fertilize in February rather than in March. There are organic fertilizers on the market. Jobes Organic Citrus and Fruit Tree is one that I have used for many years. My trees have done really well with it too. You may even consider fish emulsion as it has many nutrients that other fertilizers lack. It wouldn't hurt to try it because both products I mentioned are organic. If your tree is getting enough sun, mature enough, receiving correct amounts of water and has good drainage, then there is no problem with your tree. Citrus trees usually need some sort of fertilizer, not just nitrogen which is coming from the decomposing grass, but you don't want to do that. Keep in mind too that just because your trees in one area of your property are doing well, it doesn't mean that another part is just as good soil wise. I have areas in my yard that are sandy loam and another part of the yard is red clay which is horrible. Anyway, because you don't want to fertilize, the only option for you is to wait and see what happens.