Common Citrus for Regions of San Diego County                                                   2009/04/27

Dwarf citrus are created by grafting a citrus variety on to a dwarfing rootstock, typically Poncirus trifoliate, aka Flying Dragon.   A “dwarfed” citrus will usually grow 6’ to 8’ high and wide.  Mandarins (tangerines) grown in a pot do not need dwarf root stock.

If planting in pot use Citrus soil mix, or 1/3 washed sharp sand + 1/3 .25” pumice + 1/3 ground coir / dry hardwood. Use at least a 25 gallon pot.

Water plants in ground at most once / week.  new tree: 10 gal / wk;  5-6’ tree: 25 gal / wk.  Yellowing leaves = too much H₂0.

Water plants in pot when top is drying and bottom (check holes) is no longer moist.  You’ll figure out a schedule after a while.

Remove fruit from newly planted trees for 1^st  1-3 years – esp. from middle and top.  Each fruit @ energy to grow 1 4-ft branch.

Feed your trees with a low phosphorus, high nitrogen and high potash fertilizer.  Put the food where the water will hit it.

CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING AND APPLY MONTHLY: FEBRUARY THROUGH NOVEMBER

(you may also double or triple the dose and apply every two or three months instead)

Use one-fourth dose for trees in pots, one-half dose in 1st year for newly planted trees, and 1.5 dose for mature oversize trees

· 0.75 cup (1/3 pound) Grow More water-soluble formula 28-8-18

· 1 cup Gro-Power Citrus & Avocado Food (8-6-8)

· 1.5 cups Vigoro Rose Food (12-6-10)

· 2 cups Vigoro Palm & Ixora Food (8-4-8)

· 3.5 cups Alaska Deodorized Fish Emulsion (5-1-1) plus 4.5 cups Ground Rock Potash (0-0-5.2)

· 15 cups (about 1 gallon) Alfalfa Meal (2-0-3)

· 2.6 gallons composted Horse Manure (0.7-0.3-0.6)

Protect your trees from the Citrus Leaf Miner.  Spray trunk, branches, foliage, and ground with either

· Green Light Fruit Tree Spray every 3 weeks.  It is an all-in-one solution containing insecticide, miticide, and fungicide.

· Spinosaid (a bacteria) once per month or when new leaves appear, and an insecticide once per month (on a different week) to kill the adults; such as a Pyrethrin or Bayer PowerForce (contains Cyfluthrin and Napthalene).

For nasty infestations of whiteflies and/or mold: spray alternately every 2 weeks with Malathion and Garden Fungicide.

CITRUS TYPE	CULTIVARS
BITTER ORANGE.  A citron hybrid from antiquity.	Seville – used for marmalade. Performs well in Southern California.
BLOOD ORANGE.  An orange hybrid from the Mediterranean.  Tastes like unripe blackberry.  Ripens in spring.	Moro – #1 commercial blood orange.  Excellent choice for all citrus climates.
	Sanguinelli – best tasting blood orange.  Needs warm, inland climate.
	Tarocco – largest blood orange.  Needs warm, inland climate.
CALAMONDIN.  Round or Hong Kong kumquat x Mandarin.  Fruit is acidic, juicy, not sweet.  Compare with MANDARINQUAT.	Typically sold as ornamental and without named cultivar.  A variegated leaf form has been developed.
CITRON.  Citrus medica.  Fruit is oblong, very acidic, not particularly juicy.	Etrog – peel is candied and used in deserts, cookies, etc., particularly for Jewish Festival of Tabernacles.
GRAPEFRUIT.  A pummelo hybrid from antiquity.  A mature standard Grapefruit tree is 25’ high, dwarfs grow to 15’.	Star Ruby – uniform red flesh, the reddest of red grapefruit, classic grapefruit flavor.  Susceptible to cold and can be difficult to mature.
	Rio Red – flesh is dark red to light red from rind to center, classic grapefruit flavor.  Vigorous tree.
	Oroblanco – (grapefruit x pummelo) seedless, white-fleshed, mild and sweet.
	Cocktail – not a grapefruit (pummelo x mandarin), very sweet, seedy, great for juice.
KAFFIR LIME, aka KEIFFER or KUFFRE LIME. An asian citrus hybrid from antiquity.	Typically sold without named cultivar.  The pungent leaves are commonly used in Thai and Indonesian cooking.  Fruit is said to be natural insect repellent.
KUMQUAT.  From the genus Fortunella, a close relative of Citrus.  The fruits are eaten whole and the rind is sweeter than the fruit.	Nordmann, aka Normann Seedless Nagami.  Cultivar of Fortunella japonica.  Preferred variety for southern California.
	Meiwa kumquat.  Fortunella crassifolia.  Performs well in coastal southern California.
	Hong Kong kumquat.  Fortunella hindsii. Used in breeding programs.
	Oval kumquat.  Fortunella margarita.  Used in breeding programs.
LEMON  A citron hybrid from antiquity.  A mature standard tree is 25’ high, dwarfs can grow to 15’.	Eureka – few seeds, great “lemon” taste, produces fruit year-round.  Hardy with respect to pests and diseases.
	Lisbon – a seedless Eureka, albeit with thorns.
	Pink Lemonade – beautiful variegated tree w/ excellent fruit.
	Meyer – lemon x orange.  Good for lemonade, but not baking, etc.  Produces fruit year-round.  Hardy with respect to pests and diseases.
LIME.  A hybrid from antiquity.  Note that lime thorn wounds heal slowly.	Mexican aka West Indian, Key, Kaghzi – small fruits ripen in late summer.  Thornless varieties available.
	Bearss, aka Persian, Tahitian – thornless, produces somewhat larger fruit year-round.  Subject to wood-pocket disease in some areas.
LIMEQUAT.  Lime x Kumquat	Tavares –flowers and bears fruit all year, great lime taste.
MANDARIN aka TANGERINE.  Citrus reticulate.	Gold Nugget – seedless, matures in March, the best tasting mandarin.
	Seedless Kishu aka Mukakukishu – matures in October, small (1-2 inch) fruited, excellent taste.
	Pixie – seedless, matures late winter.  Vigorous upright grower.  Flavor is mild and sweet.
	USDA 88-2 – seedless, very juicy, matures in March.  Rich and sweet.
MANDARINQUAT.  Mandarin x Oval kumquat.	Indio Mandarinquat. Kumquat-like fruit w/ sweeter flesh and few seeds.
NAVEL ORANGE.  A citrus hybrid from antiquity, with Citron and Mandarin parentage.  Seedless, ripens in winter or early spring.	Cara Cara – wonderful tasting (pink!) fruit, performs well in southern California.
	Robertson – grows large fruit in clusters, performs well in coastal or inland environments.
	Lane Late – genetically, a Washington that ripens a bit later.  Good for coast, also inland.
	Washington – the classic great tasting navel in warm, inland environments.
PUMMELO.  Citrus maxima.  A mature standard Pummelo tree is 25’ high, dwarfs grow to 15’.  Fruit is size of soccer or basket-ball.	Chandler – good taste, good performer in coastal communities, very prolific inland.
	Ryan King – great taste, performs well in southern California except along coast.
SUGAR ORANGES aka ACIDLESS ORANGES.  Orange hybrids from antiquity.  A dessert fruit.	Lima – accounts for 10% of the citrus grown in Brazil.  Very popular with children.
	Succari, aka Sukkari – important crop in Egypt and the Arabic world.
	Sucreña, aka Imperial Grano de Oro, Real, Canamiel – very popular in Spain, North Africa, and across the middle East to India.
	Vainiglia, aka Maltese, Dolce – very popular in Italy and the Arabic world.  Vainiglia Sanguigno is a pink-fleshed variety.
TANGELO.  A Grapefruit x Mandarin hybrid from antiquity.  Blossoms are self-incompatible.  Often alternate bearing.  Fruit is seedy.	Minneola, aka Honeybell – sweet, juicy, easy to peel.  Cannot be pollinated by, Orlando, or Seminole.
	Orlando – sweet, juicy, but hard to peel.  Pollinate with Mandarin.
	Page – a Tangelo x Mandarin hybrid.  Often sold as Mandarin.
TANGOR.  A Mandarin x Orange hybrid from antiquity.  Seedy when cross-pollinated by other citrus, otherwise few seeds.  Ripens late summer.	Ellendale – easy to peel, sweet, juicy fruit.  Heavy crops will break limbs if left unpruned.  The rind is slow to color.  Origin: Ellendale Farm, Australia.
	King – requires very hot climate for fruit to mature.
	Ortanique – easy to peel, sweet, juicy fruit.  Origin: Jamaica.
	Temple, aka Royal Mandarin – sensitive to cool weather, requires very hot climate for fruit to mature.  Origin: Jamaica.
VALENCIA ORANGE.  A citrus hybrid from antiquity, with Citron and Mandarin parentage.  Ripens in summer.	Midknight – seedless, great tasting fruit, performs well in southern California, esp. coastal.
	Delta – great tasting fruit, performs well in southern California.