My Edibles: Citrus Trees

Grumichama - Orange

Comments: -

Small dark red, almost black colored berry with soft, juicy pulp tasting like a cherry. Flavor is quite good, fruits are usually 1/2-3/4" wide.

Description: Medium sized tree or bush to as high as 30ft, but often much lower. Can be grown as a bush.

Hardiness: Trees are subtropical or tropical and can survive to 26F. Also seems to grow fairly well in warm tropical climates.

Growing Environment: Generally a slow grower, the grumichama likes year-round water and care should be taken to avoid periods of drought. Can be grown in sun or in shade.

Propagation: By seeds, which can take up to 4 years to begin bearing.

Uses: Eaten fresh. Also used to make desserts.

Native Range: Native to coastal areas of Southern Brazil. The grumichama is cultivated in parts of South America.

Qty: 1

Pollination: Self Pollination

White Sapote - Lemon Gold (Grafted)

Comments: -

Haven't actually tasted this one, but so many people on Daley's Forum seem to love them, I thought I'll give it a go!  Bought one 2 weeks ago and planted immediately, and is now producing flower buds from several sites.

Planted: 2012

Height 55 Centimetres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Summer

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Citrus feed

Pest Control:

Nil required yet.

Question:

Finger Lime - Collette (Grafted)

Comments: -

Fantastic tasting fruit that is reminiscent of Kaffir lime/Key lime cross - love it!  Bought tree already bearing fruit (tree about 30cm height), and a few weeks ago started flowering again  - can see tiny little Limes forming, YAY!

Finger limes indiginous to area where I live, (grow on Tamborine Mt.), so should grow well.

Planted: 2012

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 1 Months from Purchase in Pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Citrus feed, Seasol, Blood/bone

When I Fertilise: Yearly

Pest Control:

None yet

Dwarf Orange (Grafted) ^5/10

Height 18 Inches

Growing: In a Pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Lemonade Tree ^10/10

Comments: -

Absolutely magic! Beautiful juice for breakfast!

Fruiting Months July and August

Planted: 2008

Height 6 Feet

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Fruit Harvest: 10 kilograms per Year

First Fruited: 1 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Pollination: Self Pollination

When I Fertilise: Spring

Pest Control:

No probs with pests!

Lemon - Eureka (Grafted) ^7/10

Comments: -

Everyone should have a lemon tree!!!

Fruiting Months June and July

Planted: 2009

Height 6 Feet

Growing: In the Ground

Fruit Harvest: 4 kilograms per Year

First Fruited: 2 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: Self Pollination

When I Fertilise: When Fruiting and Spring

Dwarf Orange - Hamlin

Height 50 Centimetres

Growing: In the Ground

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Mandarin - Imperial (Grafted) ^3/10

Planted: 2004

Height 2.5 metres

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Question: our tree has only fruited a few times. it looks healthy but the leaves are lime/yellow. I have tried to improve with iron chelates but it didn't make much difference. should I try something else or more of the same. thanks

Lemon - Meyer (Grafted) ^8/10

Planted: 2010

Height 1.2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

First Fruited: 2 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Orange - Valencia (Grafted) ^7/10

Height 2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Mandarin - Emperor (Grafted)

Comments: -

Delicious sweet fruit that is very easy to peel. A favourite with my daughter.

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Pollination: Self Pollination

Finger Lime - Ricks Red (Grafted)

Planted: 2012

Pollination: No

Grumichama - Orange (Seedling)

Comments: -

Thought of growing orange variety to compliment the black - hope the taste is the same.

Planted: 2012

Growing: In a Pot

Pollination: No

lime - sublime (Seedling)

Comments: -

A dwarf style lime grown with the hope that it will fruit whilst adding interest to an area close to the house (where plants cannot be put in the ground due to an extended slab). Something is making it very sick, and it lost all its leaves. I added coffee (for nutrient not pH) and the sticks are now covered in healthy looking little leaves. I have sprayed to prevent futher infection, as of Oct 2010 it is bushing up nicely. Now in Jan 2011 it is a solid green bush without any sign of disease. Hopefully next year it will make some limes! By April 2011 I've got a few flowers - but I don't think I'll get any limes as I've not seen a bee for ages. (developers seem to be knocking down trees where wild bees are ... I do need to get my own!)

A decent prune in August 2011 and thinning of the fruit means that I've got about 6 fruit growing to maturity. The plant gets little attention, but seems happy enough over winter.

An attack of scale in November 2011 caused me to resort to chemical relief. Another massive prune to keep the plant compact. In Jan 2012 - now scale free I've set this sublime free into the garden

May 2012 - this little plant just won't quit. I am seriously considering moving the mandarin and adding more sublimes to make a hedge. They are tough, attractive, and minimal maintenace. The only issue is that the fruit are small and hard to peel ... but that is fine for curries, stir fries, marmalade etc.

Planted: 2010

Height 0.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Pest Control:

home made sprays (oil dish-washing liquid) to supress the major leaf minor infestation - there doesn't seem to be any leaf minor anymore but I think the infection was so bad that almost all the leaves fell off. The new leaves appear healthy.

C

Organic Status:Partially Organic

Question:

Lemon - Eureka (Grafted)

Comments: -

Everyone needs a true lemon in their garden! This little guy should be vigorous, and hopefully thorn free. I'm trying to grow it as part of a citrus hedge. It hasn't enjoyed the transplant despite the good soil.

The Eureka had to get moved in Jan 2012. It was growing faster than I ever anticipated and needed tip pruning every weekend. It has grown over 50cm in less than 6 months despite regular pruning. It has been relocated to where it can grow up taller away from the house. Its width will have to be managed as it is against a fence, but it can still spread and grow up.

May 2012 - my attempts to turn this into a hedge failed. It is growing rapidly and seems very content in its current location at the edge of the vegetable garden!

Planted: 2011

Height 1.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Cross Pollination

Lime - Tahitian

Comments: -

I'm not really sure where this came from (it traveled between rental properties as a friend's mascot), or even if it is a tahitian lime! Unfortunately it never set fruit prior to 2010 and I've not yet had a fruit reach picking stage. This could be because it has been dug up and re-planted roughly every 6 months until now. I've piled about 100 litres of sheep poo around it - I'm hoping this will leach into the soil and improve things a bit ... there are some flower buds so maybe the poo is doing the trick!

This plant suffered badly summer with only a small amount of watering - many of the branches were burnt off. I've sinced discovered that WA citrus need approximately 6 litres of water per day per square metre of canopy and the orange has responded very well to an almost 7-fold increase in water! There are now many new shoots. I've also errected a screen of cardboard boxes around the plant to provide additional shade. Ugly - but it is working.

Hopefully next summer the Jujube will provide some additional shade!

Plant was 'transplanted' in June 2011. I dug the plant up, removed the pale WA sand and replaced with a better quality soil, and re-planted the tree. It seems to have coped with the ordeal OK.

Jan 2012 - it is hard to imagine this is the same plant that struggled last summer. A bit more food and water and it is growing like a champ and covered in fruit. No cardboard this year - just sugarcane mulch.

May 2012 - already more fruit than I can eat, thankfully friends at work are happy to consume the extra limes. Water and food clearly appreciated!

Planted: 2009

Height 1.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Pest Control:

ladybugs

Organic Status:Partially Organic

Comments

actual tahitian limes are quite hardy and don't need huge soil improvement. They will establish as long as the rootball settles in. Should be flowering now at that size

Lime - Tahitian (Grafted)

Comments: -

Love all things lime ! 

Planted: 2010

Height 1.8 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Manure and Citrus feed

When I Fertilise: Yearly

Pest Control:

Manually squish some of Swallow-tail Butterfly caterpillars if they get a bit excessive (they seem to prefer this lime to the other citrus). Nil other problems. 

Organic Status:Partially Organic

Question:

Plant sets fruit, and they get to 5-10 cent coin size then drop. Any solutions, or is the tree too young? It can get a bit windy, could that be the problem?

Lemon Grass (Cutting)

Comments: -

Useful in both cooking, and herbal teas (nice with a bit of ginger).  Can use all year around.

Planted: 2010

Height 1 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Summer

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Lawn fertilizer

When I Fertilise: Yearly

Pest Control:

Nil required.

Lemon Verbena

Pollination: Cross Pollination

Orange - Joppa (Grafted)

Comments: -

Supposed to develop into a small, attractive tree.  Bought this variety as tolerates wind. (Planted on exposed side of steep hill - growing beautifully). The fruit are tasty and juicy, a little seedy - fruit tastes like the drink "Tang"!  Does need watering if it hasn't rained for a few weeks (generally winter).

Planted: 2011

Height 1.2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Fruit Harvest: 3 Fruit Per Year

First Fruited: 6 Months from Purchase in Pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Manure and citrus feed

When I Fertilise: Yearly

Pest Control:

Have used white oil spray once for scale.

Lime - Kaffir (Grafted)

Comments: - Use it in Thai style cooking - gorgeous aroma and taste!  I use mainly the leaves, but the zest of the fruit is good too.  Tough plant - I have on occassion forgotten to water plant and it will loose all leaves.  After having a drink, they all re-grow. (Not done deliberately, but keeps a cap on sooty mould and tree barely needs a prune!)

Planted: 2005

Height 1.2 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Citrus feed and coffee grinds.

Pest Control:

I must use white oil spray every couple of months and occassionally ant bait,as the little critters help overrun the poor tree with scale and the sooty mould gets out of hand. I'm thinking of finally planting poor little tree out to see if that helps.

Organic Status:Pesticides Used

Lemonade Tree (Grafted)

Comments: -

A sweet lemon sounded delicious, and on tasting, they really are! Very refreshing.  Tough little tree - I accidently knocked half its' roots off when planting; it got a bit sick but has made a full recovery.  (It didn't even drop the 3 young fruit it was carrying at the time, and they grew beautifully.)  Having second crop maturing now, 31 good size fruit.

Height 1.4 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Fruit Harvest: 31 Fruit Per Year

First Fruited: 4 Months from Purchase in Pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Manure and citrus feed

When I Fertilise: Yearly

Pest Control:

White oil used once for scale.  No fruit fly.

Mandarin - Satuma Okitsu Wase

Comments: -

A prolific fruiter, the picture shows the tree after we have been eating from it for the last 2-3 weeks.  Nice flavour and an easy peel fruit.

Height 1 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Pollination: Self Pollination

Lime - generic seedling (Seedling) ^5/10

Comments: -

Just a seedling, and will be grafting a named variety on it soon (have actually very recently grafted a small veneer of an orange tree I have onto it, will advise how it goes)

Planted: 2010

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Organic Status:Organic

Lemon - Meyer

Comments: -

Summer 2011: Seedling from my friend John. Thank you so much! :O) 

Autumn 2012: Some EVIL monster ate ALL THE LEAVES! Fuming!! I have moved him round the back to the new hospital ward (AKA glasshouse) where I hope that he can recover!

Planted: 2011

Height 20 Centimetres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

Pollination: No

Lemon Verbena

Comments: -

Summer 2012: grown from a cutting pinched from my sister's new plant. Has a pretty form. Seems very similar to oregano in the way it is growing at the moment.

Qty: 1

Finger Lime - Tasty Green

Comments: - I saw these on ABC's Landline series a few years ago and decided to buy one.  I moved recently to the coast and have now planted it in the ground and it seems to be very happy in its new backyard

Sun/Shade: Low Sun

Lemon - Eureka

Comments: - I just love lemons. 

Mandarin - Imperial

Lemon - Verna