I have just begun selling tropical fruit trees via mail order. Mangos, Citrus, Papaya etc. I grow my trees in the ground because I live in Florida, however many of my customers would like information on the best tropical and varieties to grow in containers up north where they can bring out in summer and keep under lights in the winter. I would like to pull together a selection of trees that grow best and get as much “realistic” growing info as possible. I’ve read articles online that were no help and very generic.
Any help or pictures I can share would be appreciated. I’m pretty good with citrus- key lime, meyer lemon, etc. but need help on mangos, avocados, star fruit, fig, or any tropical fruit trees you’d like to suggest that you have grown in containers with success.
Also any advice on shipping. I’ve only lost a few trees so far. They arrived dried up like they were dehydrated. I wrapped the bare root ball in wet paper and then plastic. I ship everything priority mail.
We began selling fruit trees as a way to raise money for out farm animal rescue. We’d like to do both of these things- sell/grow trees and care for rescued animal’s full time. Right now we can’t afford to do that. This fall we are opening a farmers market to sell produce and trees. We have 18 acres in South Florida and we’d like to take more animals. We get calls weekly but we don’t have the staff or money to do this. We are interested in networking with others for ideas and support.
Thanks,
Tamara
Tam’s Trees
Growing Tropcial Fruit Indoors- Containers
Tam.........Hope you get tons of response. I live in a very hot but dry & windy area so also looking for info on container grown citrus. I do a lot of Mexican cooking (and drinking) and would love to have limes fresh from the tree. Can't drink Tequila without fresh lime, Fresh cukes without fresh lime, yuk. Need the limes. Don't know which trees to look at buying. How big a container, etc. Please ALL, give up the secrets of container grown citrus for Tam, I'm sure we'll all learn something. PS..need fresh lime and Tequila for any self respecting barbie sauce.
Faronell I agree with you on that! I have a nice collection of limes and lemons. Actually I like combining citrus with limes in cooking.
Growing citrus in containers is actually pretty easy, especially where you are as long as you water them.
I got in my yard right now- 50 3 foot, flowering key Limes trees. I also got a bunch of lemons, all kinds, ready to sell. The Key Limes i'm selling at Ebay for 24.95 each and these are the last trees of the season. I just can't keep enough key lime trees and lemons. Everyone is sold out. Email me if you want some.
Now cough up those recipes for the sauce and drinks. Now you've got me hungry and thirsty!
Tamara
Tam...Do you need more than 1 key lime for pollination. Are those the same limes I would buy in the market. How hefty is shipping on the darlings. I can spruce up any cheapie bottled barbie sauce with fresh squeezed lime and 1/2 cup tequila. My Akitas will stand up and give hugs for "Mom's" barbied chicken...Marinate chicken (with skin) in bottled teriaki sauce with fresh garlic (lots of garlic), fresh ginger or bottled ginger paste, and black pepper & kosher salt. Let set in fridge for at least 6 to 8 hrs. Then put them on the barbie, turn often and last 10 -to- 15 minutes, baste liberally with the tequila enhanced sauce. In the meantime make margaritas with a GOOD tequila and maybe toss a salad. If you have some fresh peppers hot or sweet, throw them on the barbie (brush with olive oil and crushed herbs) with the Chicken, Enjoy and don't even think about problems during this meal. They'll be there the next day for sure. Try to have your barbie near your garden so you can enjoy your flowers, herbs, veggies etc while you are cooking. Now back to the trees! I would be interested in the limes. I have a couple of half whiskey barrels, would those work to put them in. Please - someone else must know than I. Are these trees sturdy in the wind???? Big issue here.
Here’s the deal- you can’t take citrus seeds and just grow a tree that is proven to produce. ALWAYS buy a tree that has been grafted and certified from an inspected grower. Well producing, quality citrus begins with a disease and weather tolerant root stock. Then the variety, be it lime, lemon or other, is carefully grafted into this root stock. I can’t even begin to tell you how important this is and how many people get ripped off buying small citrus trees that fruit very little or not at all. Plants are grafted to be self pollinating. In fact I don’t sell any fruit trees that are not.
Yes, they are the same thing you buy- not Mexican, not anything but REAL FLORIDA KEY LIMES!!!
I ship priority mail. It’s not too bad. Usually under 15.00. This size tree I’m selling for 24.95 at Ebay right now.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4302180292&ssPageName=ADME:B:LC:US:1
I had smaller trees I sold out at 19.95 and not nearly as nice as these.
Whooooo hooooo almost happy hour and you’ve got me in the mood for some tequila and some of those Key limes.
If you really wanna see something check out the Ponderosa Lemons we have. They get as big as grapefruits and a great flavor too. I use these for cooking and drinks all the time.
Tam, what is your ebay id....How big or how old do the lime trees have to be to bear fruit?????
my ebay id is tamaraburton
trees will strat bearing fruit very younf however i think thye should be at least a year or two old to realy start producing. They will sooner. These are now.
Let me know if you need anything. The best combo is the key lime and Seminole Swamp Seasoning, which I sell... then add your spirits for that sauce.
You'll be happy with these trees. Trust me.
Tamara
the typos. Told you not to get me started on happy hour! Sorry about that!
Tam
Hey, Tam. Welcome to DG and I'm wishing you success with your endeavor. I had a "patio key lime" that I bought from Lowe's. Gave it away after 1 year because I really didn't have enough light inside for it over winter. (It survived but didn't bear fruit inside.)
I have family in La Belle.
Hey Daris!
I'm not sure what a patio key lime is. Maybe grafted to stay small? I dunno but chosing citrus isn't as simple as planting seeds or buying a plant. All fruits need light. If it's inside artifical light it needs longer time- maybe 10-14 hours. Lighting a small area for plants and trees isn't that difficult. There's lots of info online. Another problem is making sure you have some humidity. If you have dry heat in the winter this will certainly suck the moisture out of your plants.
Family in la Belle? Cool! I love it out here. I couldn't wait to leave Fort lauderdale and move to the country.
Tamara
HEY Tam, looked at your trees on ebay...I have 2 half whiskey barrels that I will try to get placed and ready before I order but I will be wanting 2 limes.....I also use lemons a lot in cooking and drinks but don't want the super dooper sizes. Just regular size good old lemons. Think I will start with the limes and see how they do. When I get them I will start taking pics to show progress for others who might want to try them and who also don't live in the garden of Eden where you are. Love your animal rescue farm. Kudos for you...
Hey Faronell
The barrel should be ok but if you live anywhere it gets cold you're going to have to bring them in when it freezes. I have read tho that NV does get pretty cold in some places.
I use a ton of lemons and limes in everything. I have some small Eureka lemons I could sell you pretty cheap. I bought a ton but everyone wanted meyer. Eureka has more flavor, I think for cooking and drinks. It's like the lemons in the store. Do research for your area & if you document care and growth I'll send you more citrus super cheap.
I'm looking for budwood of Finger Lime. They are suppose to be difficult to graft but they are really interesting.
Check it out: http://www.fingerlimes.com
Very interesting and the flavor is suppose to be as interesting. These would great for gourmet recipes and martini's.
Just email me if you want me to send the Eurekas. I'll send them for 10.00 each plus shipping. They are short but once you put them in a container they should grow fast. Nice big leaves too.
It's imporant that you're there when they arrive and that you don't let them sit in the hot sun on a porch or truck. I tell people that when they know it's coming to leave a note for the carrier with special instructions if you can't be there.
Tamara
info@tamstrees.com
PS: my web site needs work and updating so don't order there. I'm working on that this next week.
Today I'm going to go check out some rare tropicals in the middle of nowhere!
Hey TAM....Just ordered 2 limes on ebay. Will be using paypal when I get the total. Want to let all know that as soon as I receive the trees I will start taking pics same day so all can be part of success or failure of them to grow here. I am hoping you will hold them til I have the barrels in place and ready to plant them in. Please anyone...if you have suggestions on dirt mixture for planting them, please advise. I had planned to use miracle grow potting soil and bagged manure with just a little of my custom garden dirt mix from the regular garden area.... I also have no experience with citrus as far as their fertilizer needs......
Hey Faronell I wanted to touch base with you and see how those key limes are doing.
I sent out an email with requst for care instructions. Did you get one?
Just email me info@tamstrees.com if you didn't get one.
I wasn't on the computer mail for days so was totally unaware they were on their way. They're soaking in the sink at my office, will take them home and put in 5 gallon pots til acclimatized and then proceed to find a permanent spot. I think they will be OK, they lost some leaves but stems still have some pliability. Crossing fingers and toes. Weather here is now triple digits but will keep them shaded. I had gone to the post office last on Thursday morning so apparently they came in later that day and sat there til Tuesday morning. If they make it they are certainly tough enough for my garden!
Yes, we talked on the phone. I'm sorry about the mix up. We ship priority and sent out shipping notices. We always ship on Tuesday to avoid that. The long weekend excited everyone I guess.
They should be ok. All trees/plants go into some type of shock and no matter what they say; they need sometimes months to get established in their new space. People who grow outdoors in the summer and bring in winter need to go slow, putting it in light but shade for a week or two before sun, then reserving that process when bringing it in. Don’t fertilize when it’s in this state of shock. Once it starts up it’s new little leaves give it a light fertilizer.
Once they get established…
Have you ever tried growing herbs and flowers with citrus? The Key Lime I sent you have tall trunks because we graft them that way. Plant some rosemary and then some short flowering stuff. Looks great.
Let me know how you fare and thank you so much for your support.
Tamara
Tam's Trees
hello tam, to talk about your original question, i have a calamondin orange. it grows really well outside and inside.
darius' referral to a patio citrus is, i think, a lowes thing. just a title they put on their tags, the trees are the same, though all i have seen are rooted branches.
question: all research i have done leads me to believe that grafting is far superior to any other propagation method. is this true? why? i understand that citrus are ployembrionic, so they will not reproduce true from seeds. i dont quite understand this, can someone explain?
Hey, pakinjak! Welcome to DG... and WHY weren't you a member when I still lived in Asheville, LOL!
Interesting thread, folks. Perhaps some of your questions could find answers if posted in the 'Fruit and Nuts' forum. Just an idea... :)
Hello everyone.
Tam, good luck on your venture, wish I were living in the states, I woul order some trees from you. But I do have a question you might help me with.
I live in a region that grows citrus, all over is citrus groves, it is really spectacular, but they dont grow any limes. Before I moved here I had ordered 3 citrus plants, a key lime, a meyer lemon and a dwarf orange. both the key lime and meyer lemon have taken off and in fact I have three little lemons on my meyer lemon, lost quite a few too though. I brought these over in my suitcase and prayed daily that they would survive, I am quite pleased with the lime and lemon, but the orange has not grown a tenth of an inch, it is still gree, when i got it it may have had about 6=8 leaves, then it went into shock and lost all but three, then they fell out, now I just have a little stem, with 3 pokeys but no leaves, but it is still green and i still water it...what's with that? And when can I expect some limes? I bought these from a mail order last year around this time, and they were just about 6 inches tall.
another question i have, i know that my meyer lemon has an iron deficienty, and I need something, but i cant find anything here, really = it is a third world country... I thought about opening an iron capsule and putting that in the soil, do you think it will work?
also, we have a fuit here I dont know what it is called in english, it is called BERGAMUT here, does this sound like anything you know? it is a big fruit which is not edible, much like the seville orange, it is only used in jam making or composte like. it is very very frangrant but you wouldnt know from looking at it, it is the ugliest thing you could see. I am thinking of buying a tree of that so that I can make the jam.
I helped a friend here landscape her garden, and we planted tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, but they have gone into a terrible shock and are loosing all the leaves, and have curled leaves and yellowing going on.
I will try to check in soon, but it is difficult here in this third world country....
Also, do you know anything about avocados? can you grow them from the seed to produce fruit? the climate here I think is very suitable.
Pebble, you have mail.
Dear pebble,
Sorry about the citrus. I’m not sure about the climate in Turkey. I live in Florida. We grow lots of citrus here. Citrus does not like extreme changes in temperature so if it gets really cold then warm it will loose leaves. It also doesn’t like wet soggy feet. I have some citrus in containers a long time; therefore I use a special citrus soil blend. Fertilizer is also very important.
This past winter I lost most of my leaves on the young citrus I have planted in my yard. Once the temperature stabilized it was fine. Citrus loves natural light; also even though limes/citrus can flower like crazy, I think it’s always best to let natures living pollinators to help the fruit along. To be honest with you, and with all the citrus I’m exposed to, I don’t know any plant to really be self pollinating. I’m not saying it’s not true, just that I’ve never witnessed it and if I was growing fruits under grow lights I’d definitely hand pollinate.
Avocados…. Hmmmm I love them but have a hard time growing them where I live or at last at this time. I’m going to build up an area. Avocados are like citrus, no wet boggy feet. I know some people who have luck growing them in containers and they bear enough fruit for them. Way south in Florida, Homestead they grow them well. As you get more north it’s a challenge and I’m only 2 hours from Miami. I am told Simmonds is the best for containers. I sell them on Ebay and ship mail order all the time. The biggest problem is that people put these trees in potting soil from Home Depot that holds moisture and that kills them, especially in shock. If you don’t have access to a good mix, do some research and try to make some.
The other problem I see if that people plant it and directly place it in the sun. This is loving the poor thing to death. Repot then let it sit outside in a shady spot for a week or two. Let it slowly adjust to temperatures. We ship a lot of bananas which can grow in part shade or full sun but you can’t take a plant that has been in part shade and then expose it to full sun right away.
Good luck!
pakinjak>>> question: all research i have done leads me to believe that grafting is far superior to any other propagation method. is this true? why? i understand that citrus are ployembrionic, so they will not reproduce true from seeds. i dont quite understand this, can someone explain?>>>
Sorry I missed this. I’m having PC problems and I’m forced to do….. growl… DIAL_UP!
I never imagined myself getting into citrus the way I have. I have since become certified and have steadily worked with local area extensions and agricultural people in this field. I read a lot of [deleted] on the web so I went to the experts. I don’t have all the answers but I’m learning quickly.
Rootstock and Budwood is very important with citrus. Some citrus can grow well from seed, like key lime and meyer lemon, however some say that it takes longer to fruit. Each grower swears by different root stock. I really think it depends more on where the trees are being grown and what diseases it may be susceptible to.
Varieties like Blood Orange, Valencia, Satsuma Tangerine, etc. IMO are best grafted from certified proven root stock. I would not buy or sell trees that were not certified and inspected from growers that specialized in citrus. I learned this lesson the hard way.
Tamara
www.tamstrees.com
thanks for your help
darıus ı have not receıved maıl from youç dıd ı loose ıt:
Pebble, I sent email via DG. Is your email address in the system correct?
I just got ıt Darıus. Thank you!! very ınterestıng about the bergamot