Kumquats does anyone grow them?

I am interested in finding a variety that does well in this zone and will overwinter well for me.

Can anyone give me any suggestions for a variety and/or growing tips please?

I have two young trees to get set out as soon as I can get some space cleared and a fence rebuilt. The varieties are Meiwa and Najana, which were recommended by Thompson's where I ordered them. Looking forward to their doing well. The Botanical Gardens here have a grove of about twelve trees (don't know the variety) that are simply beautiful. One Christmas eve when I visited, the trees were loaded with both fruit and blossoms.

I love the thought of fruit in winter ~ when all else is done. I was given some of these years ago to eat. They were wonderful and I tried to sprout the seeds but was unsuccessful. I learned later that it probably wouldn't have come true and it was probably grafted. The woman that grew this one seemed to think it wouldn't survive. She had it in a sheltered courtyard.

I will check out Thompsons and particularily those varieties. Thank you, Yuska How long will you be able to keep them in pots and when is a good time of year to plant them?

That I don't know! I really want to get them in the ground....but need to get some old trees removed and the back fence replaced first. Getting the tree men and the fence guys coordinated on their schedules is my problem. One of the trees - a cercidum - is dead and has fallen. The others are hackberries hanging over the back fence and are in various stages of decay and wind damage. Some of the trees have to come out to let the fence guys in and the fence has to come out to get to some of the trees - sigh.

I have a tangerine and a Meyer lemon that have been producing reliably for ten years now; a good crop will begin ripening mid-December. Easy care - nothing seems to bother them. They came through a bad ice storm one year and the next winter we had 3 nights in a row at 18 degrees that they endured without viisible damage. The fig trees had branch ends killed but still produced next season.

Thompson's is in Weslaco. As you know we can't get shipments from out of state. This firm has excellent stock and their prices are lower than most. Prompt shipment, too.

I will wrap the young trees ahead of impending frosts the first year or two - after that they are on their own. Yuska

Thanks for the info. I would think to be careful with the roots receiving frost damage too while they are still in pots.

Good luck on scheduling the workmen. Never does seem to work out!

Here's an excellent TAMU article for citrus growing in Texas locations other than the Valley -

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homefruit/citrus/citrus.html

Thanks for that link ~ I will tour it. Appreciate you!

The Dallas Zoo has several they are stunning... I keep looking for a fruit to bring home to grow - no luck yet but we try.

The fruits are small, but the rind is sweet so the entire bite size piece can be eaten, spitting out seeds. They are delicious candied.

We ate those that we were given whole. They were indeed wonderful. I began doing some recipe research at that time and found a recipe for Kumquat marmalade that I would love to try.

Incidentally, Mitch visit the zoo in December to February. I believe that was the time frame those ripen.

Oh I know when they get ripe - the issue is beating all the birds for the seeds!

Citrus doesn't always come true from seed, and the trees are usually slower to fruit (see the TAMU article). Ask Santa to bring you an early present from Thompson's, Mitch. Fall/winter is the time to plant.

I may consider one in a pot as suggested by that link. Then I could overwinter easily. Very informative link.

Yuska ~ I found the Meiwa kumquat listed on Thompsons. I did not see a listing there for the Najana but may I ask why you chose those two different trees?

First I should correct my spelling - it's Nagami (should have looked at the tag before I wrote.)

For a good many years when I lived in San Bernardino, I was an active member of the Inland Empire chapter of Calif. Rare Fruit Growers. Our monthly meetings were held in a conference room of the botanical gardens of University of California, Riverside. The horticultural division of that campus specializes in citrus and avocados. Those two varieties were good performers there, and since Thompson's had both, I wanted to test them here. I was in a 9a garden climate there as opposed to 8b here. The differences besides temps are higher humidity and black clay here and sandy loam there. Th.e trees don't need pollinizers.

I feel so bad about the terrible fires. From the front window of my house I could see the highway lights toward the top of Mount Arrowhead (over 14,000 feet). One of the fires is burning now near the Lake and the wonderful forests and lovely homes are being ruined yet again.

Here's another good article -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumquat

I *love* kumquats (my parents used to send me care packages of them when they lived in northern Florida). I have never found them in the Dallas area, so a couple of months ago while visiting a friend in the Huntsville area, we went down to north Houston and I bought a plant from an organic nursery there. It's a lovely little Meiwa. I plan to overwinter it inside this year, but put it in the ground next spring. I surely would love to have a nice little bush that gave off hundreds of delicious little fruits. I eat 'em whole, seeds and all. Yum!

Carla

podster, if you want to grow citrus in pots, you would be better off using dwarf varieties. They are better suited to pot culture. Grown in a 24" - 36" pot, they'll be happy for up to 5+ years before you have to repot. Standard citrus will need drastic pruning and frequent repotting. Repotting citrus trees is not pleasant. In fact, it's a painful task. Dwarfs are more difficult to find in Texas and can't be imported from other states. I did find two sources in Texas.

http://www.acornsprings.com/index.php?mod=category&id_ctg=77
http://www.caldwellhort.com/

I've purchased from Acorn Springs online. The plants I received were very small.They used to have a nursery in Hall. When I looked them up to get the link, I noticed they have a mailing address in Killgore. Dwarf citrus are usually sold in shorter and wider pots making it more expensive to ship. Calwell Nursery is in Rosenberg. I haven't purchased anything from them, but next time I get to Houston, I plan a detour. If you are near them, it might be worth a trip.

Gee ~ great links and info. Thanks everyone. I think out of those two choices, I will opt for the Meiwa. I wonder when the good time to buy one is... Acorn springs is out of stock on all but the limequat.

Now I can tell from Caldwells' link I could get in deep compost real quick! They have some neat plants!

I am not close to either so will have to pay freight. I think my first stop will be the local nurseries to see what they have available. Is there a certain time of year that these are commercially available? Maybe a better time to purchase one?

How tall would the standard Kumquat grow? I currently have two grapefruit trees which I have kept in pots for years. They are now trimmed to 6 feet tall. Every spring I remove them and cut at least one third of the rootball back. Adding new soil makes the water/nutrient demands less for the summer. I also learned early on to take a set of nippers and remove the wicked thorns. That makes the plants far more manageable.

Good choice on the Meiwa. I prefer them to the Nagami. Standards in the ground can get 8 to 15 feet tall. They are a slow grower. I would guess that nurseries would have a better, or at least a larger selection in the spring. On the other hand, sometimes nurseries have good sales toward the end of the growing season!

I don't know where you are, but Buchanan's (central Houston - Heights) and The Arbor Gate in Tomball both carry citrus that are substantial and very healthy. You could call and see what they have if you are anywhere close.

From what I learned at the Fruit Tree Sale here in central Houston, the kumquat is one of the hardiest of citrus. (The calamondins are also supposed to be VERY hardy). I bought two meiwa kumquats in the spring - one is in the ground, and one in a pot. In Harris County, and surrounding counties, (Montgomery and Galveston) there are several fruit tree sales in January and February - but those 2 nurseries carried the same items - and without all the hassle of standing in an almost 2 hour line on a blustery February day. LOL, but I was so happy to have a Meyer lemon, a satsuma, a blood orange and the kumquat! The only citrus I'll bring in this year is the Mexican lime - the rest are hardy that I know of through zone 8b. (Montgomery county).

Thanks all for the advice and suggestions. I am located on the Tx ~ La border and about 3 + hours north east of Houston. I am not intending to head that way any time soon. But I am comfortable with the choice of the Meiwa kumquat. Still not sure if I will plant in ground or pot. I do have an oak barrel half that is in a sheltered location that I may use. At any rate, I am actively searching.

But Bookworm, please don't tempt me further by all those delightful trees. 8 ))

Do any of you use kumquats in recipes or just simply eat them fresh?

Oh, it has been years since I've had kumquats. My family that lived in Florida used to bring some up to SC when they came to see us every winter. I remember them as being tangy with a sweet after taste. I would love to be able to grow one here. Let me know if you have any success Loonie1 as Rowlett is in the same zone as I am. I have always thought that 7a would be too cold for citrus. I would be overjoyed if I was wrong. I do have a fig tree, and it seems to do great. We have an abundance of figs each year.

Podster - there's either a large orange or satsuma tree out in the open on a parking lot plot on SH 1097 west of IH 45. This is way north of Houston in 8b - but it also has no protection from north winds. Last year's frosts didn't bother it, and this year I see loads of green fruit that will be ripening again. There seemed to be no one picking the fruit last year - yet this year, the unripened fruit is again is making a strong showing. We got down to 25 or so last winter here in 8b (we have another property north of Houston that we visit often.) I'm going to watch this tree more carefully this year to see how it does.

The kumquats I've picked so far have been eaten fresh. So far I have plants too small for any larger harvest. They are very tart - but maybe I didn't ripen them enough. I'm letting my calamondens ripen on the very small tree until very orange. I hear they make great marmalade as well. I have a sheltered Meyer Lemon in 8b - but this will be its first winter. I'll let you know!

Did you notice any difference in sweetness or taste between potted and in ground kumquats?

I think mine in the ground is getting too much shade, so the potted one is the only producer so far. I'm going to find a new place for it in the spring. Hopefully I can better taste test after that.

Thanks for the info ~ I am still leaning toward a potted one. Then I can locate the right spot before it gets too large. Then I can plant it.