Central Texas Oranges in Containers ?????

I want to grow Satsuma oranges, probably dwarf varieties, in 15 gal containers. I live North of San Antonio between New Braunfels and Blanco.

Any advice on varieties, where to buy them, and how to feed them would be appreciated.

Jerry

We have our first Satsuma in the ground here in New Braunfels and it already has fruit. We purchased it on clearance last fall at the Wildseed Gardens in Fredericksburg. We are big on using rabbit manure in all of our beds, haven't fertilized with anything else. As I said, this is our first, so others here might be able to offer both of some sage advice.

I would not be surprised if they also carry these trees at Maldonado Nurseries in New Braunfels. I have found the staff there to be very knowledgable and helpful and they have a large stock of trees.

Tonya

edited for spelling

This message was edited Apr 30, 2009 11:14 AM

Emerald Gardens on Highway 290W in far South Austin carries a large selection of citrus varieties - Satsumas (try Miho), Meyers Lemon, Grapefruit, Limes, etc.

I used to live on the north side of Canyon Lake up the hill from the Marina. If you take Hwy12 through Wimberley, you'll intersect with 290 and it's a pleasant drive. Emerald Gardens is in the Oak Hill area of SW Austin and you don't have to get into the city.

PS: I agree with NB - Maldanado's may carry them and that's an easy drive from Canyon Lake - I'd call to check first.

This message was edited Apr 30, 2009 11:02 AM

This message was edited Apr 30, 2009 11:02 AM

This message was edited Apr 30, 2009 11:02 AM

Please pardon the frequent editting above - the "fog" has descended on my brain today.

Thanks Folks. I've been reading about the Miho and the Seto at www.acornsprings.com in Kilgore, Tx.

I'll give Maldonado Nurseries and Emerald Gardens a call. I'd rather buy from a local nursery but will go online if need be.

I'm still thinking a 15 gal container or now even maybe a 55 gal plastic drum cut in half.

Jerry

Jerry, you might phone some nurseries in San Antonio to see if they sell dwarf citrus trees. They are easier to keep in pots, but eventually you will have to upgrade to 25 gallon pots. Here is a link to nurseries in San Antonio:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=nurseries+in+san+antonio+tx&aq=0&oq=nurseries+in+San+Antonio
I wasn't able to find any dwarf citrus in Austin. I have 2, a Meiwa kumquat and a variegated Meyer Lemon, that I bought from Caldwell Nursery in Rosenberg, near Houston. They don't ship and I found out from a friend, they have sold many of their citrus for the spring. Acorn Springs Farms, east of Dallas, is the only one I can find in Texas that grows and sells dwarf citrus trees. They are more expensive, but well worth the price if you have ever tried to re-pot a citrus tree.
http://www.acornsprings.com/

Dwarf citrus will need to be potted up or re-potted about every 5 years if cared for properly. Standard citrus, depending, on the variety, every 2 - 3 years. They do need a regular fertilizer schedule and a citrus fertilizer is best as it formulated specifically for them with micro nutrients and a slightly lower pH. While plants can't tell the difference between organic and inorganic fertilizers, you can purchase organic citrus fertilizer if you grow organic. Citrus grow in spurts. So applying fertilizer just before or as that spurt starts will have the best effect on the trees. Because they produce so many flowers, only about 5% of the flowers will go on to produce fruit. You'll notice fruit of various sizes falling off as the fruit progresses toward maturity. That is normal. Citrus drop the fruit they can't support. Set up a fertilizer routine for them and you'll get more fruit because they'll be able to support more.

Citrus don't have big fat roots, but rather fine roots close to the surface. So whether planted in the ground or in pots, don't cultivate under them. They like moist soil, but too much water will cause root rot. If the leaves take on a dull grayish hue, the tree is in need of water. Use you finger to test the top 1" - 2" of soil. If it feels damp, don't water; if dry, water. Use light colored pots or place other pots with low growing plants on the south and west side of you citrus pots to help keep the soil cool.

Sunset and Ortho sell two of the best citrus books. Besides describing many citrus varieties, the books are loaded with very useful information.

Jerry, I just read your post. Beause of their size, citrus roots are sensitive to over watering. So don't over pot. Especially if the plants are small.

Thanks Betty.

The place in Kilgore is very helpful and friendly I have 3 dwarf trees from there ...lemon, orange and grapefruit and the guy was real helpful when I called and asked questions.

If you have questions you don't find an answer for call or email and ask they will help

Well, after some calling around I finally located these guys at none other than Lowe's in San Marcos. The had probably 20 of each of the Miho and the Seto varieties. So, I got one of each and will pot them up in a 15 gal black plastic nursery pots. Man, these things sure are root bound.

At Lowe's I checked out the ingredients of the constant feed pellets made for citrus trees by Miracle Grow. The ingredients were very close to MG - Tomato which I already have. Every time I feed the maters I'll feed the citrus trees and the new little fig tree I recently purchased.

Jerry

Be careful using a fertilizer which uses urea as a source of nitrogen. Urea often contains a contaminate called biuret. Biuret in toxic levels will cause a type of irreversible chlorosis which will eventually kill citrus trees. This is even more critical if the fertilizer is used as a foliar spray. A few years ago I couldn't find citrus fertilizer and used what I had handy. I lost a Star Ruby grapefruit tree to it. It takes a few years to the tree to get weak and die and some citrus are more sensitive than others. Unless you want to experiment with your citrus trees, I suggest you stick to citrus fertilizer for your satsumas.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/LyraEDISServlet?command=getImageDetail&image_soid=FIGURE%2015&document_soid=CH142&document_version=46457

Thanks Betty, I'll keep this in mind. You just prevented me from falling off a cliff. You seem to be the go-to person for Texas gardening. First it was Brugs and now citrus trees.

I just checked the Scott's website to learn more about their Miracle Grow granular time release fert for citrus. One interesting thing about this product, it should not be used indoors or in outdoor containers. I wonder how many people who use this product are aware of this.

Guess I'm on the hunt for a citrus fertilizer that can be used in outdoor containers.

I sent an email to Scott's asking why their product cannot be used in outdoor containers. May the answer will be helpful in selecting another brand citrus fertilizer.

Jerry

Has anyone had success growing oranges and lemons here - as a refugee from Phoenix, those are the ONLY things I miss! :-)

In Arlington, near Interlochen.

I believe I've seen posts from some folks who were successful with growing certain citrus trees in the Metroplex area in pots - maybe one will chime in and give you some specifics. In the meantime, you might want to post under the Tropical Fruits forum and see if you can get some pointers there, too. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/tropicalfruit/all/

babesy, regular orange and lemon trees are more frost tender than Satsumas. You would have to grow them in pots and take them indoors to overwinter. A few years ago, Neil Sperry's Texas Gardener Magazine features his garden's in-the-ground Satsuma citrus trees and how he protects them. I don't remember if he has other citrus. He lives somewhere near the Dallas-Fort Worth area, way beyond even Satsuma's growing area, but he builds a mini-greenhouse around each tree and provides a heat source for each. The mini-greenhouse is important because the soil helps provide some heat. Your area gets too cold for wrapping to be effective. The heat source can be as simple as flood lights or a bunch of Christmas lights wrapped around the tree. I don't remember whether he hills soil around the trunks to provide extra protection, a way to protect the graft union in case the tops die even in these little greenhouses. The tops of these greenhouses are removeable for those warm/hot winter days.

Neil Sperry lives in McKinney (like me!). I must not have been subscribed at the time of that article. I know he has a big greenhouse on his property, so I would have assumed he would have potted his. I'd love to see how he builds a mini-greenhouse around his.

I have been looking at the miho satsumas at Lowes. They are $35 and I am hoping to hold off buying one until they mark them down. I already have a meyer lemon in a pot covered in quarter size lemons right now and new blooms since I potted it up. I bought it in late March. It's my second one. I had one several years ago that I kept through one winter until my dog decided to chew on the trunk, killing it.

texasrockgarden, you might try the Espoma Organic Citrus Fertilizer - Citrus-tone. I can't say if it works yet, but all their other fertilizers work great. I was just excited to find a organic citrus fertilizer locally.

The miho and seto satsumas are available at the Lowes in San Marcos for 34.00. They are 3-5 feet tall and already with fruit. Those two cultivars were ranked as superstar plants to grow in Texas and are cold hardy to 14 degrees so they can be grown outside or in containers. Good luck!



This message was edited May 1, 2009 9:20 PM

Thanks sweezel. I know where I can buy Espoma products. I recently purchased their Gypsum for my tomatoes growing in 5 gal grow bags that are filled with straight coconut coir. The coir is bad about leaching calcium and I didn't want to change the PH by adding Dolomite lime or hydrated lime.

Jerry

I did not know that about coir. Very interesting. I just added some to the potting mixture I used for a rose I am growing in a large container.

I added some of the fertilizer when I potted up the meyer lemon. It responded with lots of new blooms and the little lemons tripled in size, but it may have just been because it was happy to get out of the small nursery pot.

I got a response from Maricle Grow regarding their statement not to use their pelletized slow release Citrus fertilizer for in-container citrus plants.

Here is what they had to say:

Jerry, if the citrus fertilizer is in a green container with an orange top, I've used it on my container citrus without a problem, but since I spread the amount out over several feedings, I don't use the recommended amount all at once.

I guess I sometimes I win by default because I sure don't seem to do the right thing. Last Spring I inherited Satsuma Orange and Meyer Lemon from an aunt when she passed on.
About the same time I purchased a thornless Mexican Lime from the Douglas Nursery near Athens when they brought their wares to Canton First Monday. Anyway, everyone is in about a 10 gallon styrofoam type planter. I used regular potting soil from Home Depot, don't know if it was MG or Scotts. It came with fertilizer so all I did was give it a does of epsom salt every know and then when I fed the roses. They bloomed and produced all summer, put them in the tool shed with a small heater this winter and they bloomed and produced all winter. Presently, they are again sitting outside in full sun and covered in new fruit-lings and blooming again. The absolute best citrus fruit I have ever had in my life. I didn't know they were so picky. The new growth on all three must already be six inches and the leaves are beautiful. I'm glad I didn't know what to do or I would have killed them for sure. Don't intend to contradict anyone. I just didn't know.

LOL LouC ~ sounds like me. I don't have trouble with something till I read they are hard to grow. Sheesh!

Ha ha ha, Podster - me too !

If I can suggest, anyone interested in citrus in their zone, there is a fairly comprehensive article in the May/June 2009 issue of TX Gardener. It covers specific types of citrus trees for the various zones as well as care, soil, watering, fertilizing. Wish I had read that before I bought the thornless lime tree.

We bought a locally-grown Satsuma and will plant it in the ground today. Purchased at Maas in Seabrook, it came from Houston's own Hines Nurseries. Wish us luck!

Good luck litlbitmorluv.

My two are still hanging in there. They were loaded with small nickle and dime size fruits when I brought them home. Now they have about 30% of the fruit they had, but the fruit is about the size of a quarter which is encouraging.

Jerry

I just read this thread. It looks like LouC had the right plan. I did just the opposite. I read all about them and bought expensive Satumas online and now they don't look so good. From reading this thread I may have screwed up with urea nitrogen. My leaves look real chlorotic. And I've been tying everything to lower the soil p.H.. Next time I'm doing it the LouC way ;-)

First time anyone ever recommended "my way". hahahaha Thank you very much. When in trouble, give it a dose of Epsom Salt. Talked about ES on another thread today. It is not salt at all. Will try to find the thread.

Christi