island cassie

Very few lemons available here on the island - in fact you can't buy them. So our small Meyers improved brought in 2.5 years ago has been great giving us loads of thin skinned large fruit. I pruned the long whippy branches 1.5 years ago, and the first of those rooted cuttings now has flowers on it - so fast - who'd have thunk it! The european lemon seedling shot up to 6ft in 9 months with a really sturdy trunk so we had to keep topping it in self-defense! We also bent the branches horizontally to promote fruiting spurs hopefully, but no blossom so far - this is about 1.5 years old too. The Meyers are so easy to grow and propagate but we have a constant aphid problem with all our citrus. I would have liked to be organic but there is no way! Hey Mustang - I also brought my Meyers improved in my suitcase in a ziplock can you believe, from RHS stock and well sprayed beforehand. From that 12" plant in 2.5 years it has grown large enough to give us approx 18 lemons the first year and 40+ last year. Richard you might call them evil - but they make a mean magarita!! lol All my citrus are in pots as the soil ph is unsuitable.

Cassie

Richard

I'm glad you have some citrus on the island! Although, I've never met a Lemon that is hard to grow.

Do they not have citrus at TARS Mayaguez?

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island cassie

Hi Richard - there are plenty of limes, pippy satsumas and green oranges to be had, and I believe they grow lemons for export in the centre of the island, but have never seen any for sale. btw Isn't Mayaguez in Puerto Rico - the island next door?
Cassie

Richard

Cassie, check out TARS Mayaguez online. I believe all you might have to pay is shipping.

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Richard

Actually, it looks like all they have is Citrus maxima -- the Pumelo. Now that would be fun to grow!

Here's what they are holding: Taxa Held By TARS Mayaguez

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island cassie

Thanks for the link Richard - but I am running out of room here with only a third of an acre and the other half refuses to buy more land - sniff, sniff! Also our soil here is too alkaline for citrus so we have to grow everything in pots, but the lemons are easy to grow as you say! Interesting about Mayaguez though and I will keep them in mind although all our post has to be brought in through EPS or similar through Miami, and costs $$$$.

Cassie

Bananaman88

About the size of grapefruits, you say? That sounds more like 'Ponderosa' lemon to me. Either that or you have some awesome soil! I have a Ponderosa that I grew from seed about 5 yrs ago. Still no fruit. I was really hoping it would be old enough this year but so far I haven't seen any buds. My 'Meyer' bloomed all winter and had fruit developing all winter as well and is now really blooming like crazy.

I also have a variegated lemon, a lime (with buds) and I have a 'Marrs' orange. This will be the Marrs orange's third growing season. Last year it had 3 fruit but for some reason this year it only had TWO buds! I was sort of disappointed but I think I read the other day that 'Marrs' tends to be alternate bearing.

xavierdlc61887

yeah must have good soil :P hahah um as for oranges i feed them spikes from lowes that are for fruit and have always fiven fruit every year maybe that should help well post pics guys of your awesome citrus plants

banana berserker

in my oppinion lemons are the easiest things to grow in the world (beside weeds and mold and such). I've got a tree. About 15 to 20 feet tall. NEVER pruned it, NEVER water it. It produces 75 lemons a year easy. But of course the nice California weather helps a little to.