Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

I have something called an "Improved Myer Lemon", although I couldn't tell you what that improvement might be - for that matter, I'm not even sure what a "Myer Lemon" is like either.

I read somewhere that they bred a lemon with something else to get the Myer and Improved Myer types. The fruit is a little more roundish than what I see in the stores, and I believe these are less acidic. I think you can use these when they are still slightly green, too. The blooms smell great, and are mostly white with lavendar streaks. If there is a cluster of blooms, I generally don't allow more than 3 to make fruit. It is rather prolific, so I don't want to overtax the plant with too much fruit. At present the plant is about 5 ft high.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

Meyer lemons are a lemon-mandarin hybrid, and so are sweeter than regular lemons and have a hint of mandarin. The peel is tasty, too, at least to me. The only difference between "improved" and regular is resistance to some virus. I love them, grew up with them.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

The Meyer lemon is a naturally occurring stable hybrid between Lemon and Orange discovered in south-east Asia decades ago. Initially its parentage was debated as either a species or hybrid. After the details were worked out, the patented "Improved Meyer" was developed in a breeding program. It is unclear whether any of the original Meyer is present in U.S. nursery stock since the major U.S. growers all graft from mother trees of "Improved Meyer".

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

While testing the soil for my Meyer lemon, I accidentally knocked one off! :( now there are only two, but the are going strong. And yes, the soil was way too high in nitrogen. Ugh. Could that explain why it dropped most of its fruit initially?

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

The Improved Meyer is the same as Meyer. They just cleaned it up (removed virus) and that was the "improved" part.

My mother-in-law made a nice marmalade with it but I otherwise didn't care for it. When I want a lemon I want the real thing. I removed the one that was here when I bought my place since it was in the way of a project.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

Well, getting rid of a virus is certainly an improvement in my book. The only other citrus I grow is called Kalamansi by local Filipinos, and I'm not sure what that equates to. I've heard it called a lime, but it eventually gets orange on the outside, usually 2 in or smaller, and stays pretty sour.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

For citrus to grow fruit to maturity (a) the roots need to have sufficient stores of potash to produce carbohydrates, cell structure, etc., (b) the root system needs to be mature enough to deliver sustenance to the fruits, and (c) leaves of the plant need to be receiving enough power in the form of light to photosynthesize so the plant can function. For indoor plants, the total of all sources of light should work out to at least 55 watts/sq.ft. with a 6500K spectrum. Further, even if all of these criteria are met, an over-abundance of nitrogen can cause fruit drop. An over-abundance would mean a ratio of N to K way beyond 3 to 2, or simply bad timing: applying a high-nitrogen fertilizer (e.g., fish emulsion) during early stages of fruit formation.

Lisa, if the fruit dropped off just by casual bumping of the plant then my guess that situation is a combination of a,b,c and not just timing of fertilizer.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

Yug, Kalamansi is Calamondin.

Harvey, try Meyer Lemon squeezed in club soda and drop the peel in to get the flavor of the oils. Really good and refreshing.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

For my tastes, I think it is good in this role -- but sweet lemon is even better. For lemon zest, the rind of Eureka or Lisbon is hard to beat. Again, that's just my finicky tastes :ha:

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

I bought a Centennial kumquat the other day because I like the way it looks. At Riverside it's reported to have ripe fruit year-round. The fruit I've tried are okay.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

To take the place of the AE AE.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

I have planted two types of kumquat hybrids. One looks a like and orange and the other is crossed with lemon. The lemon cross seems not to have survived very well a severe winter the other year. The other orange looking type is very small after many years of frost damage, shade, and according to Richard likely needs to potash also. I picked all of the fruit last November except for one that I left on the tree and it is still there.
This last winter I protected my satumas from the cold and they look a lot better than after other past winters and are now starting to put out flowers.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

I think most kumquats are beautiful plants and always play around with the idea of getting one. In the end, I don't have one because I just don't love their flavor enough to devote the space to one in my small, banana-dominated yard! If I had a bigger yard, I'd definitely have one.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

I've got the hardy variegated tanna for that.

My son doesn't like eating citrus but there was a kumquat at a farm I rented for a few years and he tasted one and liked it. I think that was always in the summer time when I really didn't have other ripe citrus so I bought a Nordman (seedless) a year ago and now the Centennial. I'm getting pretty crowded but still have room more more things than most folks. I have about a dozen different citrus now though several still are in pots (many are ones I grafted so they are small).

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

I have a kumquat I should get identified.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

I had the Undead Meyer Lemon until the cat finished it off at last, along with my seedling Lemon Kanu'on. I got a replacement that had been grafted--not a great fan of grafted trees here, due to the growth habit, rooted cuttings produce stronger plants for me--and the date on the tag placed it at about the same age as my original goat eaten, puppy mauled cutting grown Meyer. It fruited for the first time last year, although I was nervous about letting the spindly thing bear fruit. The lemons looked like Eurekas or Lisbons, not round like the Meyer Lemons I've seen. They were extremely strong, acid lemons with great lemony flavor. But...the Nursery must have mislabeled, I'm thinking. Since the fruit is ready in winter, I'm betting my grafted Meyer is a Lisbon.

I have a young Meyer that is cutting grown on its own roots which I'm hoping will one day produce real Meyer Lemons.

I've read here and there that Calamondin is a Kumquat hybrid witha mandarin. Mine is huge but in need of potting up soon. I root trim every third year or so, too.

I fell in love with the idea of a Eustice Limequat and had to try one, but after the move things were tight, so I ordered seeds instead. I'd been trying to figure out if they could possibly come true to type when the seedlings came up. The older one has dainty, slender leaves, while the other has rounded leaves like a Key Lime. I'm thinking I have my answer. But, who knows, maybe the fruit will be worth it...some day.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

Here is my 6 year old in-ground Meyers. It produces about 300 lemons a season averaging about 1/2 pound each. The lemons have just started showing a yellow blush.

I also have Brown-Select satsuma and a new this year Red navel or Cara-Cara as some call it.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

Pretty and the fruit is nothing like mine. My grafted Meyer must be a Lisbon on Dwarf rootstock. I'll have to get a picture later.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

The Meyers of course take on an orange shade when they reach peak ripeness. Then you will know for sure.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

Do they go through a yellow stage? Mine did. I picked them in December. I seem to think they flowered in February or March. Anyway, I've got fruit on now, so it will be a couple more months.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

Yes Sir

Growing both:}

Here's a couple of pics of the Lemons & Satsuma's

Grandkids coming over around Labor Day Weekend, I'm sure they will help depelete the large crop lol

Lemons
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[IMG][/IMG]

Satsumas

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Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

What kind of satsumas or those Snooke?

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

Count me in. This is my 1.5 year old Meyer lemon. The fruit are just starting to turn a yellowish.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

Here's mine. From that angle the fruit look more round than they are. I'm embarrassed by how yellow the leaves still are. I've been working on the fertilizer and direct light and such since I moved last winter. I don't think my citrus liked being in trash cans in the moving truck.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

Owari I think? lol

It's my oldest tree at approx 7 years. I keep it trimmed to about 6' tall

It's doing very well but the other 8-9 trees I have not so well.

But again last year others did well this one didn't.

Exceptionally large fruit this year....Must have been holding my tounge right or something to get these results lol

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

I have several citrus but to stay on topic yes a couple meyer lemon and a fukushu kumquat. My fukushu is about 2 years old and one of my best looking trees. always green, flushing new growth and seems to always be in flower. However the fruit is not all that great :( Ill give it a couple years to see if they get better if not I probably replace it with something.

mike

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

We just have a key lime and a limequat. They both have fruit set right now and they're both still blooming. They're my hubby's pet plants.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

These two little tiny things in the cups in the front are the limequat seedlings. I have no idea what will come of them. The one with the long, slim leaves is in the foreground. I'm not sure if you can see the one with the wide leaves well enough.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

We have had Meyers Improved Lemons in pots for 8 years now (our soil is unsuitable for them) they do great and we get 80+ lemons per plant. Not like little pointy lemons - big round fruit that taste gorgeous. The parent plant was grafted onto unknown rootstock, but the cuttings seem to grow in the same form so I am not sure why the grafting was needed in the first place. Great for Margaritas!!!!

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

This spring, I potted a Meyer, a Eureka, and 2 persian limes in front of my house.

Re: Anyone else growing Meyer Lemons or Kumquats?
 

hey cassie

typically they are grafted to put the scion on either a dwarfing rootstock or one with more disease and or cold resistance. I have read on other citrus forums that meyers do OK on their own roots, as in cuttings, but do better on other rootstocks. I know a lot of people who have great looking trees grown from cuttings so I dont really have an opinion on what was is "better"

Mike