Re: Key limes(?) in Greece
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: Key limes(?) in Greece
- From: K*@aol.com
- Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 18:27:23 EDT
In a message dated 6/18/100 11:52:49 AM EST, opga@wenet.net writes:
<< PS-Because of our lack of summer heat I lost the nine special citrus which
>were the focal points of my back garden in our 1990 freeze of the century.
>All were on Four-Winds dwarfing root stock which I no longer use under any
>circumstances. My sole surviving citrus was a Eureka lemon standard on its
>own roots! >>
I don't think the amount of summer heat you get has anything to do with the
ability of citrus (or any other frost-tender plants, for that matter) to
survive a freeze. We get about as much summer heat here in Stockton as
you'll find anywhere in California, outside of the desert, and we still lost
many citrus and other frost-tender plants in the 1990 freeze. In my own
garden, the only casualty was a "Bouquet de Fleurs" sour orange, although a
"Moro" blood orange was killed back nearly to the ground, and several other
trees were defoliated. In my experience the variety, situation, general
health and vigor of the tree, and degree of hydration or dessication have
more to do with survival than other factors.
Trifoliate orange, which is the species Four Winds uses for its dwarfing
rootstock, is the cold-hardiest of citrus, so any susceptibility to frost in
Four Winds plants is probably more attributable to lack of vigor in the
grafted plants. With the exception of Grapefruit, citrus don't make very
large trees, so I see no advantage to purchasing dwarfed trees unless space
is at a premium. All this discussion of lime trees made me want one, so I've
done some shopping around. Orchard Supply had Four Winds plants of both
'Key' and 'Bearss' lime for $18, but they were only about a foot tall and not
very vigorous looking. I found Willits and Newcomb standard 'Bearss' limes
at Home Depot for $16, that were around 4 feet tall and very vigorous and
bushy. Guess which one I bought?
Kurt Mize
Stockton, California
USDA Zone 9
