Re: Citrus in New Zealand (was Key limes)

K1MIZE@aol.com wrote:
> 
> 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.  

Hi
My garden is borderline for most citrus (summer highs around 25-27 C and
winter lows usually not below -3C, about once in ten years maybe -6C)

By making use of a sunny site protected from frost flow down a hill by a
thick hedge we most years successfully raise good crops of NZ Grapefruit
or Goldfruit (C paradisi) and the hybrid Meyer Lemon. In this country
the American style of grapefruit does not do well, being usually
thick-skinned and juceless. The Meyer, as many of you will known is a
particularly hardy type lemon for borderline climates. It doesn't take
kindly to trifoliata stock and the best plants (like mine) are cutting
grown. 

I have heard of people attempting other citrus in this upland valley,
though with little success, the fruit failing to grow to any size or
become satisfactorily sweet and juicy. The trees may survive all right
though if well sheltered and their fruit is colourful and decorative
even if not edible.  

Out on the adjacent west coast many citrus do grow and fruit
successfully, though I don't think they do too well with oranges, and
certainly not with limes which with comercial oranges are confined to
our far north. We _can_ buy limes here at times, but I think they are
probably imported from Australia or the Islends.  Although the Key lime
is known here it is mostly as an ornamental container plant and the more
useful variety is the Tahitian lime, which is a trifle less demanding to
grow.

One citrus variety that crops successfully on the local coast is the
Tangelo, a natural hybrid (C reticulata X C paradisi) which originated
in the Cook Islands in 1930. It is  quite a big fruit with a somewhat
loose skin like it's mandarine parent. It only first became common in
the shops here about 15 years ago and took a while to catch on because
of its peculiar habit of being deep orange when half ripe and then
getting steadily yellower as it sweetens. Once people cottoned on to
this it has become more popular for eating from about mid-spring and at
its best rivals an orange for sweetness and juciness.

The fruit of the two varieties we grow ourselves ripens well and is full
size and juicy. The only year we lost lemons was when we had the last
killer frost about five years ago when all the fruit hanging on the tree
went squashy and fell off, though the foliage was little affected. Trees
in other parts of the valley did suffer more damage, though only very
young trees were actually killed. 

Even when they have most of the top killed, citrus on their own roots
can make a surprising comeback as Kurt mentions. I just remembered a
good Meyer lemon in  a garden which many years ago became the home of an
order of Irish nuns. Now the holy ladies were no gardeners and in any
case their Irish experience was unlikely to have included citrus. Anyhow
they dumped a vast quantity of ashes from their fire around the
unfortunate tree (some still hot for all I know) and were dismayed when
it wilted and the whole top died.  I was called in to pronounce on the
apparent corpse and with little hope removed the ashes and substituted a
good pad of compost. To the surprise of all of us the tree sprouted
again and in future years with no more ill-treatment was fully
restored!!

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, New Zealand. (on the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
Lat. 41:16S Long. 174:58E. Climate: Mediterranean/Temperate
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