As you might know, I am a Florida girl. I haven't lived there for many years, but I still think of myself as that barefoot little girl in short-shorts and rib-tickler, dodging sandspurs in the field below our house. The scent of orange blossoms filled my summer days, and will always bring me back to memories of childhood.
I've been dreaming of orange blossoms lately. That's why my husband came home from the store with a small citrus tree in early June, when they were being sold at Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement stores.
It was one of the last citrus trees left, and is called a Eustis Limequat. I had never heard of it before. But one small fruit hung from the tip of a single branch, smaller than a Key Lime, and the bright green color of a regular grocery store lime. Seven blossoms clung to the branches, as yet unopened. I waited for several days, and when they did open, the blossoms dropped immediately, much to my disappointment. However, it was a new plant in a new home, and I had anticipated that possibility.
Well, almost immediately, my little Limequat started budding again. I waited patiently, and when these buds opened, I took one of my small artist paint brushes and as soon as each began to open, I gently tickled each blossom in the middle to pollinate. (I could have used a q-tip, too.) It takes at least two blossoms to pollinate, and I had dozens. I was hoping to get at least enough fruits so I could make a pie this winter.
A week or two later, I examined my little tree, and found that almost every bloom had dropped off; this time leaving a tiny speck of fruit growing there. I counted them. Fourty-four baby Limequats in all. Wow.
Along with the oranges, grapefruits and guavas, we had a Kumquat tree in my yard when I was a kid. It was more of a large bush, I suppose, and it was always full of Kumquats, which are a small orange colored, oval shaped fruit, about 1 1/2" long. My sister Nancy and I would pick them as a snack, eating the delicious, sweet orange flavored skins, but usually discarding the mouth-puckeringly sour, seedy fruits. They aren't sour like a lemon is sour, but like those candies that my kids used to buy that make the glands under the tongue seize up and shudder in shock.
Some things to note if you are looking for information about Limequats:
1. Limequats are more cold tolerant than Key Limes. So if you want to plant yours outside (in a warm region), you can plant it a little further north than you could the Key Lime. I had a Key Lime that survived outside, in a pot for two winters in Hickory, North Carolina, under a deck, in a warmer part of the yard. It didn't survive the third winter, when it had been moved out from under the protection of the deck into the open yard. I'll bring my Limequat in when I bring in my Orchids, at about 40 degrees, though it should survive in a little cooler temperatures.
2. According to the grower, Limequats grow better in smaller pots other than large. When I read this, I decided not to repot this plant when I got it. As it grows, I will gradually move it to a bigger pot. But I want to keep the pot small enough that I can still move it in and out on my own.
3. During growing season, Bill and I fertilize all our plants about every six weeks or so with fish emulsion, an organic fertilizer that stinks to high heaven, but is good for the plants and doesn't contaminate fruits or herbs. (Go by the directions on the bottle. Some plants, such as orchids, need a weaker solution.) So we included our new Limequat in the routine. I have learned that Limequats should be fertilized in the spring, and again in August. We have already fertilized ours with fish emulsion twice. It didn't hurt it, though the first time, it dropped the blooms early, so I won't fertilize it again until next spring.
4. The fruit is ripe when it starts turning yellow, like a Key Lime. This takes a long time. If you are impatient...well...you're going to have to learn to be patient. You can consider waiting for citrus fruit to mature as being Patience 101.
5. Basic information (from Duarte, a seller, below):
Zone: 8-9
Mature height: 4-8 feet
Blooms: late Spring to early fall
Fruit ripens from November 1st to the middle of March
Self-pollinating.
*Later: Alas, I was just inspecting my little Limequat, and it doesn't look like all fourty-four fruits have survived, but there are still at least a couple of dozen there. Still enough to make a fine Key Lime pie. The one mature fruit hanging on is beginning to yellow slightly on its belly. I am expecting it to ripen up within a month or so, and then I will be able to taste it and see if it's more Lime or more Kumquat.
*Much Later: When mature, the limequats turn yellow. The skin is not as tasty as a Kumquat, but the fruit isn't as sour, either.
Limequats can be made into Bonsai trees, or you can buy them already as Bonsai. I want my little tree for the fruit this time, but may want to try one as a Bonsai next year. Or I may decide to grow one from seed, specifically to Bonsai.
Below are some sites you may find helpful or interesting. The first is "Making Your Own Bonsai" from this blog. But others are for more information or to purchase Limequats:
http://recklesslydancingwhilesupperburns.blogspot.com/2011/06/making-your-own-bonsaiin-picturesits.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limequat
http://lemoncitrustree.com/limequat.html
http://lemoncitrustree.com/care_instructions.html
http://fauntleroyband.tripod.com/bonsaitreesbonsaisnurseriesplantshouseplantsbonsaigardensnurseryplantbonsaitreegardening/id89.htmlhttp://meyerlemontree.com/limequatorder.html
http://duartefruittrees.com/?page_id=63
I've been dreaming of orange blossoms lately. That's why my husband came home from the store with a small citrus tree in early June, when they were being sold at Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement stores.
 |
| This is a very small Limequat tree, fresh from the store this year. Though it is small, there are at least two dozen fruits clinging to those branches. The blooms are white, by the way. Those pink blooms are just a neighboring geranium, checking out the activity. |
Well, almost immediately, my little Limequat started budding again. I waited patiently, and when these buds opened, I took one of my small artist paint brushes and as soon as each began to open, I gently tickled each blossom in the middle to pollinate. (I could have used a q-tip, too.) It takes at least two blossoms to pollinate, and I had dozens. I was hoping to get at least enough fruits so I could make a pie this winter.
 |
| On the left is the Limequat that was on the tree when Bill brought it home to me. On the right are some of the small fruits; the result of my pollination using the artist paint brush. |
A week or two later, I examined my little tree, and found that almost every bloom had dropped off; this time leaving a tiny speck of fruit growing there. I counted them. Fourty-four baby Limequats in all. Wow.
Along with the oranges, grapefruits and guavas, we had a Kumquat tree in my yard when I was a kid. It was more of a large bush, I suppose, and it was always full of Kumquats, which are a small orange colored, oval shaped fruit, about 1 1/2" long. My sister Nancy and I would pick them as a snack, eating the delicious, sweet orange flavored skins, but usually discarding the mouth-puckeringly sour, seedy fruits. They aren't sour like a lemon is sour, but like those candies that my kids used to buy that make the glands under the tongue seize up and shudder in shock.
Some things to note if you are looking for information about Limequats:
1. Limequats are more cold tolerant than Key Limes. So if you want to plant yours outside (in a warm region), you can plant it a little further north than you could the Key Lime. I had a Key Lime that survived outside, in a pot for two winters in Hickory, North Carolina, under a deck, in a warmer part of the yard. It didn't survive the third winter, when it had been moved out from under the protection of the deck into the open yard. I'll bring my Limequat in when I bring in my Orchids, at about 40 degrees, though it should survive in a little cooler temperatures.
2. According to the grower, Limequats grow better in smaller pots other than large. When I read this, I decided not to repot this plant when I got it. As it grows, I will gradually move it to a bigger pot. But I want to keep the pot small enough that I can still move it in and out on my own.
3. During growing season, Bill and I fertilize all our plants about every six weeks or so with fish emulsion, an organic fertilizer that stinks to high heaven, but is good for the plants and doesn't contaminate fruits or herbs. (Go by the directions on the bottle. Some plants, such as orchids, need a weaker solution.) So we included our new Limequat in the routine. I have learned that Limequats should be fertilized in the spring, and again in August. We have already fertilized ours with fish emulsion twice. It didn't hurt it, though the first time, it dropped the blooms early, so I won't fertilize it again until next spring.
4. The fruit is ripe when it starts turning yellow, like a Key Lime. This takes a long time. If you are impatient...well...you're going to have to learn to be patient. You can consider waiting for citrus fruit to mature as being Patience 101.
5. Basic information (from Duarte, a seller, below):
Zone: 8-9
Mature height: 4-8 feet
Blooms: late Spring to early fall
Fruit ripens from November 1st to the middle of March
Self-pollinating.
*Later: Alas, I was just inspecting my little Limequat, and it doesn't look like all fourty-four fruits have survived, but there are still at least a couple of dozen there. Still enough to make a fine Key Lime pie. The one mature fruit hanging on is beginning to yellow slightly on its belly. I am expecting it to ripen up within a month or so, and then I will be able to taste it and see if it's more Lime or more Kumquat.
*Much Later: When mature, the limequats turn yellow. The skin is not as tasty as a Kumquat, but the fruit isn't as sour, either.
Limequats can be made into Bonsai trees, or you can buy them already as Bonsai. I want my little tree for the fruit this time, but may want to try one as a Bonsai next year. Or I may decide to grow one from seed, specifically to Bonsai.
Below are some sites you may find helpful or interesting. The first is "Making Your Own Bonsai" from this blog. But others are for more information or to purchase Limequats:
http://recklesslydancingwhilesupperburns.blogspot.com/2011/06/making-your-own-bonsaiin-picturesits.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limequat
http://lemoncitrustree.com/limequat.html
http://lemoncitrustree.com/care_instructions.html
http://fauntleroyband.tripod.com/bonsaitreesbonsaisnurseriesplantshouseplantsbonsaigardensnurseryplantbonsaitreegardening/id89.htmlhttp://meyerlemontree.com/limequatorder.html
http://duartefruittrees.com/?page_id=63
No comments:
Post a Comment