calamodin... is one I'll be getting... if I can. I love the fact it can be sour. mmmm, same reasoin I'm geting a lime and lemon

I have looked into te page variety too... just so many ppl seem to love and think ery highly of it. So.. its down to 2 varities ofd orange. I'm decidng between Page and trovita. seem to be the 2 most recomended. the final decision will be based on what I can afford and hat they have

Tolumnia, I TOTALLY agree with you that Page Mandarin is an extremely good tasting fruit, certainly one of my favorites. I have 4 Page trees in containers, and they grow well as container trees. Page is considered the best tasting citrus of them all by a LOT of people. The juice is unsurpassed. Usually they are found only at road side stands, or purchased directly from the grower. I have never seen any in supermarkets, but I see them offered on line in cases. If I remember right, you have quite a few Page Mandarin trees on your property. The reason that they never became popular commerically is because they were considered not large enough. However, many of mine are about the size of a Clementine. Page was a cross between a Minneola Tangelo X Clementine, so technically a Page "Mandarin" would be 3/4 mandarin and 1/4 grapefruit. I would HIGHLY RECOMEND the variety to anyone. Joe Real have you grafted some Page Mandarins on one of your trees? - Millet

Millet, I totally agree that Page would be among the best tasting citrus, along with Gold Nugget, IF I buy the fruits from Farmer's market down in Southern California. I have tasted fruits of Page from my friend's house nearby, and it didn't taste very well. Not likeable, more on to the sour side, even to the day they drop from the trees. Satsumas tasted light years better, in our locality. It may not be fair though, as the Page trees that I've tasted in Davis are just 3 years old. There is a possibility that it could be mislabeled, coming from Home Depot, which in turn comes from Four Winds as the nursery.

I have also grafted Page budwooods from Benny, it is now blooming. Hopefully this one would taste better. The Page is vigorous on the Satsuma stock, I have trimmed it often for balance, leaving some branches for blooming and fruiting. The jury is still out on this one, in my yard.

Have I been growing this in the South, it would be hand's down as among the best, I'm sure of it.

Millet, yes I have 10 Page trees. Four are about 5 years old and were very productive last year. The other six trees I just put in last year, and five of those came from Lowes. All have a lot of flower buds right now. I have had store bought Clementines that are also fantastic, but my one tree is very small and I only got three fruits last year. It also is loaded with buds now.

I usually go down to central Florida each November and buy a lot of Page fruit. Yes, they are usually small. Last November I bought 10 bushels, plus the fruit I got off of my trees. Still was not enough. I told my wife my goal is to have more Page fruit than we can possibly ever use each year.

How do you keep that much fruit good? I lived in Santa Barbara last year, and my appartment would get humid, had to run the exhaust fan, but the satsumas wouldnt last a week without molding!

I want to thank everyone for their responces Its great to have all sortsd of info and opinons on the type of fruit to get. This is a huge deal for me. I dont have a lot of money so i want to be sure on so much upfront. from type of tree to varieties to upkeep and the like. I wont have money to replace plants all the time. heh, its 150 bucks just to drive to the nursery and back. Shipping really isn't an option. Plus, this way I get to hand pick the individual plants out of the masses. Not many get to do that when items are shipped!

Just great to be a part of such a knowledgable group. I've learned so much already... but leaves me knowing just how little I know and how much I have yet to learn

We kept a lot in the unheated garage, the fridge was full, and of course we gave away lots to friends and relatives. And if you are making a pitcher of juice each morning, it goes through a lot pretty fast.

Tolumia, about how much does a bushel of Page Mandarins cost in Florida, during harvest. Do you purchase them direct from the grower? - Millet

I think I paid $16 per bushel. I had to drive down to Dundee to Davidsons of Dundee, about 3 hours from here, and I had called ahead so they had them in half bushel bags ready for me. I have only found this one place where I can reliably get Page in quantity. They gave me a special price because of the quantity. Next fall I will certainly get more. The juice keeps quite well if you freeze it.

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2006 4:02 am Post subject:

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Kumquat is often recommended for indoor culture along with Calamondin (a kumquat hybrid)
Joe: Do you agree with Junglekeeper regarding the above statement?

Calamondins are known to be related to kumquats or Fortunellas. It is believed that the calamondin is a hybrid between Citrus reticulata and Fortunella margarita. No wonder why it is good when mixed in gin.

http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Citrus_relatives.html#calamondin