Good day everyone,
I was at the garden center on Sunday and saw a number of "sambo" lemon plants. I did a search of this forum and didn't see any back posts regarding this variety. The ones I saw w/green fruits were not the typical lemon shape; more like a honeybell. Has anyone grown this variety or have info on it. Thanks!

I'm new to citrus but I believe that is another name for a Sanbokan Sweet Lemon. It is a cross between a mandarin orange and a lemon. Do a search for a Sanbokan Lemon.

Yes, I grow two Sambo (Sanbokan) Lemons. The fruit looks like a pear with a knobby skin. It is a sweet "Lemon" that sort of taste like lemon-aid when you bite into it. Sanbokan Lemon trees grow in an upright shape, but not as much as a Eureka Lemon tree. It produces a lot of smaller thorns. Nice tree for a container. - Millet

Sanbokan is also cold hardy.

Thanks for the quick feedback. Your comments make me think I need to add this one to my small (but growing quickly) collection Sounds like a trip back to that nursery is in order! And to think I passed them by! Would this be a good candidate for 100% inside growing with the right light? Thanks

Is this a local nursery where you found them or one with nationwide stores?

I've been looking for a Sanbokan lemon but haven't found one locally in Atlanta yet.

How big are the trees they're selling?

I don't know specifically about the Sanbokan lemon, but as a rule most sweet citrus (there are several exceptions) perform better when they have heat to sweeten the fruit. If it follows this rule, it'd perform best if it had the summertime outside.

I couldn't fine much more detailed information on this cultivar's requirements? I didn't turn up anything online. I'd be curious as well.


Pelham

Hi - I saw the trees at a local/independent nursery here in the Maryland area. They are in about a 5 gallon container and are priced at $45.00. They must be a few years old as they have fruit on them now. Stephanie

We (and Stan) grow a few of the Sanbokan Lemoms. They are sometimes called Sambokan Grapefruit (the fruit has a grapefruit-like texture). The taste is sweet, lemon-like and quite agreeable. You will also find them listed as Citrus Sulcata. I am sure there will be some of the fruit at the upcoming Citrus Expo.

Ned

those sound ideal!
Good find

This is one the four trees I bought at my local nursery. One Sambo Sweet, on Eureka and two Meyer.

Nice to read about the Sambo. Mine is about 5' tall and doing quite well.


I've posted an image in the above URL for you to see. I hope I did it correctly.

Oh and I thought the one that was a cross between the mandarin orange and lemon was a Meyer, not the Sambo.

Hey Steve- good looking plants.

I noticed the rock?! on the container for the largest tree..... what is your potting medium?

Citrus dont do too well with compacted soil and id worry that rock would press down prematurely....?

Good luck.

The rock was just a temporary weight for the planter. It was very windy one day and the plant was blown off the porch. I just weighted it down, it was just a temporary thing. Didn't stay on there for long.
Actually, what I ended up doing was moving it to a triangle corner of the house for those couple days when the wind gusts were 50-60 mph. It was crazy.
Thanks for the compliments on the trees. They all seem to be doing very well. The sunshine has returned today, after 3 days of gray, damp weather. Yea Sunshine! Nice to see the leaves in their glossiness in the sun again.

Oh, the soil medium is a special mix for citrus trees and shrubs, and I added vermiculite and perlite for drainage.

Also, the tag that came attached to the tree said it produces fuit Dec.-Jan, so it will have to do that indoors, here. Any hints on special lighting when this time comes? I do plan to get a humidifier for the room when the time comes that they have to come indoors, just because the gas heat can make the air so dry.