Hello. My name is Phillip and I'm a recent graftaholic (This is when everyone says "Hiiii Phillip"). Anyway, I found this forum after my first apparent successful graft after looking at Mr. Texas's pictorial to grafting several weeks ago. Both my buds on my Avacodo and Lemon trees seem to have worked. To feed my new obsession, I want to start a new project by growing a couple of multi grafted trees. Here are my questions:

1) Where do you find rootstock and budwood in small quantities. I found the links to citrustreesource.com, but I'm not going to be budding onto 25 trees. I may just grow my own seed from tradewindsfruit.com since they have flying dragon and sour orange, but I would like other choices also which leads me to my next quesiton. . .
2) What are my other choices? I see that Millet likes Sour Orange. For dwarfs, it seems like Flying Dragon is the way to go, but I see C-35 thrown out there, but where do you get it and what are it's characteristics? This leads me to my next question . . .
3) Is there a source that outlines what the characteristics are for the common rootstocks? I would like to read up on the subject, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of information out there (at least in one document). Sour Orange may be the best out there, but for all I know the tree may need me to sing it to sleep every night before going to bed before it will provide any fruit.

As for my project . . . I'm thinking about a multi-grafted fruit cocktail tanterine/manderin tree. I want my emphasis to be on great taste and trying to get fruit from the tree as much of the year as possible with the varieties that are grafted onto it. Any opinions on what varieties would be best and potential rootstock candidates?

Thanks,
Phillip

Philip, for information on the various commonly used citrus rootstocks, purchase the "Florida Citrus Rootstock Selection Guide" from the University of Florida IFAS Extension Book Store. The guide list all of the general characteristics of tolerance to environmental and soil conditions of 19 different citrus rootstocks. This guide would be just as valuable in California as in Florida, or any other state. The Rootstock Guide is only $10.00. You can probably purchase the guide on line at the following web address. http://ifasbooks.ufl.edu/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=IFASBOOKS&Product_Code=SP+248&Category_Code=FVBK

Hope this helps,
Millet

Philip, you can also search this forum for budwood.

Since you are in California, the budwood cuttings are way cheaper for you:

Simply navigate through the links of this site. There are schedules, cutting dates, forms, prices, news, etc.
http://ccpp.ucr.edu/budwood/budwood.html

The foundation block has more than 200 citrus cultivars open to the public.

I hope that I was not intentionally ignored here, but I'd like to remind Philip that Californians are banned from importing any citrus plant materials, including citrus seeds from Florida. To circumvent this would mean federal felony charges. There are exceptions of course, but not for laymen.

I would be harvesting my Yuzu fruits soon. Have havested one and it is truly aromatic when mixed in wine. They have nice seeds which I might just throw away unless they good rootstock materials. Anybody have tried these as rootstocks?

Felipe, with our loose borders, many thousands do violate. But falling in love with citrus, sometimes will make us realize that if we start to help in not spreading the threats to our beloved citruses will be good for all of us. The plant quarantine and citrus laws are there mostly for our own benefits.

I'm not a federal agent nor a plant cop, just hoping to share my views but not impose them, I can only debate the issues passionately though. So never feel threatened by the likes of me. So your secret is safe with us, LOL!

With so many laws written, I will surely go to jail, as I am certain I have violated some of them unknowingly, and ignorance of the law is never accepted as an alibi. But the sooner we know these, the earlier we can comply. But when it comes to citruses, it is not a matter of complying, it is a matter of helping our citrus plants well protected for years to come.