5/1/2009


Hi Everyone..

Has anyone ever bought a " Satsuma Mandarin Tangerine?"
Is is a good citrus to grow ? What is your experience with it ?


Cheers........Joe

I am seeing a lot of trees with just Satsuma Mandarin being sold here in FL--a few that I have seen also have a second line that says Kimbrough--and Monte Nesbit the citrus expert at Fairhope AL experiment station says he has not seen any difference between Owari and Kimbrough. Owari is the satsuma from which all others have been derived --primarialy as somatic mutations ( like a limb that produces fruit different from the rest of the tree)

Satsuma Mandarin Tangerine, is a three-peat. Tangerine and mandarin are two words that mean the same thing. It is like saying Car, Automobile, Vehicle. Skeet and Joe's advice is one that is easy to agree with, if a person only has space for one Satsuma, Owari is a good choice. - Millet (1,359-)

There must be at least 50 varieties of satsumas. I have never seen one that was bad. LSU has the Brown Select, Louisiana Early and Early St. Anne. All three are very good Satsuma cultivars. If My memory is correct the Kimbrought was a seedling satsuma that was thought to be more cold tolerant than Owari. The kimbrough seedling survived one of the severe freezes and thought to be cold tolerant. As time went on it was no more cold tolerant than Owari.

I want to get an Owari Satsuma but all the ones at Home Depot or Lowe's (in Los Angeles) just say "Semi-Dwarf Satsuma Mandarin". None of them specify whether its an Owari or not. What is the likelihood that its an Owari, and if not, what is it?

I have not tasted many of the other mandarins so I'm assuming Owari is the best based on what I've read, that's why I'm picking it. I'd like to graft other mandarins onto this tree. If you think I may be better off with another type of mandarin I'd like to hear your opinions.

The Miyagawa is an excellent satsuma that ripens before Owari. It is a wasi (early) satsuma that ripens before Owari and hangs on the tree for a long time before becoming puffy. It was a limb sport on a Zairai tree. It is my favorite satsuma.

I'm also interested in buying a mandarin tree, but I've heard some of the trees need very specific conditions for the fruit to ripen correctly, for example hot days and cold nights. Does anyone know if there's a variety that would do well in the northeast?

Satsumas do need some cold to develop sweetness, but the summer heat does help in the development of higher acid content which is what gives it the flavor. In south and central Florida, satsumas do not develop the color and sweetness we get here in the Northern Gulf coast (which is the best climate for satsumas). In the Northeast you may not get the best flavor unless you have hot summers--but then again, we don't get all that much hotter than the NE--just longer summers.

As for varieties that would do well there, you might try some of the really early varieties--Like Early St Ann or LA Early--they get ripe in late Sept here. Only disadvantage is they do not hold well.

Does anyone know if the Statsumas at Home Depot that are listed as only semi-dwarf Satsuma Mandarins are Owari or not?

Thanks Skeeter, I'll see if I can find one of those.