Citrus Growers Forum

Millet · Posted: Wed 29 Oct, 2008 12:12 am

While I was in town today (Denver) I stopped by a large garden center that normally carries some citrus trees. They are stocking a new line of small citrus trees from Monrovia Nurseries called "Table Top Topiaries". These are citrus trees grafted onto Flying Dragon and growing in 4-inch pots. The trees are about 1-foot tall. I purchased another Meyer Lemon and a Bearss Lime, and transplanted both citrus trees into 3-gallon Root Maker containers using a pure CHC blend of 50 percent 1/2" CHC and 50 percent 1/4" CHC. Has anyone seen this Monrovia line before? - Millet

JoeReal · Posted: Wed 29 Oct, 2008 12:45 am

I have seen them here at Capitol Nursery in Citrus Heights. They are cleft grafted. These are the cheapest citrus that you can get with a Monrovia brand name on it. Usually, the 5-gal potted citrus costs about $39.90, the one in the 4" pots are about $16.

Home Depot sells the 5-gal for $21 and the 4" x 4" x 18" citripots for $11. The qualifty of HD and that of Monrovia are the same for the 5-gal pots if you know how to pick the best ones from the lot. The citripots of HD are far better trees than those of Monrovia.

One of the advantages of Monrovia is that they offer more cultivars than the mass market HD, so it is worthwhile to buy there. Also, if I am not mistaken, I have seen some of the labels in some of the Monrovia's citruses that has exactly the same font and size as those coming from TreeSource Citrus Nursery in Exeter. So perhaps, in some cases, Monrovia has ordered citrus propagation from TreeSource Citrus Nursery. And as usual, whatever did not pass quality may end up in other retail.

About the font and label and the style of budding may all have come from TreeSource. I bought a Gold Nugget tree from Capitol Nursery in a Monrovia pot and brought it home to be delivered to a friend. I also have a Gold Nugget Tree that I ordered from TreeSource excess inventory and when I checked the labels, they have the same size, shape, and font.

Junglekeeper · Posted: Wed 29 Oct, 2008 1:59 am

I've come across topiaries of calamondin for $30 CAD; I believe they were in larger sized pots.

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Millet · Posted: Wed 29 Oct, 2008 10:59 am

The tag on the tree says that it was grown in the San Joaquin Valley city of Visalia, California. - Millet

JohnC · Posted: Wed 29 Oct, 2008 3:12 pm

Millet the high end nurseries here sell the Monrovia brand citrus, I'm sure anyone shopping at these places here in NC don't even blink at the prices but they are way to expensive for what can be purchased elsewhere.

If I compare them to what I get from 4-winds for the price I would rather have a 3-4 year old from 4-winds. I know your a big fan of 4-winds as well.

By the way how many Meyers do you have now???

John

JoeReal · Posted: Wed 29 Oct, 2008 3:53 pm

Millet wrote:

The tag on the tree says that it was grown in the San Joaquin Valley city of Visalia, California. - Millet

There could be several tags on the tree, if they forgot to remove the tags placed by their subcontracted or outsourced nursery, at least for the cultivar name. Sometimes, I can speculate which nursery propagates what's sold in retail by the pattern of the paint and color used to mark the multi-grafted trees.

One of the tags from those plants that I get, would sometimes have more than one tag, but it has a tag from Monrovia itself, and their main nursery is located in Visalia, which is next to Fresno. ( My sister lives in Fresno, and their part of Fresno is literally next to Visalia, and their kids go to Visalia for high school, which has better schools than most of Fresno. )

I think Monrovia also has other nursery locations, at one time I inquired, they told me they were building a new one, and move their subtropicals over there and I can't remember where.

Junglekeeper · Posted: Thu 30 Oct, 2008 3:53 am

Millet wrote:

These are citrus trees grafted onto Flying Dragon and growing in 4-inch pots. The trees are about 1-foot tall. I purchased another Meyer Lemon and a Bearss Lime, and transplanted both citrus trees into 3-gallon Root Maker containers...

I'd be interested in the progress of your topiaries and their growth habit. As I noted in this thread, delicate looking trees soon take on a more normal appearance with significantly larger leaves once they are established. Or will you attempt to keep them in their 'delicate' state through constant pinching of new growth similar to that for a bonsai?

Are these trees actually on Flying Dragon rootstock? The straight stems on the ones I've seen made me think it is regular trifoliate. I'll have a closer look at the label next time.

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gregn · Posted: Sun 23 Nov, 2008 8:22 am

Junglekeeper, where did you see these Monrovia products??? I bought a Monrovia 3 gallon Bearss lime a couple of months back from Maple leaf in N Van for $29 - on a end of season clearance...

Greg

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Gregn, citrus enthusiast. North Vancouver Canada. USDA zone 8. I grow In-ground citrus, Palms and bananas. Also have container citrus

Junglekeeper · Posted: Sun 23 Nov, 2008 4:37 pm

gregn wrote:

Junglekeeper, where did you see these Monrovia products???

Southlands had a number of them over the summer. There was one left when I was there a few weeks ago. Garden in Gardens had some variegated ones as well.

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