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Las Palmas Norte
Citruholic
Citruholic


Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Posts: 199
Location: Lantzville, Vancouver Island

Posted: Fri 02 Dec, 2005 8:29 pm

With so many "hardy" citrus types around, what would be considered the best 3 to try? I'm in zone 8 (Pacific Northwest) where temps rarely drop below 15F in winter (high humidity), and summer (low humuidity) there's not many days over 90F. Thanks in advance,

Cheers, Barrie. Wink
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Laaz
Site Owner
Site Owner


Joined: 12 Nov 2005
Posts: 5642
Location: Dorchester County, South Carolina

Posted: Fri 02 Dec, 2005 10:28 pm

Depends on if you want to eat them or just as ornamentals.. For good tasting you could try Satsuma mandarin or Changsha Mandarin. For ornamental take your choice. The Satsuma mandarin is one of the best tasting of all citrus, very cold hardy and very few if any seeds. The Changsha is very seedy, but has been known to take a bit more cold as well.
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JoeReal
Site Admin
Site Admin


Joined: 16 Nov 2005
Posts: 4726
Location: Davis, California

Posted: Fri 02 Dec, 2005 11:08 pm

The Satsumas, kumquats, calamondins would need to be mature trees in order to survive the winter of not less than 15 deg F outdoors. So you will have to protect them first until they are big enough to be left alone in the ground.

Satsumas tastes better than Changsa, but if you want less risk, this would be my recommendations (descriptions are not my own but from sources indicated below, I am ASSUMING that their descriptions are true or close to what is true, these are from sellers, so they tend to hype them up):

taken from: http://www.worldwideplants.com/hardy_citrus.htm

For the sweet taste or nearly sweet taste:
Hardy Tangerine - Cuttings from this plant also come from South Carolina and has survived 0 degrees and with no damage whatsoever. This definitely worth trying in a warmer/protected zone 7b climate. A sure winner in a non protected zone 8 climate!!

For the Lemon taste or close to it:
Hardy Citrandarin (Citrus Reticulata "changsha" x Poncirus Trifoliata) - The hardiest citrus hybrid available! This is a cross between a very hardy mandarin variety called 'Changsha' and a citrus relative called Poncirus Trifoliata. Both are extemely hardy with Poncirus being the hardiest parent. This is without a doubt the hardiest available citrus and is zone hardy up to protected USDA zone 6b-7a !! Cintrandarins have beautiful foliage and fruit. The fruit has been best described as looking like a tangerine / mandarine with deep orange color, and flavor closely resembling that of a true lemon.

For simply interesting taste:
Hardy Citrange - A hybrid citrus plant which is a cross between a sweet orange and the hardy citrus relative called Poncirus Trifoliata. Poncirus Trifoliata trees have been planted and thrive in very cold areas up to usda zone 5. Citranges are hardy up to USDA zone 7 and are few plants are growing in the Washington D.C. area. The fruit has a complex flavor but could be described more closely to a semi sweet orange.


Now, these recommendations are based on the assumption that those descriptions are true. Then there is that issue about the tastes, they could greatly vary where planted, except if the citruses are naturally sour.

However, if you are willing to work hard prtoecting them the first few years, for the sweet orange type flavor, I would try the Owari Frost Satsuma. Mine came from a stock that have survived during the record breaking 12 deg F in our area.

Here's the rest of the info from different sources:

http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/Citrus.htm
Calamondin 15 degrees F
Chinnotto Orange 10 degrees F
Changsha Tangerine 8 degrees F
Meiwa Kumquat 15 degrees F
Nagami Kumquat 15 degrees F
Nippon Orangequat 15 degrees F
Ichang Lemon 10 degrees F
Tiwanica Lemon 10 degrees F
U.S. 119 Orange 10 degrees F
Rangpur Lime 15 degrees F

http://www.floridata.com/ref/C/citr_ret.cfm
http://zzyx.ucsc.edu/casfs/gardenideas/citrus.html
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/calamondin.html
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Laaz
Site Owner
Site Owner


Joined: 12 Nov 2005
Posts: 5642
Location: Dorchester County, South Carolina

Posted: Fri 02 Dec, 2005 11:31 pm

Hi Joe. Don't put much faith in the descriptions of the cold hardy citrus. I can tell you from experience that most all taste like s#!t. The Changsha is the only one with a decent sweet taste. They are great for growing as a ornamental, but thats about it.
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Millet
Citruholic
Citruholic


Joined: 13 Nov 2005
Posts: 6657
Location: Colorado

Posted: Sat 03 Dec, 2005 12:20 am

Las Palmas, your problem is really not what to plant, but how to get a citrus tree into Canada to plant. If you can figure how to get a Thomasville Citrangequat into Canada, I'll still be happy to send you a tree just for postage. If you know someone across the border and can go pick it up let me know. - Millet
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JoeReal
Site Admin
Site Admin


Joined: 16 Nov 2005
Posts: 4726
Location: Davis, California

Posted: Sat 03 Dec, 2005 5:15 am

glad to know that I can count on Changsha. I have relatives in Surrey, BC. I haven't visited them in a while. Perhaps I have some news for them. They have calamondins but keep it indoors during the winter. Surrey, is a coastal city, at least they are a few blocks from the ocean, so it keeps them milder, to earn the term the "banana capital" of Canada.
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Las Palmas Norte
Citruholic
Citruholic


Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Posts: 199
Location: Lantzville, Vancouver Island

Posted: Sat 03 Dec, 2005 4:08 pm

All the input here is top notch as usual.

Millet, I've sourced out a citrus supplier here on Vancouver Island that does stock Thomasville Citragequat along with about 40 others on the list. You can be sure I'll pay him a visit this Spring. Thanks again for your generous offer.

Here's what's available just from the Hardy Cirtus listing,

Changsha mandarin
Dunstan Citrumelo
Khasi Papeda lemon
Kwano Natsu Daidai orange
Thomasville Citrangequat
Yuzu Ichandarin lime
Shangjuan (Ichang lemon)
Ten Degree Tangerine
Ichang Papeda
Trifoliate (Poncirus)
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