Ok. I know that there are certain density limits that the experts recommend for best production and light to the canopy, etc etc etc.
What if you had a really ugly Juniper bush that has Ivy growing through it and you couldn't take the site of it anymore.

And what if you wanted to replace that eyesore with a row of dwarf citrus that you would be planting so close together (8"-10" apart) it would resemble a hedge.

I am going to be pruning this hedge down to 36" on a regular basis as well.

It would seem that this idea would work but limit fruit production (2nd Priority). My main goal is to have a solid low screen from my nieghbor's yard...

Any thoughts?

Try flying Dragon. Stays small & will give you endless rootstock.

Flying Dragon produces vicious thorns, that keeps anyone from ever coming into your property. Commonly used as a hedge in many parts of the world. - Millet

Wow! If the hedge wasn't there you could see the ocean
from your swimming pool. Way cool, dude!
Maybe you could put a short length of wrought iron fence
in the corner, next to the patio railing, and have your citrus
hedge along the rest of the border.

Oh Man. If I put Flying Dragon in, I wouldn't even go near. The thorns on my Australian Finger Lime are bad enough. I think I will try to put something bushy in, Like a Gold Nugget Mandarin mixed in with another few bushy dwarf citrus. I Love this forum!! Thanks everyone!

Actually you could use any of the smaller sized citrus trees, such a Mandarins. You would not need to put them as close as 8-10 inch trees. I would think two feet apart would be fine. - Millet

I have seen a hedge of Nagamia kumquat. Just guessing, but I would say they were planted 3-4' apart and pruned at about 5'. The hedge looked good and was loaded with fruit.

One drawback I see is that cirtus are subseptible to insects and diseases that would make them more diffuclt to maintain that other hedge plants. Maybe trifoliate would be an exception, but you wouldn't get much in the way of fruit. The Nagamia holds it's colorful fruit over a long period, making it a good ornamental, though I can't say I am crazy about the fruit.

Ned

Don't expect blooms nor lots of fruits when you use citruses as hedges. Calamondins make good hedges. I have seen some Valenicas formed into topiaries, but none are fruit bearers. Most citrus fruits occur in the terminal area of the branch and those are the ones that get nipped off regularly during hedge maintenance. Some branches may be tucked inside and avoid the trim and those produces blooms and fruits, but not a lot of them are tucked that way.

Hmm. I think I will make a Dwarf Orange & Mandarin Hedge. And in order to keep some fruit, I will just be trimming the top and not the sides. My vision seems to be a work in progress. Thanks for all of the input!

I just bought 2 Page Mandarins (UCR says they are actually Tangelos as they are 3/4 Mandarin and 1/4 Grapefruit (Clementine and Minneola Tangelo Hybrid)) to start off the Hedge Purchases.

Juniper is now 1/3 gone.

One thing about kumquats is that they bloom on new growth. If you prune them before the first flush they will bloom and fruit on the new growth. Of course if you have subsequent prunings during the summer, you would cut off any fruit on that growth. In order to have fruit, you have to accept something less that a perfectly manicured hedge.

Oh yes. I will be sacrificing the Edward Scissorhands perfect hedge for fruit. So far the Variegated Calamondin is fruiting (Already made a martini with it), Sanguinelli Blood Oranges, Moro Blood Orange, Rangpur Limes and the Dancy all have fruit. We'll see if any of them make it.

By the way, it's finished!

2 Indio Mandarinquats
2 Sanguinelli Blood Oranges
1 Moro Blood Orange
1 Minneola Tangelo
2 Page Mandarins
1 Dancy Mandarin
2 Gold Nugget Mandarins
1 Jaffa Orange
2 Rangpur Limes
1 Variegated Calamondin

All Dwarf.

Must be nice!

looks great. good luck!

Citrus hedges have been around in the Los Angeles
area for many years. My great aunt and uncle had a
6' tall hedge of Lemons in their front courtyard in
Redondo Beach. If you look around some of the
older areas in Los Angeles especially in Santa Ana
and Fullerton hedges may still be seen. We were
able to see Citrus hedges in Palos Verdes years
ago. Oddly enough there used to be, may or may
not still be there, a well manicured Kumquat hedge
right on Lombard Street in San Francisco.

I am not so sure having a Citrus hedge that close
to both a pool and that much concrete is such a
good thing. Citrus can tolerate Calcium leaching
from the concrete with some limitations to the
leaf color but combined with water splashes from
the pool is a different story. Citrus do not like a
lot of Chlorine and Calcium together in a warm
climate over time. You may see some yellowing
of the leaves giving you the impression you have
a chlorosis but you will more likely have a slight
toxicity factor working against you instead. I am
not telling or advising you not to go with the hedge
but I am cautioning you of what you may later see
at some point in time.

Snickles

Already done!

I actually gave that some thought being that close to the pool and even worse than chlorine, it's a saline pool.

Lucky for us, the diving board is gone and we don't really splash too much, other than the occasional cannonball competition.

The other 30 year old (I think) citrus trees which are just as close to the pool on the west side, are healthy as ever, so I think the hedge will be fine with the 40 year old concrete that is in place.

Amazing that I have never seen much of the citrus hedge here in Socal and I have been here for 20 years. Good to know!

Thanks Snickles!!!

I can see it in my imagination now:
You are floating on your back in your saline pool,
looking out over the ocean,
while eating a Gold Nugget Mandarin, from your
very own dwarf citrus orchard.
Is that Catalina Island I see in the distance?