I went to see the citrus grove of a friend that lives in a little town near Bamburg, SC. I think Stan might have mentioned him here earlier. Anyway, this person owns a large farm(large to me anyway) which includes a dairy, cotton and corn fields, etc.. He planted a citrus grove of 90 trees this spring, complete with a fertigation systen and state of the art irrigation and frost protection. He knows that he is pushing the limits, but enjoys the citrus, and growing things, so he is blazing the trail, as there are no comparable citrus plantings in the state. Satsumas are his primary planting (Owari, LA Early, Brown's Select and Early St. Anne), but he does have some other citrus he is experimenting with.

First, an overall view:



Early St. Anne (notice the fruit is just showing signs of ripening):



I think this is Brown's Select, but am not sure:



This is Nippon Orangequat, which Dr. Arlie Powell gave him (Dr. Powell help adise him on how to set up the grove and where to get plants.)



And finally, this is a Cara Cara:

Ned, I take it the red stake in the ground is the irrigation/fertagation, and the blue tube running up to the top of the tree is the microspray for cold protection. Nice looking place. I like the grass inbetween the rows. Thanks for the pictures. - Millet

Millet, Here is a closer look at the irrigation apparatus. You switch from one to the the other using a little quarter turn valve.

Frost Protection emitter.



Irrigation emitter.

Thanks for posting the pictures Ned. I went by a little over a month ago and was equally impressed with Carl Heatwole's farming operation. The citrus grove is really outstanding! He has acheived more growth on those little 1 year satsumas than I would have thought possible. It is truly an amazing place and I have a van load of friends wanting to see his operation next time I have a chance to visit. Its only about 70 miles from me so as the fruit matures.. My window of opportunity for another visit grows daily!

Spray stakes like those used by Mr. Heatwole distributes the irrigation water more evenly to the tree's root system than do drip emitters. I know of a large vineyard that has a field layout almost exactly like Mr. Heatwole's grove except where he has planted grass, they have wild flowers, really looks stunning. - Millet

Somehow I put the Red Navel in twice. I have the Nippon in now. Can you believe the fruit on that Nippon?

Ned

Ned, do you know if Mr. Heatwole's intentions for his grove is to be retail sales of the fruit, or experimentation, or mostly for his use? I don't know how successful retail sales of fruit such as Nippon Qrangequat would be. They are quite juicy, but the juice is very sour. Concerning the amount of fruit on the Nippon Orangequat, Tom McClendon says in his booklet titled Hardy Citrus For The Southeast , "Nippon orangequat bears reliably and abundantly under southeastern conditions and raely fails to make a crop." Anyway, he certainly is going first class. - Millet

Millet, He is not sure but thinks he can sell what he makes there directly to the public. I think he plans on doing whatever works best. There is a peach grower near him that sells a lot of peaches locally, as well as in other places in the lowcountry of SC (farmers markets, etc). A lot of people drive to the peach grower's a get the peaches. I am sure they would stop to get some satsumas.

He only has 1 Nippon and 2 Cara Cara in the grove. He had the extra spaces when he laid out the field and just filled in with those trees. He also has other varieties at his house. Like most of us who get involved with citrus, he likes to try different types.

The lay out look exceptionally nice. I am sure that Dr. Powell advised him in the right direction. Arlie is a true professional when it comes to citrus.