Citrus Joe and I spent Monday in California visiting --------------------

University Of California's Citrus Variety Collection
500 acres

United States Department of Agricultural
Agricultural Research Service
National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus & Dates

Two cultural practices by the National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) really surprised me. The NCGR has a large screen citrus growth area that contains 1,000 mature containerized citrus trees of all different varieties. They also have two greenhouses. The first greenhouse is used for raising various citrus seedling rootstocks. The second greenhouse contains seedlings that are intentionally infected with citrus diseases for research. The mature citrus trees, the seedling rootstock, along with the diseased citrus are all fertilized at a rate of 300 PPM nitrogen with each and every watering. This is a very high constant application rate of nitrogen. The trees all looked exceptional. The second surprise is that the 1,000 mature trees growing in the screened structure (from which they obtain budwood) are from 12 to 16 years old, and are growing IN 5 AND 7 GALLON CONTAINERS!!! The trees looked extremely healthy. We were able to get some very difficult to find varieties of budwood. We also ate our fill of dozens and dozens of different types of citrus. After the tour, Citrus Joe and I went over to see the original Mother Washington Navel tree that is the foundation tree for every Washington Navel in the United States.

Millet
Saint Patrick (Actual given name "Maewyn")
Patron Saint of Ireland
Died March 17, AD461
IRISH SAINT AND HERO

wow!! that sounds interesting.. specially the bit about the budwood trees in containers..

I'm glad you guys had a good time..

Are you going to be able to post any pics??

Gina *BabyBlue*

It must have been a very interesting tour.

Millet wrote:

The second greenhouse contains seedlings that are intentionally infected with citrus diseases for research.

Did you have to take special precautions for the tour through the greenhouse with the infected trees? Wear a 'space suit'? Walk through disinfection pads?

Millet wrote:

the 1,000 mature trees growing in the screened structure...are from 12 to 16 years old, and are growing IN 5 AND 7 GALLON CONTAINERS!!! The trees looked extremely healthy.

How tall and wide were these trees? What medium they were growing in?

That sounds like fun, that would be awesome to visit there. What budwood did you get?

Millet sounds like you had a good time. Good luck with the new varieties. I'm running out of room to plant any more trees...

What a great trip and very suprising about the mature trees in those size containers! I wish I could have gone w/ you two especially since the Gene Lester budwood cutting was cancelled. Looks like I'll have to catch the NCGR tour next time around. Hope you didn't get a belly ache eating all of that citrus fruit!

All Florida citrus nurseries now have to have the budwood trees inside screened buildings and all grafting has to be done inside an enclosed building with positive airflow to the outside. I would have expected a budwood center like UCR to have the budwood protected by screens. I am surprised at the container size for the age of the trees--- how tall are the trees?

What a wonderful experience! Considering the age of some of those trees in containers it gives me hope to grow some great trees in pots! Thanks for sharing and hope there are pics!

Millet:
I live about 360 miles fom the UCR and I've never been or heard this place. Many times I passed the city before and I sometimes visit my sister passing through this city of Riverside (?) or Pomona?
I would like to visit this place. Can you give me a telephone number or address so I can look this up?
I have a rented house there in Yucca Valley which I pass through the Riverside area so I can use this as a 'buseness trip'.

Our first tour destination was the NCGR's greenhouses. No special precautions were required. We just walked in, spent about 30 or 40 minutes looking, talking and asking questions, then went on with the balance of the tour. The citrus trees in the screened structure (PAX Corporation's screen) were 7 to 12 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide. The trees get pruned once a year to keep them at a reasonable size. I asked about the amount of fruit the trees produce. I was told the fruit production was very little to none because of the pruning. The fertilizer used is Peters brand general purpose fertilizer with trace minerals. Magnesium Sulfate and chelated iron are also added. They use the same growth medium for the entire operation, (screeened mature trees, greenhouse trees and seedlings), a mixture of one part bark, one part peat moss and one part coarse 1/8 inch sand. The ground soil over at UCR's Citrus Variety Collection is quite sandy, and the trees are feed with a granular fertilizer. I do not know what fertilizer formula is used on the outside Citrus Variety Collection trees. The Variety Collection's 500 acres of ground is kept completely weed free, mostly by the use of Roundup. Benny, I believe the NCGR is not open to the general public, except on special open houses which are held once or twice a year. We were able to get a private tour because Citrus Joe personally knows the person in charge of the Repository. I don't know the address, but it is on the grounds of UCR in the city of Riverside, California. I did not take a camera with me (actually I never take a camera when I go travel).

Millet
Saint Patrick (Actual given name "Maewyn")
Patron Saint of Ireland
Died March 17, AD461
Irish Saint And Hero

Thanks Millet.
I can look this up.
Aww- I have them in my Favorites.
Here's their address:

Visiting the Campus
Address
University of California, Riverside
900 University Avenue.
Riverside, Ca. 92521
Operator: 951.827.1012

Very Very cool! The people at UCR are awesome!

Very lucky for you guys to be able to see the variety collection AND eat some fruit!

Forgot to mention. The trees in the screened inclosure are more or less outdoor trees, subjected to the elements much more than greenhouse trees. In fact every container is anchored to the ground to prevent them from being blown over by the wind. Torpedo heaters setting on the floor are placed in every 3rd or 4th row ready for use in the event of cold weather. I asked at what temperature do they begin to heat the structure. The answer was when the temperature falls to 38F (3.8C) which surprised me.

Millet
Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1719)
First found Polyembryony in oranges