I recently planted a dwarf Minneola Tangelo, but I understand it needs a pollinator.

Can satsumas be used to pollinate Minneloa Tangelos?

Also, are the seeds from Minneola tangelos a clone of the mother plant or a hybrid?

Seed will be hybrid. Best pollinator is Page & Clementine I believe. Not sure if the satsuma is a viable pollinator.

Laaz, Do you know that they're zygotic and not nucellar? I've not grown 'Minneola' from seed, but have always heard that they are nucellar.

Malcolm

Just found this :

Minneola is a tangelo, a hybrid of Duncan grapefruit and Dancy mandarin, sometimes marketed under the name Honeybell. It was developed by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and released in 1931. The tree grows vigorously to a large size. The fruit is round with a pronounced neck and smooth red-orange rind that can be peeled. The flavor is rich and juicy, with a touch of its grapefruit parent’s tartness. Minneola should be harvested late in the season to ensure the fruit reaches a desirable sugar to acid ratio. Minneola blossoms are self-incompatible and must be cross-pollinated by a suitable pollinator to assure good fruit set. Most mandarin-types are suitable pollinators, with the exception of Satsumas and Minneola’s siblings, Orlando and Seminole. Unfortunately, when cross-pollinated, Minneola’s fruits tend to be seedy.

My two Minneolas are "pollinated" with GA. I use GA so that I get a good crop of fruit that are seedless fruit. If I do nothing, either by chemical or by using a pollinator, the Minneola trees still get a few fruit, but the crop is very minimal. At least that is my experience with my greenhouse grown trees. If one uses a pollinator tree to cross pollinate then it has to be a variety that blooms at the same time that Minneola blooms. Also it should be a variety that produces blooms every year, so varieties that are alternate bearing varieties should not be used. Two very good varieties to pollinate Minneola are Sunburst and Temple. BTW, I get to eat the entire Minneola crop myself, as my wife does not like the taste of the fruit. Minneolas are among my favorite citrus. Last Friday, was the first time that I seen Minneolas for sale in the supermarkets round here this season. - Millet

Thanks Guys-- I will be getting several mandarin budwoods from Florida DPI next week, plus my ponkan mandarin will help.

I planted a minneola seed (the only one from a bag of fruit). I will let it grow and see what I get.

-- Skeet

My Minneola seed has sprouted, so I guess this will be an unknown until it fruits. I assume it will take 7-10 years before the seedling will bear fruit, is that a resonable guess?

What are the chances the fruit will even be edible? I know that the chances it will be a good new variety will be slim.

Skeet

Skeet, the chances of the fruit being eatable are excellent. The chances of the fruit being a good variety as a COMMERCIAL FRUIT are probably slim, but the chances of the fruit being an agreeable door yard fruit and eatable are high. - Millet

Thanks Millet-- thats good news.

Skeet

Back in the late 60's, early 70's, when some production
plantings of Tangelos went into the ground we did not
use a pollinizer to ensure a larger crop. A second Minneola
Tangelo can help serve this same purpose for us to allow
the Citrus to produce more fruit than they would normally
do or would as a single solitary, planted tree. Today certain
state and Cooperative Extension officials here are calling for
Temple Tangor, Dancy Tangerine, Kinnow Mandarin and
Clementine Mandarin to be used as pollinators for Minneolas
in commercial plantings.

Years ago, we did not have any real numbers of Temples or
Kinnows on hand or readily accessible from nurseries to be
planted in a grove for the Minneolas. The same is also true
for the Orlando Tangelo commercial plantings around here
that were also planted mostly in Tulare County at that time,
starting in the later 60's, early to mid 70's as well. Another
difference between then and now is that most of the older
Minneolas and Orlandos that went into the ground that Jim
knows about and remembers were mostly from rooted cuttings
as opposed to today's plants which are generally grafted trees
but there are some budded trees that probably have been going
into the ground in recent years also we would think.

Snickles

Jim just double checked and found that the Orlando
Tangelos adjoining next to (South) of his Washington
Navels were planted in 1967. Two years after the Navels
were planted.

Below is an article that may help. Keep in mind
that calls for specific pollinators in California for
Minneola and other Tangelo plantings may differ
from those recommended in Florida and Texas
commercial Tangelo plantings.

http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/counties/ceriverside/newsletterfiles/Questions_and_Answers_to_Citrus_Management2489.pdf

Snickles

Millet, my Minneola Tangelo is flushing and it looks like it will be blooming fairly heavily, I would like to pollinate it using GA. I remember you said the spray needs to be 10 ppm, but when does the spray need to be applied? Before the blooms open or after? If I remember correctly you said only the flowers need to be sprayed.

Spray the open blooms with a 10 ppm GA3 solution.

Millet

Thanks Millet-- I ordered 3 grams of 90% GA3 -- that was the smallest amount I could find in soild form. That is enough for 14 acres! I will be glad to split that if anyone is interested.