citrus info (sour root stock and grafting)

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My new neighbor (a retired northernor - some thing we have never seen before here in Florida!!) was amazed when I told him this. Citrus is grown on what is known as sour root stock; the bitter oranges have beter root systems, so when the trees are about 3 foot high they are budded with the buds from the fruit type desired. This is done by slicing the bark in an inverted "T", then the emerging bud is inserted, wrapped with plastic, and left to heal. All fruit above that bud becomes the desired type. The interesting part is that you can install different types of buds on one tree, that is you can grow grapefruit, tangerens, navel oranges, valencia oranges, ect. at the same time on the same tree. My grandfather had 14 types on one tree and it got photographed and sent to the local newspaper each year. So you can have fresh fruit with a dwarf citrus tree in a protected area. Citrus does not handle freezing tempature.

-- mitch hearn (moopups1@aol.com), May 28, 2001

Answers

Response to citrus info

Mitch, I am one of them RARE Northerners. When I first moved to Florida 17 years ago I would drive all around Central Florida exploring my new surroundings. One day I came acroos an abandoned Orange Grove, the trees were loaded with oranges, I picked a couple grain sacks full with the idea of squeezing them into Orange Juice. When I got home I peeled one of my found prizes and Boy was it ever SOUR.

I talked to one of my neighbors and learned a little about Sour Root Stock and Grafting. Apperently the Grove had been hit by a hard freeze and only the Sour Root Stock survived.

The pigs seemed to enjoy the sour Oranges!

-- Mark in N.C. Fla. (deadgoatman@webtv.net), May 28, 2001.


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