Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Oh where, oh where, have my little trees gone?

This week I found out that I lost one of my favorite citrus options: ultra dwarf (or super dwarf) citrus. I loved these tiny trees! With a mature height around 4' (and that is after many years), they were ideal for small gardens (like almost every garden in San Diego, that is) and patios. So what happened?

It seems that my local producer, Durlings, has abandoned the dwarf root stock, called 'Flying Dragon'. They say that they aren't dependable enough to be practical in cultivation. I have seen in the field that they sucker frequently, strangely thorned suckers, so I guess it wasn't a complete surprise. But it has left me without an option I had come to rely on.

Does anyone have an alternative source or idea for tiny fruit trees? If so, leave me a comment and tell me where! Until then, I'll be mourning the loss of all the tiny trees.

2 comments:

  1. Uh Oh.. we just got a "Dwarf Citrus Tree, Eureka Lemon" from them. Is it not likely to produce fruit then?

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  2. It'll produce fruit, just fewer than a larger tree. Keep your eye out for suckers from the base of the trunk. They'll look like little branches covered in weird thorn-like leaves. Pull those out by yanking downward sharply if you see them.

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