Hi Brian, just wrote a whole lot and my ipad battery died. So have to start over. Your right it isn't about winning. My husband still remembers when we were dating and I was visiting from Nova Scotia. I think I won 9 Games in a row and he says he could hear me chuckling as I walked down the hall . Too funny.
We have have an SUV. Hope the plants will fit inside. I have been doing some research today ,calling Toronto nurseries. I called Humber Nurseries,Plant World ,Sheridan Nurseries and Verneers in Welland. This is what I found available
Satsuma mandarin,murcott ( honey) mandarin.moro blood orange,tangelo,not sure which,key line,ponderosa lemon,lisbon lemon,
Ponkan clementine,kumquats and the nursery in Welland has a tangerine mandarin tree? 6 ft. $90. Not sure what that is.
So what to buy? I am thinking of Satsuma mandarin,not sure about Murcott,,key lime ponkan clementine ,tangelo or course I can't buy them all. What do you think ? I have to remember I have 7 trees plus my 3 kaffir limes I grew from seed and two bay trees to go in the green house. Is it better to buy bigger or smaller trees. ?
Do you keep you geraniums in there in the winter?
My husband had a pool for many years and said the same thing. Too much work and too little use. Will you keep your old greenhouse if you put the new one where the pool is. Would you have to have the pool removed? That sounds like a big job.
Well Brian,just too more sleeps..I am getting too excited.
Cory, yes Nova Scotia( my birthplace) and New England ) both have rich histories of rug hooking. It is nice to see that the art still exists. I use a rug hook,looks like a crochet hook . I do not use a punch. My strips can be from 1/8 to 1/2 inch depending on which cutter wheel I use on my cutter. I prefer a small,more delicate cut.
The orchid cactus are beautiful. I am sure I can locate some . The ones I gave away are not to people I have contact with. I am resourceful. Thank you for thinking about sending them from the US but you are right that is not possible. Before 9/11 I used to send and receive plants from the US but not anymore. Do you still have your beach house or did it get too damaged?
Mike. Glad you checked in. Looking forward to your update. I know we are a chatty bunch and there us a lot to read.
Warmest thoughts to you all. Maggy

Hello all.....

Well, it's feels like fall again with nights into the 40's about these parts...I keep telling people that if we can not get rid of this POLAR PLUNGE that happens every other day, then watch out for frost and cold by the middle of August or September...This is ridiculous while the west burns...It's all messed up..lol
I am already preparing a place in the porch for early citrus bring in on cold night and I am afarid it's coming a heck of a lot faster than anyone thinks..
This is suppose to be the hottest month of the year, July, right?lol
Are you guys ready for the Polar Plunge Musical indoors outdoors dance?

Mom has bee out of her eliment lately and I think she is slowly getting better..I dyes her hair, she had her nails painted and is lossing weight..I guess that's making her feel better..She thanks you all for your thoughts..

Maggy, mo God!!! What a cactus!! I never saw so many flowers before like that..What's your secret? Wow
Maggy.....I linked you the when I sent it..I thinks it's a 16x24 length? I'll double check on that)
Once cover is completely on, I just slice the sides and bottom to where the vent will rise and that's it. Then every year after that you will know how the cover goes back on again.
The bubbles face down..It is so easy..Trust me..Worth every cent and worth every moment to redo it!
Thank you for offering to help my mom out..Please e-mail me something if you can.

I too use Physan and dish washing soap,,I never thought to use vinegar Cory...Please let us know what you think..I wash mine once in spring and in fall..I keep everything clean of algea...It can get out of control if not kept up after a few months..

The spiders are nothing..I never se them Maggy..lol..If they are there, I forget all about them..You get hardened after a while..

Brian..What's up? What is the size of that cactus???? My goodness!! That yard is amazing..How in the world did you get those tropicals to grow like that in your yard up there..? You kidding? You actually fit those plants in your greenhouse? They look taller than my roof..ha
Prime rib sounds awesome.....Thanks for being so kind.

Cory..Wow..Seems like you and I have about the same, well exactly the same orchids and many other plants..The same routine for our greenhouse and grow them so much alike...Sheesh, wish we lived closer to help each other out..Who knows our plants like us?
I love how you wash your greenhouse out..It can be tiring though..In my forties and I just about pass out after taking everything out, then wash, then put everything back..lol sometimes I find a frog or two in the pond in there.
I can't wait to see your orchids...I should post a few pics here if Maggy doesn't mind..Maggy, what do you think? Would you like to see a few?
How about the plants in my greenhouse?

I definitely need to raise it up more..I am so limited...Thanks to Brian, I am going to do it if I can find the time and help.

Well, everyone, enjoy the heat or should I say cool days while we can before they get even colder..The writing is on the wall..The west is too hot for any high pressuer ridge to move adn while they fry, we will freeze,,,NOT looking forward to that(((

MIke

Hello Maggy . I have lost a many of posts by accidentally hitting a wrong button and it is funny I usually loose the ones that took me a half hour to write , so frustrating . Your head must be spinning right now trying to figure out which varieties your going to purchase . It is very confusing when there is to much to choose from . To bad we don't know the large trees variety. Maggy did you ask them if they had any fruit cocktail trees ? They are citrus trees with about 4 different varieties on them . Satumas are good they don't need alot of heat to sweeten them . My favorite is the minneola or some people call them the honeybell . I love minneolas alot of people are not that fussy about them they think they are to much to tart. I love complex tasting fruit. The leaves are a beautiful waxy green . Some leaves look like grapefruit leaves and some look like orange leaves , kind of cool . You already have a navel which do extremely well in our climate . I had a fruit off my own tree last night and it was out of this world , juicy and delicious . Ponkan is very good . I bought one and it ended up being a lemon I mean a real lemon I guess they put the wrong tag on it. Maggy do you like blood oranges , very different taste and the trees are beautiful . Seedless murcott is a very nice variety very sweet but you already have a Kishu . I would love to run 2 GH but i couldn't afford the electricity with 2 running all the time. Geraniums do extremely well in the GH . They come out in the spring as nice looking as when they went in the fall. I see 2 sleepless nights coming up for you Maggy . Let me know what varieties your leaning towards . Have a great evening .

Brian

Hi Mike, we are also experiencing colder than usual temperatures,especially at night..I might have to bring my trees in the sunroom at night soon. I hear you about the in and out dance.
I didn't grow that cactus.i wish. It is a picture from the internet . I used to grow them and after talking to Cory I am thinking of growing a few again. They are beautiful.
I am glad to hear your mom had some pampering. A new hair dye,pedicure and losing weight are all things that make a lady feel good. I can send along done info. Would she like diet info or something else.? Thanks for the encouragement re the solar cover. My husband is worrying that it will be too difficult but I think we should try it. When you say bubbles face down you mean toward the inside right? Do you cut a hole for the door.
I would love to see pictures of inside the greenhouse and your orchids ,definitely . Unfortunately I have been unable to open the photo bucket ones.
Brian, yes my head us spinning. I have no idea what to buy. I really want a clemenules after hearing about and seeing yours .but can't find one. I might get the ponkan,satsuma murcott,maybe a key lime. I will check out the tangerine mandarin but it is a 6 ft tree. And see exactly what it is . Do you think that it too big ? I have never had a blood orange but the tree sounds interesting. Thanks for the suggestions. I will write them down so I can remember I have never heard of a fruit cocktail tree. Do you have one.
I will be awake tonight thinking about all those trees. I noticed some of the Toronto Nurseries are a bit pricey.
I can understand not wanting to run two greenhouses. The heating would be expensive. I am anxious to get mine ready for winter. I need an outdoor plug ,an extension cord ,a water hose,a fan,and a heater.LOL ! And maybe go back to work! To support my addiction.
Have a great evening you guys. Maggy

Maggy....That's right...UYou thought of the hose for winter which hardly anyone mentions..That is the only real pain in the behind other than having to dig your way through the snow to get to the greenhouse..lol

I have to use it, then I drain it out completely so water does not freeze in it..Once I forgot and had to lug the 50 foot hose into my bath tub to let it melt so I could use it again.lol..Let me tell you, on a sunny frigid day when you spray in there, everything with water, it feels like an oasis in the middle of Siberia..
I have literally pulled my shirt off after making it humid in there and sat for hours reading a book in the middle of winter...It's my getaway when I can't get away to a tropical island..

You would be surprised at how many citrus tree bloom in the middle of winter..You are going to love it.

Yes, the bubble side of the solar cover is directly resting on the the greenhouse while the smooth side is exposed to the air.
I drape the WHOLE thing over the whole greenhouse and don't cut a door way..I wrap it up like a gift..I pull the front all together then bungie cord it closed..When I need to get it, I unhook the bungie cord and lift up the front and get underneath and then let it fall behind me..It really keeps the cold out..Kind of ackward, but you get use to it...

Darn, I wish I had a pic of it during the winter..It's somewhere on this forum...I couldn't find it in my photos...Trust me, it's really easy..IT is going on 3 years with this cover and still as new.

I am sorry I missed that part about the cactus..I saw the pic and assumed it was yours..Jeesh, it's so perfect..I have tried with these for year and nothing like that.

If you are into fragrant orchids, let me know..I can tell you a couple of the most fragrant you will ever smell...My all time favorite!

I hear you about not being able to sleep, thinking about your next purchase..Try ordering a tree in winter and having to be told they can't ship it until the cold weather breaks..What a pain..

Brian, I am really thinking of Clemenules after looking at yours too..They look so happy and easy to grow? Well that is if you know what you are doing.

Maggy, yes, my Mom is resting and I would love some suggested food for her to avaiod and for how long..She is so afraid to eat anything with oil and or fats, and is afraid to eat meats too..She is starving herself and that's not good either...

Hey, does it seel like all of a sudden we lost a lot of daylight? That and besides the hot weather, what a joke..I thought we would be rewarded with a nice hot summer after such a horrible cold winter..I guess the weather forcasters were wrong again..

MIke

Hi Mike, After reading your last post I am all excited again about the greenhouse. It seemed overwhelming to think of winter and all the adjustments . But I can do it.,if others can. Finding a 16x24 solar cover is a bit Challenging in Canada. But I will keep looking. Most of the websites are for the US . But you have convinced me the solar cover is the way to go.
I can picture myself in there in winter. The wife of the guy I bought it from told me she would take a chair. A margarita and a book and sit in there in the winter. Sounds like a nice escape indeed. Especially since this will be the first time in 5 years we are not going to the Caribbean we are going to Portugal for 3 weeks in May instead. Lots of oranges and fresh lemons there.. I have asked this question before but is it o.k. To spray water in there with the electrical heater and fan going?
I was also wondering about spraying fish emulsion on the plants. Can you tell me about that. Do you do it while they are outside ,regularly etc? I would love to know about the fragrant orchids ,yes indeed.
I will send you some diet post op info for your Mom . I will send it to your email instead of the forum.
Speaking of weather we just had a thunderstorm,unpredicted with large hail. The poor citrus trees. The weather is weird .bad winter and no summer. Maybe we should all move South.
Thanks so much Mike.for all the guidance.
I am dreaming about buying new trees .
Take care.Maggy

Maggy hello wishing you a safe and fantastic trip . I been trying to catch up on some sleep before the long weekend . Try to save some room in the van for your husband's trip back home.

Mike whaaatss up . Glad everything is getting back to normal for your Mom . Finally a nice warm day here .

Talk to you guys latter I am at work.

Brian

Hi Mike,thanks for the wishes. We are in Toronto. Staying at a hotel near the airport. Neat watching the planes land and take off. Staying with our kids the rest of the trip. Stopped at a large nursery on the way here. It was a disappointment. Trees were in bad shape,pale ,dry leaves,roots exposed and they wanted $179 for a 3-4 food tree. I hope we have better luck tomorrow .
Have a great relaxing week - end at the cottage. Great week - end to Mike and Cory. Maggy

Hi Maggy it sounds like you are having a great time . I hope you were able to sleep with all those planes taking off and landing . Maggy enjoy your time with your family . Going to the cottage late this afternoon , so much to do here. Still trying to catch up on the sleep I have been so tired lately , I wonder if it is my body trying to go into hibernation because it has been so dark here lately . Maggy don't forget to check out Valleyview gardens on Kennedy road they used to carry alot of citrus give them a call . Happy hunting.

Brian

Hi Brian,Hope you had a great week- end at the cottage . I am sure it was relaxing for you. We enjoyed Toronto. Nice to see my three grandchildren . I found the prices at some of the nurseries very expensive for not great trees. I did find a satsuma mandarin ( large) tree at Plant World and it was pricey but I bought it anyway.
On our way to St. Catharines on Sun we decided to take a detour to avoid the Traffic and got lost. We ended up in Hamilton and there was a Home Depot. Of course I checked it out and what did I find ? A tango mandarin hiding wAy in the back. Nice tree at a good price. It was nice visiting Rick's daughter and family on their vineyard for two days. Today we went to Vermeers in Welland and I got a key lime and a Moro blood orange. Both have lots of fruit. They have beautiful trees , nice selection and very reasonably priced. We are having a thunder storm now so can't take pictures . But my new babies have found a good home. I was worried about my trees as we were gone 5 days. But they look great lots of new growth. So it seems they do quite well without me pampering them. Now I have 11 trees. All the tomato's in the greenhouse are getting ripe. Life is good.
Mike thanks for the email. I am glad the info was helpful for your Mom. Hope all is well. Cory,how are you doing? I didn't get a chance to look for orchid cactus this trip. Looking forward to hearing everyone's news.
Have a great evening. Maggy

Maggy nice to hear that you had a fantastic visit with the grand children . Wow I am so excited for you . What a catch a tango you will love that tree
. Tango grows rapidly and produces like crazy and not to mention they are beautiful trees . Glad to hear you bought a Moro another beautiful tree , did you say it has fruit on it ? This is my second summer with my Moro growing very large but still no flowers :-( . You can't go wrong with the Satsuma , the fruit taste great and you do not need intense heat to sweeten them . You are going to be very excited when you bite into one of your own for the first time . Key limes = great margaretas good choice . You must be exhausted from all of the excitement you will sleep well tonight .There's no better place then home . I am glad your plants made out well without you , we have had so much rain you picked the perfect time to go on your trip you sure didn't need to worry about if they had enough water .I am so looking forward to see your new babies. Here is a picture of my Kishu it's well on its way of becoming a tree . Have a great night Maggy.

Mike and Cory how is everything . Few more weeks left of summer and if that wasn't bad enough the weather guys are now thinking what we already kind of knew that this winter is going to be equally as bad as last winter let's hope that changes . Have a great night guys.

Brian Wow! You Kishu looks fantastic. Mine is growing but not near as much as yours. The Tango was quite a find at Home Depot. The cheapest of all the trees and I think it might be my favourite. It has a few curled dry leaved and needs some TLC but a transplant into 5-1-1 ,some dyna grow and sunshine should fix it. ( should I keep it in the shade and gradually put it in the sun. ?)It was in a greenhouse.
The Satsuma is too heavy for me to lift. No blooms ,no fruit and although the biggest and most expensive it needs to be cared for more than the others. The key lime says Key Lime ( limequat) on the tag so am not sure if it is a key lime. It is full of fruit. I have a limequat and it looks different. The moro is a nice tree with lots of big fruit. I am pretty happy with them all.
You are right Brian,it is nice to go away but I love to come home and sleep in my own bed.
My husband was so good about taking me to out of the way nurseries and tree shopping. He never once complained so I am so blessed to have such a patient spouse.
My dog had to go to the vet while we were gone. He had a tick on his neck. Of course he is being a big baby and wanting extra attention. You would think he had major surgery.
I will take pictures tomorrow of the new babies.I think sometimes I like my trees better than some people.
Have a great night. It is so nice to be able to share my new finds and excitement here. Maggy

Wow Maggy,

You really did have a shopping spree! You are lucky the Canadian HDs carry citrus trees. None of the stores near me ever have any. The Lowes by me never have citrus trees either. I have bought most of mine from 4 Winds Nursery in California, Logees in CT, and Harris Citrus in Florida. Last year a local nursery carried a few of the more common trees, but not any this year. I have an Owari satsuma that I like the shape and look of a lot. It is one of my favorite trees and it fruits easily. Tango is a good grower too. I have both a Tango and its more seedy twin W. Murcott Afourer. I also have a key lime that my sister and nephew grew from seed for me. It bloomed for the first time this year with one flower. No fruit set though. It is about 3 years old now. It has a lot a of thorns which I try to keep clipped off so I don't get scratched and stabbed as much. There is a thornless variety now that I hope you got. I only have a few baby Moros that I grew from seeds this year. I do like Blood oranges and have 2 Taroccos, a Smith Red, a Sanguinelli Blood, a Vaniglia Sanguigno and a Valentine Pumelo which has Ruby Blood as a parent. I also have the lycopene types of Cara Cara and another one that I can't think of the name at the moment.
You have really increased your collection, and you now have a nice variety. Brian, my seedless kishu is about 4 years old and is still very tiny. It is very slow growing, but it is a very pretty tree. Yours looks very good and is pushing out all that new growth. Mike, I am having trouble with my variegated pink lemon tree also. It got chilled in the early spring when I tried to put it outside too early. It really hasn't recovered much after dropping many of its leaves and it also suffered twig dieback. It had grown so well throughout the winter too. It is forcing flowers and fruit this summer instead of leaves and that is not a good sign. I hoped it would recover more this summer. I am thinking that maybe I should move it to a slightly shadier spot for a while. Maybe its roots are heating up too much from its black plastic pot this summer. It is a 4 year old tree. Steve, I have a Fukushu kumquat that grows and fruits very well. This year I started some seeds from its fruits. They are small but doing well this summer. I had a beautiful 4 year old Meiwa kumquat that was doing very well and was loaded with fruit. When I brought it into the greenhouse last fall it suddenly died and I couldn't figure out why. All my other trees did well. I hoped it might come back but it never did. It was a very pretty tree and its leaves looked slightly variegated. Its fruit were slightly sweeter than my Fukushu and much smaller. Maggy, I am glad you had a nice vacation and were able to find some nice trees. Brian, you are fortunate to have a cottage to get away to for the weekend. I miss my beach house. I am not used to being away from the ocean and beach during the summer. I lived at the beach summers my whole life and lived there 10 months of the year for the past several years before the storm. It is nice to have a place to get away from it all.

Cory

Hi Cory,nice to hear from you again. You have a nice variety of trees. How many citrus do you have ? I just love my trees. I really like the look of the tango and the moro blood orange. They have nice thick trunks and are very small . We don't get many trees at Home Depot in Windsor so I have to go 150-200 mikes away. Luckily we have family in Toronto so it gives an excuse to shop. I am happy with the selection I got. If I count the three kaffir limes I grew from seed I have 14 trees. My greenhouse will not hold too many more. I really would like to have a Clemenules but am unable to find one. My key lime has lots of thorns unfortunately.
Cory I am so sad that you lost your beach house. I can understand your wanting to be near the sea. I grew up in Nova Scotia and I really miss the ocean.
I am not sure if my new trees need to be in the shade but they seem happy in the sun today.
Brian here is my Kishu. I think it is not growing as much as yours. But I do like it. I can only post one picture here so will post the new trees separately.
It is very nice here today. How is Ottawa?. I really hope our winter is not like last year. I still have to do a lot before winter. Get a plug installed,get a heater and fan ,extension cord and a hose . Oh yes and a pool cover.
I am going to post my new trees. Want to show them off.Maggy

Here is the moro blood orange.

The key lime. It has lots of fruit although you can't see them in the picture.

The satsuma . It is very heavy.

Last and my favourite. The tango I found at Home Depot

Hello guys and gal..Or should I say girls and guy? Or should I say friends?)

I'm ok..It's been tough to actually sit down and spend some time here other than a post or two...How have you been?

I see you Maggy and Brian have beeen busy..And YES, it's good to see you again Cory))

Now that's a cutie Maggy, that plant just above this post..I love it>.....By the way, thanks again for all your help..It's a Kitshu....Awesome!
You do know that in containers and in our cliamte, they can take forever to grow any size...God..
Maybe we should start another thread that specifically deals with the slowest growing trees verses the fastest..lol
I'm happy for you.
B

Brian..So sorry you lost that place too(((..That stinks..Now you have to find another great spot to enjoy water...You will miss that place for sure..
Good to see you enjoying your summer too..Imagine that..Winter is already almost here..I can feel the fall already and the trees are changing a month early..Good luck to us..Hopefully you have all your spots ready to protect your trees, because we will have to on a dimes notice with this crazy weather..Nice plants by the way..Thanks for the pic..

Cory, don't you just hate that when a tree just decides to croak for no reason? I lost my favorite gardenia the same way..It had the best spot in the greenhouse, heat and was well cared for, but it still died of root rot..
Sometimes root damage can be done weeks before they ever die and we never know it until it all of a sudden declines...Hate that..
I can't believe you have that many trees...They all sound so beautiful...

Well, everyone, I have to get back to work but was thinking of you all...Yes my mom is much better and is loosing weight..She is really excited about that..I just have to motivate her to get out and walk..

Mike)

Hello Mike. Good to hear from you. I haven't had a chance yet to answer your email. So glad your Mom is doing better. Surgery or any illness can be a traumatizing event. The body and mind need time to recover .
I love my new trees and yes that little Kishu is cute. I think I really like the small trees that I can pamper and fuss over. Actually I love them all. I was fortunate on my shopping trip to Toronto but found the best trees in smaller towns.
I do not looking forward to winter. I am looking into getting a solar cover and am going to take your advise . I will probably have lots of questions .I read somewhere that you spray your plants with fish emulsion. Do you do that when they are outside? How often? I didn't see any pests but they can certainly attack the plants.
Glad everything is o.k. With you Mike. We have missed you here. Maggy

Hey Maggy..Iv'e missed you all too)

My Mom said to specifically send you a hug..She wished she could take you out to eat..I said maybe someday)

Do you own a hose end spray such as those used to feed your plants with fertilizer...? I think MG sells them..
Just fill it up half way with FE, preferably Nepunes Harvest and about 1/4 cup of Ivory soap or some form of natural soap..You don't really need the soap but it helps quite a bit. FE is fine just alone too..

Screw the spray bottle onto your hose and spray away!
Until you see the water look a bit clearer in it and you will be amazed at how many pests you avoid...I do this once every two weeks and never bring in a sucking pest unless I missed a tree or two like last year..
In fact, I missed a few of my citrus, don't know how and I ended up with severe scale, but thank god no spider mites!

Also too...Another precaution...Please don't feed fertilize once you bring them in for winter if you want to avoid spider mites...Just a tip)
But feed heavily during the growing season, and I mean heavily...

Have a fun day Maggy..We will chat soon again...

MIke

Hi Mike. Tell your Mom thank you for her kind thoughts. And a hug to her.
Thank you for the info re the FE . I actually have Neptune's Harvest. I can buy the hose end spray. Do you not fertilize at all in Winter? I know you are working so I will be brief.
Have a great day. Maggy

God no..NO fertilizing for me..If I do it's a very weak does if I have lot's of light and the plants are going to still be active..

I have found that when I did with not the optimal conditions, new spindly growth forms which is a sweet treat for mites...So I encourage my trees to do hardly anything at all and it has worked wonders!

))

MIke

Maggy how awesome is that ( BEAUTIFUL ) wow your Moro and Tango are huge , and fruit on your Moro to boot , so jealous .. What until everything goes into bloom at the end of winter . All your new trees look really healthy. Your Satsuma is a real beauty and your lime is really nice and I can see all the fruit on it . I am so happy for you . All day Monday and Tuesday I kept checking the forum to see if you had posted pictures of your new babies , well worth the wait . All those trees means lots of back rubs for your husband especially when bringing them in for the winter. Maggy I wouldn't worry about fertilizing in the late fall and winter they kind of go dormant. In March you can start giving them a little fertilizer or when ever they start growing again or flowering . I would say in September start to slow down on the fertilizing . I know what you mean by liking your plants more than people I feel the same way . Has the pooch forgiven you yet , a nice steak and a walk will fix that problem. Did you try Valleyview nursery they used to have two full Greenhouse's full of citrus or I think it was Valleyview not 100% on that it's been along time since I was there . So how expensive were the Nurseries in Toronto ? So it begins Maggy you are now an official obsessed citrus collector WELCOME. You have yourself a fantastic night and thanks for the pictures I was probably just as excited as you were .

Mike I think Maggy and I are going to move down south we hate winter I think Boston is far enough south to get away from the snow right lol. How are your Frogs doing have they had their litter of baby frogs yet . Are you going to lift the GH , I wish I was there to give you a hand , it is very easy though you shouldn't have a problem . It's funny how we all live so far apart that's to bad .take care my friend.

Cory that's to funny you mentioned that you lost your kumquat so fast so did I . I had a centennial and it was so healthy and vibrant , beginning of February it was gorgeous in the middle of febuary totally dead no leaves and the branches were totally brown . Here is a picture of it before it went into the GH for the winter , so sad .Yes Cory the cottage is a nice get away but my plants are a better get away . This is how I really relax with my plants sounds corny but true . It sounds like you have quite the amount of trees . I would love to see a few pictures . Always nice to hear from you Cory have a great night.

Brian

Hi Brian, I couldn't wait for you to see my trees. I am glad you like them. The moro has 7 fairly large oranges. So awesome. The tango has some dried leaves but I think it was under watered. I do find a lot of the time I like to be with my trees as it is so relaxing . I know you understand what I mean.
I saw trees at one nursery that were $189 .and they were not that nice. I paid $139 for my satsuma but I think it was worth it..The tango was $ 39 which is good for the tree that size..the moro was $90 and the Key lime was maybe $40. I did really like Vermeers in Welland near St. Catharine's . A beautiful nursery and a great selection.They were actually closed on Tue for inventory but they let me come and look at the citrus trees. Very,very nice people. I highly recommend them. I think you are as excited about the trees as I am. Your Kishu is awesome. Mine is not growing as much as your's
Yes my husband was great. He is so good natured and although I don't think he understands my citrus addiction,he likes to see me enjoying them. He was very happy tonight when I brought him a handful of cherry tomato's from the greenhouse for a snack. It is so nice having the greenhouse. Now I am obsessed about getting a clemenules. Where did you get yours?. The tree you lost was beautiful. That would be heartbreaking.
I hope mine survive the winter .I am so grateful for the advise from you and Mike about overwintering.
Mike we are moving to your house with all our plants and will build a huge greenhouse for them all. It will be citrus heaven.
Cory ,yes I would also like to see pictures of your trees.
Take care my friends. Have a great night. Maggy

Hi Maggy I was just as excited .I bought my clemenules at Richmond nursery a few years ago . Your satsuma is very nice when that thing decides to produce oh boy your going to get a lot of fruit , how tall is it ?You really know how to pick nice trees . I am so jealous that your going to try fresh right of the tree Moro oranges before I do , what a gorgeous tree . Your tango you will see will grow very fast and it will also give you lots of fruit and you can't beat the price you paid for it , mine is coated in fruit right now . I am amazed that home depot and lowe's don't carry citrus in the northern states . Home depot carries amazing citrus here and at a great price , I bought 4 trees last year at $34.95 each. I am looking forward to next May and visiting every home depot around here , it's almost as exciting as waiting for boxing day sales. Oh Maggy if only I knew that you wanted a clemenules , in May the home depot near me had a couple of them I had them in my hands . I did find this year there was not as many interesting varieties as last year , there were lots of lemons and limes this year . The most money I paid for any of my citrus was $150 for my page about 4 years ago they wanted $ 250 but I was able to talk the owner down very nice lady . Your Kishu looks great Maggy , mine is going through a major flush right now must be all the spinach I am feeding it . I did not know kishu's grow very slowly . I am sure your new trees will do fine in the sun .Well Maggy have a great day with your babies tomorrow . They are saying a very sunny stretch is on its way YA HOOO .

Brian

wait!!!

Maggy..I never saw the rest of your trees like this!! They are absolutely beautiful Maggy! Unbelievable...

I love how GREEN they are and so healthy..They look just like mines...

Please, remind me..I am so dumb founded tonight, can't think, tired and have such a headache..
What kind of soil are they in? Is it comprised of repti-bark? It looks like it...
I forget..I am so sorry..The 5.1.1 mix?
What are you feeding them? Did we ever talk about this before?
Boy oh boy, I think I am loosing it...

I am so proud of you doing such a great job...You too Brian..

Cory, I also saw that you mentioned the variegated one..I know, right? What a pain these ones are..I threw my last one out..

Good night all)

Maggy,

Your new trees are beautiful! You will have fun with them. I love watching them go through their growth and flowering cycles and watching the little fruits get bigger. I check on them throughout the day each time I pass by them. I couldn't find information on this site how to post pictures. I think people say they download pictures to a picture site and post from there. Not sure how to do that. So far I just keep my pictures on my phone and I don't think I can post them directly? I don't have much time right now to figure it out. Thanks for posting yours. I was anxiously waiting to see them. They are very nice!

Cory

Hi there. Brian, The Satsuma tree is the biggest. It is exactly my height which is 5ft 2 in. It was a bit taller but some of the top branches got broken taking it in and out of the SUV .We took it out in Toronto and St. Catherine's as it was too hot in the van. I saw a 6ft one at Vermeers . It was beautiful but too big to transport. Mine does not have any blossoms or fruit . The moro has 7 good size oranges. It is a sweet little tree and so is the tango. I am happy with my selection and I am thinking the Clemenules would complete my collection. Home Depot here only has lemons and limes in Windsor . It is like your Kishu. All of a sudden it showed up at Sage Garden's .Of course I won't stop until I find one. Brian ,I can't help going outside to look at them all morning. I will need to repot them soon. Maybe on the week- end.
I can hardly wait to see them blooming in the greenhouse. It is very exciting.
I didn't see a lot of other varieties in my travels. I saw a Valencia orange, ponderosa lemon,Sherwin nursery had a Murcott which was being saved for me but the clerk accidentally sold it before I could get it. I now have two lemons,two,limes and a limequat,three mandarins , a kaffir lime ,two oranges so a clementine would complete my collection. Is there something you still want or is your collection complete? Can you ever have enough citrus LOL !
Mike, yes my new trees look quite healthy.. I have some of my trees in 5-1-1 ,yes I am using 5 parts repti-bark ,1 part peat moss,1 part perlite and 1 tbsp dolomite. I can't find any slow release fertilizer so I left it out ? I just made a huge batch of 5-1-1 this morning. I feed them Dyna Gro foliage pro 1 tsp./ gallon of water with 1 cap of vinegar once weekly. On Friday. They love it. I give my Meyer lemon a bit more. All this I learned from reading your posts on Garden web. I love the soil and the Dyna Gro is awesome. When you spray with Fish Emulsion is it better to do it in the morning or evening.? I did notice some baby ants on my Meyer lemon today. I don't want aphids. So have to get rid of them. Have you ever used neem oil. I have some just on case .
Thank you for you nice comments and encouragement . I appreciate that.
My husband is checking with some business acquaintances in the pool business about getting a solar cover. If you ever find your picture of yours with the cover on it would be helpful.
Cory, thanks . I am lucky I found some nice trees. I think it was by chance that we got lost and ended up in front of Home Depot in Hamilton and there was my Tango tree hidden behind some oranges and lemons.
I take pictures with my iPad and just load them from "my pictures." Can only post one at a time.I tried the photo site and it didn't work for me. I was unable to view anyone else's pictures so I cancelled it. You could transfer your photo's from your iPhone to your computer and then post them from your pictures. Garden web asks if you want to use existing photo and then you can open your pictures and pick what you want to select. It is very easy. You can also do it the same way from your iPhone if you are using it to access the citrus forum. Just click on " choose file" .how are your epi's doing? I didn't have time to look for any this trip but will next time I go to Toronto.
Have to go look at my trees again. Maggy

Mike. A quick question re Dyna Gro and 5-1-1 . Do I water first and then apply the Dyna Gro solution? Or just water with the Dyna Gro? Thanks. Maggy.

Hi Maggy what a beautiful day here today would have been a great day to work in the garden . I don't know about you Maggy but I Love to just walk around all my plants and check them out for any kind of a change whether it is new growth or flowers starting to pop out . My holiday is soon so I will get lots of that in . You been busy making up new potting soil , are they repotted now ? I guess if I had to choose another tree it would probably be a gold nugget or a sumo mandarin . I am very interested in these two varieties . Interested but no room. That's to bad about you not finding a clemenules . There was a couple of HD in this area that had them . A couple of years ago when HD started to carry citrus they kind of sat there for a few weeks with not alot of interest , this year a couple of weeks and they were pretty well gone . I guess this citrus thing is catching on . Next year start checking HD garden center in the beginning of May so you don't miss the good varieties . Lots of watering to do tonight my trees must be bone dry with all the sun and wind. Enjoy your evening looking at your new babies , they sure are cute .

Brian

Maggy.. anytiime)

The preferred method is water first then go around and apply your water solution during summer..Summer is easy because you can let any amount of water just drain right out..O the benefits of having the outdoors..!

Inside, I just water with fertilizer as usual until it starts to seep out and that's it....You will not collect salt deposits in our well draing porous mixes...How nice is that?)

And ahhh, I had a feeling you were growing yours like I do! O LOVE the coloring of your trees..Just drop the vinegar for a few months and see what happens..lol YOu won't like it.. Your trees as well as Cory and Brian are amazing!

When I use FE, I spray early in the a.m because that's the only time I have..I oils in there is not enough to damage at all....

Brian...Thunderstorms all day..The air aloft is only in the 30'S already causing massive storms combined with the heat rising from the ground..Strange weather indeed..

God, you guys are SO lucky to have HD carry citrus..Never here..

Hi Brian, it is a beautiful day here too. It was 98 degrees in the greenhouse. Tomato's love it. I too check my trees. My Persian lime dropped all of the fruit except 1 but it has lots of new growth. The Meyer lemon has about 20 baby lemons . The key lime has over 50 fruit at varying stages. The variegated lemon has done nothing,the limequat has not shown any growth either. The Washington navel is putting out new shoots and has one good size orange. It had two but something took the other one.The moro has 7 good size oranges. I haven't repotted any yet. The lime lemon and orange also are still in their original soil. But it never seems to dry out so I need to get them repotted first. I will do them on the week- end when my husband can help me as they are too heavy for me to move.
There are two Home Depots here but they get citrus trees only around July. I have asked a nursery in Toronto to let me know if they get a Clemenules. I will find one somewhere.I didn't see a gold nugget or sumo in my travels . But if I do I will let you know.
Tonight is a good night to sit outside,have a drink and a BBQ.
When is your next vacation Brian.? Bet you can't wait.
Thanks Mike for the info. Sounds like your weather is not good. We are forecast for sunshine for the the next few days at least.Do you keep your trees in the greenhouse or the house during the winter? Or both?
Take care.Maggy

Maggy. Do you realize that I have not eaten at any barbecue at any time all summer? It's been all about caring for mom and being tired..I have not even sat outside at night and relaxed by my pond and I realize that fall is coming fast..

It sems that I have had no very warm summer nights to enjoy..It's almost been like sweater weather at night which spoils the fun or aweful mosquitos!

I hope I get a chance before it's too late..I had to get rid of my swing seat and cover for two because it broke and could not find a replacement..Now I only have a table and two chairs and it's just not the same..I can't find a new one((

I Mom says she missed the swing set too of she would sit out there..I really need to find another...

The weather has been ok, just not summer heat like..Many people like it like this..Humid a day or two and then back to fall like for a few.Early Septmeber weather all of July and now into August...

I only keep one large citrus in my greenhouse..It's a planted in the ground Lemon Meyer...It loves it.
Then I keep a couple of small cuttings in there and one Cara...The rest are all kept in a close off sunny room with no heat all winter in sunny south facing windows..
Not fed at all..I keep the fans going 24 hours a day and they seem to be fine..No BUGS thank God.

I keep mostly my Orchids in there, some fern, unusual Tropicals, even a candle stick gardenia very rare, a few warm loving Hoya's and my Fikishu....Oh yea, all my CC and TC cactus on the floors under the trees..If you would like me to take photos and post here, I will finally have time to take pics!

Hope you have a wonderful summery night and stay safe..Keep them citrus rolling)

Pray for a few thunderstorms for nitrogen..
MIke

This post was edited by meyermike_1micha on Thu, Aug 7, 14 at 19:09

Hi Maggy it is a wonderful evening although the wind is starting to get a little cool . No drinks tonight I am being a good boy for a change . Maggy all my trees are putting out a major flush right now and even flowers . My backyard is going to smell really nice in a couple of weeks . Then the dreaded trim so all the new growth and flowers are pretty well for nothing except for the scent . I am on holidays starting the 14th and I just hope it doesn't snow as Mike said it is a bit September like . Maggy are you putting in a raised floor in the GH I highly recommend it if your backyard fills with water after the snow melt . Okay enough about snow , hot weekend coming up sounds like a good weekend to go to the drive-in, I love that . Maggy you will see you will get a lot more fruit next year because your trees are going to get a big head start in the GH. Something to look forward to . Have a great night Maggy

Mike I think you and I should have been a meteorologist ,that's another Hobby of mine , I love to watch the weather . I love to go to the weather office online and watch the radar , I can watch the radar for hours . Mike I have seen these cold aloft thunderstorms produce a lot of hail . I am always worried when it is relatively cool outside and we get a thunderstorm , we always get hail and sometimes enough to make the ground go white . Mike you have to buy a hammock chair we have one they are fantastic very relaxing guaranted you will fall to sleep in 10 minutes . Have a great night buddy .

Brian

Mike, you need to take care of yourself my friend. Being a care giver can be very difficult. Perhaps now that your Mom is feeling better you you will be able to enjoy a little relaxation. Too bad you are are far away. I would bring you some home cooked meals. I send food to my neighbour across the street. He is alone but mows our grass and clears our snow. The least I can do.It sounds like your weather is not co- operating . This is indeed the coolest summer we have had in 22 years. Let's hope the winter will not be severe. I would love to see pictures of your cacti,,orchids etc. I used to have hoya's I loved them. That would be awesome to see what you are growing. I would really like that. Take care Mike.
Brian. Oh! It would be so difficult to cut off the flowers and new growth. I imagine I will have to do that soon. Probably next year. I think getting my trees through the first winter in the greenhouse will be difficult. Once I have some experience I am sure I won't worry about the trees so much. We took a lime off the tree and had it in a drink. My goodness it was so good.my husband liked it in his gin and tonic.
Do you have drive in'? It brings back memories of the good old days.
By the way. I also love to watch the weather and like you I love watching the radar on line. Perhaps it is a thing that citrus lovers do. Wonder if Cory does it as well. Perhaps my weather watching comes from growing up in a lighthouse on a small island in Nova Scotia.
I have a raised insulated floor in my greenhouse so I think I will be o.k. With the melting snow.
Hope you are having a nice evening. We still don't have our basement finished so can't use the family room. I think I I will go to bed and read. Take care. Maggy

Yes, I am a weather watcher too. I think it is because I also grew up at the beach where you are so much more aware of the weather. Now I am always checking the forecast because of my plants. I notice many of my trees are trying to put out growth from the rootstock lately. I have to check everyday as new shoots keep popping out. They are in a growth stage right now. All trees had fruit earlier, but most has fallen off as the trees are still small. I have tried posting a picture of one of my cattleyas to see if I can figure out how to post pictures. I hope it works.

Cory

My picture posting seems to have worked. Here is another one which Mike will like as it is very fragrant -- Lc. Remula. Thanks Maggy for the instructions. I'll send some citrus pictures next.

Cory

And here is a picture inside the greenhouse before I took all the plants outside for the summer. You can just make out a couple of small citrus trees in the background and an avocado in the foreground. I use every level in the greenhouse with the high light cattleyas, vandas, and dendrobiums in the top and the lower light paphs and phals in the bottom. I also have a room in my basement where I winter all my tropicals and anything that doesn't fit in the greenhouse under T5 florescent light fixtures. The room is as large as my greenhouse and just as full.

Cory

Cory!!! What the heck? I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! And I thought I had a lot of orchids...Sheesh..YOu top me..You got to know how much I appreciate you posted that fragrant one and the purple one is beautiful..

Where in the world did you get that LC Remula? You knew that was coming next..lol
Seriously, I think I have been enabled to get another one..
You know, I never thought to put my orchids outside...I always keep them inside..I was afraid to..Do you find they respond well to being outside?
The roots looks so healthy..Do you use rain water or tap?
I am always afraid of the salts from tap water melting eating away at the nice aerial green roots..
Thanks a bunch for sharing...
If you have a most fragrant one in mind, one that whaffs through the air, plea share it's name)))
Beautiful..

I to watch the radar everyday...I in particular look for the lows at night and the thunderstorm blobs..I always hope they hit my area direct, but they almost always go around...80% of our state was hit with severe storm yesterday and all I got was q quick downpour.
They say it was the coldest airmass just 7000 feet above us ever recorded I am not too pleased about that..It is what it is I guess..No way of escaping the cold this year again and this early..It felt like fall today again..It get colder as each day passes by and it is suppose to be the hottest month of the year.

Maggy..You are right..Will do..Today is my day to do what ever I want, staring with plucking weeds, then painting the kitchen, then typing here, the shower, then trimming baclk plants, then repotting, the a work out at the gym, then a walk in the cemetery, then taking my mother to the movies, then cook then ???
lol

You grew up in a beautiful place I'll bet..Boy, what ever happened to those younger years and all the fun//? It's depressing to think of it..
When I went for a walk into the cemetery yesterday, I was so saddened by all the faces engraved on all the new tombstones..Something new they do now...Most of all the ones I saw were people in the their teens and 20's..It was horrible. I left!

Brian,A hammock??? Hum...I just ordered a rod iron swing set yesterday...It's beautiful...The only thing lacking is the hammock...Nice idea pal..
I LOVE watching the weather..But let me tell you, it sure makes you aware of how fast the season is going by!
You know what else? I keep watching how the sun reaches the summer equinox, then how fast it goes..How fast the days shorten, especially the month and then I watch how they get longer about March...I can't wait for the winter solstice to the sun returns..lol.We are so in tune with nature for sure..

Mike)

We will be taking a break from our sponcered program "AS THE TANGERINE TURNS" just after our message.

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Meanwhile stay tuned to your

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Same tangelo time

Steve

Ps enjoyed your wrighting

Good morning, Cory, WOW! Beautiful. WOW! Stunning. I am so happy you shared your pictures. I have only grown the occasional orchid which I am afraid did not survive. You have a real passion and talent for them ,as is evident from the pictures. It must bring you so much joy. You sure make good use of your greenhouse and to think you have a room in your basement as well. I have my sunroom if I can't get everything in the greenhouse.
I just knew you would be a weather watcher as well as the rest of us. Growing up by the sea ,it is in your nature. I see you are a night owl as well. I used to be ,as that was my quiet time after working 12 hr shifts. Not so much anymore. Thanks so much for sharing. You did a great job with your pictures.
Mike. Glad you got a day off. Sounds like it is a full day but doing what you want. I learned the hard way how important it is to take care of yourself. I went to work in the Canadian Arctic for what I intended to be a year but stayed 8 1/2 yrs. got really burned out .Then I worked 10 yrs as a psychiatric assessment nurse in a busy ER .but learned if you don't take care of yourself you can't take care of anyone else. Life goes by very fast and I have such an appreciation for each day now. Balance I guess is the answer. Sometimes we can give ourselves away as it is our nature to be caring and nurturing. The citrus are a therapy, they bring a balance with nature and fulfil all the senses in a serene and satisfying way. Sorry for the little rant. I can tell you are very sensitive ,which is what makes you such a fantastic person.
I did my watering and feeding routine this morning. The trees will thank me. I am going to get a spray container for my hose so I can do the fish emulsion.
I have to go grocery shopping,do laundry but am delaying it in favour of my beloved trees.
Brian, are you going to the cottage this week- end? We are having nice sunny days here .no humidity which is nice.
Have a great day my friends. So glad to have met you here.
Steve. What can I say. You are funny. Maggy

This post was edited by maggyby on Fri, Aug 8, 14 at 10:14

Maggy happy Friday . What a day to be outside in the garden . It is so hot in the backyard . The actual temperature is 80 in or backyard it really is in the low 90 . Our backyard is fenced all around and we have sun from sunrise to sunset . Your going to have quit the tan after this weekend , solid sunshine all weekend. Maggy I wish I had a camera with time lapse my kishu is growing like crazy , it will be a nice size when I bring it in this fall . We are staying home this weekend , I really feel like going to the drive - in Saturday night . We have a drive- in right across the river in Gatineau QC . It is a very short drive . I think I will end up watering my trees all weekend with all this sunshine . I soaked all my trees last night and they are already dry . Maggy relaxing night planned tonight , chicken wings and of course a few beverages . I hope you have a nice relaxing weekend Maggy.

Mike and Cory I hope your getting some of this great weather . Mike you would love that chair , it makes you relax . Mike I understand about not having time to relax this gardening thing takes alot of time not to mention cutting the lawn staining the deck and fence it just seems sometimes summer is alot of work . In a couple of weeks I will be looking forward to winter and looking forward to just do nothing and going down to my basement and watch movies . Cory your flowers are beautiful love it . I have one 5 years old and has only flowered once I guess I am not very good with flowers . You will have to teach me how to grow them , for sure I am doing something wrong. You guys have a great weekend and try to get a little down time .

Brian

Happy Friday Brian, We are hanging out in the back yard. Having ribs tonight and a few beverages. Nice to relax . We were away for 5 days last week so staying home this week- end.
I can't believe how your Kishu is growing so much. Mine is just growing ever so slow I think it takes time to establish in the 5-1-1 . I noticed Patty used an amended version that doesn't drain quite so fast. I wonder if Mike does as well. I know you have success with Miracle grow. I suppose it is a matter of finding what works. Tomorrow I plan to repot some of my trees. The ones in the greenhouse soil never dry out Although they are growing new leaves I am afraid of root rot. I would hate to lose them.
We are having beautiful weather. Nice and sunny and expected to continue until Wed.
Have fun at the drive- in tomorrow night. It sounds like fun.
Mike,Cory hope you both have a great weather and a great week- end as well. Take care. Maggy

Mike and all,

Orchids out doors.

Cory, you sure have a lot of orchids. Very nice. Thanks for sharing your picture.
Maggy

More orchids outside.

Cory

They are beautiful. They look so healthy. Nice pictures. Really enjoy seeing them. Wish I knew how to grow them. Maggy

And more orchids.....

And more.......