Hey Jerry...Long Time No Talk...Hope you're well.
Did you find a Lowes in Chicago or the burbs? The nearest Lowes is a 45 min drive..when traffic is light. lol

I don't have Limequat, but I do have two Kumquats. One came from Briteleaf, the other from a nursery in NO's..the latter is a young seedling..The 'quat from Briteleaf is grown as those at Lowes..Staked toperies.

I would say Limequats and Kumquats are cared for simularly, the same as limes, lemons, etc.
Kumquats are hardly ever without fruit..don't know about Limequats though.

I don't know of a prepared gritty soil...I use Cactus/Palm/Citrus Soil, Peat, Perlite and black soil. I sometimes toss in bark or pebbles. And coarse sand. Truly coarse sand is gritty..the problem is finding this sand. Home Depot used to sell gritty sand...Builder's Sand..Like everything else, the manufacturers got cheap..Builder's Sand is now more like beach sand..beach sand is a no-no.

This combo requires mixing, but worth it. Especially in our part of the globe, and in pots. Toni

Toni, nice to hear from you. I lost your personal email address when I got a new computer last winter. My new email address is jdungan46@live.com. Send me a short email so I can add your address to my list of friends.

Fortunately, I am just two miles from the Lowe's on Rte. 59 in Aurora. I got lucky when I found a limequat there as you never know what they have in stock, particularly lucky to find any citrus plants at all. I have just had the limequat for 5 days now, but it seems to have adapted to life on my balcony along with the other plants I have out there. It is the first time that I have bought a citrus plant on a tall standard..."staked topiary" as you describe it above, and am excited to see how well this one will do... especially since my dog Shannon will not be able to reach the fruit... I agree with you that finding gritty sand to add to citrus potting soil around here is very difficult. The pet stores seems to carry only fine beach sand; not sure where else to look for gritty sand unless I could find someone with a sand box and ask if I could take a bucket of sand...

Funny you should mention Briteleaf nursery in your email. I have always wanted to order from them, ever since you told me about them years ago. But that darn citrus plant shipping ban remainns in place. I sent an email to the owner of Briteleaf last winter (can't remember her name at the moment) and she told me that the ban was going to be lifted sometime in the spring for shipping citrus in the US anywhere east of the Mississippi River. But that hasn't happened. I can only imagine how frustrated you must be.

Anyway, Toni, if you read this, please send me a short personal email. Thanks.

Jerry

Howdy Andrew.

I'll send an email..funny, I usually ask ppl to write first, then add to my address book..lol.
Guess it's time to figure out something most 3rd graders do these days..lol.

Shannon's munching on fruits? Oh Oh..Got to be careful. Sago is toxic, so if yours is where she can get it, you best relocate.
Citrus are harmless, but thorns aren't good.

Anna is the owner of Briteleaf. I haven't talked to her in months..
Bet the government said the ban would end by now. Just awful!
It would be nice to, at the minimum, have the choice to order. Man goes to the moon, but can't find a cure for the common cold, or Canker..:(

There aren't any Lowes around..The closest is SW, a 45+ min drive. Went there once and wasn't impressed..Perhaps this store was a fluke, regarding plants..Their plants were off to the left of the store, in a little corner. There's wasn't any room for large plants. Walked out empty-handed..lol..Oh well, I'm going to write and leave addy.
I need to go shopping, but now we have severe storms coming..what to do???? Toni