Not always. Some time it approach grafts, sometimes the trunk gets strangled.

I agree that any reputable nursery would reject rootstocks like the ones you and I have pictured above. Leave those to Ebay sellers and non citrus nursery's trying to ride the citrus movement. I will find out in time how mine will do. I believe in my case there will be no problem over time. She is growing really well in every way in color leaf size and trunk size.

Hi Pip

How is your approach graft doing. Please keep us posted. My lemonade tree is adapted to full sun and on my rooftop where she gets 11 hours of direct sun. I will be fertilizing her for the first time today. It has one shoot that started.

That's good. But I don't know about the graft it's still wrapped in parafilm. I don't really plan on unwrapping it. I've decided to just leave it until Christmas and cut the old stock off then. It's rare for a graft like this to fail due to the original plant already being established and the new part already having the roots it needs. It just needs plenty of time to make a strong enough graft for the new stock to be able to fully support the top. The advantage over just budding is that the top will keep growing while I wait.

The crappy part is I realized that I grafted a Sanguinelli to it. I thought that was the other one.

pip13, and others:

I agree that the loop of the pivot root will be a major problem in the following years and could even lead to tree death.

Seeds of Poncirus trifoliata hawe two issues: the outer peel (shell) is hard and the cotyledons have the tendency to stick together. As consequence, the root tip and the shoot tip of the seedling will exit from the seed on the same side, and in the majority of cases a loop will form either on root or shoot tip. Since this loop is in the soil, it is hard to observe-it until replant.

The advised way to plant a trifoliate seed would be: unpeel the seed coats, then unstick the two cotyledons, and then plant-it at the soil level with the seed tip down. This way the emerging root will have no obstacle growing downwards and the trunk can grow straight up between the cotyledons. A bare root transplant can be useful to sort the seedlings (trifoliate or anything else) after 3 to 6 months after germinating.

Keeping the seedlings in tall pots (20cm or more) will allow the proper development of the tap root, without circling on the bottom of the pot!

Pip My nagami to poncirus approach graft took but the nagami died when the top of the greenhouse came off in -3 F temps. Good luck pip and if you have another rootstock go ahead and go with the right tree.

I put an 897 scion on a 802 in order to force fast growth of the dwarf stock. Haven't decided if I'm going to air layer the 897 branches for clonal stock or wait for the 897 to produce fruit for the seeds.

Either way im going to eventually have all the rootstock I'll need. I am in Michigan so there is a limit on what's practical indoors. Maybe 20 4 foot tall dwarfs and I've already got 16 varieties.

it would be nice to have seeds to pass out to people in non citrus areas. 897 has like 80% germination and 100% true to type so it's convenient to use. I'll also in a few years start giving away my trees as the ones on my rootstock of choice mature and I'll no longer have the room for the originals that are mostly four winds trees. Sure wish if you asked them what rootstock xxxxxxx has they would give a straight answer.

I wish they would answer to. I asked them over a week ago and got no answer. Harris citrus replied in less than a day. That is how I found out it was kuharski Citrange. Another bud appears to be expanding on my lemonade tree. I fed it yesterday and one of my kuharski suckers appears to have roots.

Nice. Are you going to cut it off and use it?

Tom give me your address and I can send some extra us897 seed a nursery sent me.

steve I didn't keep your address and can't find which post you gave it to me in but if you want seed too repost it.

Delete it again

Ok.

Valentine (middle), from Monterey Bay Nursery

Moro blood orange (self-grafted)

Tarocco blood orange (self-grafted)
Note that this rootstock has a hard time absorbing trace elements like zinc. It was just from a random seed I sprouted three years ago.

-Tom

Where did you get valentine from I haven't seen them in a year and didn't know to buy it before it disappeared. Four winds was the last to list as far as I know.

I special ordered it from Monterey Bay Nursery (MBN) while I was doing an internship in CA last summer. Sadly, MBN no longer carries citrus. :(

Also, I'm going to delete my address if you have it.

I have it.

If you want to thank me buy your next tree from briteleaf. They are the ones nice enough to let me aquire seed. Wonderful 1 year old trees with non gouged shipping prices too.

Noted. I've been checking them out for some time, but they haven't had any varieties that scream "must add" to my collection. I've emailed them before about acquiring the Cocktail grapefruit (mandelo) from them, but they can't get the budwood in FL.

I'll pay you for shipping, btw. I don't what your stance is on budwood, but I can send you some buds from my Valentine if you want them. It just went straight from NorCal to Nebraska last summer via roadtrip.

-Tom

I like budwood but technically buying and selling isn't allowed. If you want to repay my kindness out of the kindness of your heart that that would be ok.

i agree about their selection not being anything too flashy. It's sad because I'd like more trees from them but especially the dwarf selection is your more standard grocery store varieties. i ended up with a dwarf flame and dwarf cara cara.

Yeah, I wasn't going to ask for anything. I'll just send it to the return address.

Pip My lemonade tree is sending out rootstock suckers. I will let one grow and see if it has trifoliate leaves. This will confirm whether it is a trifoliate hybrid or an old viable standard. Four winds doesn't answer email. People say any reputable dealer will give the cultivar and rootstock of their trees. I guess there are very few reputable grafters. On my original quest to purchase a grafted Meiwa Kumquat tree 4 years ago, my research turned up that grafters grafted to the easies and cheapest roots and often they were not compatible. That is why I grew from seed.

My seed grown tangerine trees are on top of a compost pile that I thought would drop 4 more feet by fall. It drop 4 inches and thus the trees will not fit this winter. If my bud grafts had taken I would be well on my way with a mature tangerine tree from seed. I have decided to lay my trees over on their sides and allow them to grow another 7 feet from ground level. This should work well. It make a lot of sense for you to be doing your own grafting to the perfect rootstock. My grafting success is at 0.5% with a Giant Turnbull pear grafted to a Bradford pear seedling being my only success in 19 years. It first year the terminal bud grew 3 feet 6.5 inches before setting its winter buds. I will feed with 0-0-60 in small doses. Cincinnati soil is considered VERY deficient in potassium & borderline toxic phosphorus.

Two more lemonade buds are grow on the lemonade tree. If I could graft I would let 4 rood stock suckers grow and then graft lemonade buds to each. The same for my Meiwa on Kuharske Citrange. I appreciate your gift very much.

Pip the lemon-aide tree rootstock sucker has trifoliate leaves. I wander if this is flying four winds uses flying dragon. I will try to root one just to have a contorted house plant to show off.

The US-897 seed are in and I have planted half of them. I planted 4 seeds in the container holding the four trunk Fukushu kumquat from seed. Two seed are planted with the double trunked Fukushu and the rest are planted with other plants that I take care of daily.

Thanks for the seeds and If I buy a tree I'll get my next tree from Briteleaf.

Four winds said a while ago that they don't use flying dragon anymore. They said they do use trifoliate but won't say which one.

Hi Pip,

Thanks for the seeds! I just got them today. I'll mail out some Valentine budwood to the return address on Monday.

-Tom

Your welcome and thank you. I didn't want to go through the expense of getting budwood from ccpp since that's the only variety I want that I can't get a tree of.

hi Pip That explains why they did not tell me what rootstock it is on. Do you think there is any chance that 4 winds is grafting to US 897.

Close to no chance. I don't think it made it through ccpp. So not available in California

Four winds is a good company with great reviews. I'm just picky and don't like how my trees from them have what I consider to be bad root wrapping. I could be concerned for nothing but considering I'm running high powered lights 12 months a year I'm not interested on wasting time on plants that won't last 20 years. 897 has significant losses at the 10 year mark but I believe it to be field issues. I could prove to be wrong. Just a guy from Michigan that reads a whole lot of studies.

Hi Pip,

It's in the mail.

-Tom

Thanks

Good news, after being impatient I dug up some seeds. They are swelling and starting to sprout. So my fear of "dried" seed and overheated seed (from shipping) isn't an issue.

Pip I am so happy to here that. I was worried that my ultra conservative post office radiated the seeds to protect against anthrax. My seeds arrived when it was hot but my box was in the shade.

You said you sent it Tuesday?

Yeah, it bounced back on Thursday because of insufficient postage; I thought two stamps would cover it. Turns out it needed five. So rather than play any more guessing games, I just had the Post Office re-send it on Friday for quite a bit more than 2 stamps-worth of postage!

Thanks. I hope it's still going to be viable. If not no biggie.

As long as the wood doesn't look dehydrated/wrinkled, I'm sure it'll be fine. It still isn't a week old yet (I removed it Tuesday afternoon). If it isn't, I'll just send you another, albeit with the proper postage this time!

That budwood was off the tree too long, it blackened within 2 days of grafting. Any chance you can sent 1 more? I can send some forever stamps to cover the postage.

Sorry to hear that. I'll send you some budwood tomorrow, since today's a holiday. Don't worry about the postage.

Sent it today via 2-day delivery, so it should be there no later than Thursday. Not taking any chances this time.

https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?qtc_tLabels1=9505512674935251074077

Thank you again

The next batch of US897 to get planted tomorrow

My seed grown poncirus trifoliata rootstock

Perhaps I should donate this to a big box store so they can graft it and sell it as a quality citrus tree

My Fukushu with the 360 degree loop in its root is now in the process of fusing into an in line root. The next month or 2 will be the decider in how well a tree handle this kind of situation. She appears to be doing really well.

I know this is an old thread, but I've just come across it for the first time and was curious to know how everyone's self-grown rootstock seedlings turned out. Did anyone use the US-897 to graft to, and if so, how did it come out? I've been wanting for several years now to try my hand at self-growing and grafting to homegrown rootstock, but living in Florida, local law doesn't currently permit this. So I'm dying to live vicariously through those of you who can!

I have a New Zealand lemonade and a valentine pomelo grafted to US897

You probably want to graft for fun, but Briteleaf citrus can sell you plants already on that rootstock. Im the one that gave Tom and Steve the seeds and it was Briteleaf that sold me the seeds to begin with (as a favor and I bought trees from them).

Pip - you're exactly right. I actually already have a little Budd blood orange from Briteleaf that's on 897, and I've been thinking of grabbing a Valencia on the same root when it comes back ino stock (though part of my problem is that I'm in an apartment and only have so much room for more pots in sunny areas). If I do buy that Valencia from them this season, maybe I'll ask if they've got any spare seeds as well. I have a couple very small flying dragon seedlings going right now, but I have no idea whether they'll survive AND come true to type, so I'm not sure whether they're worth pursuing.

Ponguy - how's that NZ lemonade? Does it really taste like, er, lemonade?

They taste like lemonade. I have not been able to get a fully ripe one yet due to tree problems or season problems so the jury is still out for a fully ripe fruit. The trees are finicky.

Steve

I have tasted ripe NZ Lemonade and, yes, it does taste like lemonade.