Great, thanks Laura...now my wish list is growing ;). Seriously, thanks for the photo and description!

Hi Laura I’ve been waiting for this review for so long :) I have some that aren’t turning any more yellow than it is and now you’re tempting me to pluck it! I can’t wait thanks Laura!

Thanks guys! Dev, I agree...great mix of flavors. Jan, mine was not even close to that yellow and was still good. I say to go pluck one and try it!

Thanks for your post Laura. I wish they'd print on the packaging of 'California mandarins' exactly what the variety is.

I tasted my NZL last year. My wife and I agreed it was delicious and did taste like lemonade.

Stop, you're making me want one and I don't have room! ;)

Beautiful fruit, nice contrasting colour with your plate, lovely combination of colours, Laura!

Thanks for the review, Laura!!!!! Cannot wait to try my NZLs :) My tree is so small, it will probably take two more years though and let's hope it will survive in the ground :)

All 4 of mine were green with a touch of spotty yellow. My tree was declining so I removed mine. They were good. Because of tree health there was very little sweetness to them,.

Steve, how’s your tree doing now? Vladimir, I remember you mentioning you’d had one. I’ve been waiting so long for one! My tree has at least seven more that I’ll harvest when more yellow. Mikhail, in the ground I’m sure you’ll be overrun with them soon. Sunshine and lucky...you guys need to get one ;). Sunshine, I noticed that my tree has a broken branch bc of the weight of the lemons. It is living though. I think when I remove the lemons, I’ll remove the branch and attempt to graft it to more lemon rootstock. Dave, I agree...sure wish they’d identified the exact variety. My kids LOVE those mandarins and we only have a few left. I did not see anymore at Trader Joe’s when I passed through yesterday. I may try again tomorrow. I live five mins from it, so it’s an easy trip. My cleft grafts are still green...fingers crossed at least one takes.

The picture above was taken today to show the condition of the NZL tree. I would say that it is not out of the woods yet.

Steve

Laura, where is your tree from and do you know the rootstock? Can you take a picture of the tree (if you can get to it)? If I remember correctly, you got yours from Stan. I’m curious how they differ from the FW trees. My NZL is still struggling to put on new growth. For every new branch it grows it drops all its leaves on another. Hopefully, it will be happier outside, if spring ever arrives.

Exciting about your grafts!

Hi Alanna, yes, it was from Stan. It has grown quite a bit since I’ve had it. I don’t know the rootstock.

Another

bad light...it’s spent the winter in my daughter’s room. It is now taller than I am (5’4”) in the container, but is lanky. It is now blooming. It has done pretty well this winter - all the trees in her room have. The dekopon is blooming everywhere now in there :)

I didn’t know Stan carried the NZL! I may contact him this spring.

Thanks for the taste test review, Laura! Your NZL tree is looking good! The little tree I gifted my DIL last spring is doing great, despite a dog clawing and gouging on the trunk. I thought it would die back but it healed beautifully, thank goodness! She said it is currently blooming and setting baby fruit.

Ooh Laura have you tasted the dekopon? Yours looks amazing! I’ve tried my hardest to resist getting another tree but after reading all these amazing things about the dekopon wouldn’t you know it I placed an order for one to be shipped this spring lol I guess it’s time I admit that I’m a citrus addict ;)

So is NZL sweet enough that you can eat sections like an orange? Just curious.

I’m glad to hear the gifted tree is doing well Jinny! Jan, yes I’ve tasted the dekopon. I harvested two this winter, but my tree is young. They were delicious...much better than one I bought from the store. Lucky, yes, the NZL tastes like eating lemonade and can be eaten like an orange. It’s one of the most interesting trees/fruit in my opinion. I would trade in a ponderosa or baboon lemon any day for a lemonade tree.

If anybody is trimming their NZL this spring, I would love to get my hands on a few bud sticks. I am in a non-quarantine state, so should be good there, and I would pay all costs of course. Have a few rootstocks ready to go and would love to give it a shot.

Jay, if I do, I’ll let you know.

Jay

last December I thought about writing to you that I would have NZL budwood. To cold to send now, but the buds were ready.

some minor die back.

some more die back. much more than just minor.Only 1 leaf left.
That 1 leaf is still on the treeNo buds yet. I have found someone to graft for me this spring. If i can graft a NZL on my sour orange rootstock I can send you a couple of trees. It will cost me $2 more to sent you 6 small grafted seedlings than just a stick of buds. When I grafted this tree I was only able to fine 4 graftable buds on the parent tree worth grafting. One bud grew. The NZL trees are nearly impossible to keep healthy.

Steve

Ill take whatever, that would be awesome. Funny you say that, I have 2 sour orange rootstocks myself, waiting for a scion.