dekopon is great tasting and holds on the tree well and the same with Tahoe and Tango.

I have a valentine pomelo grafted to US897 that is flower budding now. It has completed 3 years in ground in Cincinnati OH. It is worth growing and I hope to find out how the fruit taste this winter and spring of 2022.

Steve

I have a large full grown in ground Valentine tree that produces a lot of fruit. I would judge the fruit as just OK.

Nick, I'm in Modesto as well and I've watched your Youtube garden videos and they're great! I'm especially envious of your small avocado trees. Are they still going strong?

Silica and poncirusguy, can you be more specific about the flavor of Valentine and what you like or don't like? Does it have the taste of any of its pomelo parentage, or how does it compare to another variety of citrus that I might be familiar with?

@J-Modesto I’ll have you over sometime after my Avocados fruit this spring

Nick - I'm just curious at this point because I'm not sure I have room for one - is there an avocado that eats similar to Hass that can be kept small and is self fertile? And do you keep them all in pots so they will remain small in stature? Also, do you grow any figs?

Valentine is sweet, but with ZERO acidic complement..

So, no pomelo or grapefruit-ish flavor? Have you tried Smith Red orange, sometimes called red valencia I think?

I've had a Valentine since 2014--I'd describe the flavor as a mix of mandarin and Moro blood orange, very berry-like. It is sweet, but has a nice balancing acid (I suspect it's climate-related). I get no sense of pomelo/grapefruit from the flesh. If you're like me and can't chill trees outside during the cold months (too cold), putting the picked fruit the refrigerator for a month can give them a beautiful color. The longer they're in there, the deeper maroon it gets.

It's actually one of my favorite trees. While I've grafted some Smith Reds, I haven't had any fruit yet. They're about 3 feet tall now. Maybe this summer?

Thanks for the info, Tom! May I ask, what state and zone are you in? I'm in Calif zone 9.

I was in Nebraska until late last 2020, now I'm in CO--so 5B to 6A. It's in a pot. :)

Back in NE.

When you say you suspect the acidity is climate related, do you mean because you grow in a cooler climate? We have mild winters here with just enough chill to make my Moros blood red this year.

More educated people, like Silica, can answer that better than I. In the Midwest, we had wickedly hot & humid summers that turn cold very quickly--but in the end, temperature dictates citrus flavor. Warmer climates often equal sweeter fruit, though harvest timing is also a significant factor. I know people that live along the NorCal coast often have a hard time getting flavorful fruit because the temperatures don't reach the levels for proper sugar production.

Since you're in Modesto, I don't think climate will be an issue!

The rootstock on Tom's valentine may be responsible for the good balance of sweet to acid ratio. As for my valentine the ants chewed all my fruits off at the base of the fruit where it connected to its stem. I am prepared this year to kill ants and push fruit earlier before the ants are working. I have not tasted a valentine yet. My tree is about 5 feet tall and wide now.

Steve

I hope you let us know how valentine tastes! Maybe Tanglefoot could help with the ants :-)

Smith red is a leading blood orange for me and my favorite. They have been ready since new years day. The moros take another full month to reach peak, the Tarocco just peaked last week and the Sanguinelli next month. Meanwhile, the Smith will hang all summer. The Smith and Tarocco are large trees on Carrizo while the Moro and Sanguinelli medium.

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it! Especially helpful to know about how these trees grow in Danville. Do you have any other favorite citrus to recommend (for fresh eating)?

Nick, that's amazing! I might have room to grow one in a box - if so, which of those would you recommend for Hass-like flavor and texture that would give me a good sized harvest?

Gem Gwen and Reed are all better than hass imho

Nick, how do I see your videos? I'd like to watch a few. Good looking tree too)

Tom, congrats on your move..Have you been thinking about what or how to grow your trees there? Do you like it there?

Nick thanks for the info, I will look for those avocados at Westurf!

@Meyermike(Zone 6a Ma.) here is a youtube link with some videos

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpdIWTSvR-xvYmHnkkTXPHQ/videos

Nick is a master avo-citrus guy so listen to what he has to say. (My avos are so sad looking)!

Danville is subject to the ocean/evening cool down breezes for most of the summer, but does get a few weeks worth of warm nights. The daytime temps can spike to 105+ for a few days at a time, maybe totaling 14-20 100F+ days. Modesto will be different, so take that into consideration. ....along with yard micro-climates. some citrus will do just fine on the side of the house with half day sun, others will flip you off for doing that to them.

Cultivar selection is critical! - rule number one is to grow what you like.

Here is a screen shot of my latest force rank

Great spread sheet! Do you use Excel or? You must have a lot of land! I have a Cara Cara full of blooms for the first time this year, and a gold nugget that has a lot of yellow leaves and no fruit (but had a lot of fruit last year). I have some Dr. Earth fruit tree fertilizer I was going to sprinkle to see if it reacts. I also have a Moro that has a lot of fruit this year and Oro Blanco that also had a good harvest. I'm thinking about replacing my Meyer Lemon because I don't care for the flavor and that it doesn't keep for long.

Excel. just under 1/2 acre. Citrus fruit quality improves with the age of the tree. Do NOT be to fast to pull the cultivar. In my experience, in-the-ground is far better than in a pot, and the first 2-3 year's worth of fruit have little resemblance of quality to the later stage. For example, my first year of Tango were seedy. Pretty much seed free since. Meyers hang all year on my 9 year in the ground tree. They are good from the time they just start turning color (~ October). Gold Nugget takes a few years to get traction. But once it does, its really good.

I have shrubs / old landscaping surrounding some of the trees so i need to hit them hard with fertilizer. Young trees demand FREQUENT fertilizer applications - (I suggest every 2 weeks) until they are 5-8 years in and then you can back off to ~ 3 applications a year. Organics do not work in the early spring as the soil is too cool in my area. I back up the car to Ewing and buy 300-600 lbs of a variety of Nitra-King, PalmPlus, and Gro-Power Citrus-Avocado.... yearly. Do your math as to amount and up the amount if you are interplanting amongst other landscaping. Citrus is hungry.

The force rank should be set up as to what is important to you. - - for me its a balance of effort of care [PIA level] vs fruit quality and demand.

Thanks for all the great information! My first good harvest of Gold Nugget last year tasted great...but this year, not a single fruit. I've probably only fertilized it once so I will begin a frequent schedule as you advise, today! I'm thinking of adding a Rio Red grapefruit and possibly Valentine and a sour lemon this year, just figuring out where I would put each one. I'd love to get another mandarin if it turns out my Gold Nugget is alternate bearing. And I would love to have an avocado (maybe in the corner of the yard since they get big).