Iron and the Miracle Grow stuff for tomatoes
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Itâs funny you mention that. I always bitch to my wife how I wish my Limes would ripen in summer instead. So I decided to crack open a Corona today to help the cause 
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In my experience the Mexican aka Key Lime has a single annual crop.
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My tree is only 4 years old, but it appears so. Iâve had occasional minor flushes at different times but very minor compared to the spring.
My Bearss on the other hand has only been in the ground for 2 years, and is not in an ideal spot and really hasnât had any productive years, as of yet.
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FWIW, my supposed key lime tree generally bears 2 crops a year, summer and winter. Although there is some question in my mind whether it really is a key lime.
Does it have permanent thorns?
How big are the fruits when they get to the yellow stage?
Seems to have permanent thorns. At least I canât recall a time that I did not have to be careful of the thorns when dealing with it.
Fruits vary some, but in a good year they are 1-3/8" diam. And the âyellowâ stage is more an orange.
Thanks Richard. Wasnât supposed to be Bearss but Key Lime. But may not be, although back when I first got it some years ago, I compared leaves and they seemed to match then for a Key Lime.
Anyway, my comment was in regards to yours saying that Key/Mexican limes bear onece a yearâŚ
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Last spring we had a mole take up residence on the north side of the yard. I started flushing out its tunnels and finally by mid summer it was gone. But this fall our Bearss Lime was looking unhappy and apparently one of the mole tunnels caused any irrigation water to drain out to the NE. I tried to revive the lime but it was too far gone. So I ordered this replacement from Four Winds Growers and have some digging to do in the weeks ahead.
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I see that my potted lime set new fruits out on the sunporch over the winter. As in, they look like they might ripen this summer.
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Given the opportunity, true limes set crops year-round.
Now I need to find a dormant period when I can repot that one.
In my experience it is best to transplant Citrus during active growth.
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Hey folks,
Iâm selecting citrus trees for a privacy screen and hope they ideally attain at least 10ft, tho 15ft would be better. I have a Bearss lime on semi-dwarfing rootstock that the nursery (4 winds) says will grow to 10-15ft. I have read elsewhere that the Bearssâ lime has âmodestâ growth and is âcompact,â which makes me wonder whether itâs maybe not the best choice.
Wondering if any of you Bearssâ growers have thoughts!
PS Other selections weâve (tentatively) selected are Seville Orange and Lisbon lemon. We need varieties that ripen without too much summer heat. We need four trees. Open to any suggestions!
You are correct that Bearss is not suitable for your screen.
Also, Seville requires more heat than you may have. It is a Citron, not a sweet Orange.
Eureka Lemon is a better choice than Lisbon for fruit quality.
I recommend you also consider Washington Navel, Minneola Tangelo, and Gold Nugget Mandarin.
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Isnât sour Orange a mandarin x pomelo cross? Also: Sweet oranges (other than Trovita) and mandarins are not known to ripen in the Bay Area. You have heard differently?
I prefer the more vigorous growth of the Lisbon, as well as the slightly higher acidity (for canning).
Your perception of Eureka is incorrect. I have grown both, and my Uncle farmed both.
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