Citrus rootstock in a zone 6 greenhouse?

Hi I have had several citrus varieties on flying dragon rootstock but they never get very big.

I am in zone 6 but have a small greenhouse and would like a couple trees a bit bigger then I get with FD.

Can anyone recommend a rootstock that would be a bit bigger? I’d like a tree around 6-10’.

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I have Citrus outdoors in the ground on flying dragon that are 8-10’ tall. I think your experiences are due to the growing environment. Perhaps other members here with similar conditions will have some suggestions.

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I have a couple of Fukushu kumquats on flying dragon.


33 months old in a 13 gallon pot.

this fukushu on flying dragon was grafted on 6-22-21 and started growing in august 2021.it is in an 8-9 gallon pot. They need feed and light.

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Wow that’s impressive. I have a meyer lemon that I’ve had since 2018 that is in a 10 gal pot and is still only about 2.5’ tall and another ponderosa several years old about the same size. My sister also has a lemon she’s had for many years about the same size.

I have a greenhouse that I just keep above freezing and so I bring the citrus inside for the coldest months of the year. I put them in a grow tent with grow lights for that time.

I guess I just have to up my game with the citrus. Hopefully with more intention and reading and learning here I can get bigger healthier citrus.

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Winter time growing


In ground Meiwa kumquat on flying dragon with a bucket light. Top bucket protects the bucket with the light fixture from rain. Graft took last summer late.

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My TDE3 mandarin is on trifoliate seedling rootstock (not FD), and it went from 2’ to 6’ in 2 seasons. I’m thinking I’ll need to prune it to keep it under the 9’ rafters in the next year or two. That is planted in the ground in the greenhouse, not in a container, though. I do think non-FD trifoliate is a lot less dwarfing than FD, so that might be a good option for you.

I also have Pixie on Carrizo seedling rootstock, but that was in a container until this spring, so I’m not sure how it compares in vigor. My understanding is that should have the vigor of a full-sized citrus tree, so it’ll probably be a battle to keep it small enough, but that’s a problem for future-me.

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Yeah, watch out for that guy. He’s apt to come prowling around sooner or later

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