I’m looking to grow a citrus tree in a pot that I can bring indoors for winter by a window and bring back outside in spring.
I know someone who grows a Meyer Lemon tree by a window in their house year round. The tree doesn’t thrive but it survives and produces about 1 lemon each year.
My thinking is that I could do this but put the tree outside during the growing season so I can get more fruit.
However, I don’t like lemons, so I want to grow something else. My ideas so far are Nagami Kumquats, Calamondin Oranges, or Satsuma Mandarins.
Would these varieties (or other citrus) be able to overwinter indoors by a window without grow lights and stay in a 10 gallon pot so that they’re light enough to be moved indoors and outdoors as needed?
I prefer sweet citrus like clementines, so I’m looking for something like that which can grow in the conditions outlined above.
It’s tough to get sweet citrus to tolerate that much stress and fruit well. I’d lean toward more what you said with the smaller more sour fruits like calamansi
i got a owari satuma and mineola in 10gal.that fruit indoors over winter in a south facing window without lights. i get about a doz fruit on the mineola and 20 on the satsuma. they are a little smaller than in ground grown fruit but still taste good. im new to this so i havent dialed in the fertilizer and soil yet. i also have a salavaski pomegranite but its young and hasnt fruited yet. i spray with a insecticide/ fungicide before bringing them in from my deck in fall. visitors are suprised when they see oranges in my windows in the dead of winter when its -20 out..
I am fortunate enough to have a greenhouse here in Oregon and have grown sweet citrus both in and out (during summer) for a number of years..
Pot size is critical to production amounts … The bigger the pot, the bigger the crop to the point of having to thin the crio for size … So get a tray dolly for each plant & leave it on it with a water tray …
There is nothing like a good crop of Sumatra Mandarins & Sumo Honeys in Winter..
Do you cross pollinate your mineola? Or do you use GA3? I was always told they were mostly self-incompatible and not very compatible with satsumas as well.
it must be self pollinating as i havent introduced any other pollen and its in a separate room from the satsuma. i do take a flower from it and use it to pollinate the other flowers. almost all get pollinated.