is any one of them more or less thorny than the others?
I have never seen a thorn on my satsumas. Rootstock sprouts have thorns but I usually print those away.
Sugarbelle isn’t supposed to have any either. I know my clementine doesn’t.
On that front you’re good👍
Now, trifoliate hybrids… those have thorns, holy smokes do some of them have thorns.
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Named for the color of fruit, or the side effect of picking it?
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I totally thihk you could grow those cultivars. I’m in 8a in Atlanta, formerly on the 8a/7b border before the last USDA update. I grow Owari, Brown Select, Keraji lemon mandarin (which I think is different than the 10 degree tangerine), and Bloomsweet grapefruit, all in ground on the south side of my house. I got them all from Stan Mackenzie. I also grow Meyer lemon and Persian lime in ground on the east side of my house. This is just their second winter in ground but the first winter the temps got down to 11 degrees twice, staying below freezing for 72 hours each time. All six plants did fine, with the same frost cloth/incandescent lights/20 gallon trash barrel method. Only a little bark splitting on the lime, which is by far the least cold tolerant of the plants. Both the satsumas and the mandarin showed no damage. The Owari is a slow grower, which would make it easier to keep it small, but it is precocious. Mine bore one fruit, which I didn’t notice until it started to turn color, partly because the plant barely grew at all. The fruit wasn’t that great, but I probably picked it too early and it is the first one so I’m not too worried about it. The Brown Select is more vigorous with some medusa-like new growth. As for disease, citrus seems to be basically disease-free in colder climates. So I say go for it.
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Probably both 
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I have either Miho Wase or Okitsu Wase (lost tag), that I planted last summer in my Northern CA, zone 8b-9a. The fruit that were on it from the time of purchase ripened beautifully and for my first satsuma, it was some of the best citrus I’ve ever had.
I also have an Owari satsuma from Costco, and it’s tender growth was unfazed by a low of 28.8°f. I’m not planning on protecting them here, but I have high hopes they make it.
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This thread gives me so much hope to grow them here in the pnw without having to bring them inside.
I’ve thing I’ve read, and my limited experience confirms, is that satsumas get better as the tree matures. It’s true of all fruit of course, but apparently particularly so for satsumas.
Funny you should say this. I asked Stan McKenzie about his thoughts on LA Early since it was mentioned in this thread and his response was:
“It’s not much to write home about for the first few seasons, but the fruit will finally sweeten up and be as good as any… it just takes a couple of years. That was my experience.”
Seems to line up with your experience too
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I had no idea that ‘Stan McKenzie’ even had ‘LA Early’, so I didn’t think to ask him. That is great to know. I wonder if with age the ‘LA Early’ peel might be less yellow and more orange.
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He asked me to look at his YouTube videos and if you check out his orchard tours he goes over a lot of varieties not listed on the website that he grows. He doesn’t mention LA early specifically on the videos but he talks about a lot of other rare varieties that he grows, particularly in the older of the two orchard tours. I figured it was worth a question.
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Thanks everyone for the advice. I’m definitely leaning towards Brown’s select. Stan McKenzie said it was his favorite, and I like that it’s earlier than Owari.
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There is no bad choice with Satsumas! Or mandarins and tangelos. We wanted to add “Gator Bites” the new U of F release. A sweet, easy peel and mostly seedless mandarin that crops December to January. But alas we have to replace the trees we lost.
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If you are willing to cover with a frost cloth and use incandescent lights I can confirm that Owari,Browns select,Changsha, Thomasville, sudachi, Gold nugget and even Yosemite Gold will survive PNW winter. I’m not sure about their fruit but my little trees are doing great. I have 1 string of mini lights and a single layer of frost cloth that gives me about 7 degrees near my house.
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We wrap ours in blankets the few sub 25 degree days we get. And they are out in the open.
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This is the south side of my house. I’m thinking about planting it next to the fence on the window side. the other option would be to replace the old azalea bush in front of the energy meter with the citrus tree. the front of my house is on the left and is west facing. thoughts?
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I would set it out from the house aways. When my parents bought their home in Jacksonville Florida the prior owner planted 6 oranges 6 foot off the house’s southern side. We ended up digging them up and replanting them and 4 Hamlins did well about 12 foot off. The other two Valencia’s were placed out back and became giants out there.
Sorry, for all the Orange varieties today; Valencia’s are still the best juice oranges.
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I’m going to grow it on trifoliate rootstock and prune it short because I can’t use a ladder to harvest. Hoping to keep it dwarf for as long as possible. Also, Jacksonville Florida is zone 9a/9b so I think I need my house to block the northern winds to help keep them warmer in the winter in my zone. 7b/8a area. The millennial Gardener seems to do pretty well with his Owari right up against the house.
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Well being on the house will help keep it dwarfed.
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