I’ve seen meyer lemons endure temps down to 17 F with absolutely no damage. In Sonoma County about 10 years ago we had back to back nights at 17 for several hours and the citrus were, by and large, not damaged. In the area we mostly grow navel, kumquat, oro blanco grapefruit, satsuma mandarin, and meyer lemon. In all the years with many nights below 25 and a handful of nights in the teens these trees all did well all over the county with almost no damage. Avocados were a different story. While the trees all survived those nights into the high teens, they had significant leaf burn on the top of the canopy. But they all rebounded quite nicely and fruited that same year.
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Prague can root but not easily, air layers seem to work way better! I stuck a prague cutting in coir and it never put roots out after a whole year, but it also didn’t dry up. It had calloused so I think the callous part was acting as a root and taking up moisture. I ended up grafting the stick to my outdoor TaiTri and it started to grow after the graft took
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You grow your Prague outside fully unprotected in zone 7a? That’s quite impressive for a citrus. Are there any other citrus cultivars you grow outside unprotected in your zone? Do you
Get any fruit from the citrus trees that grow unprotected? I’ve found that all the citrus fruit I grow can endure freezing temps down to 25 for many hours before any risk.
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I am growing in zone 7a unprotected Standard poncirus, Fast Flowering Poncirus, Poncirus+ (“improved” poncirus without bitter notes), Prague Chimera, Taitri (Taiwanica x Poncirus), Swingle Citrumelo, Morton Citrange (least hardy), Thomasville Citrangequat (borderline hardy), and Bishop Citrandarin. All have survived. Only the Fast Flowering Poncirus has fruited. The Prague has flowered so far, no fruit yet.
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Do you have a YT channel?
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I do, video of the plants I mentioned:
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First time I’ve heard of poncirus +. Is it supposed to be less nasty tasting than regular poncirus? I’ve tried eating flying dragon and it just wasn’t happening for me. Though I keep it for its gorgeous habit and endless supply of seeds to grow rootstock.
Have you ever tried any of the citrange like Morton or Carrizo?
Is the Morton citrumelo similar to the dunstan grapefruit? A hybrid of trifoliata and a commercial grapefruit?
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Yeah Ive seen your videos, kinda sounded familiar. Good job keep it up!
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Yes exactly, poncirus+ lacks the bitter resins. I have yet to try the fruit but others have confirmed. I don’t mind the taste of flying dragon or pure poncirus, it could be my tongue doesn’t detect the off flavors, to me they both taste like very acidic lemons I don’t notice the bitter either, though I have not tried to eat the membranes or the rind.
My containerized Morton is holding a fruit which I hope to get to maturity and try it for the first time. My outdoor graft has not yet flowered, it’s said the fruit is closer in taste to an unripe orange and “almost edible” than it is to a grapefruit
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I haven’t tasted poncirus+ yet as I only recently started growing it, but I will say it’s a vigorous one, easy to start from cuttings too, for a citrus anyway.
Everything I’ve seen about Prague indicates that the fruit is great, the plant hardy, and the ripening time ok if you’re in the South, but that the plant is anemic, ragged looking, and unproductive. So it’s a great curiosity and novelty plant, but not something you’d count on for a great harvest. My own “Trifoliate Satsuma” from Madison Citrus Nursery, which I believe is what some people call the Leningrad citsuma, may be a chimera (though I kinda suspect it’s a hybrid), has also been extremely slow growing and is just as ugly as they come. Compared to poncirus+ (to say nothing of Dunstan, Taiwanica, or US-802, my fastest growers) it’s absolutely glacial and hideous.
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@a_Vivaldi @vnomonee poncerous+ and trifolate satsuma sound interesting! I might would be interested in a scion trade one day! And for sure fruut taste and ripening time reports/comparrison.
My prague plants have done better if i start out with bigger trifoliate rootstock. I have not done a fair test, since mine are potted. And kansas is not Carolina.
It is slower growing than trifoliate, or satsuma, or Thomasville, or kumquat. And is ragged and sometimes shoots s groe limb straight down, instead of up, sort of like it is confused.
But, compared to meyer lemon, it is not that bad. Meyer also is thinner and slower.
I imagine a bigger pot and some chicken manure, would help. I just have too much stuff…
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Yeah, if my poncirus+ keeps getting like it has, I’ll have some scion wood to spare next year. I’m on the lookout in particular for US-1279 and either US-1281 or 82 but I’m open to other cool stuff (I’ve actually got some US-1279, but the two tiny pieces that I grafted six months ago still haven’t done anything. Still green, but no growth whatsoever).
That’s interesting about Meyer. Mine did absolutely nothing last year after I planted it. In spring it bloomed a decent amount and grew a little. The two fruits it set were dropped during our drought in June. But then in July it simply exploded with growth.
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My grafts of Prague from earlier this summer seem to have finished growing for the season. It’s funny how all three grafts have this kinda tortured looking, weeping form. I can see what people mean about it not having the most attractive growth habit. Now, to hope such young grafts make it through their first winter OK.
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How did your Prague do over winter?
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Unfortunately this dude left the forum. I think he’s still active on Tropical Fruit Forum.
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