First fruit from seed-grown citrus

[Fusca]

Found this on my seed-grown calamondin this morning.  Roughly 7 years after first collecting the seed.  Due to frequent moves this is a first for me to be able to consume fruit from any tree that I grew from seed.  The fruit was tasty, only slightly sour and much like the fruit I consumed almost 7 years ago.

[jimmyt]

Just the one fruit?  I was hoping to stop by for some fresh squeezed OJ! 😊

[Palmensammler]

Good job 👍 So I have to wait 7 more years for my first fruits 😢

 

Do they fruit at the same age when being potted?

 

Eckhard 

 

 

[Fusca]

16 hours ago, jimmyt said:

Just the one fruit?  I was hoping to stop by for some fresh squeezed OJ! 😊

Yeah, it was odd to see just one.  I never saw it flower because it's in a pretty secluded/ugly spot on the property.  But you gotta start somewhere!    I'm going to keep my eye on it for flowers in the next several weeks.  I believe the mother tree of my seedlings can be seen here:  298 W Main St - Google Maps

4 hours ago, Palmensammler said:

Do they fruit at the same age when being potted?

I suppose they would if you have a large enough container and winter it in a greenhouse but lack of heat might slow it down some.  I grew 3 trees from the same seed batch - the other two I planted in San Antonio which completely defoliated in February 2021 after 9°F.  They came back but I doubt that they have flowered since.  Hopefully the new owner of the house kept them.

[Silas_Sancona]

5 hours ago, Palmensammler said:

Good job 👍 So I have to wait 7 more years for my first fruits 😢

 

Do they fruit at the same age when being potted?

 

Eckhard 

 

 

Potted specimens may fruit sooner, by a year or so, especially if grown / fed well. 

[amh]

10 hours ago, Fusca said:

Yeah, it was odd to see just one.  I never saw it flower because it's in a pretty secluded/ugly spot on the property.  But you gotta start somewhere!    I'm going to keep my eye on it for flowers in the next several weeks.  I believe the mother tree of my seedlings can be seen here:  298 W Main St - Google Maps

Unfortunately, it appears that the mother tree is no more, probably a casualty of the 2021 freeze.

I often see calamondin fruit described as very sour, are you sure that your identification is correct? If it is, I'll be purchasing a calamondin tree the next time I see one.

[Xenon]

1 hour ago, amh said:

Unfortunately, it appears that the mother tree is no more, probably a casualty of the 2021 freeze.

I often see calamondin fruit described as very sour, are you sure that your identification is correct? If it is, I'll be purchasing a calamondin tree the next time I see one.

That's definitely a calamondin and calamondin is very sour and is used like a lime in many places (though slightly less sour). The peel is a bit sweeter due to the kumquat parentage. 

The big box stores here often carry 1 gallon calamondin on its own roots in the spring. Even these will produce many fruit in their first year and soon you'll have more than you could ever use. 

[Fusca]

14 hours ago, amh said:

Unfortunately, it appears that the mother tree is no more, probably a casualty of the 2021 freeze.

I often see calamondin fruit described as very sour, are you sure that your identification is correct? If it is, I'll be purchasing a calamondin tree the next time I see one.

What a shame.  I recall that one had fairly sweet fruit.  I think there's some variation in sourness depending on the variety of kumquat in the parentage but Jonathan is right.  The sweetness does seem to come from the peel.  I eat the entire fruit (peel and all) at the same time right off the tree but they would definitely make excellent marmalade.  I have seen some relatively small plants at the orange big box stores with fruit on them.  I'd definitely try one in your area.  Mine saw zero damage in January 2018 (20°F).  Kumquat 'Meiwa' has the sweetest taste of any kumquats that I have tried and they would be even more cold hardy.

Edited February 26, 2023 by Fusca

[amh]

59 minutes ago, Fusca said:

What a shame.  I recall that one had fairly sweet fruit.  I think there's some variation in sourness depending on the variety of kumquat in the parentage but Jonathan is right.  The sweetness does seem to come from the peel.  I eat the entire fruit (peel and all) at the same time right off the tree but they would definitely make excellent marmalade.  I have seen some relatively small plants at the orange big box stores with fruit on them.  I'd definitely try one in your area.  Mine saw zero damage in January 2018 (20°F).  Kumquat 'Meiwa' has the sweetest taste of any kumquats that I have tried and they would be even more cold hardy.

The meiwa kumquats are excellent tasting, but unfortunately, they are not as cold hardy as advertised.  I've lost 4 or 5 over the years, but my Nagami appears to be the survivor. I see the small calamondin trees for sale all the time, but I always pass, next time I'll buy one, especially since they are not grafted.