[conspire] Frankensteining a citrus

[Paul Zander]

To answer the most important question, although I see no symptoms of citrus greening, the quarantine rules only allow moving of citrus fruit with no leaves and no stems from one property to another.  In our case the move would even cross county lines.  The source of HLB in southern CA was traced to someone getting cuttings from China.   We should ask Fred what has happened to the citrus in Florida.  Not a pretty picture.  The CA agriculture authorities are doing what is needed to protect both industry and home growers.

Yes, serious botanists have greatly different opinions about the taxonomy of citrus.  The way all science works is that when a new idea is proposed, it will be vigorously challenged by the "existing" idea which had previously been well examined.  
The traditional classification was based on similarities and differences in appearance.  For example, there exist many kinds called "lime" because they are green when ripe.

More recent DNA analysis claims that only a few million years ago there were 3 "groups" growing near the Himalayas:  citron, pummelo, and mandarin.  These all cross-bred in the wild.  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/02/explore-food-citrus-genetics/ For more than 1000 years, humans have deliberately created (or looked for) more hybrids.  

Crosses with kumquats are also possible, but that accounts for only a few of the 1000's of known citrus varieties. 

Dwarfing root stock:  Here is something I learned recently.  Although many trees are labeled as "dwarf", some trees are so happy that the grow large.  If you want a small peach, apple or lemon, the way to do that is to prune it to the size you want.  Some people keep them short because they don't like ladders.  This can require pruning several times per year.  But if a tree is already too big, don't cut back more than 1/3 in one year.   Don't think this is an issue with calamondin. 



      From: Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com>
 To: conspire at linuxmafia.com 
 Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2018 9:56 PM
 Subject: Re: [conspire] Frankensteining a citrus
   
Quoting Paul Zander (paulz at ieee.org):

> I just realized that we might have a "name" confusion. 
> 
>  You have been talking about calamansi.  
> 
> I was reviewing the things I have growing.  One is a calamondin.  The
> description also says Kalamansi; Philippine lime.  I think this is the
> same thing.  http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/calamondin.html


Yes, kalamansi = calamansi = calamondin = Philippine lime.  On the one
hand, Wikipedia says it's not a true citrus (genus Citrus), but rather
originated as a cross-breed between a citrus (probably mandarin) and
kumquats, which are genus Fortunella.  _However_, reading further in
that article, it seems there's been a botanist knife-fight over
kumquats, such that they are proposed to be moved into genus Citrus.
{sigh}  

I've just bought today one of the two dwarf calamansi trees at OSH in
Redwood City.  (There is also another still in stock, as of this
afternoon.)  Including sales tax, and net of the current
going-out-of-business discount, it cost just over $24, FYI.  The
tree superstructure currently stands about 20" above the pot's ground
level.  I haven't planted it yet, nor even seriously contemplated places
it might go.

I have to say, although I understand the logic of dwarfing trees that
otherwise would want to, y'know, take Manhattan, it seems to me this
practice interacts poorly with a drought-prone environment such as our
fine western state.  If I understand correctly, dwarfing is implemented
either by limiting the space for roots to expand into, or, more
commonly, by grafting the scion species onto the rootstock of a smaller
species that accordingly has a small rootball.  Small rootball means
less resilient in the case of water shortage, right?  Seems like a mixed
blessing.

_Anyway_, now I have two problems.  I have to decide where to plant the
new dwarf tree, for starters.  I _could_ just put it right alongside the 
distressed citrus that used to be a calamansi.  But I'll look around for
where better.

And the second problem is what to do with the ex-calamansi rootstock
thing on the north (slightly shaded) side of the greenhouse, which
matter can be deferred until you're next around.

Do I correctly infer from your coverage of itrus greening disease aka
HLB that, upon reflection, you think it unwise to graft as scion at my
house budwood cuttings (such as the mandarins and pommelos) from your
trees?  I was unclear on your larger point, beyond saying that
California strongly regulates citris for good reason.

OSH discounts as they are throttled and killed by Lowe's are described 
as '10-30%' at present, which of course means in practice 10% except for
one item in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused
lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard'.

(I never liked Lowe's.  All the disadvantages of the Home Depot big-box
model and none of the advantages.
https://www.businessinsider.com/lowes-is-feeling-the-effects-of-the-brick-and-mortar-meltdown-2018-8)


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