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  • From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Mangoes,fruit of gods
  • Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2004 09:32:53 -0700


> Did the hole have concrete sides also?

No. Apparently the root "pruning" *depth*
was sufficient along with the then-"cheap"
labor of the gardeners in branch-pruning
was enough to keep the trees manageable -

I am thinking that dwarf trees would stay of manageable size. (A quick Google search reveals many sources of dwarf lemons, limes, oranges.) I'm also thinking that radiant pipes buried in the soil at the appropriate depth would do the job for heat. I would use insulation board as a perimeter heat enclosure or just let the heat migrate to adjacent areas for growing tomatoes and other wintertime delicacies.

The [radiant] flooring was for 'fooling' the trees into thinking
the soil was warm enough for them - since
there would be no really cold 'weather' where
they 'lived' inside but what's underfoot for
humans would still be too cold for the trees.

So what we need is the subsoil temp in Florida or here in Phoenix, some subsoil radiant heating pipes and a remote temperature-reading device to operate a thermostat and water valve.

With what I've read and learned on my own
about fruiting, the additional light is necessary
to also 'fool' the trees into thinking they are
closer to the equator (and twelve-hour or
whatever daily daylight *they* need to make
up their daily/seasonal heat-light requirement).

On this cool, cloudy Phoenix day, I am thinking that citrus trees, like apple trees, also profit from a time of dormancy.

When we bought this property the only citrus tree was dying, looked pitiful. I pruned, deep-watered weekly and fed and there are now four lovely lemons slowly gaining color and lots of new foliage. In addition to the fruit, Chris and I delight in the lush spring scent of the blossoms of all the citrus trees here. Imagine that scent wafting in from an attached greenhouse. Might make us giddy, might make us do crazy things.






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