North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Kieran <holycow@frontiernet.net>]

John,  Many citrus varieties are prone to having nucellar clones in 
their.  The clone rate varies from 99% down to 0%.   If you got a true 
zygotic seedling, one that just has no intention of cropping, you may 
never get blooms.  Or in your far northern location it might take 
another 20-40 years.  I suspect your mom got a clone of the parent tree, 
which after all, would have been selected because it fed people.  You 
might still want to graft yours, or as I mentioned, ring it.  Certainly 
it wouldn't hurt to drop the temp, but I don't know if that would 
stimulate blooming. Do you give it fertilizer?  6-6-6 might prevent it 
from blooming forever.   10-20-10 might change it's attitude.    Donna



On 3/3/2013 12:06 PM, John Barbowski wrote:
> *Hello All,
>
> I have a Mandarin Orange that I started from seed in the mid 60's. It is
> about 7 ft tall with a 2" diameter trunk. It has never bloomed! (or
> needless to say - fruited).
>
> I gave a sibling to my mother who got her tree to fruit for about 4 years
> in a row, after about ten years of growing. The tree unfortunately went to
> tree heaven soon thereafter.
>
> I put my tree outdoors in the summer where the temp occasionally can reach
> into the 90's. When it gets down to the mid 30's, it comes inside for the
> winter. The indoor temp ranges from mid to high 60's. The leaves are
> gorgeous. There are 2" thorns, but they are not prolific. I prune to shape
> the beastie.
>
> > Donna wrote: I said drop the temp, drop it down to 40-50F.
> Would a cooler wintering location stimulate the summer blossoms? Thorn
> Pruning? Or other trauma? How about a summer heat location - I can put the
> tree in a greenhouse where the afternoon temp rises to the high nineties on
> sunny days. After 45 years, the tree owes me nothing, but if I might
> enhance the experience, it would be gratifying.
>
> john b
> Canadian Zone 6b
> (just north of Toronto)*
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