by Greg Alder | May 1, 2026 | Citrus |
It all started when I identified my neighbor’s citrus tree as rootstock. The fruit was unpleasantly sour and very seedy, nothing you would ever eat. The leaves were in groups of three. I looked at the base of the trunk and could see where the intended top of the...
by Greg Alder | Mar 27, 2026 | Citrus |
āIf I only had one citrus tree to live on for my entire life, this is it,ā said our guide through the collection of about 1,000 varieties of citrus selected from around the world. That’s quite a claim. But, coming from Ottillia āTootsā Bier, we would be wise to...
by Greg Alder | Feb 7, 2026 | Citrus |
At the end of the day, Iām not worried about the Citrus Greening disease, also called HLB or Huanglongbing, because it fails the eyeball test. Where are all the dying trees? I donāt see them. What is this HLB/Citrus Greening disease? Itās a condition where, Iām told,...
by Greg Alder | Dec 25, 2025 | Citrus |
I spotted this sign in a Starbucks the other day, featuring a coffee that is claimed to have Meyer lemon in its flavor profile, and I wondered how that would make Frank Meyer feel. Initially, he might shake his head because he clearly requested that no plant be named...
by Greg Alder | Feb 16, 2024 | Citrus |
My neighbor had a citrus tree that she called a grapefruit, but it made curious fruit: it was the size and shape of a grapefruit but the rind was golden yellow, unlike any grapefruit Iād seen, and the flavor was so sweet that it tasted artificial. How could this be a...
by Greg Alder | Nov 3, 2023 | Citrus |
I never stop asking myself, “Am I watering enough? Am I watering too much?” Right now I’m replacing some drip line under my citrus trees so I’m specifically wondering if I should add emitters. Using drip emitters makes it easy to calculate how...
by Greg Alder | May 12, 2023 | Citrus |
Holey citrus leaves! I’ve got more than usual this year. You too? What small critters do you see more of during this cool and rainy spring around your yard? I see far more snails and slugs and earwigs than usual. But it is snails that are feeding on my citrus...
by Greg Alder | Mar 10, 2023 | Citrus |
Mid-March is the perfect time to compare the eating qualities of these three excellent mandarins. For me in San Diego County, their harvest seasons all begin around February, and by now they are approaching the apex of their flavor potential. So let’s pick,...
by Greg Alder | Mar 10, 2023 | Citrus |
Nothing about the story of Shiranui is straightforward. There is mystery and there is hype. Even my own Shiranui tree (above) is complicated. But let’s start with the name. In stores, Shiranui mandarins are sold under the trademarked brand name...
by Greg Alder | Nov 25, 2022 | Citrus, Fruit |
A friend asked me how to know when to pick the tangerines from his tree. My first thought was, it’s obvious, you pick them when they taste good. But then I remembered thatĀ for some people gardening is full of rights and wrongs; he was afraid there was a correct...
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