A vendor at a local farmer's market had lime trees for sale and I was interested in buying one but didn't have the cash on hand. I forget what varieties he had but he said they would do well here on the gulfcoast in a 20gal pot. They must have been 3' tall. One of his plants already had a lime or two growing (they looked ready to pick) but I remember reading somewhere that you should not buy a citrus tree that is already bearing fruit because the stress of planting would be too much for the plant. What do you guys think?
Buying lime tree- 1st timer
Lime trees are only hardy to the mid-20s so I would get a more cold hardy tree like Lemon, Satsuma, Calamondin, Kumquat or even Washington Navel "which has done good for me". These are all available at local nurseries as well as Home Depot and Lowes. I know that Lowes is clearing out their citrus right now so it is a good time to buy cheap. They are selling four foot Satsumas in San Marcos for 14 bucks. They were 37 dollars in the Spring.
If you do get the Lime tree, they are pretty hard to kill. Just stick it near the house on the South side so that gets all the sun and stays warm in the winter.
Thanks for the advice, Juju. I'll check out Lowe's and see what they have.
The Eustis Limequat (cross between key lime and a kumquat) is actually pretty cold hardy and can be subbed for a key lime in most recipes, so you might want to consider that.
This message was edited Jun 18, 2010 4:53 PM
John,
You are about 60 miles from Caldwell Nursery. They often carry dwarf citrus tree. You might given them a call to see if they have a dwarf lime tree. Those would grow well in a 24" to 30" pot. In that sized pot you would have to re-pot about every 5 years. You would have to protect it somehow from freezing weather. Lime trees are among the most sensitive citrus.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/citrus/limes.htm
There are several ways to protect your tree in winter if you decide to plant it in the ground. If you are will to go the extra mile, it'll be worth it.
You can go with a Calamondin citrus which will produce more fruit than you can eat but at small quarter size fruit that is tart. Hardy to 19 and hard to kill.
Hi. You didn't mention if you wanted to grow a lime as just a house plant or for for fruit. I have a Kaffir lime, had it for about 3yrs and its about 5ft tall. It rarely fruits but the flowers smell like heaven, and the leaves make the best curry in the world. If you're not that concerned with fruit it might be a lime tree to consider.
If it's flowering but not fruiting, it just needs a bit of help with pollination--you can always do that manually if it's indoors where the bees can't get to it. Then you could have fruit too.
I have a 12 brush kit I use to pollinate the trees and bushes around my house. Certain flowers attract insects better than others. I have never had problems with citrus but it cant hurt.
I probably should have clarified my comment a bit--it was directed at RHODRIDGEBACK who is in zone 6 where citrus trees are often still indoors while they're blooming so there they can need some help with pollination if you want to get fruit. In warmer climates where the trees stay outdoors year round that won't be a problem.
I was agreeing with you. I was demonstrating what you could use to pollinate the trees and my own personal experiences.
i am going to a family reunion in san antonio thursday thru sunday. im leaving from okla. city. ihave a meyer lemon and akey lime tree along with 4 brugs i'll be wintering in a small sun room. are there any nurseries insan antonio to buy something different. fruit trees i mean.
Fannicks in San Antonio is great. Call first to see what they have. You will also be driving down IH35 and 7 miles past San Marcos, Tx is a nursery called Paradise Palms that has about 40 in right now. They are on the north side of the highway and are about 2 acres so you cant miss them.
thank you juju i hope i can get away from the relitives long enough to check both places out. thanks again