Growing Kumquat Trees in Northeast Florida Landscapes
(Citrus …)
Origin of Kumquat Tree For Northeast Florida:
Kumquats and Florida landscapes have gone hand in hand in my minds eye. For as long as I can remember the winter landscapes have been dotted with these tiny little citrus hanging from the branches at Christmas time. They are every bit as lovely as they are tasty, they claim the title of being the smallest of the citrus fruits. As for me, well, I hope that I never have to have a front yard without one to enjoy. Kumquats have a thin edible sweet skin with tart flesh and are just popped into your mouth and eaten together with the peel intact giving a sweet and sour experience unique among citrus.
The word Kumquat is a combination of the Chinese words for gold and tangerine, fortunella is named after Robert Fortune a collector for the London Horticultural Society that introduced Kumquats to London in 1846. Recently the Genus fortunella was renamed and as Citrus japonica and even that is in question as genome sequencing has indicated three pure species of Kumquat and some crosses and puts the Meiwa Kumquats found in Florida nurseries as Citurs crassifolia and the Nagami kumquat found in Florida as Citrus margarita, but this is still heavily debated and well….who KNOWS?
Kumquats arrived into the United States in the late 1880’s They are native to southeast China. In Florida you will, if you try long enough run across both the Meiwa Kumquat and the Nagami Kumquat at your local nursery. Meiwa’s is a rounded egg shaped kumquat variety very prevalent in china and has a slightly thicker peel adding to its sweetness. The Nagami kumquat is an narrowly oval species common to the United States and my personal favorite for making salt preserved kumquats to make . There is a beautifully variegated form of the Nagami Kumquat called Centennial Variegated with soft yellow striping on the fruit and variegated foliage. The fruit tastes the same and ripened fruit is solid orange.
Winter Temperature Tolerance For Kumquat:
Kumquat trees are more cold tolerant than most Citrus selections taking winter temperatures all the way to 18°F. And can be grown in zones 8-11 making them an ideal fuss free Citrus selection for even the coldest portions of our Northeast Florida landscapes.
Sun Exposure for the Kumquat Citrus Tree in Northeast Florida:
Plant Kumquat trees where they will receive full sun in the Jacksonville and St. Augustine area landscapes. They require 6 hours of direct sunlight or more for best production.
Blooms and Fruit of the Kumquat Trees for Northeast Florida Landscape:
Blooms of the Kumquat tree are small, 5 petaled, white fragrant blossoms that are born in clusters on new growth, like other citrus they are extremely fragrant. Kumquat trees will bloom heavily in the late spring or early summer producing fruit 90 days after bloom that can be harvested from October to February!
Citrus trees are self pollinating, so there is no need for a second tree to pollinate your tree in order for it to produce fruit.
Kumquat fruits shape and size varies slightly from one type to another, the ones found currently from Florida citrus nurseries and their distributors have thin sweet skins, tart flesh and are 1.5-2 inch fruits.
Soil Preference for the Kumquat Tree:
It is no longer a recommended practice to amend the soil in the planting hole on Citrus trees in good soil according to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. However, probably due to the simple fact that old habits die hard, one UFIFAS citrus publication cautions, if you are going to amend your soil be sure to use a 50-50 ratio. In other words, use equal parts soil amendment and native soil (that is the soil you dug out of the hole before placing the tree in it), and mix the amended soil together with the native soil before back filling the hole around the tree.
Size of the Kumquat Citrus Tree When Mature:
The mature size on a Kumquat Citrus tree is 8-15ft tall and 6-8 ft wide. They are often selected for container growing due to their small stature and easy drought tolerant care but make ideal ornamental trees for todays smaller front yard landscapes where they wont overwhelm a space and can easily be maintained to any desirable height.
Pruning and Growth Habits of Kumquat Citrus for the Northeast Florida Landscape:
– Remove suckers that sprout up from the trunk, or to remove dead wood that can cause problems when left on the tree.
– When purchasing trees from an S & J Nursery container less than a 30 gallon pot size, pruning may be needed to shape the young trees into a desirable framework. In addition light pruning each year to develop the lemon trees rounded or mushroom shaped canopy, eliminate crossing or damaged branches etc.
-As the tree matures it should be shaped by selecting 3 – 5 main branches, well spaced along the trunk for fruiting production. Remove branches with narrow angles, and sub branches that are crossing or rubbing on other branches or branches / stems heading into the center of the tree should be removed as well.
Planting and Mulching Tips For Kumquat Citrus Trees in the Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscape:
NOTE: THIS IS IMPORTANT
-Be sure to plant into well draining soils, and keep the soil level of the dirt in the container above the soil level of the ground by 1-2 inches when you are finished planting. The soil that your tree was growing in should be slightly higher or level with the ground.
– Never bury the top of the root system with soil ( the dirt in the pot that the tree was growing in). The soil in the top of the pot should be exposed to the air after planting, not buried by soil in any way.
Caution: Do not build berms around Citrus to hold water, as is recommended for pretty much all other trees. Leave a 12 inch diameter area around Citrus tree trunks with no mulch, do not put mulch up to the trunk of the tree on Citrus Root rot can develop quickly and good drainage is essential to a healthy tree.
Remove the grass and weeds growing under the foliage of any Citrus tree in Northeast Florida about a foot beyond where the foliage stops. Don’t allow grass and weeds to regrow under your Florida Citrus.
When planting in areas with a high water table, consider planting your Citrus into a raised berm a few feet high and 6 or more ft wide. This will keep your Citrus roots up out of the water soaked ground during periods of heavy rain.
Wow, that was allot of don’ts! Here’s one last one. Don’t worry, it really isn’t as hard as it seems, once you get them going Citrus trees just keep on growing!
So for all those “DONT‘s” listed above I have just two “DO‘s”for you that is additionally as critical for the long term success of your plant…
DO mulch under and around your citrus trees with Oak leaves, even if you have to beg some of of your neighbors. UFIFAS is recommending the practice to help deter the Asian Citrus Psyllid insect that is responsible for spreading Citrus Greening from tree to tree.
DO fertilize your tree with Citrus specific fertilizer.
Keeping your Key Lime / Mexican Lime Tree Free from Pests and Diseases:
When it comes to gardening, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That is to say that, paying attention to proper planting, watering and fertilizing practices for your citrus tree is the best way to keep it healthy and growing well.
Water Requirements of the Kumquat Citrus in the Jacksonville and St. Augustine area Landscape:
Newly planted citrus trees require watering every other day for the first month and twice a week for the first few months, or in sandy soils when the top two inches of soil is dry to the touch. Take care to make sure that newly planted citrus trees receive water at least once a week for the first 2 years after being planted, skipping watering altogether once the local rain season is here.
Mature citrus trees need little to no supplemental irrigation in Northeast Florida’s subtropical climate zones and are more often damaged by over watering than under watering.
When citrus trees need supplemental irrigation, make sure to irrigate the soil only and not the trunk or foliage, this is best done by hand with a hose.
Other Great Citrus Trees available at S & J Nursery for the Northeast Florida, Jacksonville | St. Augustine Area Gardens
Mandarin Orange, Satsuma Tangerine
Lime, Key lime / Mexican Lime