The scion contains the genes that you want to be reproduced by the stock plant. Budding, awl, veneer, cleft and stub are all different types of grafting.

The most common citrus tree grafting style is bud grafting or budding. This is also a good type of graft for beginning growers. The first step in bud grafting is to choose your scion and stock trees. Be sure to use sturdy, healthy trees. The basic procedure is to cut a bud and some bark from the scion tree and then insert it beneath the bark of the stock tree.

The best period for collecting the bud wood or donor wood is between April and November. Collect 8-12 in. lengths of budded twigs from the scion tree but be sure not to cut the most recent growth. The bud wood should be grafted as soon as possible but can be stored for up to three months in the freezer if necessary.

There are different bud grafting styles including shield budding, patch, double shield, flute and chip budding. A common choice for citrus tree grafting is the inverted T. If you chose the T-graft style, your next step is to cut an upside down T into the bark of your stock tree a few inches above the soil line. Then take one of your buds and insert it under the cuts in the bark and wrap with bud tape several times. The bud tape should be removed within 30 days.

Be sure to monitor the graft to ensure that the union is successful and that the bud begins to grow.

The dwarf type can be grown conveniently indoors in a pot or in a yard with limited space. It is said that one adult tree can provide fruit for the whole neighborhood. The Lisbon variety is a hardy tree but prefers a warmer climate.

For areas of the country with frequent frost temperatures the Eureka type is preferable. The Lisbon lemon tree will die back to the roots after a hard frost. The Lisbon has sharp spines in abundance but this is a small drawback considering it’s other useful qualities.

The dwarf Lisbon lemon tree can be traced back originally to Portugal. Today it is one of the most popular varieties of lemon trees in California. The Lisbon needs lots of sun and nutrient rich soil.

It should be fertilized frequently with nitrogen, potassium and organic matter. If potted be sure to keep it well drained. If the tree is kept out of doors part of the year and brought in doors for winter you have two options for keeping it healthy.

If you keep it in the sun while indoors than you need to fertilize it several times in order to promote continued growth. It can also be kept in a cooler room with no sunlight and it will become essentially dormant for the indoor/winter season and will not require fertilization.

With a little work and attention, you are sure to love your tree for many years to come.

While it may not be practical to grow full-sized adult trees indoors, there are hundreds of varieties of dwarf citrus trees that are perfectly suited for in home growing.

The Meyer lemon tree is one popular choice. Its sweetly flavored lemons are great for desserts. Another great tree for bakers is the dwarf key lime tree. The tangy lime it produces makes a fabulous key lime pie.

Moving on to other meals, if you love grapefruit for breakfast consider the dwarf ruby red grapefruit tree. But don’t stop there. The dwarf kumquat tree produces beautiful fruit that can be used to make jams and marmalade.

Another lovely indoor citrus tree is the dwarf mandarin orange. There are several seedless varieties of mandarin trees and the fresh fruit is an excellent garnish for salads or can be eaten by itself as a vitamin-C filled snack.

In general potted trees should be kept outdoors during the warmer months and brought inside as the temperatures hit the 30s. Indoor citrus trees should be misted regularly, fertilized several times a year and re-potted about once a year.

Be careful in choosing container size, if the pot is too large for the plant it will not produce fruit right away. If you are looking to bring a little flavor of the warmer latitudes into your home, consider an investment in an indoor citrus tree garden. It will surely bring you years of enjoyment.

Kumquat trees are native to China and have been grown in both Europe and North America since the mid-19th Century. A lot of the trees are used on patios as they make great container plants.

The kumquat tree is compact, slow growing and looks like a shrub. It grows 8 to 15 feet tall, and the branches are small leaves around 1 1/4 to 3 3/8 inches. The kumquat tree blossoms are very fragrant white flowers and the kumquat fruit is mainly oval in shape, growing from 5/8 to 1 1/2 inches.

The following varieties are the most popular kumquat trees and their fruits used mostly for cooking.

Varieties

Hong Kong – This is a very thorny shrub whose fruit is 5/8 to 3/4 inches wide. The peel of these kumquats is thin and not very fleshy and the pulp is only 3 or 4 segments. The seeds are plump.

Marumi – This slightly thorny tree was introduced to the United States in 1885 from Japan. The fruit is round, slightly oval in shape and about 1 1/4 inches in length. The peel is golden yellow and smooth, very aromatic, and spicy. The pulp is in 4 to 7 segments with 1 to 3 seeds.

Meiwa – This dwarf kumquat tree is a rare find in the United States. The fruit is oblong to round in shape, and about 1 1/2 inches wide. The peel is orange-yellow in color, very thick, and sweet. The pulp comes in 7 segments and is often seedless.

Nagami – This tree is the most often cultivated kumquat tree in the United States. This fruit is oval shaped and up to 1 3/34 inches long and 1 3/16 inches wide. The pulp is divided into 4 or 5 segments, and contains 2 to 5 seeds. The tree can grow to be 15 feet tall.

Most kumquats can be eaten fresh from the trees, raw and whole. Kumquats are also great for making marmalade, being pickled, and made into a sauce.

First, the proper type of fertilizer is important. Citrus trees thrive in sandy soils, and this soil does not hold nutrients well. Also, citrus trees can not use the ordinary plant fertilizer. You will need to use fertilizers specific for citrus trees, which are a mix of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, along with small amounts of 10 other ingredients.

Second, figure how much fertilizer to use. The amount is determined by the nitrogen content of the fertilizer. New citrus trees should get 2 ounces of nitrogen, then increased by 4 ounces each year. Established trees can use 1 to 1 – 1/2 pounds of nitrogen yearly.

To determine the nitrogen quantity in your fertilizer, multiply the weight of the fertilizer by the percentage of total nitrogen on the label. Two cups of granular fertilizer equals approximately one pound.

Third, determine when to use citrus tree fertilizer. If you have a young citrus tree and it needs a healthy root system, it will need to be fertilized eight times in the first year.

If you have an established fruit bearing citrus tree, it should be fertilized three times a year – usually in March, May and then October.

Also, try and spray your citrus tree with a citrus nutritional spray each month, from February to October. This will help balance the micro nutrients and give the foliage a lush look.

Use these recommendations, along with using a quality fertilizer, and your citrus tree will reward you with sweet fruit and luscious leaves.

The Captain crossed the Jamaican sweet orange with the Indonesian pomelo. In fact until the 1800s the fruit was called the Shaddock. The tangy fruit eventually became known as the grapefruit.

Today the grapefruit is counted among the “7 Wonders of Barbados.” For decades the grapefruit was grown mainly as an ornamental fruit. It did not find real commercial success until the creation of the Ruby Red variety in the 1920s.

For mysterious reasons, the pink grapefruit became a popular food in a way the original white grapefruit did not. Today the red grapefruit is one of the state symbols of Texas where the originally Ruby Red was first created. The United States is the number one producer of the grapefruit with production concentrated in Texas, California, Florida and Arizona.

Grapefruit trees thrive in a subtropical climate. Temperatures and humidity levels affect flowering periods; peel thickness and even levels of acidity and juiciness. If you plan to plant a grapefruit tree, ensure that you are in an area where grapefruit trees can thrive, otherwise opt for a potted variety.

Like all citrus trees grapefruit trees need nutrient rich soil and should be fertilized often with potassium and nitrogen rich mixtures if you want them to bear fruit. They need plenty of sunshine, deep watering at least once a week and well draining soil to prevent root rot.

Orange trees can grow to 50 feet, so when you are looking for a place to plant it, you want to keep the height in mind. It should have a lot of open space with plenty of room to expand.

The soil for the orange tree needs to allow for the extensive root system as the large trees need a lot of support. The soil should be sandy and have good drainage.

The most popular orange tree is the Washington Navel. The Washington Navel came from Brazil in the early 1800s and then moved to Florida. It has one of the biggest oranges around. It is not as juicy as other oranges, but has a very tangy flavor. This tree is the most used orange tree by commercial growers.

Another popular orange tree is the Trovita. It was created in a California lab in the early 1900s when they were experimenting with new types of citruses. The tree began being marketed around 1940. The Trovita does not have a strong taste and does have a lot of seeds. But it is very hardy and is adaptable to hot humid climates. A lot of the popular oranges in Florida are the Trovita.

The Valencia is one of the most popular orange trees in the southern states and in South Africa. The Rhode Red Valencia was created around 1960 and is another very hardy orange tree. The oranges are juicier and less acidic that the standard Valencia oranges.

Orange trees are great plants to have in your yard. Once they are planted, they require little maintenance and you will have wonderful oranges for years to come.

Before you buy an orange tree, be sure to check with your local nursery and see if the type of tree you want will flourish in your area.