Jacksonville Gardening Thread (how much, new home, purchase)

[Karla with a K]

I thought it would be a good idea to start a Jax area gardening thread.
Especially with so many new folks moving in to our area that will be experiencing different gardening "issues" than what they are use to.

In addition to questions folks may have, we could also post tips and suggestions.

What do you think ?

[Karla with a K]

Here is my first "tip"

If you haven't fertilized your Citrus now is the time.

Get a good granulated Citrus fertilizer and apply it beginning 12" from the trunk and extend it to the "drip line" (the outer leaves) work it gently into the soil and water it in.

[riveree]

I've been using Espoma's organic Citrus Tone and it works very well. I just shake some onto the dirt and water it in .


All Natural Organic Citrus food for Organic Gardening

[Karla with a K]

Riv
I tried that one for the first time this year and was very pleased !!!!

It is a much finer granular and I didn't have to "work" it in as much

[Sum1Else]

Where do I get a citrus tree to plant? What's a good one for orange / tangelo type fruit?

Front yard? Back yard? How much space to plan for future growth?

I am a fledgling (still not even hatched yet) gardener so be kind and thorough! LOL

And... can you come plant it for me? hahahaha

[Karla with a K]

lol sum1else

I saw you were in a new home congrats !!!

I have to go let my friends dog out them go meet our friends for breakfast
But when I get back I will post more answers for you

There are quite a few gardeners here on the Jax forum so a "newbee" is always warmly welcomed

Plus if your coming to the pizza meet on Tuesday we can "talk plants "
lol one of my favorite subjects !!!!

p.s. just a warning gardening can be very addicting

[mawipafl]

Originally Posted by Karla with a K

p.s. just a warning gardening can be very addicting

Especially when K with a K is in the house! :-)

I bought a cheapo orange tree at Lowe's the first month I moved here (you know, become a Floridian and gotta have a citrus tree in the yard :-) It's still in a pot, but it gave me three oranges the first season and another three oranges last season (December is harvest time for that particular species). Once I put it in the ground I know it'll be a even happier camper.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by mawipafl

Especially when K with a K is in the house! :-)

I bought a cheapo orange tree at Lowe's the first month I moved here (you know, become a Floridian and gotta have a citrus tree in the yard

Ditto.
I got two baby Meyer's lemons and managed to *not* kill them and got about 8 lemons.
They are flowering now.
Bought two more of some other kind of lemon. I like lemons.
But all of these are still in pots.
How about all that rain last night? We sure needed it.

[riveree]

^^^ I *love* Meyer lemons too, BlueWillow! I think they are one of my favorite plants ever - beautiful fruit and flowers, in and out of bloom nearly all year and a tough citrus plant - you can't ask for much more !

Sum, I have bought my citrus in 3 places:

1) Flying Dragon Citrus Nursery in Mandarin: You'll pay more here (about $30 for a small citrus tree), but you'll get quality. Many of their citrus trees are grafted onto Flying Dragon rootstock, hence their name. Flying Dragon rootstock makes a dwarf tree that is very cold-hardy so the extra $ can be worth it if you need that kind of tree.

Flying Dragon Citrus Nursery

2) Beach Blvd Flea Market: $15 per tree, any type. These trees are just as good as you'll get at Lowe's/HD, they are no different (probably the very same supplier). They have the inspection tags and everything, in case anyone is wondering.

Beach Boulevard Flea Market

3) Lowe's: I've only bought one tree here, an impulse purchase. I forget how much it was, $15 or $20?


I'm a newbie to citrus too, but so far, so good . These are the citrus trees I have right now:

Meyer Lemon
Limequat
Variegated Pink Lemon
Persian Lime
Calomondin

I had a Kumquat tree too, courtesy of our very own "Karla with a K", but it died .

I'm obsessed with the idea of getting a Moro Blood Orange tree and a Kaffir Lime tree right now...I need to track them down!

For anyone else new to citrus, I found the following 2 books very helpful:


Month-By-Month Gardening in Florida by Tom MacCubbin

This book covers more than citrus, but the citrus section is wonderful. Tom MacCubbin writes in a very accessible way, I recommend anything he's written.

Ortho All About Citrus & Subtropical Fruits

I borrowed this one from the library, but I'm going to purchase it soon. Great book, more citrus info that you'll probably ever need and color pictures on every page.

[riveree]

I have a question.....

I'd like to try growing Datil Peppers. Does anyone know of a local source for Datil seedlings or seeds?