New Zealand Lemonade

[toofarnorth]

NZL planted Spring 2017.  Has been covered with 1oz. frost cloth on cold nights last two winters.
It bloomed all winter long last winter.  The late freeze in March killed most of the blooms and small fruit.
Never missed a beat, just kept on blooming until May or June.  Looks like I'll get to try some this Fall/ Winter.
It appears to be about as cold hardy as satsuma, or at least , close.  I had several satsumas that were more
damaged than it was. Last 2 winter's min. temps were 14f. and 24f.  Finding information on the cold hardiness
of this tree has been difficult to say the least.

TFN

[david]

Sounds like a winner to me. Anything that is as cold hardy as satsumas goes in the ground here. I dont have it but you describe it like I need to get it.

[poncirusguy]

I was wondering how cold hardy the NZL was.
My in ground NZL tree is nearing the end of the 3rd winter seen in the big cage to the left.  It is grafted to C35.   I have a valentine Pomelo on US897 completing its 2nd winter to the right, and a Meiwa kumquat grafted to kuharske citrange in the  Rubik's cube in front to the left.



The fruit from my New Zealand lemonade


New Zealand lemonade on Seville sour orange

[poncirusguy]

One month 9 days later for the NZL on Seville sour orange

[poncirusguy]

My 2 lemons fell off the tree while I was moving it and I tripped.  They were very good.  The peal is tight to the fruit but separates cleanly from the fruit.  The skin is brittle so it chips off cleanly and leaves a very tasty fruit to eat. The sections cling tight to one another but are strong and do not mush in separating them.

[poncirusguy]

This years blossoms mostly fall off.  The tree dropped about200 fruitlets as seen in the first picture left.  Middle picture shows the droped fruit studs.  1 fruit has taken.  The tree is still flowering and I hope to get 50 to 100 fruits ripe from this fall, winter, and spring.

[kelley]

Hey Steve, are they truly sweet? This one has eluded me - a friend has sent me multiple bud sticks and none of my grafts have been successful.

[poncirusguy]

They have a very mild bit of sweetness.  The main advantage they taste like a lemon with out the sourness but mildly sweet.  All my fruit has ripened in the winter when I get about 3 hours of sunlight.  That hurts sugar production.

[poncirusguy]

Same tree above with the 2 lemons.  Now has 1 BB size fruit. 4 flowers. and 2 buds yet to open.  I am hoping that the flower with all the extra petals will fruit to be extra sweet, extra big, extra low on acid' and grow/ripen extra fast.

[poncirusguy]

Outside in ground having completed its 3rd winter outside.  Fruits are setting and 1 fruit from last winter's flowering.

[poncirusguy]

Grafted a few more NZL buds onto sour orange root stock.

 

[poncirusguy]

New Zealand T-Bud on Seville sour

[millet]

Poncirusguy, your certainly going to have a forest of NZL trees.

[jan]

Steve you’re a pro at the t bud I’m still only getting about 20% success rate! You’re going to have tons of New Zealand lemonades it looks like I love them too!

[poncirusguy]

I have 3 NZL trees.  1 on C35, 1 on Seville sour and 1 grafted to a seedling NZL.  I have given all my others away.