Citrus!

Top to bottom, left to right:
Tangelo (Minneoloa), Yuzu, Pummelo, Lemon (Eureka), Kumquat (Nagami), Yuzu

More than anything else, the citrus seem to be loving life right about now. These are all seed grown - I also have a seed-grown sudachi, and two larger grafted citrus (another yuzu, and a calamondin, which are both in the midst of a ferocious growth flush at the moment). The dry spring seems perfect for them all - lots of haze-free sunny skies, daytime temps between 75 and 90, with nights that have varied from the upper 30s to around 60. They have been growing very steadily.

The lemon - a year old now - has grown to about a foot tall.

The tangelo is also about a year old, and struggled mightily (many snail attacks) in its' early months. It has recovered considerably, is a bit shrubbier and currently stands about 8 inches tall.

The pummelo has been extremely vigorous, and is now sporting its' first spines. At barely 5 months of age, it's about 6 inches tall.

The kumquats likewise have been pretty vigorous, and likewise have a spine or two on them now; they are about 4 inches.

The seed-grown yuzus and the sudachi are both also about 4 inches. They are a bit more lush and less lanky in their appearance, with clusters of papeda-style leaves (the winged petiole characteristic of all papeda citrus) which has a vaguely spicy scent. Some, but not all, of the new shoots on the sudachi have been purple-tinged, like kaffir limes or ichang papedas.

Each of them are growing a new leaf or two a week at this point. The larger grafted trees are covered in more than a dozen new branches each, each with many clusters of small glossy leaves.

Cocona: Solanum sessiliflorum

Cocona: Solanum sessiliflorum

The cocona has enjoyed the warm spring as well. These guys have been transplanted since the pic was taken, and are sporting large, furry hand-shaped leaves. They haven't grown up as much as they've grown out; it's my understanding that coconas are a bit slow to mature. Nevertheless, they are short - but very sturdy looking...

Cape gooseberry: Physalis peruviana

Cape Gooseberry: Physalis peruviana

Whoa! More than a month since the last post! Such slackness!

We have headed into a typically unpredictable Carolina spring - the normally wet month of April has gone out with a scant and scary 0.56 of rain recorded for the entire month. Great yellow explosions of pine pollen befouling the atmosphere, instigated by a bone-dry month of 80- and 90-degree temps, steady breezes, and nary a drop of rain. Arrrrgh!

With liberal watering, my various plants have been unaffected, thus far at least.

This guy is the sole survivor of my cape gooseberry seedlings. The seeds had a low germination rate, which may explain their relative lack of popularity, in spite of awesome fruit. Nonetheless, this lone survivor has surged to over a foot tall. I'm having to water almost daily, but it's doing quite well. I've never grown them before, so I am wondering where it will go from here - when to expect blooms or fruit.

As solanaceae (nightshades) go, it's more attractive than most - an added bonus.