Dwarf citrus for the home
Gardeners who haven’t before had the space or place for citrus can now grow a range of truly dwarf sweet navel oranges, naartjies, lemons and limes.
Unlike ornamental mini citrus such as the calamondin and Kumquat, the new Mini-Me dwarf grafted citrus produces normal sized fruit even though the tree is dwarf and grows well in containers.
Enter the “Flying Dragon” which, according to David Seewald who developed the range, is the name of the Chinese rootstock onto which the cultivars are grafted. This rootstock induces the dwarfing habit, and much more. The other benefits of this miniaturisation are sweeter fruit and earlier fruiting compared to traditional citrus.
There is also inbred resistance to root diseases, especially root rot (Phytophthora) that is common among commercially grown citrus, and a better tolerance for cold. That means these mini trees will be less affected by the cold than citrus cultivars grafted onto commercial citrus rootstocks.
How it started
It all goes back to 2017 when Seewald took over the family nursery business in the Hartbeestpoort dam area. He decided to pursue his interest in citrus and headed to Europe and Australia to check out new developments.
Everyone was talking mini-citrus so he visited the top grower of dwarf citrus in the world, which opened his eyes to what could be done with citrus trees grown on a dwarfing rootstock. He quickly realised that dwarf citrus was the answer for the many South Africans living in townhouses and flats with small gardens and patios.
It was tailor made for container gardening, grow your own and water-wise gardening.
The Mini-Me citrus collection
These 25-30cm high dwarf trees will slowly grow to a mature height of between 1.5-2m. They don’t outgrow their containers as quickly as normal citrus.
Tangy lemon (Limoneira) is a tangy, sharp tasting lemon that produces an abundance of fruit in winter. It has a thin rind that makes an excellent zest for cooking. When mature this lemon will only be 2m high.
Easy to peel naartjie produces tasty, almost seedless fruit from autumn into winter. It grows up to 1.5m high.
The Eating Orange (Navel orange) has sweet, juicy fruit for fresh eating and cooking. It’s easy to peel too. It also fruits from autumn into winter. The tree grows up to 1.5m.
Spicy leaf Thai Lime is prized for its leaves that are used in cooking, mostly Asian dishes. The leaves have a spicy citrus flavour and are used whole or finely chopped. It remains a small tree.
Tahiti lime is an eating lime with medium sized juicy fruit in late winter and early spring. In cold areas the skin turns yellow but the flesh remains green and delicious.
How to use them
Their small and compact growth habit makes them ideal for the patio or small garden. They can be espaliered along a wall or fence to hide or screen an area. They can also be pruned into a lollipop shape in a pot or the ground.
Growing tips
Plant in soil that drains well. Avoid clay soil. For citrus in pots, use a good quality potting soil with coarse gravel or rock at the bottom of the container to prevent the holes from clogging up.
Plants need at least six hours of sunlight a day. Do not overwater. Let the soil dry out moderately between watering. Increase the watering during flowering and fruit setting.
Spray twice a month with Ludwig’s Insect spray to control pests. Fertilise during the growing months – August to December. Although this mini citrus is cold tolerant, protect it from frost with frost cloth, move pots indoors or into a sheltered area.
Mini-Me Citrus is available at selected supermarkets, garden centres and hardware stores.