Growing Citrus in Tucson

In the new world citrus was introduced by the Spaniards in the 16th and 17th century. In Florida, by the explorer Ponce De Leon, and here in Tucson by Father Kino and other Spanish missionaries.

Although citrus has been grown in the Americas for at least 400 years, known records of citrus cultivation date back nearly 2600 years. The sweet orange was known and cultivated in China for at least 600 years before Christ. It is believed that the citrus species originated from the warm southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains. Early primitive forms of the orange, mandarin and pummelo were brought into China.

Mandarins were first mentioned in Chinese literature in 200 B.C. and like the lemon, probably originated in India and Burma. The lime is known in a wild state only on the Malay Peninsula and spread from there to India and then to the rest of the world. The grapefruit is a relative newcomer, appearing to have arisen in the West Indies as a mutation of the pomelo which was brought there from Asia by a Scottish sea captain.

Now, getting down to the business of how you can grow citrus. First, make sure your yard is in a warm enough location for citrus. Generally, avoid planting citrus if you live along the washes and rivers. These areas are colder than most, generally too cold for even the hardier forms such as kumquats and calamondins. Of intermediate cold hardiness are grapefruit, oranges, mandarins and tangelos. They can tolerate short periods of temperatures in the low 20 degree range. Eureka and Lisbon Lemon are damaged below the mid 20's. And finally, limes a suffer injury in the upper 20's. Look for mature citrus in your area. If you find them, along with Ironwood trees and Saguaro cactus then your in a warmer location conducive to citrus.

Next you'll want to select the variety of citrus you want to grow. Oranges, tangelos and grapefruit being the most popular, here is information on the best varieties for the Tucson area.

Oranges:

Valencia is great for eating, but excels in it's juicing quality. Because doesn't ripen until February and March it should be planted in warmer locations or protected. It is a good producer, with yields more than 200 pounds of fruit per tree after 10 years. Once ripe, fruit can be held on the tree many weeks, only improving it's quality.

Trovita, one of the Arizona sweet oranges is a variety with excellent quality. Sweet and juicy with few seeds, the fruit of Trovita ripen in January. Trees also have good cold tolerance, and are do well in our desert climate.

Diller and Hamlin produce smaller fruit than the Valencia with eight to ten seeds per orange. Both produce oranges of excellent juicing quality, that begin ripening in December. Eating quality is good. Both are categorized as Arizona sweets, Diller actually originating from Arizona as a seedling.

Red Oranges while varying in color are well-adapted and ripen during the same season as other sweet oranges. Taroco, Moro, Ruby and Sanguinelli are named red or pigmented type blood oranges.

Tangelos:

Minneola tangelo is known as the "Honey Bell" in Florida because of it's bell shape and honey sweet fruit. Extremely juicy, Minneola is excellent for eating, but wear a bib! The skin is an attractive deep reddish orange and is easy to peel. Fruit ripens in January to March, and may freeze in colder areas.

Orlando is somewhat more cold hardy than the Minneola, with smaller rounded fruit. Fruit ripens from November to January. Orlando is very productive and is a rapid grower. Although rather seedy, the fruit is sweet and juicy.

Grapefruit:

Marsh sets the standard for white fleshed grapefruit. It has excellent flavor and is very juicy. It responds well to heat, which cause the fruit to become sweeter. Marsh is best harvested in April and May, but can be picked as early as November. The pink fleshed version of Marsh is called Redblush. Other than the color of the fruit, these trees are essentially the same.

For home planting, five gallon citrus trees are ideal from both the standpoints of cost and quick establishment . Select trees that have been grafted on hardy citrus rootstock. Trees grown on sour orange rootstock have very good cold tolerance, important here in Tucson. Other highly recommended rootstocks include: Trifoliate, Troyer, Swingle, Carrizo, and Volkamer.

Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161.
Material originally appeared in Arizona Daily Stargardening column, on February 8, 1998
Return to index