Texan Magazine
By Marc Hess, Editor, “Gardening South Texas”
“You can have citrus trees growing in South Texas as long as you choose the right variety, put it in the right place, and pay a little attention to their care and maintenance requirements.”
~ Dr. Calvin Finch, South Texas horticulturist, speaker and retired Director of Water Conservation and Technology at the Texas A&M University System
Citrus trees are an elegant form of edible landscaping. As evergreens, you will find that citrus make attractive plants throughout the year providing rich green foliage along with a sweet scent. Come winter they will fill your landscape with brightly colored fruit that could last until early spring. Your citrus fruit is usually ready to harvest between October and May, which is during cooler months when many other types of fruits don’t naturally grow. Most citrus is picked off the tree when it is ripe and ready to eat.
The popularity of growing citrus in landscapes and on patios has increased throughout south and central Texas.
Many homeowners are creating urban backyard orchards and harvesting fruit from container-planted trees on their patios.
To be successful at growing citrus in South Texas, you should stick with the cold-hardy varieties or be prepared to grow your trees in containers that are protected or can be moved indoors for the winter.
Regular grapefruit and orange varieties (that refers to true orange varieties, not Satsuma oranges) are not cold tolerant and, unless the growers takes extraordinary measures, they will not make it through a hard freeze.
Fine citrus trees such as Mexican lime (Citrus aurantifolia), Meyer’s improved lemon (Citrus x meyeri ‘Improved’), grapefruit (Citrus x paradise), navel orange and the Valencia orange have increased in popularity in South Texas. However, many of these regular citrus varieties did not survive winter storm Uri, the ‘ice apocalypse’ of February 2021, unless they were brought into shelter.
There are several fruit trees that are not that sensitive to the cold and have proven well-adapted to our climate. You will also find that these citrus trees are readily available in local nurseries.
David Abrego, a Conservation Consultant with the San Antonio Water System, recommends these cold-hardy choices for backyard citrus orchards in South Texas.
Satsuma (Citrus unshiu) Satsumas are a variety of mild mandarin oranges that are the hardiest of the citrus varieties and the easiest to grow in Central Texas. Among the sweetest of citrus varieties they are also seedless and the easiest variety to peel. Common varieties include ‘Miho’, ‘Owari’, ‘Seto’ and two brand-new cultivars, ‘Orange Frost’ and ‘Arctic Frost’.
ChangSha (Citrus reticulate var. satsuma) is a tangerine variety that has been modified to make it more appealing to consumer taste. It produces large quantities of fruit. Originally, the fruits contained many seeds and the tree was very thorny. Newer varieties have fewer seeds and a more upright growth habit.
Kumquat (Fortunella crassifolia) is ideal for small spaces and produces small fruits with an edible peel that’s sometimes sweeter than the pulp. Unlike true citrus, kumquat typically produces throughout the year and it does very well in containers.
Citrus In Containers
Speaking of containers, citrus trees grow well in containers as long as you keep them fed and watered. The lush color of the evergreen foliage makes a great decorative element and the sweet citrusy scent will add a sensuous ambiance to your patio or outside living area.
The great advantage to growing your citrus in containers is that you can move the plant into shelter to protect it from the harsh part of winter.
If you want to grow your citrus in a pot, be sure to use a quality potting soil. It’s a good idea to keep your citrus in the plastic nursery pots, then “double pot” them into a decorative container that matches the décor of your patio.
In The Ground
If you decide to plant your citrus trees in the ground, out in your landscape, plant it in a protected area such as the south or southeast side of your house to provide shelter from the cold Northwestern wind brought by cold fronts. The house will also provide a little bit of heat to keep it warmer during the winter. Be sure to plant your new trees at least four to six feet away from the structure to allow for future growth.
Choose your citrus wisely and you’ll be enjoying the fruits of your labor before you know it.
If you’ve spent a summer afternoon basking aside a sweet-smelling citrus tree or if you have tasted fruit collected with your own hands, you know it’s worth the time and effort of planting a fruit tree.
