Kumquat Good Choice for Container Citrus

 

Q. Can we grow Kumquats in our area? Are they water intensive?

A. Kumquats are a good choice in citrus if you want a low maintenance container plant and had had poor luck with citrus in the past. They use the same amount of water as other small citrus trees. Their mature size determines their water use. Kumquats are frequently more cold hardy than other types of citrus and provide some edible fruit that can be eaten directly from the tree.

            During very cold winters it might be deciduous but generally consider the tree to be evergreen and range in height from 6 feet to 20 feet depending on which variety you choose, with a width equal to its height. Unlike Meyers lemon that flowers usually during our coldest spring weather, it flowers and produces fruit throughout the year.

When to Pick the Fruit

            Pick and eat the fruit when it’s bright orange because, unlike peaches and apricots but more like figs and grapes, it won’t get any sweeter after you’ve picked it. Since the peel is not bitter, just pop the whole fruit in your mouth and eat it. It does however get sweeter as the fruit gets brighter in its orange color.

            Kumquat is not a desert plant, so it appreciates a reprieve from intense sunlight in the afternoon. In other words, don’t plant it where it will be in full sun or in a hot part of the landscape and don’t cover the soil in rock. Because it produces fruit and flowers, it won’t like a lot of shade either. East or North facing microclimates out of the wind are usually best.

Which Kumquat to Get

            Three varieties of Kumquat are popular for home landscapes and containers; ‘Meiwa”, ‘Nagami’, and ‘Fukushu’ which is a bit less cold hardy than the other two. There are some seedless selections available so look for those.