| The most easily grown
citrus for your region There is a surprising
similarity with the preferred citrus cultivars grown all over Australia. The secret lies
in the rootstocks that are used. A 'Marsh's Seedless' grapefruit can be grown from Darwin
to Hobart, but they would be sold as budded to different rootstocks.
The tropical gardener is convinced that everything is
harder above Capricorn and that most gardening texts in Australia ignore their gardens.
There is an element of truth in that too, but they have some great citrus prospects and
the commercial growers in the Top End at Humpty Doo NT and Bees Creek NT will certainly
prove it's worth your while growing citrus in the deep north. Not just any citrus, but
selected varieties on appropriate root-stocks. As with roses, you cannot buy a rose when
you're on holiday in some neighbouring state and expect it to thrive when you get it back
home. We have at least four root stocks used for roses and their success depends on the
soil type and pH reaction and the same goes for citrus. It's near useless planting a
'Ruby' grapefruit on a "Rough Lemon" rootstock in Townsville Qld. While the
'Ruby' grapefruit is a good choice for planting in the tropics, if planted on "Rough
Lemon" rootstock it will usually fail. "Rough Lemon" is widely used as a
rootstock for alkaline clay soils in the south, in the tropics the Trifoliata rootstock is
preferred for the home gardener and commercial grower.
This list of recommended cultivars indicates those that are
grown there and have done well. There may well be many others, that if grown on your
preferred local rootstock, will thrive.
Tropical areas, Top End NT, The Kimberley WA, FNQ and
south to Rockhampton Qld.
"Tahitian Lime"
"West Indian Lime"
"Tropical Lemon"
"Tropical Mandarin"
"Red pummelo"
"White pummelo"
'Ruby' grapefruit
"Kaffir Lime"
"Mount White Lime" Microcitrus garrowayae
"Russell River Lime" Microcitrus inodora
Sub-tropical and inland, with occasional frosts,
like Mundubbera Qld and Carnarvon WA.
'Red Navel'
'Honey Murcott' mandarin
'Ellendale' mandarin
"West Indian Lime"
"Tahitian Lime"
'Ruby' grapefruit
'Pappas Pink' grapefruit
Inland with mild frosts, like the Riverland in SA,
Sunraysia in Vic., Tea Tree to Tennant Creek NT, Griffith and the MIA in NSW, while in WA
areas like Gin Gin, Chittering Valley and the Harvey Irrigation area.
'Lane's Late Navel' orange
'Valencia' orange
'Eureka' lemon
'Marsh Seedless' grapefruit
'Pink Flesh' grapefruit
'Minneola' tangelo
'Nagami' kumquat
'Imperial' mandarin
'Emperor' mandarin
'Hickson' mandarin
'Ellendale' mandarin
'Elsie de Bos' lime
East coastal and frost free, from Wollongong NSW to
Noosa Qld.
'Lemonade'
"Tahitian Lime"
'Eureka' lemon
'Glen Retreat' mandarin
'Hickson' mandarin
'Fremont' mandarin
"Native Finger Lime" Microcitrus australasica
Coastal and windy, like Adelaide and central regions
of SA and Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula Vic and settled areas of Tasmania.
'Lisbon' lemon
'Meyer' lemon
'Washington Navel' orange
"Maltese Blood Orange"
'Marsh's Seedless' grapefruit
'Minneola' tangelo
'Wheenie' grapefruit
'Rangpur' lime
kumquats and calamondin in pots
Inland with heavy frosts, like Alice Springs NT, Broken
Hill NSW, Marla SA, Kalgoorlie WA.
'Minneola' tangelo
'Lisbon' lemon
"Australian Desert Lime" Eremocitrus glauca
calamondin in pots |
