By Laurent Lévy, citrus grafter in Lavernose-Lacasse (Haute-Garonne, France) · updated
Our citrus trees are grafted and grown at the nursery, then shipped in their pots. Here is, without embellishment, what the plant that reaches you looks like, so you know what to expect when you open the box.
A young plant, grafted this year
Each plant is a variety grafted onto a rootstock raised at the nursery. The graft was made during the last grafting season: it is a young plant, still taking shape, not a mature tree. You will recognise the graft union as a slight swelling on the stem, above the soil in the pot. Everything growing above it is the variety you ordered; anything growing below it comes from the rootstock and should be removed as it appears.
Shape varies from one plant to another and from one variety to another: some grow on a single stem, others branch earlier. This is normal at this age, and you will be the one shaping the tree over the coming years.
Height and pot
The plant is generally 80 cm to 1 m tall, pot included. The pot is the one from the option you chose on the product page, in the “Rootstock and pot” list: usually 2.5 L or 3.5 L, depending on the variety. Height depends on the vigour of the variety, the rootstock and the season: no batch is ever perfectly uniform.
The rootstock
You receive the rootstock stated in your order: Poncirus, Citrumelo 4475, Forner-Alcaide no. 5 (FA5) or Citrange C35, depending on what the product page offers. It largely determines the tree’s vigour and its tolerance of cold and of chalky soil. To help you choose: choosing a rootstock.
Flowers and fruit
A plant sometimes leaves with flowers, or even a few small fruits, depending on the variety and the season. This is not the rule and we do not promise it. A young tree that has travelled in the dark for a few days often drops its flowers and fruit on arrival anyway: it is focusing on settling in, and it does no harm.
The photographs of fruit and trees on the product pages show the variety at maturity. They do not show the plant that is shipped.
What changes with the season
- In spring and summer the plant is growing: tender, paler young leaves, sometimes a slightly limp shoot after transport.
- In autumn and winter growth stops: the foliage is darker and a few older leaves may turn yellow.
- After the journey it is common for a few leaves to yellow or drop in the following days. The plant replaces them with its next flush of growth.
In the box
The plant travels in its pot, wedged in a box made to its size. It carries its identification label with the variety name: keep it, you will need it later and it is required for any return. Parcels leave on Mondays by DPD; lead times and rates are on the Delivery page. If you would rather see the plants before taking them home, collection from the nursery is possible by appointment.
The nursery is in its final year of conversion to organic farming, inspected by ECOCERT (FR-BIO-01), and our mother plants are regularly tested for tristeza.
When it arrives
- Check the parcel in front of the driver and note any damage on the delivery slip.
- Open the box straight away and lift the plant out by its pot, not by the stem.
- Feel the soil: if it is dry, water until water runs out of the bottom of the pot.
- Leave it a few days in good light, out of full sun and protected from frost, before repotting or planting it.
- Wait until it starts growing again before feeding it.
A young plant is more sensitive to cold than a mature tree, especially in a pot: see understanding citrus hardiness.