rooting citrus

[bwhite829]

Hey all, I've got a quick question about some citrus trees that my grandparents and uncle have that I am considering rooting. They are a sweet variety of kumquat and a satsuma. I love both of these and they are fruiting very heavily right now. I am wondering A: When to root them and B: I've seen videos and read about it but still never done it. Do I need sand or can I stick it in my compost(right now its just composted manuer, I haven't worked on making it a good compost yet). Does willow water work as good as the store bought rooting hormone? Also, I won't have a source of bottom heat. Does this just speed up the process or is it completely necessary? Thanks!

[ElizabethB]

Satsumas are generally grafted, IDK about kumquat. Plant your cuttings in pots. I use 3/4 - 1 gallon nursery pots filled with all purpose potting soil to within 1" of the top. Start several cuttings. Take cuttings that are about the diameter of a pencil 6" - 8" long. No leaves. Make a straight cut on the top just above a leaf node and a slanted cut on the bottom just below a leaf node. You can use rooting hormone if you like but it is not necessary. Plant half of the cutting. Saturate the soil for the initial watering. Water daily. The soil must be kept consistantly moist - not soggy. Do not fertilize. We are in the same planting zone. You can leave your cuttings outside under cover. No need to be concerned about sun until they begin to produce leaves. If a hard freeze is predicted bring them in over night and put them back out in the morning. It will take 2 - 3 months for your cuttings to root. I keep tree cuttings in a pot until they are 3 years old. I started several fig cuttings last spring. Next spring I will pot them up to the next size container.

Happy gardening.

[bwhite829]

If I were to use hormone, does willow water work as well? Also, is there a better choice to try for rooting that I can graft my satsumas to? I've got a couple limes, a lemon, and a calamondin that I got a couple months ago and I can root that if it roots easier and then just graft the satsuma to it. Should I wait till the spring to try it or can I do it now?

[ElizabethB]

IDK about grafting. Depending on where you live there are different root stocks used. I do lots of hard wood propagation as part of my Master Gardener volunteer work. I do not have any experience with grafting and honestly have no friends who do - I asked around. Grafted citrus trees are relatively inexpensive when you consider that you are getting 3 year old trees. IDK what to recommend other than getting in touch with your local Master Gardener Association or your County Agent for reliable local growers. The Master gardeners may be able to help you with grafting. I just don't know what kind of root stock you need.

Sorry I could not give you any real info. Good luck on your project.