Getting Started with Kumquat Trees
Many regions in California, particularly in Southern California, are ideal for growing kumquats. Kumquat trees are adapted to grow actively during hot summers, and are not damaged by cold winter temperatures. One healthy, productive kumquat tree is adequate for a family, and may produce hundreds or thousands of fruits during a year.
To get started, obtain a healthy young tree of an appropriate variety, one with good stem structure, from a reputable nursery or other local source. Once established, an kumquat tree is fairly simple to maintain, and can provide decades of healthy, nutritious, and delicious fruit. Kumquat fruits will hold for an exceptionally long period of time on the tree, up to one year.
Many grocery shoppers are fussy when purchasing a few dollars worth of fruit to eat, and refuse to be put out or inconvenienced by any blemish, but they may buy and plant whatever fruit trees are sold locally at the big-box nursery without a second thought, and afford the cost and spend the time to maintain them, sometimes for years before harvesting, without even knowing if they will like the taste of the fruit. GardenZeus expert Darren Butler recommends that the first step in planting any variety of fruit tree be trying out and tasting its fruit. Some people hate kumquats, while others love kumquats and pop them into their mouths like candy. This requires planning ahead to taste fruits when seasonally available throughout the year, and can be done by asking around at local farmers’ markets for a vender who sells fruit of the variety that interests you, placing calls to local citrus societies or California Rare Fruit Growers chapters, or placing online orders. The time and resources you spend to rule out fruit varieties that you might have planted but whose taste does not thrill you, or worse, that you don’t even like, may be some of the best you ever spend, and can save you disappointment and wasted effort and expense after years of nurturing a young tree.
Consider your long-term landscape needs when preparing to plant kumquat trees. Evaluate your available space and how your needs for that space may change over years. Plan for irrigation, soil amending or fertilizing, mulching, care during establishment, and long-term care of trees before purchasing.
Citrus can be kept small with regular, reasonably skilled pruning. Kumquats are smaller than most other types of citrus, and can be grown successfully in smaller spaces or containers.
It’s important to obtain healthy trees that aren’t rootbound, and GardenZeus generally recommends planting younger, smaller trees rather than older trees that may have root issues after spending long periods being successively rootbound in multiple nursery pots or containers.
Careful selection of both varieties and individual trees, proper site placement, proper planting, and care of citrus trees for the first 2 or 3 years or until established are all important for the long-term health and productivity of your citrus tree(s). Attention in these areas will often help citrus trees to produce fruit for decades with minimal maintenance and relatively few problems.
In the first 2 to 4 years of a young citrus tree’s life after planting, it’s important to encourage a strong tree with a healthy root system and large canopy before putting attention onto fruiting. Soil fertility and irrigation for young kumquat trees are critical to healthy development.
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Other articles of interest:
GardenZeus Quick Tips: Harvesting Lemons
Getting Started With Citrus: Purchasing and Placing Your Citrus Trees
Orange Trees: Should They Have Companion Plants?