League City Area News Online: Gardening

Gardening: Citrus Show Award Winners Picture 2004 Upper Gulf Coast Citrus Show Champions. Shown left to right are Bettye Solcher of Houston (Reserve Champion - Mexican Lime Cluster) and Dianne Nolen of Santa Fe (Grand Champion - Meyer Lemon). Area citrus growers submitted a record 185 entries for display and competition.
Photo by Dr. William M. Johnson.

The 2004 Upper Gulf Coast Citrus Show was held on December 9 at the Walter Hall Park Pavilion in League City and area citrus growers submitted 185 entries for viewing. A remarkably wide range of citrus represented 13 types of citrus ranging from grapefruits to kumquats to lemons.

Home-grown citrus is of superior quality to supermarket fruits. Many residents grow citrus not only for the fruit but also for the ornamental value trees provide to the landscape. Lastly, many types of citrus are easier to grow than many "traditional" fruit trees.

The Upper Gulf Coast Citrus Show was sponsored by the Extension Fruit & Pecan Committee. I extend thanks to the following committee members for their outstanding dedication and volunteer support with planning and conducting the Citrus Show: Jim Hall (Chairman), Santa Fe; Herman Auer, Santa Fe; Bill Chapman, Santa Fe; James McBride, Dickinson; Sam Powers, Santa Fe; Joe Swain, Santa Fe; and Louis Walden, Brookside Village. Judges for this year’s show were Vincent Mannino, Ft. Bend County Extension Director, and Bonnie Childers, a Jefferson County citrus grower.

Entries in the 2004 Citrus Show reflect the wide variety of citrus grown in this area. If you would like to know what types of citrus can be grown here, look over the following list of ribbon and rosette winners and their citrus entries.

Herman Auer, Santa Fe: 1st Place - Meyer Lemon; 2nd Place - Satsuma Seedling Cluster

Bill Bandiga, League City: 3rd Place - Red Grapefruit

Steve Banyai, Galveston: 2nd Place - Sunquat Seedling

Frank Black, Dickinson: 1st Place - Clementine Mandarin; 2nd Place - Meiwa Kumquat; 2nd Place - Unknown Grapefruit

E. R. Browning, Santa Fe: 2nd Place - Navel Orange; 3rd Place - Satsuma

Jack Cross, Texas City: 1st Place - Navel Orange

Betty Fisher, San Leon: 1st Place - Satsuma; 2nd Place - Satsuma Cluster

Phil Flake, Dickinson: 1st Place - Armstrong Early Satsuma; 2nd Place - Rio Red Grapefruit; 2nd Place - Rio Red Grapefruit

Axel Freiberg, Kemah: 1st Place - Unknown Grapefruit

Gerald & Marilyn Gerstmann, Friendswood: 3rd Place - Golden Grapefruit Cluster

Tommy Grissett, Freeport: 1st Place - Webster Dancy Mandarin; 1st Place - Bloomsweet Grapefruit; 3rd Place - Morrison Lemonquat; 3rd Place - Sampson Tangelo; 3rd Place - Temple x Orlando Mandarin; 3rd Place - Thomasville Citrangequat; 3rd Place - Changshou Kumquat

Betty Guthrie, Clear Lake Shores: 3rd Place - Satsuma

Jim Hall, Santa Fe: 1st Place - Satsuma; 2nd Place - Meyer Lemon; 3rd Place - Bloomsweet Grapefruit

Chris Kneupper, Brazoria: 1st Place - F6-9-10 Mandarin; 1st Place - Golden Grapefruit; 3rd Place - Ujukitsu Pummelo Hybrid

Valentino Lanier, Friendswood: 2nd Place - Meyer Lemon; 2nd Place - Ponderosa Lemon; 3rd Place - Owari Satsuma; 3rd Place - Nine Pound Lemon

John Lewis, Houston: 1st Place - Orange

Robert & Sally Marx, Santa Fe: 1st Place - Sunburst Tangerine; 1st Place - Orlando Tangelo; 3rd Place - Satsuma Seedling; 3rd Place - Honey Seedling Tangerine; 3rd Place - Eureka Seedling Lemon

George Morton, Galveston: 1st Place - Mexican Lime

Vern Nagle, Clear Lake Shores: 2nd Place - Clem Yuzu 3-3; 3rd Place - Ishikawa-wase Satsuma

Dianne Nolen, Santa Fe: Grand Champion Meyer Lemon; 1st Place - Meiwa Kumquat; 2nd Place - Satsuma Cluster

John Nosrat, Houston: 2nd Place - Tangerine

Tom O’Neal, Dickinson: 3rd Place - Ruby Red Grapefruit

John Panzarella, Lake Jackson: 1st Place - Fairchild Mandarin Cluster; 1st Place - Panzarella Lemon; 1st Place - Fortune Mandarin; 1st Place - Chandler Pummelo Hybrid; 2nd Place - Wekiwa Tangelo; 2nd Place - Sanguinella Orange; 2nd Place - Page Mandarin; 2nd Place - Golden Grapefruit; 2nd Place - Ujukitsu x Rio Pummelo Hybrid; 2nd Place - Bloomsweet Grapefruit; 3rd Place - Tarraco Orange

Buster Rice, Angleton: 1st Place - Satsuma Cluster; 3rd Place - Meyer Lemon

Butch Roden, Clute: 1st Place - Meiwa Kumquat; 1st Place - Mexican Lime; 1st Place - Red Navel Orange; 1st Place - Pomona Sweet Lemon; 2nd Place - Cara Cara Orange; 2nd Place - Ruby Red Grapefruit; 2nd Place - Pon Kan Tangerine; 2nd Place - Pon Kan Tangerine; 2nd Place - Satsuma; 3rd Place - Dancy Tangerine; 3rd Place - Golden Grapefruit

Shirley Roth, League City: 1st Place - Navel Orange

Robert Segelquist, Deer Park: 2nd Place - Meiwa Kumquat

Bettye Solcher, Houston: Reserve Champion Mexican Lime Cluster

Luke Stripling, Dickinson: 1st Place - Honey Mandarin Tangerine; 1st Place - Rio Star Grapefruit

Vivian & Joe Swain, Santa Fe: 1st Place - Orando Tangelo; 1st Place - Seedling Grapefruit; 3rd Place - Pink Grapefruit

Jim Wade, League City: 1st Place - Ambersweet Orange; 1st Place - Indio Mandarinquat; 2nd Place - Changshou Kumquat; 2nd Place - Marrs Orange

Elizabeth Wells, Friendswood: 2nd Place - Satsuma

Dick Wettling, El Largo: 3rd Place - Meyer lemon

For some plant growing endeavors, my philosophy is "If you can’t pronounce it, don’t grow it!" However, on most occasions with citrus, not being able to pronounce it will not reduce your chances of growing some wonderful and delicious fruit.

(Information below is from the December 3, 2004 column.)

HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR THE GARDENER:

If you are stumped for ideas on holiday gifts, don't overlook the many gardening items that could please any member of the family. Power garden tools, hand tools for kids, special plants, nursery gift certificates, bird feeders, garden statuary, and books are just a few items nearly anyone would appreciate.

COLD INJURY ON PLANTS:

Prepare landscape plants for possible severe cold snaps by taking a few preventive steps to help avoid injury. If you trust your weather prognosticator and he or she predicts a hard freeze and if your soil is on the dry side at the time, then be sure to water your plants well prior to the freeze. Odd as it may appear, many plants are killed due to a lack of sufficient soil moisture. Providing a 4-to-6 inch layer of mulch (such as leaves, compost, or shredded pine bark) will also help to reduce cold injury. While plastic does not provide sufficient protection to plants during a hard freeze, it can be used to protect cold-sensitive plants against light frosts. However, be very sure to remove the plastic immediately after the danger from a light frost has passed-temperatures inside a clear plastic covering can become very high on a sunny day.

CARE OF CHRISTMAS TREES:

Keep the water reservoir in your Christmas tree stand filled with water at all times. A Christmas tree requires lots of water, especially when the home heating system is in operation. The tree will take up a larger quantity of water at first (as much as a gallon or more a day), but water uptake will slack off later. Tests show that a 6-foot Christmas tree will take up between 1 and 2 pints of water per day, on average, during a 3-week season.

CONTROL OF COOL SEASON WEEDS:

Yes, weeds do continue to grow during the winter season. Do not let these unwanted bullies take over your flower beds. A two-to-three inch layer of mulch will prevent most cool season weed seeds from sprouting. It is more effective to keep weeds under control with regular efforts than to try to correct a situation that has gotten out of control due to inattention.

TRANSPLANT TREES AND SHRUBS:

December through February is an excellent time to transplant trees and shrubs. Transplanting during the winter season allows the root system of transplants to become better established prior to spring growth and summer heat. This significantly reduces plant stress during the following summer.

POINSETTIAS:

Christmas poinsettias are widely available now. Each year, people express concern about the poisonous nature of these beautiful plants. Plant scientists at Ohio State University have proven through extensive testing that they are not poisonous. However, poinsettias may cause moderate to severe gastrointestinal disturbances when ingested in sufficient quantity. Always be sure to keep poinsettias well out of reach of inquisitive toddlers. There is always the possibility that some individuals may be especially sensitive to certain plants, including poinsettias.

PLANT BULBS:

Although Christmas is foremost on our minds right now, don't forget those tulip bulbs in the refrigerator as well as other types of bulbs requiring a chill treatment before planting (won't it be great to be able to reclaim that the refrigerator space). They should be planted in late December or by the first week in January after they have received 45-to-60 days of chilling. Tulip bulbs must be planted immediately upon removal from cold storage. Experimental evidence indicates that exposing bulbs to 10-to-14 days of room temperature (72 degrees F.) after removal from cold storage erases the benefits of cold storage.

PRUNING:

Don't be in a hurry to prune woody plants. Very late December through early February is usually the best time to perform most winter pruning.

Dr. Johnson is a horticulturist with the Galveston County
Extension Office of Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University. Visit his web site at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.htm

Gardening: Scale insects and pampas grass - July 17, 2004 article

Gardening: Bananas - August 1, 2004 article

Gardening: August Gardening Calendar - August 16, 2004 article

Gardening: Trio Of Extension Programs Includes Pear Tasting, Master Naturalist Class & Rose Seminar - August 20, 2004 article

Gardening: Prepare Now For Fall Gardens - August 26, 2004 article

Gardening: September’s Garden Calendar Includes Fall Pecan Field Day - September 2, 2004 article

Gardening: Ornamental Grasses - September 8, 2004 article

Gardening: Don't Let Landscape Become A High-Maintenance Nightmare - September 22, 2004 article

Gardening: Oct. 10 Plant Sale & Seminar To Feature Butterfly Gardening - Butterflies Bring Color, Motion to Garden - October 2, 2004 article

Gardening: Plant It And They Will Come: Getting the Butterflies of Galveston County to Grace Your Yard - October 2, 2004 article

Gardening: Rose Propagation & Seasonal Decorating Workshops To Be Held - October 13, 2004 article

Gardening: Extension Office To Sponsor Open House On October 29, Seasonal Decorations and Onion and Garlic Workshops - October 20, 2004 article

Gardening: Extension Office To Sponsor Open House On October 29 and County Pecan Show - October 27, 2004 article

Gardening: November Is Pansy Time - November 6, 2004 article

Gardening: County Pecan Growers Display Their Successes - November 11, 2004 article

Gardening: Gardeners' Questions On Fall Crops - November 17, 2004 article

Gardening: Gardeners’ Q&As For November - November 28, 2004 article

Gardening: Gardeners' December Checklist Includes Citrus Show On Dec. 9 - December 3, 2004 article

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