We Are Proud Of Our SafeSurf Rating!

Key Lime Trees. Citrus aurantifolia Swingle, Rue or Ruta Family ( Rutaceae ), Commonly Known As: Key Lime Trees. HISTORY OF LIME TREES: We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; for much of the information on our page. We also share our information and photos with Wikipedia. Key lime originated in southern Asia and was carried by the Arabs across North Africa into Spain and Portugal. It was brought to the Americas by Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the early part of the sixteenth century where it escaped cultivation and became naturalized in parts of the West Indies, some Caribbean countries, and southern Florida. DESCRIPTION OF LIMES: Lime is one of the most popular kinds of citrus in the United States today. There are a number of lime varieties that are popular in the United States, but the two most popular are the Key Lime (also known as the Mexican Lime) and the Tahiti Lime (also known as the Persian Lime). Key Limes are sweeter and bear small fruit that is about two inches in size. Tahiti Limes are larger and bear fruit that is approximately thee to four inches in size. The Kaffir Lime (also known as the Thai lime) sometimes is grown in Arizona. Here is a brief description of those three limes: Lime Mexican, Bears Year Around (Key Lime) the small bar lime(1.5 inches in diameter), sometime seedy but extremely juicy and a genuine tropical flavor when ripe. Produces year round, but more abundantly in the fall. Very thorny. Very frost sensitive. Lime Tahiti, Bears August-Jan (Bearss, Persian) green lemon size fruit. Thorny branches. Lime Kaffir, Bears August (Thai lime) The fruit is bumpy. The leaves, fruit juice and zest are used in tropical Asian cuisine. Similar frost resistance as the key lime. GROWING LIMES IN ARIZONA: Our weather in the Arizona desert produces some of the best tasting citrus in the world! Our summer heat produces lots of sugar in citrus fruits making them sweeter and our cool weather in winter produces acid making Arizona citrus more tart. Therefor, our Arizona hot summers and cool winters in the desert produce a much fuller flavored fruit than can be grown in either the consistently warm climates such as in Florida, or the consistently mild climates such as on the California coastal regions. A second advantage is that Arizona citrus can still be grown on Sour Orange root stock, which produces some of the best tasting fruit. California and Florida have both baned Sour Orange rootstock because of its susceptibility to Tristeza, a citrus disease carried by a brown aphid. Fortunately, this aphid cannot survive the lower desert heat of Arizona. Generally speaking, just about any citrus will grow in the low desert areas of Arizona. A great resource about Citrus in Arizona is written by the Arizona Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture, The University of Arizona. It is called, a Crop Profile for Citrus in Arizona. When to Plant: The best time of year to plant a citrus tree is in very early fall. Usually in late September. At that time the hottest part of the year is over and the tree will have the maximum amount of time to become well established before the hot weather arrives next summer. Planting Depth: Dig your hole at least twice the size of the rootball. At minimum, make the hole 2 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep. After you have planted the tree and added your soil to the hole, it is best if the hole is recessed about 2 inches so that a watering basin is formed. Since our soil is often clay soil, we recommend adding some well blended sand, gypsum, and mulch to your soil, around the roots in the hole. The quality you want in your soil is to have good drainage. One common problem in Arizona is that we have a hard layer under our soil called caliche. In digging your hole make sure that you dig through the caliche layer. Sometimes a jack hammer is needed to do this. Many nurseries will offer to plant your tree for you for an extra fee. WATERING: Either the basin or flood irrigation method is recommended because it helps keep the salts in our Arizona hard water from accumulating around the roots. Furthermore, deep watering encourages the plant to develop deeper roots, making the plant stronger when the Arizona weather gets hot and dry. Assuming you are planting in the fall. For the first two weeks after planting, water every three days. After that, the normal schedule should be followed. When watering citrus flood them very thoroughly for 30 minutes to an hour. Citrus do better if they dry out between waterings. In the hottest part of summer water once every one to two weeks. In the winter water once every four to six weeks. During other times of the year, schedule watering between these two extremes We actually use a drip system and run three drip emitters for 15 minutes, every two days. It works great! We started the plants with the basin method about 10 years ago. FERTILIZING: It is recommended to fertilize citrus three times a year for maximum growth in early March, late May, and middle September. Newly planted trees should not be fertilized the first year because they are too easily burned. Slow growing citrus need less fertilizer than more vigorous varieties. Generally speaking, the recommendations on chemical citrus fertilizers bags are generally too high. We recommend that you use half the rates recommended. Remember that most citrus trees can go for years without fertilizers and be relatively healthy as long as they are correctly watered. But, over fertilizing a tree can cripple and kill the tree rather quickly. Also, slow release chemical fertilizers, and organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion; can also be used, and they are less likely to burn your trees. We recommend that slow release fertilizer can be applied at the beginning of the growing season in March and once again in the middle of the growing season in early June. Organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion can be applied monthly. You can also apply any one of these fertilizers less often and at lower rates, if you feel you need to do so. HINTS & TIPS: Citrus tolerate the summer sun well in the Phoenix Area, but will always get some sun burned leaves during the hottest weather. Nothing to be concerned about! Water regularly; do not overwater. This plant is attractive to bees. DISEASES & PESTS: Of the more than 30 virus and virus-like diseases that have been described world wide, only Tristeza, Psorosis, and a mycoplasma disease - Stub-born; are presently known to occur in Arizona. A great resource about CITRUS DISEASE in Arizona is written by the Arizona Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture, The University of Arizona. It is called, the manual of Citrus Diseases of Citrus in Arizona. The common insect pests of Citrus in Arizona Are: Orange Dog Caterpillar, Aphids, Cottony-cushion Scale, Citrus Thrips, Flower Thrips, & Citrus Mites. A great resource about CITRUS PESTS in Arizona is written by the Arizona Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture, The University of Arizona. It is called, the manual of Citrus INSECT PESTS. Height: About 10 - 20 feet tall. Spread: About 3 - 15 feet wide. Flowers: White/Near White. Buds often have a pinkish color. Blooming Time: Spring. In Phoenix about March 15th. Leaves: Green in color, alternately arranged evergreen leaves with an entire margin. Elevation: 0 - 1,500 feet. Light: Sun. Hardiness: USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 �C (20 �F) USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 �C (25 �F) USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 �C (30 �F) USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 �C (35 �F) Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) However, tolerates Arizona's alkaline soils. Habitat: Well-drained sandy soil, Loamy Soil, Acidic Soil. Best pH 5.8 to 6.5. Will tolerate some alkaline soils. Native: Southeast Asia. Miscellaneous: Photos Taken March 13, 2012 In Glendale, Arizona. Plant has spines or sharp edges; use extreme caution when handling.