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I thought I bought a Valencia orange tree. Then I went back to look at it and saw a tag that said Meyer lemon.
For a minute, I thought I had somehow picked up the wrong tree. Then I looked again and found another tag that said Valencia orange. At that point I was really confused.
Finally, I found the third tag—and that was the one that made everything make sense. This wasn't just a Valencia orange tree or just a Meyer lemon tree. It was a multi-grafted citrus tree with both Meyer lemon and Valencia orange growing on the same tree.
I didn't even realize that was what I was buying!
How Can One Tree Grow Lemons and Oranges?
Citrus trees are commonly grown by grafting. A desired citrus variety is joined to a rootstock so that the two grow together as one tree.
My tree takes that idea a step further because it has more than one fruiting variety on it. One part is labeled Meyer lemon and another is labeled Valencia orange.
So instead of needing a separate tree for each variety, this tree gives me the possibility of eventually getting two different kinds of citrus from one plant.
Meyer Lemon + Valencia Orange
These are two citrus varieties I would have been happy to add to the food forest separately, which makes accidentally finding them together even more fun.
Meyer Lemon
Meyer lemons are a popular choice for Florida home gardens. They have a sweeter, less sharply acidic flavor than many traditional lemons and are relatively cold-hardy compared with other lemons.
Meyer lemon can also be grown in a container, which is useful when you're dealing with an area where occasional freezes are a concern.
Valencia Orange
Valencia is one of Florida's well-known sweet orange varieties. It's especially known as a juice orange and produces sweet, bright-orange juice.
I had actually thought I was buying a Valencia orange in the first place, so discovering that I had the Valencia plus a Meyer lemon was a pretty good surprise.
Watch Me Figure Out What I Actually Bought
I caught the whole confusing discovery in this video. You can see why the different tags had me wondering what kind of tree I had actually brought home.
I'm Not Planting This Citrus Tree Yet
Even though I've already planted some of the other citrus trees we're adding to our food forest, I'm holding off on putting this one in the ground.
We're in Central Florida, where citrus can grow very well, but freezing temperatures are still something I have to think about. This tree is going to stay protected for now, and once I get a greenhouse, that's where I'm planning to keep it during the colder weather.
This is the greenhouse I'm looking at on Amazon for some of the more cold-sensitive plants and fruit trees I'm collecting.
Why I'm Being Careful With Citrus and Freezes
One thing I'm learning as I build this food forest is that "grows in Florida" doesn't necessarily mean every plant can be treated the same way everywhere in Florida.
Central Florida can still experience freezes, and young citrus trees can be more vulnerable while they're getting established. Variety, rootstock and where a tree is located can all affect how it handles cold weather.
That's one reason I'm taking this food forest tree by tree instead of assuming that everything needs to go directly into the ground.
Another Orange Tree I'm Growing
This isn't my only orange tree. I also found a much larger Hamlin orange tree on clearance for about $50 after it had originally been priced around $200.
You can see that tree and the decision about when to plant it here: When Should You Plant an Orange Tree in Florida? My $50 Hamlin Orange Tree .
Do Multi-Grafted Citrus Trees Need Special Attention?
This is one of the things I'll be watching as the tree grows. Because I want to keep both the Meyer lemon and Valencia orange portions of the tree, I don't want one part of the tree eventually dominating the other.
I'll also be paying attention to where new growth originates. On a grafted citrus tree, growth coming from the rootstock is different from the fruiting variety growing above it. Knowing which branches belong to the varieties I actually want is going to be especially important on a tree like this one.
One Tree, Two Kinds of Citrus
This definitely wasn't what I thought I was buying when I picked out a Valencia orange tree, but I'm glad I took another look at those tags.
Now I'm really curious to see how this tree grows and whether I can eventually harvest Meyer lemons and Valencia oranges from the same tree.
It's also becoming one of my favorite parts of building our food forest: I keep finding plants and trees that I probably wouldn't have gone looking for originally, and then I get to learn how to grow them.
Would you rather have a tree with two different kinds of citrus, or would you rather grow a separate tree for each one?