Wholesale citrus

Multi-grafted cocktail citrus

Citrus spp., multiple cultivars grafted to one rootstock

Also known as Cocktail citrus tree · Multi-graft citrus

Several compatible citrus cultivars trained on one root system for small-space variety—with extra pruning attention needed to keep one graft from taking over.

EdibleMulti-graftedSmall-space orchardExtended harvest

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Landscape layersLower canopy

Mature size

Usually 10–20 ft tall and wide; rootstock and pruning change final size

Climate fit

Urban core · USDA 9b–10a · Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b · Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b

Special categories

EDIBLE

Winter chill

None

Typical harvest

Varies by the cultivars grafted onto the tree

Before you plant

These conditions determine whether it will thrive.

Required microclimate

Placement is part of the growing system.

Zone A — morning sun, afternoon shade, at the east end of the sunnier south-facing side. Shields thin skin and variegated foliage from west sun, and gives blood oranges the cooler afternoons they need to color.

Cold hardiness

Cover in a hard freeze

It is only as hardy as its most tender branch. Cover the whole tree when a night below 28°F is forecast. If one graft is a lime, cover it on every frost night.

Blossoms and fruit: below 28°F

Heat tolerance

Shade from late-afternoon sun

Each graft keeps its own heat tolerance, and pruning grafts to stay balanced can leave bark exposed. Paint any bare limbs and give it some afternoon shade.

Sources:

extension.arizona.edu , galveston.agrilife.org , escholarship.org

Right plant, right place

Will Multi-grafted cocktail citrus grow at your Arizona property?

Plant in fast-draining soil with the graft union above grade. Keep mulch away from the trunk and avoid lawn irrigation at the root crown.

Best regional fit: Urban core · USDA 9b–10a, Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b, Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b.

Light

Sun exposure

Full sun; young trunks and exposed scaffold limbs need sunburn protection

Water

Irrigation

Deep, regular irrigation with drying between cycles; expand the wetted zone as the canopy grows

Fruit set

Pollination

Varies; the included cultivars may assist one another

Harvest

How to use it

Multiple citrus types from one footprint

Planting & stewardship

How to help Multi-grafted cocktail citrus thrive

1
Identify and label every graft at planting.
2
Prune vigorous grafts back before they dominate weaker varieties.
3
Remove all shoots arising below the graft union.
4
Confirm that all included cultivars suit the same frost exposure and irrigation schedule.

Read the horticultural reference ↗