What are the good and bad characteristics of the various rootstocks for citrus?
There is an old saying among Florida citrus growers, that you choose your rootstock based upon how you want your tree to die. A pessimistic approach, but its true that every rootstock out there has disadvantages that, under the right conditions, could result in loss of the tree. On the other hand, each stock has some advantages, that might cause a grower to select it for a specific set of soil, climate, or cultural circumstances. This list will give the advantages and disadvantages of the commonly used stocks, under Florida conditions, with notes on their California performance, where I know them. Note that blight disease is not known to be in California, and tristeza virus is present in some parts of California, but not others. Both diseases are well-distributed around Florida, and should be assumed to be present everywhere in the state.
