Lemon variety Jubilee
Novice citrus growers, when deciding which varieties will form the beginning of their collection, often stop at Jubilee. However, venerable flower growers, who have long and successfully cultivated indoor lemons, do not bypass it either. And it's easy to explain! There are not many lemon varieties that can compete with him in unpretentiousness, as well as in the ability to adapt to home conditions. And at the same time - in decorativeness.
It has its own characteristics, and even its own secrets. But first things first!
About the history of occurrence
It should be noted right away that this variety is practically unknown outside the former USSR. He is, so to speak, a product of Soviet breeders. Or, more precisely, the Uzbeks. To be more precise, one, but almost legendary - Zainiddin Fakhrutdinov. He did an incredible amount for the development of citrus growing in Central Asia, created a dynasty of citrus breeders. Naturally, the specialist was engaged not only in citrus fruits, but through his efforts, two new, hitherto non-existent varieties of lemon appeared: Tashkent and Jubilee.
And if with the first, Tashkent, there are no problems and disagreements, then the second, our current hero, has a more complex reputation. The official, well-known version says that it was obtained by Fakhrutdinov as a result of crossing the Tashkent and Novogruzinsky varieties. Allegedly, on a new tree, one of the branches behaved strangely: unusual, large and lumpy lemons began to grow on it.
On the one hand, there is no miracle in such a phenomenon, it is known among breeders as "uncontrolled gigantism." Fakhrutdinov propagated the twig by grafting and received trees, in the crown of which exceptionally large fruits developed.
This is where the discrepancies began. The fact is that the new lemon did not resemble its "parents" at all. But according to most parameters, it turned out to be almost a copy of another well-known variety - American Panderoses! Among the breeders, they started talking about forgery: they say, Yubileiny is just one of the clones of Panderoza, which Fakhrutdinov passed off as a new variety.
These controversies continue to this day. Someone agrees with the version of the Uzbeks, someone stubbornly considers this citrus American. Apparently, the debate could be ended by applying the method of genetic analysis. But, unfortunately, we have not yet come across such information.
Description of the variety
Crown
Differs in small size (up to 1.5 m high), compact, easy to shape. The skeleton is strong, the branches are strong, but even they bend under the weight of large fruits. The leaves have a deep green color, tough to the touch. The leaf plate is oval, large, firmly sits on a short petiole.
The tree firmly endures the conditions of a city apartment. The foliage does not crumble from dry air, it looks good even with a lack of lighting (the leaves in this case become surprisingly large, as citrus compensates for the lack of light). There are relatively many thorns in the crown, and they can be both small and rather large.
Flowers
This variety is distinguished by abundant flowering, in this sense it is also similar to Panderosa. Flowers often even interfere with the development of the crown. Instead of growing, small twigs often give all their strength to the buds that appear near almost every leaf. Blooming Jubilee is completely covered with a whitish-pink floral bedspread!
Interesting! It has long been known that the flowers of this citrus cannot be pollinated by any other variety, but it is capable of pollinating "congeners".
A valuable quality of this lemon, also related to Panderoza, is the ability to bloom almost all year round, in several waves. Among other things, this also means that the strain doesn't really need a cool winter break - a huge advantage for indoor citrus growing! Fruit sets even in dry air conditions, which is rare in lemons.
The flowers, which are large in size, are collected in loose inflorescences. They appear on the tree very early, sometimes already in the first year after rooting.And in the second year of life, Yubileiny can already bear fruit. Although, this is definitely not worth allowing, so as not to weaken the plant.
Fruit
Large, with a bumpy surface and thick skin. The average weight reaches 800 grams. The variety has a high yield, especially in a greenhouse. But even in a room on a tree, a lot of fruits are tied (and this is already a difference from Panderoza). And the taste of the fruit is more sour, "lemon" than that of an American.
What's the bottom line?
So, we made sure that Jubilee is an excellent variety for growing at home. Its main advantages:
- plasticity, resistance to dry air and lack of light;
- compactness;
- high decorativeness throughout the year;
- excellent productivity;
- early entry into the season of fruiting;
And the pedigree ... It is, of course, interesting, but let the specialists deal with it. For us, amateur flower growers, this lemon remains a popular, interesting, decent indoor variety. Isn't that enough?
