How to grow Kumquat

Where to plant

Plant kumquats in full sun for the heaviest crop, although they grow in part shade. Give them well drained soil, keep them out of lawns and wet spots, and allow room so neighboring trees do not shade the lower branches. UF/IFAS describes kumquat as cold hardy enough that cold damage is not a concern in Florida.

Kumquats are among the safest citrus for North Florida, the Gulf South and much of Central and East Texas, planted from late winter once hard freezes are past, and they handle Northern California valley frosts once established. They also grow in Central and South Florida, Southern California, the desert (with trunk protection and deep watering) and the Hawaii lowlands. In the Mid-South and anywhere colder, grow a kumquat in a large pot and bring it under cover for winter.

Citrus quarantines and varieties

Kumquats are citrus and fall under the same rules. The Asian citrus psyllid spreads huanglongbing (HLB, or citrus greening), an incurable disease that kills citrus. As of 1 October 2026, USDA lists all of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and parts of Alabama, Arizona, California, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas, as quarantined for HLB, and a wider area, including all of Arizona, Hawaii, Louisiana and Texas and much of California, for the psyllid. Inside these areas, citrus plants cannot be moved out, and fruit may move only washed and free of leaves and stems. Buy kumquats only from a licensed nursery in your own state, and never bring in citrus plants, cuttings or budwood from elsewhere.

Meiwa is round, sweeter and less seedy, and the best for eating fresh. Nagami is oval and more sour, good for marmalade. Centennial has variegated leaves and striped young fruit.

How to plant

1. Buy a certified, grafted tree from a licensed nursery in your state.
2. Plant after the last hard freeze in late winter or spring, or in the cooler, drier months in South Florida so roots settle before the summer rains.
3. Dig a hole about twice as wide as the root ball and set the tree so the top of the root ball sits slightly above the soil, never deeper.
4. Backfill with the native soil and water well, keeping the root ball moist until roots grow out.
5. In the desert, paint the trunk with diluted white latex paint against sunburn and water deeply.

Watering and feeding

Water young trees often enough to keep the root ball moist, then deeply and less often as the tree establishes. Avoid waterlogged soil, which causes root rot.

Feed with a citrus fertilizer with micronutrients during the growing season at the label rate, and avoid late season feeding, which pushes soft growth before winter.

Pruning and care through the year

• Remove suckers that sprout from below the graft; they do not give good fruit.
• Prune the canopy only when necessary and sparingly, as UF/IFAS notes pruning reduces fruiting.
• Check new leaf growth monthly from spring to fall for Asian citrus psyllid: tiny brown insects feeding tail up, white waxy nymph secretions and twisted new leaves.
• In cold regions, move potted trees to a bright, frost free spot before hard freezes.

Harvesting

In Florida, fruit matures from about October and keeps coming through March. Pick when fully orange. Eat kumquats whole, rolling them gently between your fingers first to release the flavor of the sweet peel.

Kumquats also make excellent marmalade, jelly, chutney and candied fruit.

Growing in pots

Kumquats are among the best citrus for pots. Use a pot at least 16 inches (40 cm) wide with drainage holes and a free draining citrus mix, keep it in full sun and water when the top inch dries. In cold regions, bring the pot into a bright, cool, frost free room or greenhouse for winter.