The project cost about $15,000. Marty Werts, landscape superintendent for UF’s Physical Plant Division, said the idea came to fruition when the dean of the grounds department asked him why there weren’t more citrus trees on campus.

“We wanted students to be able to grab some fruit off a tree and go to class,” Werts said.

He said he used to do that when he first started working at UF in 1981, before a freeze killed most of the citrus in the early 1980s. The trees were never replaced, and the citrus population never recovered.

This time, Werts planted 12 to 15 varieties known to do well in North Florida. He chose each planting site to give the trees the best protection against the cold.

Aside from cold tolerance, the varieties of oranges, grapefruits, tangerines and kumquats were chosen based on taste and diversity. The satsuma orange, for example, is an easy-peeling variety that ripens in October or November.

The different varieties guarantee a tasty harvest during the entire school year, but Werts said most of the fruit ripens during the fall. One tree already has at least 100 fruits.

In keeping with the sustainability theme, the trees will be given organic fertilizer and few chemicals. The idea is to get the healthiest fruit possible, Werts said.

With interest sprouting up all over campus, the trees are producing more than kumquats.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham noticed the new additions and asked the landscapers to include citrus trees in the design for Pugh Hall, which is under construction.

The theme for the design was Florida plants, and Werts said Graham was surprised Florida’s state fruit, the orange, wasn’t prominent in the plans.

“People are noticing what we’re doing,” Werts said.

Source: The Independent Florida