Overwintering my young citrus trees

[Johnsmagicgarden]

Hi there. I have three Meyer lemon plants and two calamondin oranges, in an u heated greenhouse growing really well, how can I overwinter them without heating the greenhouse? I don't think taking power to the greenhouse is an option as my dad doesn't want cables running across the garden. Could you please share some successful ideas you have found in or out the house, would a heat mat inside the house be ok and misting of leaves? Thank you

[Jay-ell]

I can't tell you what you should do. I've got a little lemon, lime and orange last year, just little things a single stem and a few leaves in small pots.

What I did do was leave them them in the unheated greenhouse (which got it's polycarb blew out in one of the storms), forget to wrap them in fleece, forgot to water them, in fact totally forgot about them till about March.

The looked dead.

I said LOOKED, after a bit of time on the kitchen window new leaves, new branches and the lemons over twice as high. The lime didn't make it, but the plants too small to bare fruit anyway and I'm sure it will grow more.

[forgetmenot]

It depends on how frosty your garden will get. In mine I had my small potted citrus outside with no protection until feb when it turned cold and then i put them in my greenhouse and finally when that was too cold, into my hallway for a few days. If your greenhouse doesnt get really cold they should be ok and if in doubt wack some fleece on them. They are sensitive to temp changes so if you sre moving them inside and out make sure you do it gradually or else they will sulk!

[TrixC]

The real risk with citrus is sustained low temperatures. Most varieties can stand a light frost, but not multiple days of sub zero temperatures. If you're in the south of the country an unheated greenhouse should be ok, with a covering of fleece during cold snaps. It also depends what varieties you have - lemons and kumquats are generally more able to cope with cold than limes or oranges for example. Citrus do need light, so will suffer in a garage or shed, and a centrally heated house is not ideal unless you're prepared to mist with water on a daily basis.

[starloc]

If citrus get cold roots below about 12C the roots go almost dormant , and if they then get direct sunlight the leaves fall off as they can not feed the leaves so they then need less water, if kept cold keep direct sun from the leaves and leaves will stay on, best way keep room cool between 15 and 15C and roots warmer , if citrus stored too warm in winter they will not flower next year, need about 400 to 700 hours below 12C air temp to flower but preferably with warmer roots...

[Alison]

I've lost them in a cold greenhouse over winter before and now bring them into the conservatory. Last winter would probably have been OK but a normal winter wouldn't have been. Mine is outdoors at the moment though, they love it at this time of year.

[starloc]

I keep some of mine in an unheated room windows on 2 sides I place them up a bit so sunlight hits the pots not the leaves ,
no heat in the room at all and single gazing...i have a very cold house in some rooms in winter!

At 10 to 0C they are fine just look a bit sad but still grow,
Get to -5C they look wilting a bit but hold all leaves,
Get to -10C the lemon looses a few leaves , orange trees and calamondins are still fine, lime tree dies at -10C in the room,
Any lower in the room I get lot of branch and leaf damage, any growth smaller than about 5mm wide old growth dies ( any new growth dies ) on the lemon, at -15C the washington navel oranges are still ok , leaves all fall off lemon tree of i knock it at -15C but recover in warm weather if i dont knock them off ( so i have firy lights on them and they are fine )

At-25C in the house without fairylights on the tree they are all dead, with they are fine with branch tip death nearest the windows but showing -25C in the room

its the days of 25C with ice near the windows that kills them, if any ice forms inside if i leave window open at -10C the branche die nearest,

it is the ice on them killing them

saying that.....i often leave them out at -5C with a frost in February and they survive