6b/7a overwinter success

[Unicyclemike]

3 in ground trees...Owari Satsuma, Swingle Citrumelo, and Taveres Limequat.....Temps in January.....10 days of mid twenties for high and lower teens for the low.  I used Christmas Lights, styrofoam and plastic. Today April 13....All showing new growth.  The two small plants in the front were pots that are in ground that also overwintered...They are grapefruits that I started from seed.  No winter burn at all.  I also have a Xie Shan and an Arbiguina Olive in another spot that did well. 

[a_Vivaldi]

Well done!

[Unicyclemike]

Just a little message to say that with a little bit of planning and with the help of this group Citrus can be grown successfully in South Central PA.  I actually had more trouble controlling the temp from becoming to warm and than too cold.  Thanks everyone.

Mike A.

[kulasa]

It's going to be more difficult to protect them when they get bigger.

[Unicyclemike]

Hopefully they will be more adaptive to the cold weather...

Mike A.

[a_Vivaldi]

While the trees will be a bit more cold resistant once they're bigger, they don't adapt to colder and colder temperatures. It's just that they are physically bigger and more established and can take a bit lower temp because of that. A bit. Owari will be killed by persistent low teens unprotected no matter what.

In your zone, they absolutely will need winter protection regardless of how long you grow them. Maybe Swingle might not, I'm not sure about its ultimate hardiness.

[Unicyclemike]

Hey thanks for the advice.  I will be on guard next winter.  Using the same methods I used this year.

Mike A

[vnomonee]

Nice work, are they on flying dragon rootstock? If you keep them small it will be easy to cover

[Unicyclemike]

Yes Flying Dragon.  I got them at Stan Mckenzies place in South Carolina.

Mike Adams

[a_Vivaldi]

Stan has good trees. My memory is that he uses standard trifoliate though, right? Or maybe both.

[vnomonee]

My Prague chimera from Stan came on flying dragon. It grows very slowly, but I used it as stock and have copies of it on taitri and standard poncirus now.