Author Topic: Cold tolerant lime  (Read 11498 times)

Viking Guy

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Cold tolerant lime
« on: March 08, 2015, 04:25:23 PM »
So, I am looking for a cold tolerant lime variety that can handle the short dips to 25f we occasionally get.

My mangos even did well, and only got some pan dmg, but 2 yrs in a row I lost lime.  Persian lime and key lime bit the dust.

These guys must be super cold sensitive.

Let me know if there is a lime with better cold tolerance--other than a limequat, which i already have.

If there isn't one, then looks like my orchard has a new position available... and will need an alternate arrangement for that spot   ;)

adriano2

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2015, 04:47:26 AM »
maybe there is such lime, but the taste would probably not match the taste of persian or mexican lime.

Millet

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2015, 10:54:50 AM »
Limes are the least cold hardy citrus variety.  Leaf and stem damage can occur at 33F. and tree death at 28F.  Planting a lime in Alabama will require constant protection during cold spells.  You might consider growing your lime tree as a container plant that can be moved to a safe location during cold spells. - Mllet

Viking Guy

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2015, 12:02:19 PM »
I did a little research on it and it seems the hardiest variety can handle no better than 30.  Guess it is container only for me.  I'm in Alabama's warmest hotspot, and we still hit 25 past 2 years.  Though it was under 24 hrs, it was enough.

Limes are the least cold hardy citrus variety.  Leaf and stem damage can occur at 33F. and tree death at 28F.  Planting a lime in Alabama will require constant protection during cold spells.  You might consider growing your lime tree as a container plant that can be moved to a safe location during cold spells. - Mllet

Bush2Beach

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2015, 12:23:50 PM »
I hear you about Limequat but Eustis Limequat is a nice Lime substitute. My yard has dipped below freezing for less than 12 hours and I have not seen damage on my Bearss, Mexican, Palestine Sweet, or winged lime but my Buddhas Hand Citron will defoliate.

Millet, I thought Citron were more susceptible to frost than Limes, no?

Viking Guy

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2015, 12:43:25 PM »
Bearss had best tolerance for the limes from what I saw.  Maybe I should give that one a go.  The limequat I have has really nice fruit, so I can't complain.  But I will miss my "thornless" key.  :(

mrtexas

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2015, 07:38:48 PM »
Tavares limequat is OK, much bigger fruit than other limequats. Doesn't taste much like a lime but...I don't like eustis limequat. Fruit
is too small and not much flavor.

Viking Guy

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2015, 07:57:26 PM »
Must be what I have.  My limequats are large.  Taste like a mix of orange and lime.  Very juicy

mrtexas

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2015, 10:28:47 PM »
Must be what I have.  My limequats are large.  Taste like a mix of orange and lime.  Very juicy

My tavares limequats are about 2-3 inches long and an inch in diameter, similar to indio mandarinquats in shape and size. Eustis limequats are the size
of kumquats.

Millet

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2015, 10:40:49 PM »
Bush2Bush, your correct Citrons are all in all more susceptible to frost than Limes.  Limes are the least hardy of the common eatable citrus fruit. - Millet

plantrant

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #10 on: March 10, 2015, 09:03:06 AM »
Despite pretty good cold protection, my only Mexican lime tree froze when young during an exceptional freeze, so I no longer want to bother with them. Depending on your taste buds' pickiness, you may be satisfied to use green, unripe satsumas as a lime substitute. Just try a couple at different stages of growth to find out if it will be acceptable. For me, it is. Second, the green, unripe fruit from Thomasville Citrangequats may possibly work. But if you are a purist who has no interest in 'outside the box' options, just buy them at the store when you want some.

Viking Guy

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #11 on: March 10, 2015, 09:07:46 AM »
I love outside the box.  I just like having and growing all the plain types as well--at least 1 of each pure fruit.  :)

That said, my limequat I suppose will do.  It also seems to have stages.  If I pick the smaller green/orange ones, it tastes like lime.  If I let them mature into golfball size on the tree and turn fully bright orange, then they taste like a juicy satsuma with a hint of lime.  Can eat the peel also.

mrtexas

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #12 on: March 10, 2015, 11:11:29 PM »
Second, the green, unripe fruit from Thomasville Citrangequats may possibly work.

I feel myself gagging already. Thomasville was the first "cold hardy" citrus I bought in 2000 as the tree came with fruit. I got home
expecting something tasty and I asked myself, "horrible! why would anyone grow or sell this thing?" ASAP I grafted on a tasty satsuma. No more
yuck fruit for me. There are worse however, citranges taste like what I think battery acid tastes like.
« Last Edit: March 10, 2015, 11:13:08 PM by mrtexas »

daytripper

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #13 on: March 12, 2015, 09:20:19 AM »
Bearss had best tolerance for the limes from what I saw.  Maybe I should give that one a go.  The limequat I have has really nice fruit, so I can't complain.  But I will miss my "thornless" key.  :(

I thought bearss and persian limes were the same thing? If persian didnt work for you then bearss would be the same.

Viking Guy

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #14 on: March 12, 2015, 10:53:06 AM »
Yeah, I am seeing that now.  I think you may be right.  That said, 2013-14 winter was unusually cold for us, and I had the persian positioned in the worst place in my yard.  I may give another 1 a try in a more protected spot with my mangos and see how it fairs.

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #15 on: March 13, 2015, 10:54:24 AM »
Why don't you make a plant from cuttings? If well established, with a good degree of mulch, even if you lose your canopy every now and then, you can count on a strong recovery from roots in few months/years. Limes are pretty easy to reproduce by cutting, in my experience, to obtain true to type roots.
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Viking Guy

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #16 on: March 13, 2015, 03:12:47 PM »
The one I had was on a rootstock, and died to the graft.

Haven't thought about rooting cuttings.  I kinda like the dwarfing rootstocks--means I can grow more trees!

If I get another persian, though, I will place it in a protected spot with my mangos and avocados.

mrtexas

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #17 on: March 15, 2015, 07:41:46 PM »
The one I had was on a rootstock, and died to the graft.

Haven't thought about rooting cuttings.  I kinda like the dwarfing rootstocks--means I can grow more trees!

If I get another persian, though, I will place it in a protected spot with my mangos and avocados.


Let the rootstock grow out and graft it. Next time pile up dirt about 2 feet and save the graft. They grow back very fast.

nighthawk0911@yahoo.com

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #18 on: September 16, 2016, 02:15:23 AM »
Citrus in Alabama Zone 9B?? Huh?  In know parts of South LA are zone 9A, but Foley even being on the Bay must be in a small coastal micro-climate to be 9B.  Limes are not especially frost sensitive despite what people say by Florida standards, but Alabama would be pushing it for nearly any citrus or tropical I would think. 

Having said that by South "FLORIDA" standards rumors and info about Standard Persian/Tahitian & Key Limes being VERY cold sensitive citrus is total BS.  Yes I know what it says on various web sites.  Every time I see it in print I want to scream as it's just not true.  True lemons are very cold sensitive not limes.  I have been growing regular limes in SW Florida 9B for over 20 years and they never even get a burnt leaf at 25 degrees which we get every winter periodically at night for a few hours (record low here is 22).  My neighbor has had a Key Lime tree for the last 10 years that also survives nights into mid-20's also.   Possibly if we had "sustained" mid 20's it would be different.

I know what it says on a lot of web sites about limes being "especially" cold frost sensitive and it simply IS NOT TRUE!!!  Limes might not be the "most" cold hardy, but they are not the fragile overly frost sensitive trees they are made out to be when compared to other Florida citrus in this area.  It is true for true lemons (not Myers) which are easily killed by an especially hard Florida freeze.  The infamous hard winter of 2010 killed my large "Harvey" lemon tree and a "Varney" naval tree to the ground, my lime tree came thru unscathed as did all my other citrus.  You will never see an "old" lemon tree in Florida they all regularly get killed by a periodic hard winter.

I consider my lime tree to one the hardiest, vigorous, healthiest & most trouble free of any citrus tree in my small grove.  Persian Limes are nearly immune to all the usual bug & disease leaf issues that effect most other citrus varieties and are very forgiving of neglect.  They also bear prolifically.  I highly recommend lime trees over lemon trees in Florida. If you live in South Florida then a lime tree is a must have for any citrus lover.  Get a Myers lemon if you want even more hardiness.  I admit trying to grow citrus in Foley, Alabama is way above my skill level or pay grade tho and asking a lot of any sub-tropical fruit or plant with a few exceptions, but I will readily yield to your knowledge of your own local area.  : )

Good luck Bro

So, I am looking for a cold tolerant lime variety that can handle the short dips to 25f we occasionally get.

My mangos even did well, and only got some pan dmg, but 2 yrs in a row I lost lime.  Persian lime and key lime bit the dust.

These guys must be super cold sensitive.

Let me know if there is a lime with better cold tolerance--other than a limequat, which i already have.

If there isn't one, then looks like my orchard has a new position available... and will need an alternate arrangement for that spot   ;)
« Last Edit: September 16, 2016, 03:00:39 AM by nighthawk0911@yahoo.com »
Blessed be the man who plants a tree knowing he will never live to enjoy it's fruit or shade.

Millet

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #19 on: September 16, 2016, 10:14:02 PM »
All Universities state Limes are the most cold sensitive of all common citrus, and I certainly believe it. - Millet

nighthawk0911@yahoo.com

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #20 on: September 16, 2016, 11:14:44 PM »
As a life long 9B Floridian who has grown numerous varieties of GF, Oranges, Mandarins, Limes, Lemons outside without protection and witnessed what survives here after a hard freeze in this area and what doesn't true lemons are the most sensitive by far.  Yes I know what it says elsewhere and it doesn't hold true here and we get down to 25 nearly every winter.  Freezes here wipe out lemon trees, they don't wipe out or even damage the limes in zone 9B.  Persian limes are more hardy, but even Key Limes do well here also which surprised me also because I had been told & read otherwise.  I am sure there are more cold hardy citrus varieties (Myers Lemon), but limes are not the frost sensitive "prom queens" that a lot of people think they are.  We had a wicked winter in 2010 that killed lemon trees and some Navels, but the lime trees never got a scratch.  Even my citrus guru nurseryman whose family has been selling citrus trees here for over 50 years has said the same thing and he doesn't know why limes get the bum rap for being more frost sensitive than they actually are.  But the Gulfcoast states would seem to be really pushing the envelope for most citrus varieties so no limes wouldn't be cold hardy by Alabama standards which I'm sure is much more demanding.

Maybe limes are supposed to be cold sensitive, but nobody has told them that around here in 9B and they do just fine in spite of it.  : )


All Universities state Limes are the most cold sensitive of all common citrus, and I certainly believe it. - Millet
« Last Edit: September 16, 2016, 11:30:47 PM by nighthawk0911@yahoo.com »
Blessed be the man who plants a tree knowing he will never live to enjoy it's fruit or shade.

Ilya11

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #21 on: September 17, 2016, 03:43:47 AM »
Why in this case limes are practically absent in commercial planting in Florida?
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brettay

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #22 on: September 17, 2016, 09:28:05 AM »
I live in zone 9b in California.  Our winters routinely see lows in the mid-high 20s.  Occasionally, it gets as cold as the low 20s.  There are usually only a few hours of temperatures in this range, although 8-10 hours of temperatures below freezing are not uncommon.

In these conditions, limes are definitely more cold sensitive than lemons.  I usually leave my Bearss lime out all winter except in the coldest of conditions.  When temperatures drop to around 25 degrees, the lime nearly completely defoliates, whereas the lemons only get leaf burn in the outer canopy.  That being said, the lime can certainly tolerate temperatures below freezing and it has always bounced back in the spring after these cold winters, however the cold damage to limes is much greater than lemons.

-Brett

Millet

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #23 on: September 17, 2016, 10:49:43 AM »
Understand How Cold Temperatures Affect Citrus Trees

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2011/mar/citrus_freeze.html

Millet

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Re: Cold tolerant lime
« Reply #24 on: September 28, 2016, 07:43:35 AM »
All Universities state Limes are the most cold sensitive of all common citrus, and I certainly believe it. - Millet

ditto

Closest one can come to a lime or lemon flavor that is cold hardy and doesn't have "quat" in it is Meyers which is THE gourmet juicing and cooking lemon IMO.