Author Topic: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest  (Read 66897 times)

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #200 on: January 13, 2020, 07:40:12 PM »
Here you can see what the Yuzu looks like right now



Seems to be doing decently well. We had some light snow stick on the ground this morning, but it is all gone by now.

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #201 on: January 14, 2020, 04:18:47 PM »
Here's the Bloomsweet


You can see a clump of snow piled up on the leaves.

Jan 14

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #202 on: January 24, 2020, 12:47:51 PM »
Here's the little Yuzu seeding

January 24, 2020

Although there was some light snow earlier, the winter so far has been pretty mild. It's almost like an early Spring. The grass is very lush and green, and weeds are growing (albeit slowly since the temperatures are still very cool).

I even saw two rhododendron bushes in bloom at a park, with small pink flowers, just a few days ago.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2020, 12:50:05 PM by SoCal2warm »

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #203 on: January 26, 2020, 04:10:06 PM »
This is an Ichang Lemon (left) and Bloomsweet (right) in containers, left outside. January 26

The leaves are all still dark green on both of them. They are on the deck up near against the house, but only get a narrow window of morning sun since they are on the north side and shaded for much of the day.
I guess both of these can make it through a mild winter.

This is an observation worth taking into account because I would consider Ichang Lemon and Bloomsweet to be only marginally hardy cold-hardy varieties.

I also left out a MIC in a container right next to them (not shown in picture) and it does not look as well, yellow leaves. Assuming what was actually sold to me were indeed MIC hybrids, it would appear MIC is not really very hardy.

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #204 on: January 26, 2020, 04:15:04 PM »
The tiny little Keraji seedling is still alive in-ground.


picture taken January 26, 2020

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #205 on: February 13, 2020, 06:13:38 PM »
Here's the tiny keraji seedling again

February 13, 2020

It's looking good.
it wasn't protected.

I noticed a camellia bush in partial bloom in a neighborhood on the way through Tacoma, also saw a pink rhododendron bush in full bloom near a big apartment building in a semi-protected spot. I even saw a few flowers of something that looked like jasmine, although most of the bush had brown dead leaves. So far it's been a cold but "green" winter (meaning the temperatures haven't really dropped too low).

Here's the Ichang papeda I just planted several months ago:

pretty small size, rooted from cuttings

As you can see, it also has its leaves, still green.

Pretty much almost all the hardy citrus is looking good at this point.

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #206 on: February 14, 2020, 01:15:45 PM »
here's the yuzu seedling, February 14, it looks like it's doing very well


SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #207 on: February 16, 2020, 01:58:17 PM »
Here's the Bloomsweet grapefruit. It isn't looking too bad, leaves still green.

February 16

kumin

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #208 on: February 16, 2020, 03:02:35 PM »
If the Acrtic air continues to descend into Eurasia for another 6 weeks, there may be a lot of unharmed North American Citrus this winter. No guarantees that will be the case, though.
« Last Edit: February 16, 2020, 05:43:25 PM by kumin »

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #209 on: February 16, 2020, 03:45:33 PM »
I noticed this morning my purple crocus blooming from bulbs, nearly in full bloom. I know crocus typically blooms early, but February 16 seems a little early, for this climate. There has not really been any bout of warm temperatures so far this February.

I saw another big rhododendron bush in the neighborhood in full bloom, with pink flowers. Most remarkable it seems to be in mostly shade.

The Madake bamboo has very healthy colored green leaves. I mean the leaves have been behaving like an evergreen.
It looks much better than bamboo (presumably Madake) I've seen in zone 9b Japan in early April, which had leaves that looked yellow brown and mostly dead and spent.

The small cork oak seedling has deep green healthy colored leaves, which it has retained from last year. It has behaved as a broadleaf evergreen as well. (I suppose that shouldn't be surprising because it retained its leaves even during the cold last winter, and the leaves remained green, but they look even a slightly healthier shade of green this year).

The cherry tree (ornamental flowering Yoshino) is also beginning to bud out, there's some obvious green on the swelling bud growth.

It's hard to say whether all of this is typical for this area. It's a kind of weird climate here, in many ways. I mean it's cold and far north, but many things do not behave like you would expect for a cold and far north area, it's also a mild cold. Even when it has intensely snowed in the past, the temperature is usually only just slightly below the freezing point.
I'm surprised so many of the plants seem to be waking up so early, when we haven't had any unusual warm spell. It's almost like an early Spring.

Also wanted to mention the rosemary was in bloom with light lavender color flowers in the middle of January, and the temperatures had never got that warm. I read they struggle to even be able to grow rosemary at mid-latitudes on the East Coast.
It hasn't gotten warm this winter, it just hasn't gotten extremely cold.

I even thought about taking pictures because I thought maybe no one would believe me.

I'm also noticing some leaf growth beginning on the rose bushes.
It's not that warm, unless you would consider the 40s (F) to be warm. Maybe one or two days this week had a high of 50 degrees.
« Last Edit: February 16, 2020, 03:55:33 PM by SoCal2warm »

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #210 on: February 17, 2020, 12:52:25 PM »
The weather forecast predicts it could get down to 27° F tomorrow night to early Wednesday morning. I guess that will be the low point of this week.
That's colder than what it's been, but pretty mild by historical averages of what the low points have been in the past.

Right now 37° at 10:00 in the morning, with a high today expected to get up to 48°.


The thing about the weather in the PNW (not too far away from the coast) is it's a lot more stable than places in the East that are at lower latitudes, the temperatures do not fluctuate as widely.
The winters in the PNW are also very wet, so I am never worried about plants getting dried out by cold winter winds, like they worry about in other parts of the country. If anything, the worry is about adequate root drainage, since cold wet waterlogged soil could promote root rot.

There are also rarely any of what you could really call "cold snaps" in the PNW, since winter temperatures rarely rise high enough for plants to really begin exiting out of dormancy in the first place, and temperatures typically do not really begin consistently rising until late in the year.
« Last Edit: February 17, 2020, 01:02:01 PM by SoCal2warm »

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #211 on: February 21, 2020, 12:59:00 PM »
There's some frost on the ground this morning.

Yuzu


Sudachi


Changsha


tiny Keraji seedling


Ichangquat seedling


pictures taken Feb 21

It might just be me, but the leaves of most of the plants seem to be a slightly less healthy green looking color than they were a few days ago when we started getting some colder nights. (Even though the low points only went down to maybe 27, maybe as low as 24, depending on which official weather source you look at)

I guess even moderately low temperatures in the low 20s (F) can cause some moderate leaf damage if they hit late-February.
This is probably about the closest this area gets to a "late cold snap".

The leaves on the Ichang lemon in a container near the house (but left outside) look okay. I think it might be a little bit of a warmer spot since it's near the house which gives off heat at night. Glad to see the Ichang lemon seems to be handling temperatures better than it seemed to last year.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2020, 04:36:27 PM by SoCal2warm »

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #212 on: February 23, 2020, 04:35:20 PM »
Some light sort of rain/ice hail is falling, even though it's only ‎46°F, just to give you some idea what the whether has been like. 1:30 pm in the middle of the day, February 23.

Just tiny pieces of hail, they don't last on the ground more than a few seconds before melting. I just heard the sound of the fine ice particles hitting the window.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2020, 04:38:54 PM by SoCal2warm »

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #213 on: February 25, 2020, 05:20:42 PM »
Here's the little Yuzu seedling, February 25



It seems to be doing just fine.

It's doing much better after this winter than it was the winter last year.
I know I posted a picture of it 11 days ago, but I thought it worthwhile to update it today because February 25 pretty much marks the end of winter and we are not going to have any freezing temperatures after today. If it could make it to now, it will do just fine the rest of the year.

If any of you really want to go see it to believe it, you can go to the Yashiro downtown Japanese garden. A little seedling that doesn't have poncirus in it is surviving outside in Olympia, this far north in latitude.
Not merely just a plant but a very small seedling, on its own roots, not grafted.
Of course I feel it is in a protected spot in a very optimal location, and being situated downtown probably also helps temperatures from going to low. But it does demonstrate the climate Yuzu can grow in.
A very interesting experiment. I'm so glad the seedling did not die-back this winter.

I expect its growth will really take off this year especially since it is growing on its own roots (not grafted).


SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #214 on: March 08, 2020, 06:25:24 PM »
The Bloomsweet is going to make it. This will be its second winter. It wasn't protected this winter. I'm kind of surprised.
However, the leaves do not look as good as the Changsha, and the Changsha in turn does not look as good as the Yuzu. Which is what one would expect according to level of cold hardiness.
The Bloomsweet does not look really good, but I suspect it will keep many of its leaves, and that it will begin to put on growth later this year. Surviving okay, but not exactly looking thriving and healthy.

The temperatures are dropping below freezing the next 3 nights. Winds are coming from the southwest and southeast. The southwest is just cold/cool winds from the ocean, while the southeast is bringing in cold winds from higher up in the mountains that are being funneled down through a basin. It's a little unusual to be having freezing temperatures this late in the year. I saw some frost on roof tops earlier this morning.   
« Last Edit: March 08, 2020, 06:32:00 PM by SoCal2warm »

jim VH

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #215 on: March 14, 2020, 02:05:19 PM »
Meanwhile, in Vancouver Wa.




About an inch and a half of snow on the Yuzu and all the other citrus as well.  I took down all the protection in mid-February.  I doubt it will hurt anything; It will be all melted by early afternoon.  It was the second warmest winter on record.  The lowest temperature was 25F (-3.9C) just before Halloween; ironically tying the record low temperature for the month of October.

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #216 on: March 14, 2020, 09:55:04 PM »
There was snow falling in Olympia too, yesterday and today (March 13, 14) but it did not stick to the ground.
No snow on the ground.
The lowest temperature only went down to 27.
So I guess Vancouver got colder than Olympia further north during this late season cold wave.

Jim, how is your Early St. Ann Satsuma doing? You said you were going to leave it unprotected this winter as an experiment.
How do the leaves look?
Do they look worse than the Yuzu?

jim VH

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #217 on: March 16, 2020, 11:35:36 AM »
Temperature is very microclimate dependent.  Many times Olympia is colder than Portland, and vice versa, depending on how the arctic air sets up.  The Columbia River gorge has a huge local influence, and can allow cold dry continental air into the Portland area at a time when the rest of the west of the Cascades remains more influenced by the Pacific. The Frasier river gorge has a similar influence in Vancouver B. C.

That was a good suggestion you made, leaving till spring before I replaced it with a dwarfed version.  t showed no damage 'cept to a couple late growth flushes.  It also showed no yellowing at all, apart from the old inner leaves, which always turn various shades of yellow prior to spring drop.  This is something I've noticed over the last 13 years, most unprotected citrus show various degrees of yellowing during the winter, except well-fertilized Satsumas and Mandarins.   Protected citrus with overhead shelter show little or no yellowing.  I'm not sure Whether or not it's because overhead protection wards off cold, sunlight, or just keeps the roots dry .

The yellowest citrus I have are, in order: the large Thomasville Citrangequat on FD rootstock, the small Yuzu on FD rootstock I recently grafted from a seedling, the small Sudachi on FD rootstock,  and a Thomasville Citrangequat seedling on it's own roots. 

The greenest unprotected Citrus from greenest to least green:  Early St. Anne on Citrange rootstock, Changshaa tangerine on FD rootstock, Dunstan Citrumelo on FD rootstock and Kabosu on PT rootstock.


There are  a few other citruses Intermediate between the above.  They'll all green up again with the return of warmer drier weather.


« Last Edit: March 16, 2020, 11:45:45 AM by jim VH »

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #218 on: April 06, 2020, 02:15:31 PM »
Changsha mandarin, survived the winter outside unprotected


Ichang papeda, on its own roots

small plant, maybe only 5 inches high

April 6, 2020


SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #219 on: April 06, 2020, 05:27:16 PM »
tiny Keraji seedling


Sudachi


Ichangquat


I think today is like the first day of Spring, it's finally warming up.

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #220 on: April 26, 2020, 10:18:17 PM »
Bloomsweet beginning to put out some new leaflet growth



SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #221 on: April 29, 2020, 04:49:35 PM »
Tai-tri, US 852, Sudachi, one of the Yuzu seedlings, both the Bloomsweet in a container and the Bloomsweet in the ground, are all just beginning to put out some new leaflet grow.
And a surprise, a pomelo seedling that was left outside in a container on the patio over the winter is also beginning to show a little bit of new leaflet growth, although the old leaves do not look so well, very pale and yellow. I believe the seed had come from a Reinking pomelo (though I can't be absolutely completely certain that that was the specific pomelo variety).

Looking closely, I'm barely seeing some tiny new leaflet growth just beginning to start on the Changsha, but that's planted in warm south-facing spot, with a brick wall behind it.
The leaves on the Changsha have begun greening up more, becoming less yellowish in hue.

The Ichang papedas (smaller in size, one on its own roots, one grafted) and the Ichangquat seedling (own root) still do not look any different from how they looked at the start of March, though the stems still look a relatively healthy green color.

April 29, 2020 , climate zone 8a, Pacific Northwest


update May 1, The Ichang papeda that is grafted, the one that did not look so well, is now just sending out growth of many small leaflets. The other smaller Ichang papeda on its own roots has been slowly greening up and looks healthy enough like it could begin sending out new leaflet growth at any time.

If you look at the before and after pictures, even on the Bloomsweet, you can see how the leaves look a noticeably greener hue now than they did at the end of winter, indicating the plants kept their leaves through the winter, the leaves are still alive, and have at least some ability to recover. (It's not a huge color change, but is noticeable) It's the same on my cold hardy gardenias, although the extent of the color change on the citrus is a little less. At least for the gardenias, I read that's an indicator that the roots may not be able to draw up as much iron due to the low temperatures. I don't know whether that same thing could be true of the citrus.

For reference comparison, I have a Satsuma seedling growing in a container right next to various other hardy citrus seedlings, left outside over the winter on the porch, and the leaves on the Satsuma are looking really borderline about whether they will be able to stay on the plant without falling off or recover; they will probably drop.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2020, 05:45:31 PM by SoCal2warm »

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #222 on: May 07, 2020, 05:04:37 PM »
Ichangquat seedling


Bloomsweet, putting out more leaf growth now


May 7

SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #223 on: May 15, 2020, 10:02:03 PM »
Bloomsweet, the new leaves are getting bigger, I really think it's going to do well this year


Ichangquat, old leaves greening up now, but I still don't see any new leaf growth. (seedling is growing on own roots)


Ichang papeda, small sized on own roots, slowly greening up, but I still would not say it looks like a healthy green color. you can't see it in the picture but this seedling is just beginning to put out new bud/leaflet growth. plant is 5 inches high


The other Ichang papeda on grafted rootstock and a little bit bigger in size (not pictured) is already beginning to send out new leaves, dark reddish in color.

tiny Keraji seedling, only 2 and a half inches tall, on own roots, it's an okay green color hue, hopefully it can start growing later and maybe recover. It still isn't quite as big as when it was planted 2 years ago, before it froze and died back to the ground that cold first cold winter. It wasn't protected this winter.


Dunstan citrumelo, it's doing well, held onto all its leaves through this winter, a little more than 2 and a half feet tall now.


SoCal2warm

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Re: Citrus in the Pacific Northwest
« Reply #224 on: May 15, 2020, 10:14:29 PM »
The Yuzu and Changsha (both grafted rootstock) are also both doing well and have sent out lots of new leaves.

Yuzu


Changsha


May 15