Author Topic: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate  (Read 14259 times)

Laaz

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #25 on: December 14, 2016, 09:16:19 PM »
Normal winters we get down to mid / low 20's for a few hours at night maybe 7-10 nights a year. We are a pretty solid 9a.

Viking Guy

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #26 on: December 14, 2016, 11:13:11 PM »

"There is one growing in a cemetery in Knoxville, TN."
Viking guy, do you mean a grapefruit is growing in a cemetery in Knoxville,TN, or a citrumelo? Knoxville is similar climate to where I am in mountains of NC, and I'm lucky to grow citrumelos without protection here.

Yes.  Was an old tree and was still there when I last visited about 12 years ago.

Laaz

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #27 on: December 15, 2016, 02:24:44 PM »
No way a grapefruit would survive there. I'd put money on it being a citrumello. Someone used to sell them on Ebay calling them hardy grapefruit...

Viking Guy

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #28 on: December 15, 2016, 03:49:59 PM »
No way a grapefruit would survive there. I'd put money on it being a citrumello. Someone used to sell them on Ebay calling them hardy grapefruit...

Not sure on variety, but I doubt it is/was a citrumello as it was very large.  I may have to get a piece of it next time I visit that area if it is still alive.

I didn't believe it either until I saw with my own eyes.  Was the reason I decided to put grapefruit to the cold test in recent years.
« Last Edit: December 15, 2016, 03:56:17 PM by Viking Guy »

Laaz

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #29 on: December 15, 2016, 04:29:58 PM »
A photo of the leaves will tell the story. I have huge citrumello here.

Laaz

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #30 on: December 15, 2016, 04:50:47 PM »
A few from the yard today...

Grapefruit have a smooth skin & a single leaf with a lower wing.



Swingle have rough skin & tri leaves...







Citradia

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #31 on: December 15, 2016, 08:03:07 PM »
Coastal SC and even southern coastal areas of NC look a lot like north FL to me; sand, live oaks with Spanish moss, cabbage palms, alligators. I've seen the crocston grapefruit trees in Columbia SC that have survived many years without protection. Stan Mckenzie in Lake City SC has many outdoor citrus and he told me one year his well didn't pump the microsprinklers on his trees with a low over one night of 14 degrees and his Satsumas and Crocston grapefruit did fine.

Laaz

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #32 on: December 15, 2016, 08:14:31 PM »
Stan is a good friend of mine. The Croxton grapefruit is just another seed grown ruby red grapefruit. Big difference from a night without sprinklers in Lake City, SC & normal temps in Tenn...

Viking Guy

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #33 on: December 15, 2016, 08:47:39 PM »
The thing is you might be overestimating how cold Knoxville gets.

While they do get snow (I was there during the 1993 blizzard!), I just looked up the history on it, and it rarely reaches 10 °F, with the coldest day on record being 7 °F (1871) and average winter lows sitting at 34 °F.

If that is as cold as it gets, then it is definitely feasible.

Laaz

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #34 on: December 15, 2016, 10:08:08 PM »
With the prolonged cold up there, nothing will survive long-term unless it's a trifoliata hybrid. Like I said, get some photos of the leaves & fruit.

Viking Guy

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #35 on: December 16, 2016, 01:10:39 AM »
Doubt I will be anywhere near Knoxville for many years.  What I can say is I grow many grapefruit and most of the varieties.  I know a grapefruit tree when I see it.  Wish I could put one to the real test, but I don't get chill hours anymore.  :(

mrtexas

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #36 on: December 16, 2016, 02:12:07 AM »
Just found this weather site. You can look at weather stations in your own neighborhood.

https://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=pws:KTXMISSO22

Pancrazio

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #37 on: December 16, 2016, 08:17:50 PM »
I think that's really hard to come up with anecdotal evidence if grapefruits are hardier than an orange. The reason of this is that while the relative hardiness may be in doubt, i think all of us agree that acceptable grapefruit need more heat than oranges; now, the places that in winter are colder, usually have also less total heat, so grapefruits aren't exactly a desirable plant there, and most probably got replaced, so in any given time there are few plants of grapefruit that are grown in paces where oranges can't.
The difference in anecdotal evidences may also be related to physiological factors that have nothing to do with hardiness. Grapefruit in general are more vigorous so probably spend more time than oranges growing. Even if hardiness while dormant would be superior, they may be anecdotically reported has more tender because is more probable to see one of them with frost damage due the longer time the plant spends growing? I'm doing a wild guess here, nut i also guess that a good rootstock may play an important role here.
Reading around however I got the impression the grapefruit can do better than orange in cold department.
However, in my city with temps going every several years and then around 14F, citrus are relatively rare (with the notable exception of the bitter orange). Oranges don't grow here, few plants have started to happear in last 4-5 years which have been exceptionally warm.
Recently I have found this plant that reminds me of a grapefruit. Seems seed grown, I haven't been able to inspect it, except from the road.



This isn't a 5 years old plant, and in 2011 we went to 12F.

The sometimes you get the unexplainable. I have a Tahiti lime that seems to have survived 24F; a small cutting, own roots, good place but nothing exceptional. Will keep an eye on it.
« Last Edit: December 16, 2016, 08:29:01 PM by Pancrazio »
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Citradia

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #38 on: December 16, 2016, 10:00:59 PM »
Viking Guy, do you know the name of the cemetery in Knoxville? I'm 2 hours east of there and will go look for it one day. We were wanting to go to the zoo there one weekend anyway.

Viking Guy

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #39 on: December 17, 2016, 01:09:47 AM »
Viking Guy, do you know the name of the cemetery in Knoxville? I'm 2 hours east of there and will go look for it one day. We were wanting to go to the zoo there one weekend anyway.

I will find out.  My great grandmother is buried there.  Sure my mother will know the name of the cemetery.

Citradia

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #40 on: December 19, 2016, 09:25:17 PM »
Vicking Guy, thanks in advance for trying to find out the name of the cemetery in Knoxville. Even if you can't find out the name of it, it can be discovered via internet search if you know your great grandma's name. I found the burial sites of some of my ancient relatives that way. I hope ithe grapefruit tree survived the past few winters with polar vortexes. If it did, it should be studied by scientists. I'm very intrigued by this; maybe it's the perfect specimen that cold hardy hybridizers hadn't been able to produce.

Viking Guy

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #41 on: December 20, 2016, 01:01:40 AM »
I've seen some crazy fruit trees over the years which, I assume, we're just random heirloom/seedgrown varieties which went against what we know in the norm.

One was a Pear tree on a hill that had light tan bark with similar texture (not color) to a rainbow eucalyptus.  Had some of the tastiest pears I've ever tried and was huge!  The fruit flesh was a ripened Bosc texture, even at earlier stages.  Canned it, cooked it and ate it any kind of way you can think of.  Never found worms in the fruit.  The peel was tri-color tan, green and brown and soft.

Never seen any pear variety anywhere that resembled it (though there could be).  Now, so many years later, I want to go back and see if that thing is still alive and get scions.  :)

robbyhernz

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #42 on: February 17, 2017, 04:43:53 PM »
SO I CAN PLANT MY RUBY GRAPE FRUIT IN THE GROUND??????????

I live in zone 8 and have had a Ruby Red in a container for about 5 years now. It spends the winter inside of a green house but i recently moved so i have to move him inside the garage at nights.

I've never like grape fruit but I bought tree for my wife because she absolutely loves them!! I keep fruit on the tree for a really long time so it loses its tartness and they are absolutely delicious!!!! I would love to put it in the ground and get more than 5 pieces of grape fruit per year.

Viking Guy

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #43 on: March 05, 2017, 01:55:40 AM »
SO I CAN PLANT MY RUBY GRAPE FRUIT IN THE GROUND??????????

I live in zone 8 and have had a Ruby Red in a container for about 5 years now. It spends the winter inside of a green house but i recently moved so i have to move him inside the garage at nights.

I've never like grape fruit but I bought tree for my wife because she absolutely loves them!! I keep fruit on the tree for a really long time so it loses its tartness and they are absolutely delicious!!!! I would love to put it in the ground and get more than 5 pieces of grape fruit per year.

I've never had an issue growing Ruby Reds in zone 8.  If you're hesitant, buy and plant another smaller one in the ground and see how it fares over winter.  When it survives just fine, dunk your potted one in next year.

countryboy1981

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #44 on: March 05, 2017, 02:16:23 PM »
SO I CAN PLANT MY RUBY GRAPE FRUIT IN THE GROUND??????????

I live in zone 8 and have had a Ruby Red in a container for about 5 years now. It spends the winter inside of a green house but i recently moved so i have to move him inside the garage at nights.

I've never like grape fruit but I bought tree for my wife because she absolutely loves them!! I keep fruit on the tree for a really long time so it loses its tartness and they are absolutely delicious!!!! I would love to put it in the ground and get more than 5 pieces of grape fruit per year.

I had a seed germinate insude a store bought red grapefruit.  I couldnt get it going very well in the small pot so I stuck it in the ground.  This winter we had one really cold night at 20 degrees and the 2 inch tall seedling survived without any leaf loss.  It may have been because its a seed but it is very tiny; grapefruit are a lot more hardy than they re given credit for.

Tropheus76

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #45 on: March 06, 2017, 11:31:36 AM »
I have read in numerous places Yuzu lemons can survive down to 10 degrees. Anyone ever tried? Thinking about where they are from makes sense. Now everyone has their opinions on Yuzu quality and uses but that wasn't under discussion.

Ilya11

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #46 on: March 06, 2017, 01:23:53 PM »
I found this winter that it is more resistant than Thomasville. We had 10 days extreme cold. No snow and soil was frozen to 15 cm, minimum one night of -9.2C (15F).




Thomasville leaves and small twigs were frozen:


but Yuzu show no damage at all:


No protection,  both are planted in comparable positions.
Best regards,
                       Ilya

adriano2

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #47 on: March 08, 2017, 06:22:02 AM »
last january was first true test of my trees. Temperature in nearby Split dropped to record -7,2 C, which is second coldest ever and coldest since 1963 (-9). Lemons in Split and rest of Dalmatia suffered a lot. Most have never experienced such lows.  However oranges, grepfruits and tangerines mostly survived. I grow citrus on the island, which is warmer than the coast, so all of my trees survived including star ruby grafted on volkamer lemon, persian lime, feminelo lunario....

adriano2

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #48 on: March 08, 2017, 06:27:18 AM »
screencast

star ruby grafted on volkamer

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feminelo

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adriano2

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Re: How much cold can citrus trees tolerate
« Reply #49 on: March 08, 2017, 06:30:01 AM »
image url upload

redblush grapefruit