New citrus tree in ground

[poncirsguy]

planted a seed grown Meiwa kumquat outside in ground today.  Needed to plant to fit under cicada bag for the 17 year cicadas brood 10

[SoCal2warm]

In the specific case of kumquat, do you think being grafted on poncirus makes it more resistant to freeze damage?
What have your observations indicated about this?

I did read that kumquat enters and stays in dormancy much more easily than other citrus species, a protective mechanism against cold damage, so am wondering whether grafting it onto poncirus might be redundant. (Just a thought, I have no idea)

[Millet]

Poncirusguy, you seem to have an eye for kumquats.  How many do you have now?

[poncirsguy]

I have not pushed my kumquats for cold resistance so I don't know either.  I have wondered if Kumquat trees on their own roots would be more cold hardy than grafted to PT/FD because the graft union is more sensitive to cold than a non union.
I have 4 seed grown Meiwa trees and 1 grafted Meiwa on Kuharske citrange.  That graft combination is incompatible and the graft region is dying.  I have 2 seed grown Fukushu kumquat trees 1 grafted Fukushu on C35 and 2 Fukushu on Flying dragon.  1 seedling Fukushu is in ground and the other is in a 30 gallon container.  The C35 Fukushu in in a 30 gallon container and the 2 on flying dragon are in 5 gallon buckets.

[incubator01]

I once saw a video on YT that showed a meiwa kumquat planted outside in USA but died from the cold, the owner said he didn't know meiwa was not cold hardy (nor did I) so I would keep those warm in winter just to be safe

I have 3 kumquat seedlings, very small ones still though, one I planted in my greenhouse as an experiment and survived temperatures of 0 °C outside (so inside greenhouse it's 1 or 2 °C) the other 2 are still in a small container and I plan to keep those containerized, because I too don't know how cold resistant non grafted kumquats (regular ones) are.

[Citradia]

My meiwa is mature at about 7 feet tall and wide on flying dragon roots. It produces heavily every year now. Since kumquat only supposed to be hardy to 20 degrees F, and l have to keep fruit to ripen on tree over winter into spring, I have to protect it from freezing as much as I can, so how low of a freeze it can survive is a moot point for me. I have a lot of potted meiwa seedlings a year old now that overwintered in the same cold frame with the grafted parent meiwa with no freeze damage with small 250 watt space heater to help mitigate temperature when below freezing.

[Millet]

Citradia that is a nice looking Meiwa.  Probably the only in ground mountain top Meiwa in the USA.

[poncirsguy]

Citradia  Nice tree.  I see you have talent working with wood.  What do you use for the surfaces to keep the cold out.  I use old glass windows  screwed to a wood frame. 
I think it is important to have a cold hardy citrus tree even though the fruit has to be kept warm.  If your power goes you loose the fruit.  The tree lives to fruit another year.  All my fruits come in winter/spring too.

[Citradia]

I use 4 mil plastic wrapped around three sides and stapled to frame. Fourth side facing south or east is a single sheet of plastic stapled to the horizontal roof board and other end stapled to a 2x4 that is rolled up and hung on hooks to ventilate on days above freezing. I have lost power in winter before and that’s why I put water barrels inside each enclosure for passive thermal protection and I also used my portable generator that I have plugged my drop cords into to keep some of the heaters going.