The Tropical Fruit Forum

Here is what I did. Several years ago I planted two M lemons on the N side of my home. In the bald a-- open with no windbreak of any sort. They are ever blooming/bearing as M lemons do. I threw a blanket haphazardly over them when they were young on freezing nights. They are grown trees now and I do nothing except fertilize and keep the bugs at bay. They suffer a little leaf damage on very cold nights (16/18 degrees) but they come back strong and bear a sustained crop of lemons. I have learned to plant cuttings of M lemon & grow tbem on their own roots. The roots are survivors...regardless of cold. Never grafted M lemon in the last. 8 or 7 years. This might work for others up N of me. Just what I do.

As far as lemons I can see a 16 degree survival...if the rootstock is poncirus....if environment was right and we are not speaking of sustained 16 degrees
 M Lemon on poncirus is probably as cold hardy as lemon gets....and it usually does not do well at 16 degrees suztained without cold protection. It will survive but I feel that is a ways from (cold hardy).

Dont be sorry. Everyone is entitled to and free to state their opinion. I respect the opinion other folks. I wish natural predation would do the job for me. If it would I would be glad to let nature take is course. Mean as mother nature is at times....she needs a little help on occasion
😉.

https://arcosalightweight.com I am lucky in that the huge production facility is close to me. They load railcars with this and I am able toload a pickup truck with the spillage with their blessing.

The eggs are laid on the new growth of citrus. Imagine of having a hundred trees with new cleft and bud grafts just starting to pop and finding that the nasty catapillars have eaten all the new growth. Enough to cause me to wage war on them in any manner possible. I hand destroy eggs when I find them and keep my citrus sprayed with chemical killer. I do not like my hard work destroyed by a bug I can control.

Nutrient deficiencies is what I think. What are you using for soil. What and when are you fertilizing with? Could be a lot of reasons. Too much water will make leaves turn yellow and drop. Tell me details and I can make an educated guess at the problem.

Most of my rootstock is soil in containers. The exception is a 60' row of poncirus that I budded this year. I do not use a conditioner for rootstock. Poncirus likes dirt....dirt of many kinds. I use the Mississippi delta sandy alluvial  gumbo) that occurs naturally here. I have no problems with it and my rootstock is green and healthy. When I containerize a citrus that will live much life in that container I go to 60% Expert garden soil (Walmart) 15% sharp sand & 15%light weight aggate. I take care to fertilize and water well an it works for me.

I can not forsee a remedy for hlb appearing magically in the next near future. You can do as I do. Love your citrus, take good care of it, use only "clean" wood to graft with and hope for a defeat of greening. There will be a fix......

I did. Agree with you pokan is worthy to be among the best. Love it.

Beautiful as they are I care for my citrus more than the ugly, destructive caterpillar stage of their development. Malithion puts a quick end to them.

I promise that poncirus as a rootstock will thrive in clay soil. I have used it for years and all of my trees are on it. It is my rootstock. My only gripe is that it is a slow grower...but worth the wait in LA.

I have tried to cleft on varigated rootstock.....NO vari passed to grafts.

Never been done in by a rat. Gotta see it.