Citrus > Cold Hardy Citrus

little US-852 seedlings surviving outside

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SoCal2warm:
This is a little seedling of US-852 that survived outside this winter.
Olympia, WA (in the U.S. Pacific Northwest), climate zone 8a
It went through what I would probably consider a "normal" winter here.
US-852 is a hybrid between Poncirus trifoliata and Changsha mandarin.




I just repotted it. In the picture you can see the small container it survived through this winter. (the small cylindrical container is 4 by 4 inches)

As you can see, it has held on to all its leaves through the winter, and the leaves (as of April 22) look in good shape and look like they will be able to turn a healthier hue of green when the season warms up.

The fact that this little seedling, about 5.5 inches (almost 14cm) high was able to survive outside in such a small container outside through the winter, and looks to be in such good condition is a good sign.

(I had previously experimented with seeing if other citrus seedlings would make it through the winter, and mostly only Satsuma mandarin seedlings have been able to sometimes survive but they do not look very good, and often decline later. Small Yuzu seedlings can sometimes survive outside, if kept in a more protected location, a less cold spot.)

The US-852 seedling was grown from a seed that came from US-852. It seems to show a mostly trifoliate leaf phenotype, though the bottommost 2 leaves close to the base seem not to be trifoliate.


This is another very small US-852 seedling that has been in the ground for a couple of a years (going through at least 3 winters). It's in a mostly shaded area but for a very small part of the day it gets an angle of direct sunlight.
As you can see, it is alive and green but does not look like it is thriving. The leaves are tiny and very narrow. It almost does not seem to be growing, but the main stem looks like a healthy shade of green. It's just a little over 5 inches tall.



I suspect it would have done better if I had grown it to a larger size before planting in the ground, and also if it were planted in a warmer spot in the yard that gets a little more sun. (But at least since it's in a shady spot it doesn't need to be watered very frequently in the summer, which are dry in this climate)

It appears US-852 is not deciduous, at least not in climate zone 8a.

I have two different versions of Flying Dragon poncirus that are just barely budding out the tiniest beginnings of little leaflets now (April 22, both about 2 feet). It seems to me, in this climate, that US-852 definitely grows better than Flying Dragon poncirus. US-852 has more vigor, and the fact that it holds its leaves also helps, because due to the cool climate, which is slow to warm up, it takes a long time for deciduous poncirus to leaf out here. 

US-852 should theoretically be able to survive outside in zone 8a without a problem, but I am just looking at how well they grow here. Especially in this climate that has a shorter growing season due to the temperatures being cool for most of the year. Smaller seedlings are more vulnerable to cold, so looking at how small seedlings do might give an idea of how well a larger plant would survive in a colder climate.

BorisR:

--- Quote from: SoCal2warm on April 22, 2025, 11:04:20 PM ---

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Is there a dead bark at the base and a crack?


--- Quote from: SoCal2warm on April 22, 2025, 11:04:20 PM ---It appears US-852 is not deciduous, at least not in climate zone 8a.
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I would not rush to such a conclusion for a plant in the juvenile stage. Complete or partial  deciduous may occur later. But it seems other forum members don't seem to have US-852 also did not show deciduous behavior.


--- Quote from: SoCal2warm on April 22, 2025, 11:04:20 PM ---I have two different versions of Flying Dragon poncirus that are just barely budding out the tiniest beginnings of little leaflets now (April 22, both about 2 feet). It seems to me, in this climate, that US-852 definitely grows better than Flying Dragon poncirus. US-852 has more vigor, and the fact that it holds its leaves also helps, because due to the cool climate, which is slow to warm up, it takes a long time for deciduous poncirus to leaf out here.
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Have you tried growing regular PT? He's much more energetic.

poncirsguy:
Cincinnati Oh has not gone below 0 in 20+ years, US-852's limit.  It is  the desiccating LONG winter that kills them

SoCal2warm:

--- Quote from: poncirsguy on April 23, 2025, 01:35:01 PM ---Cincinnati Oh has not gone below 0 in 20+ years, US-852's limit.  It is  the desiccating LONG winter that kills them

--- End quote ---
But in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, the winters are not desiccating. Just the opposite, in fact, the winters are near constantly wet.

So there are some climate differences.

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