Author Topic: “Winter is Coming!”  (Read 1984 times)

Citradia

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“Winter is Coming!”
« on: November 01, 2020, 05:40:15 PM »
Winter is coming to the Blue Ridge mountains and as usual, l am supposed to have my first freeze tonight, 11/1/2020. Halloween is my deadline to get ready here. Supposed to drop to 27 degrees F and stay below freezing up to five hours tonight into tomorrow morning. I know my cold hardy trees can withstand 27 degrees but I want some tender growth to harden off more and of course I don’t want my fruit to freeze ( Meiwa, satsumas, grapefruit). Yes, when it’s above freezing tomorrow morning I will uncover my pvc huts and open greenhouse doors. I have 15 covered trees now. I gotta stop planting citrus!


















Citradia

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #1 on: November 01, 2020, 05:56:06 PM »
These are my Ichang lemon fruits. I finally got one from McKenzie Farms on flying dragon, and after a few years in a pot, I planted it out in the orchard this spring. The frame around it is the remnant east end of  what used to be my hoop house/ high tunnel that I took down several years ago when my citranges/ hybrids froze to death in it. Everything I have out there now has a baby space heater inside on a thermo cube/ thermostat.  I just discovered these baby Ichang lemons on the tree this week when doing winter prep.








SoCal2warm

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2020, 09:10:00 PM »
I didn't have much luck using transparent vinyl plastic coverings over frames. I think the greenhouse effect during sunny days caused them to overheat and remain out of dormancy, so their cold resistance was not very high during the colder nights.
And I even put 3 gallon water containers inside the enclosure to attempt to help regulate temperatures, and prevent freezing. (Water releases heat as it freezes, resisting the temperature from going down much further)
I made some actual temperature measurements and, while the enclosure certainly made things much warmer inside during the day, the temperature differential between inside and outside was only 2 degrees (F) at night, and night is when temperatures are coldest. (I'm sure it may have helped resist the wind though, because of the wind chill effect, wind carrying off heat from the plant faster than still air)

This was in Olympia, WA, zone 8a.

I am guessing jute bag or frost cloth coverings might be better, since they can still provide some thermal insulation while allowing the plant to "breathe" (air can pass through) so the plant will not overheat in the sun during the daytime, so it will remain in dormancy.

poncirsguy

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #3 on: November 01, 2020, 09:26:28 PM »
I see you are serious about citrus protection.  My frost protection.

Left 2/3

Right 1/2

The small one

Citradia

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #4 on: November 02, 2020, 08:22:49 AM »
Notice I use frost cloth on small trees. I can’t find frost cloth online any bigger than 10x12 ft. The bags are too small too when a tree gets 6 ft tall and wider. Cloth tears easily too. I use plastic because it holds up better than cloth, I can get it at Lowes in width of 10 ft, 12 ft, 20 ft and lasts several years at 4 or 6 mil. As far as holding in heat goes, it gets so cold here, I do have to pump heat into the enclosure whether it is permeable cloth or plastic anyway, and I have to vent them or uncover/ open doors during days above freezing anyway. It is a lot of work covering and uncovering especially when standing on steep, wet/slippery slopes, often in high winds and in the dark.  That’s why I found it easier to build frames around the bigger trees so I can simply open or close a door to help regulate heat.
Poncirsguy, how do you vent your window pane structures?

Millet

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #5 on: November 02, 2020, 12:01:25 PM »
Citradia, you have been busy!  Your enclosures look well built.

poncirsguy

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #6 on: November 02, 2020, 08:53:59 PM »
Both greenhouses  can be vented into my house (solar heating).  I can also use my house to vent into the greenhouse.

Citradia

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #7 on: November 02, 2020, 09:46:34 PM »
Thanks, Millet. Neat concept, poncirsguy. I briefly met a man several years ago at one of the Southeastern Citrus Expos that was growing two yuzu trees off the front porch of his house in southern Indiana. He said he enclosed the trees with the porch to capture some of the radiant heat from the house.

lebmung

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #8 on: November 19, 2020, 05:21:59 PM »
Citradia, you can use a candle to heat on very cold nights.
One big candle can give you 80 w which will increase the temperature by 2-3 degrees.

Citradia

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #9 on: November 19, 2020, 08:42:18 PM »
Candle or fire idea sounds good, would save electricity, but I need it to be more than 3 degrees warmer in my satsumas hut when it is zero degrees F outside. Also, my property is in a mountain-top hollar/valley that is a north western wind tunnel with 60 mph winds, heavy snow, falling trees in winter, and lots of leaves on the ground, so I can’t chance an open flame in a plastic enclosure when I’m in the house asleep during a winter show down.

TonyinCC

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #10 on: November 20, 2020, 07:58:20 PM »
A kerosene lantern can put out a fair amount of heat. Why not just dig a pit greenhouse next year and worry less....

SoCal2warm

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #11 on: November 20, 2020, 08:34:34 PM »
I can’t chance an open flame in a plastic enclosure when I’m in the house asleep during a winter show down.
This might be way too elaborate, but what about a burner under a large metal water tank, and then have a pump on an automatic timer designed to circulate the water around inside the plastic enclosure during the coldest part of the night.
Maybe turn the burner on at 9:30, turn it off at 10:30, and then the pump would automatically turn on at 3:00 in the early morning. That way the heat in the tank would be more rapidly released during the coldest part of the night.

A small electric space heater on a thermostat designed to turn on only during the very coldest part of the night would probably be the most economical use of electric power.

tedburn

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #12 on: November 21, 2020, 04:51:58 PM »
Hello together,
I live in zone 7 and I' got this year crazy for winterhardy citrus, but also for greenhouse citrus.
Last night we had unexpected - 4,1 degrees C, one m away from house wall on ground. Announced by meteo have been - 1degree.
So I was glad to have installed yesterday evening my regulated greenhouse heating and still a few wrappings around the most of my outdoor planted citrus.



So my greenhouse installation see below

the fan
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the temperature regulation

[url=https://postimg.cc/r0yB73z1]


and the min. temp stayed at +0,6degree C
Due to problems with further implementation of pics I will send them in a further post
best regards Frank





tedburn

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #13 on: November 21, 2020, 05:53:00 PM »
my lemon got impressed by -4.1degree C, the young shots get frozen. The older leaves and the Satsuma are not impressed.
But today they moved to the greenhouse.





tedburn

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Re: “Winter is Coming!”
« Reply #14 on: November 21, 2020, 05:59:34 PM »
my garden with in white the protected citrus (Citrumelo variants, citrange morton and ichangensis Ivia).
Normally I wanted to show here some pictures of my winter protection.
But Sorry don' t know why the picture upload don' t works anymore 🙄🤔, guess I still have to look for the problem.
Best regards Frank