The Tropical Fruit Forum
Citrus => Citrus General Discussion => Topic started by: luak on October 19, 2015, 08:21:36 PM
-
Last winter when i brought my plants in,they were in my shop. Temps were 72* 24/7 with shoplights for 9 hrs. They all stay healthy and some flowered but all flowers fell-off. Come spring took them outside they grew but no more flowers.
The year before left all the tree,s in my unheated garage where it never got below 38* degrees they lost all their leaves but bloomed in the spring and i got fruit.
SHould i leave them in the garage or find a better way in the shop with more lights and lower temps?
-
In order to produce a good crop, citrus trees require a number of cool hours below 68-F. That is why your tree that was kept in the cool garage flowered, but the tree kept at 72-F year around did not. This cool period is refereed to as the flower bud induction period. Read the link below for information on how the process works. There is also much more information on the internet. In my greenhouse I set the night time temperature at 55-F throughout the winter months, and by doing so my tree always have a tremendous bloom in the spring.- Millet
http://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/flowerbud/2012/11_23_11.shtml (http://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/flowerbud/2012/11_23_11.shtml)
-
Good information, Millet!
-
I too set my minimum temp in the greenhouse to 55 so at night it almost always falls to that. My bloom in spring and usually around february is huge.