Author Topic: choice winterizing my citrus?  (Read 1311 times)

luak

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choice winterizing my citrus?
« 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?

Millet

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Re: choice winterizing my citrus?
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2015, 09:15:33 PM »
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
« Last Edit: October 29, 2015, 09:18:39 PM by Millet »

sugar land dave

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Re: choice winterizing my citrus?
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2015, 06:58:57 PM »
Good information, Millet!

mksmth

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Re: choice winterizing my citrus?
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2015, 11:24:24 AM »
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.

 

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