Frosthardiness experience with citrusvarieties in zone 7, down to 3,2 F

[tedburn]

Thomasville is a good story, Yuzuquat is an unlucky story.


Ichangquat in begin of June, two sprouts I was happy 

then a few days later, a snail killed me both sprouts , so I repotted the plant and now Im still hoping/waiting. I had new sprouts but from the rootstock, which I had to remove.


Ichangquat today



Thomasville today, in good shape.

[poncirsguy]

would it make any sense to to grow in a 5+/- gallon pot till it is 3+ feet tall before planting in ground early spring.

6 weeks since planting in ground, a 4.5 year old seed grown Meiwa kumquat with a  0.5cubic meter canopy is starting to grow flower buds as well as foliage.  It is unlikely that animals will do much damage.

[tedburn]

Yes, I regret not to have taken the plant into pot directly after winter for recovery. But the last years we nearly had no snails so I didn' t took that into account.
But you are right, that bigger plants have no problem to loose a few leaves or sprouts by snails.

[tedburn]

Poncirusguy, sorry for the delay, here the pictures


Thomasville


Ichangquat, after snailattack to fresh sprouts I hadto repot, but now only rootstock sprouts  , don' t know if the ichangquat will survive.
regards Frank

[tedburn]

update of citsuma Prague and Ivia, which are grown, but not so much as Sanford and Yuzu.


Sanford for comparison, about 80 cm high


Citsuma Prague


Ivia

[tedburn]

winter preparations are starting although no freeze annonced for the next 10 days.
This time will try to make bricks arround the plants and then wrap around cocos mats. Perhaps this time I still add one or two water bottles if place is enough. And finally I hope we not get again down to 3,2 ° Fahrenheit  .
<br /><br />
Yuzu, last year no protection was to optimistic, freeze nearly to ground,   ( but didn' calculated to get 3,2°)

<br /><br />
Citsuma Prague

<br /><br />
Ivia

<br /><br />
HRS 899A, new try at new location (plant last year died after winter and spring freezes)

regards Frank

[tedburn]

Winter preparations (first step sun protection with fleece) finished.
For Ichangensisxsinensis and Satsuma Collot a 80 Watt heating cable is installed if temperatures exceed -8 ° Celsius for several days it will be connected and additional isolating material as now on the top will be wrapped around.




the hardier citrus with sun protection. If cold spells are deeper than -10 ° Celsius for several days are announced, an additional cocosmat will be also wrapped around.
This year there is a new citrus CitrumeloxYuzu in ground, lets see how it will go over the freezing period.
Last years January to March are the periods with deepest temperatures.


regards Frank

[tedburn]

While up to now our winter is not to cold, the coldest period have been 4 days with temperatures at night with about 20 ° F (-7° C).
But this is still not the end of our winter, due experiences of the last years, the most challenging months in the last years have been January and February. Today and the next days we have temperatures of 48 - 57 ° F ( 9- 14 ° C ).
Nevertheless its always interesting to gather informations about winter protection strategies in our cold climate (for citrus), so quite interesting to read the article in the link  below, perhaps also interesting for some of you.
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/citrus/cold/L2287.htm
Regards Frank

[tedburn]

Some news of my 2021 new in ground planted 1 year old seedlings and new 2021 grafting from Morton on existing Poncirus, since a few years in our garden.
All 2020 in ground planted citrus in best shape due to up to now very mild winter t min was about -8 ° C, 18°F, hope February will continue like that.


1 year old Ichangensis SRA 241 seedling without protection, very good shape


in front Ichangstar60 seedling from Ilya, looks pretty good ( little bit minerals necessary in spring). Behind IVIA, both had a slight fleece protection


IVIA with stone and fleece protection, top of the plant not in good shape


Dunstan seedling, stone and cocosmatprotection, top of the plant frozen, perhaps cocosmat touched planttop.


2021 graft Morton on Poncirus looks pretty good

[tedburn]

Sanford Curafora F2 after (nearly) second winter


Citrumelo x Yuzu after first winter


Rest of February no frost announced, so I' m assuming no winter damages this year. All other in ground  citrus, Citsuma Prague, Yuzu, Morton, Ichangensis IVIA, Citrangequat Thomasville in best shape. T min this winter was -8 ° C ( 18 ° F). Also Satsuma Collot, Keraji Mandarin and Ichangensis x sinensis in ground which have been prepared with heating cables, which I didn' t had to use, no damages at all.

[kumin]

Great vigor on the Curafora growth flush. Nice to see healthy Citrus.

[tedburn]

Thanks Kumin for your appreciatung comment. Yes in late winter it is aleays interesting to see how the plants managed the cold and I' m glad this modrate  2 nd winter gives a good chance to further strengthen  the plants. I like the Curafora also vry much for her habit and groth, now waiting for blossoms in late spring. Only problem will be ripening of fruit  not in the same year - so much likely frost damage of the fruit. But lets see, one step after the other  .

[tedburn]

A few days ago I freed my inground citrus from winter protection fleece and all looked in very good shape. Regarding my Citsuma Prague it was to early, at least sun protection should have been stayed established. So a few mornings with freeze and days with about 10 h sun led to slight frostcracks, picture 1.
Now I still installed a sun protection, picture 2.
Near to my Citsuma is a Citrumelo x Yuzu, which has no problems with freeze and sun, picture 3.

[tedburn]

Today we had wonderful weather, so I reconstructed my wall of sandstones  and made place for 3 citrus candidates to plant in open ground.
On the right I try a Slava Micurina Orange, in the corner left this is a bigraft on Poncirus with Bloomsweet and Staraji 55 and on the left there is a Duncan Grapefruit.
These citrus are perhaps not fully hardy for my zone so in every case I have to watch meteoforecast and secure with heating cables the next winters. If the winters are not as mild as this years winter.
Total left behind the grape trunk is a Keraji mandarin, which managed two winters now. Hope to get blossoms this year.

[tedburn]

Yesterday I used the sunny weather to give my Sunford two little children which will have fruits with earlier maturity, if all works well - we' ll see 😅

[Zitrusgaertner]

which will have fruits with earlier maturity, if all works well - we' ll see 😅

Why do you think so?

[tedburn]

After my knowledge and experience Sanford matures not within one year, so the fruit will not be ripe before april or may in Germany. So the idea was to graft relativ frosthardy citrusvarieties which mature earlier. Nippon Orangequat had a ripe fruit in January and Keraji end of December.

[tedburn]

Just a short update
first picture, small 2020 planted Thomasville in winter shadowy place now starts growing, never damaged, but slowgrowing on Poncirus and in this winter shadowy place.


new plantation in April 2022, right an Orange slava micurina, in the middle a bigraft of Bloomsweet and Staraji 55 on Poncirus and left a Duncangrapefruit on Poncirus.



Rest of all planted citrus varieties of 2020, now good growing.

[tedburn]

chimera Prag is slow and confuse growing but now it presents the first flower bud of all my in ground citrus 😅.





Morton Citrange on FA5 is good growing and further recovering of winter damage 2020/2021. This winter no damage.

[Zitrusgaertner]

I suppose FA5 is less hardy than Morton. Why did you choose this rootstock?

[tedburn]

I suppose you are right. But the rootstock FA5 was a recommendation for earth with higher ph and it was assured that FA5 is nearly as hardy as Poncirus, so I thought to try it. And I even was not disappointed in Winter 2020/2021 when the young plant supported -15 ° C with passive protection. Meanwhile I also have Morton grafted on a Poncirus in ground and a flying dragon in ground, so I can compare the next winters and seasons. Perhaps the effevt of deep dormancy is perhaps an additional advantage of poncirus.

[tedburn]

today 14 months after grafting my Dunstan was left free in ground. Second chance for Dunstan. But now on Poncirus, the one I lost in winter 20/21 was on Citrumelo Broza (no worthful rootstock, because it died also after the winter).

[tedburn]

Chimera Prague, first flower after 2  years in ground 

[poncirsguy]

Congratulation.  Looking good.  Hope you get fruit from this.

[tedburn]

thank you, yes I' m also excited if the plant will keep a fruit.
If so I will show a picture  .
Regards Frank