Author Topic: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)  (Read 2340 times)

vnomonee

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Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« on: January 14, 2021, 05:01:41 PM »
These are all 2 year old seedlings with the exception of the Poncirus+ which is grafted onto regular Poncirus. All without any protection, they are all up against a brick wall. So far the lowest temp has been 12f which happened last month, I covered them in fresh snow before that happened. Daily temps have been above freezing all winter which has been mild overall. I don't have any long term goals for the plants. I took cuttings and rooted them before the winter so if they perish which they might I do have backups. 

Poncirus+




Citrumelo (noticed these less narrow and more round trifoliate lookin leaves with yellow coloring) no damage aside from some leaf curling



Tai-tri no damage aside from some leaf curling



Yuzu has the most damage but it's still alive. Some leaves have no damage, others are dried up or curled up. Young branch tips turned white (desiccation?)





kumin

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2021, 06:54:34 PM »
vnomonee, it's interesting to see the comparisons between these selections. Being located 100 miles to your west in zone 6b it's obvious your climate is a bit friendlier than mine. Having considered Yuzu to be questionable at my location, your photo confirms it. With the exception of Yuzu, I have all the selections you've shown.

My Poncirus+ is also unaffected to this point. Your 5* Citrumelo looks noticeably better than mine, likewise with the TaiTri.

The lowest temperature to date has been 10 degrees, yet these trees look to be in poorer condition than yours.


 5* Citrumelo top grafted on Poncirus (Jan 13 2021)



Poncirus+ top grafted on Poncirus (Jan 13 2021)


TaiTri top grafted on Poncirus (Jan 13 2021)

« Last Edit: January 14, 2021, 07:24:39 PM by kumin »

vnomonee

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2021, 07:47:31 PM »
Hello Kumin

The pictured Poncirus+ is the one you sent me. Looks like it will come through the winter just fine

Your 5* Citrumelo leaves look very much like my freeze damaged Yuzu leaves. While I didn't quite hit your low by 2 degrees F I think the brick wall surrounding the trees (the wall wraps around like a sideways L) adds a few more degrees over the lowest temp. There is also an aluminum shed to right of the trees as well as an above ground pool which if not providing additional heat probably helps to block the cold wind


Millet

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2021, 11:04:12 PM »
Poncirus is deciduous by nature.  My FD loses its leaves during the winter even growing in a warm greenhouse.  Therefore, deciduousness can be effected just by shorter day length.

Citradia

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2021, 08:50:01 PM »
I would be ready to cover and possibly heat your zone 6/7 hybrids when you go single digits. If noticed a lot of loss of previous year growth/wood and if freezes for days at a time, trunks will split near the ground and tree will die in early spring even if there is a temporary flush of growth.

vnomonee

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2021, 10:21:45 PM »
Thanks Citradia, I have some frost cloth and some jugs which I can fill with water. Unfortunately I would only have passive protection unless I run a cord somewhere to get string lights up for heat. Hopefully won't see single digits this winter polar vortex be damned lol

Citradia

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2021, 06:56:36 AM »
Yep. I’ve lost a lot of hybrids using only passive protection with frost cloth, plastic sheeting, hoop house, water barrels, jugs of water, etc. when it’s polar vortex and below zero all night for several days or even below freezing for a few days with a low of 7 degrees. I do have drop cords going to each tree with small space heaters controlled by thermo cubes, and I am ready to cover even hybrids if we go into low teens or single digits. I’m just tired of loosing trees and waiting for them to come back from roots. You may not loose them this year, but you will eventually without protection unless with global warming our days of single-digit winters are over.

vnomonee

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2021, 01:27:45 PM »
Early spring update:

Taitri kept 90%+ of leaves through winter no damage otherwise



Citrumelo lost half of the leaves (desiccation?) they were crispy. Otherwise no damage on branches or trunk.



Yuzu dropped all leaves, no visible damage on the bark other than burn at the tips of young branches.



Poncirus+ suffered damage from the weight of the snow sheering off the grafted portion. I wrapped it and it looks alive.





Took a small cutting of the branch just in case I have to regraft it outside.



The rootstock is not ideal, it's orange or mandarin that I grew from a seed but it was all that I had available.


And here is a picture of the microclimate based around this brick wall where they are planted.












vnomonee

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #8 on: June 11, 2022, 06:59:24 PM »
Update, winter low of 6f

Tai-tri spring 2022:

As an experiment since this tree seems very hardy in my zone, I grafted Morton Citrange, Prague Citsuma, and Fast Flowering Trifoliate onto it. All have taken and pushing leaves.


Citrumelo spring 2022:

There is one graft of Morton Citrange on it, has taken. Don't think citrumelo is as hardy as tai-tri.

Yuzu spring 2022 died to the ground:


 Edit: Yuzu back from the dead


Poncirus+ on standard trifoliate spring 2022:

There is one graft of Prague Chimera on the trunk, waiting for growth.





« Last Edit: September 08, 2022, 08:41:21 AM by vnomonee »

tedburn

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #9 on: September 08, 2022, 04:40:04 AM »
Interesting your post. I ' m also in zone 7 but in Germany. I have done also some grafts on Poncirus (PT) and Flying Dragon (FD) in ground with passive protection.
Last Year Morton on Poncirus and this year Morton on FD,
5* on FD and Dunstan in FD. Some further grafts from Dunstan on PT, Clemyuz 2-2 on PT and Benton Citranfe in PT.
Also Keraji and Nippon Orangequat on Sanford Curafora.
Last winter was very mild ( low of -8° C), so no problem for plants in ground and new Morton graft. So with the lots of grafted new varieties this year in ipen ground will be interessting how they will do in winter and in comparison (different varieties, different rootstocjs and different microclinates in my garden?
Did your grafts already pass the last winter with a low of 6° F or did you graft them this year 2022 ?


vnomonee

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #10 on: September 08, 2022, 08:39:53 AM »
I grafted them in the spring, so it will be interesting to see what will happen after winter especially to the Prague which grew about 25-30 cm on tai-tri compared to my one grafted to Poncirus that barely grew at all. The FFT on tai-tri put out a leaf and stopped growing. And the Morton only bud swelling on the scion. Will post pictures soon
« Last Edit: September 08, 2022, 08:43:26 AM by vnomonee »

tedburn

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #11 on: September 08, 2022, 02:19:12 PM »
I have a Prag chimera since 2,5 years in ground  on Poncirus and it grows very slow, perhaps 15 cm a year. Now I have taken a scion of it and grafted also on Poncirus but in pot and it grows much faster. But winterhardiness of Prag is very good against low temperature, mine managed the first winter -15 ° C passive protected, only in spring ut is a little bit sensitive with sunny warm days and frosty nights which causes bark cracks.

vnomonee

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #12 on: September 08, 2022, 03:23:12 PM »
I had bark splitting with Poncirus+ on own roots but not the one grafted to regular Poncirus, they are planted in different parts of the yard so not sure if the one is getting more southern exposure. Have you tried painting the stem/ trunks with white paint to reflect some of the sun? Thinking of doing this. My citrumelo did have some bark damage on the southern exposure but has already healed over

tedburn

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #13 on: September 08, 2022, 04:54:35 PM »
No, I didn' t paint the stem, I used fleece, but I opened it to early end of february.
On the link below, page two you see my frost protection.
https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=43470.25

vnomonee

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #14 on: September 08, 2022, 06:53:17 PM »
looks good, might just protect the bottom of my trees since they are too big now.

my prague is about the same size as yours so hope mine will flower next season

tedburn

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Re: Hybrids in zone 7a after a low of 12f (-11c)
« Reply #15 on: September 09, 2022, 08:13:54 AM »
Yes let s hope for annot to hard winter and then much flowers  ;)