North Georgia Mountain Citrus

[strudeldog]

Citrus is tough, despite my neglect they produce for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZB-DmMrwlE

[newnandawg]

Very nice!

[Kelby]

I'm jealous! Between your persimmons and citrus, you've got it made!

[don_sanders]

Very nice.

Can you speak more to keeping the citrus in the garage? I thought they had to be kept warm and under lights. It sounds like you let them go dormant, drop their leaves, and store them in a cold dark garage all winter. Do they drop the fruit too?

[strudeldog]

Thanks folks The citrus is something I have considered giving up. I thought my sun porch across the entire back of my house would work well and I would be smelling citrus bloom all winter but it did not work out that way. Not sure if it was the dry conditioned air or some imbalance of temps, but trying to leave in there all winter 1st year here was almost total drop of leaves and fruit.

Don, I move in and out of the garage and leave door open most days, and if it looks like I have a stretch of several days above freezing out they go. Last winter was pretty mild 2 winters prior they spent very little time outside and one think I they were probably in 2 straight months, and really didn't lose much if any foliage. I am sure the fruit quality suffered but believe with the cold temps even in storage they seemed to do fine without the light.

[don_sanders]

That's interesting. I'm not sure that my climate would be good for that approach.

[TucsonKen]

Very impressive, Phil. Your approach is similar to what I'm trying with a mango, but I haven't had it long enough to get fruit yet.

[CarbonFX]

Just started growing citrus in a similar zone, 7a, and its coming up to that time where the citrus will go in to the garage for the winter. With a Meyer lemon and a grafted satsuma at my place, what is everyone doing to protect the same or similar trees? There will be some light in the garage but will these trees survive as long as the temps do not go below 25 in the garage?? Lets hear what has worked for everyone here before!

[TucsonKen]

My Pickering Mango can stay outside most of the winter, but when there's a hard freeze warning it it moves up under the eaves (it's on wheels) and gets tarped. I ripened six delicious mangoes this year.

[CarbonFX]

I'm reaching out to Stan the citrus man for advice on over wintering. I may just find out that he only plants in ground. Thing is in zone 7 we have to do things a little different. I'm going to put them in the garage, probably in an open cardboard box to separate from the cold concrete floor.

Have to find out about watering, thinking same as figs, give a cup with of water each month. Foliar spray leaves too.

Anyone have a good thread or site for potted citrus in the North?

[NangkitaKate]

That's a nice collection of citrus What type of rootstock are your citrus grafted on to?

[strudeldog]

Hi,

Thanks for comments folks on the old thread.
As far as a couple questions

The manner I do winter is probably not ideal , but depending on the winter they spend a good deal of it in cold garage and if there is a string of days that doesn't get below freezing they are outside, but a few winters back they probably spent 2 months straight in cold and dark and seemed to handle it fine. I do water minimally when outside. One thing most of you know is that if you are having issues getting them to bloom when you want try letting them get really dry for a period and then hit them with water and it seems to initiate strong bloom, I am sure there is good info on the citrus forums which I don't follow as I just makes me want to try more, so I don't even look as it's just torture to follow a citrus, tropical, or other plant forum that it's a challenge

As far as rootstock. I only grafted a couple of these and they are on Trifoliate Orange Poncerus trifoliata, but most are purchased trees and not sure of rootstock. I graft a lot of things but not citrus as I just dabble in it

[NangkitaKate]

hi Phil - poncirus trifoliata is hardy for usda zones 6-9, and imparts that hardiness to its scion and top growth when used as a root stock. it's classed as fully hardy, and you must be located around its extreme range of hardiness. would it be worth selecting a "sacrificial tree" with the right root stock for trial purposes one year? it would need to be established in-ground or have its pot sunk into a hole. I'm just thinking those blood oranges are at their best after a cold winter - makes their colour pop

[CarbonFX]

Trees took a hit this winter, started to drop leaves in an unheated garage. After a month I took them inside to a heated basement where that kept them alive... Meyer lemon wound up kicking the bucket.. GOOD NEWS is that the satsuma bounced back and is growing so vigorous now that I'm not sure if I should prune some of its new growth or just let her go!!
Satsuma is grafted onto Citrus Trifoliata.
Pictures will go up in the coming days.

[fettuccine]

Sorry to hear that Robert. I actually lost my Meyer last month too and it was my first and only citrus tree. I found out later during winter that Meyers are one of the most picky trees when it comes to care though! So grab on tight to your satsuma cause that one's gonna be your baby for years to come

When I started to grow citrus last year with my now dead Meyer lemon, the best place I've found for advice on growing citrus in the north is the citrus forums at GardenWeb. If you're interested you should check it out and ask whatever questions you have about your satsuma or other varieties. Everyone there is kind and helpful and they're absolute citrus nuts too, just like it is with figs here You can find me there as kvetchlambkin. I'll be looking forward to seeing your satsuma pictures!

[CarbonFX]

[CarbonFX]

[fettuccine]

Looks almost like nothing happened to your tree! All that new growth looks so great

[taliesin]

yep i am growing a meyer lemon tree this year in North Ga. Will bring it in or the greenhouse this winter.

[Smokymist]

I always envy people who can grow citrus !

[fettuccine]

You can definitely grow citrus in your area if you have enough space to bring it indoors overwinter! Some people even overwinter them in unheated attached garages with fluorescent shop lights and they do well If you grew any citrus trees, they would love your summers in Tennessee!

[Smokymist]

futtuccine, you mean hot and humid ? lol. I actually did, one summer, grow a dragon fruit to produce me one fruit. I was so proud of that. No more room in the garage, as it is, it fills up with my tropicals every winter. I hope to move soon and remedy this.

[fettuccine]

That's awesome Smokymist! I've seen how large dragon fruits grow before they produce a fruit so it must've really done well in your hot and humid summer. And heck ya citrus would love that kind of heat and humidity! A large portion of them are grown in Florida after all.

I bought a few of my first citrus trees that are being shipped to me right now. If you're interested I can send you some cuttings the next time they're trimmed. If you know how to graft then you can def use them as budwood!

[Jkanyok]

Ok so I have 4 different varieties of dragonfruit growing here in central Florida...they're all young right now (my Ecuador yellow are all still seedlings) but what did you do to get yours to grow big enough to fruit? Supposedly they can produce within 9months from a new cutting, but I don't know anyone who's had that result....except you! Please, tell!

[fettuccine]

I've heard from someone on a different forum that they grew a dragon fruit plant that fruited for them and they live in a colder zone like me around zone 6-7! It's definitely possible! I'm sure it would for you Jkanyok since you live in Florida

[Smokymist]

My son who lives with me is the one who grows the dragonfruit and also carnivorous plants. My daughter who lives with me is the herb guru, and I grow everything else lol. It's a darn good thing we all love to garden. I don't know what he did, honestly, but it only set fruit for us that one summer and has not since.