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Fruit & Orchards

Citrus in Z 6?

14 years ago

I drove by a garden shop while visiting my mom. It looked like they had a small 3 to 4 foot citrus tree in a container. I couldn't get a parking spot and was just passing through that town, so could not ask them about it. Can citrus be gown in pots in Z 6 and wintered inside? If so, what types do best?

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Comments (9)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
14 years ago
Yes, they can be but it's not easy. The wintering inside is the hard part. Many do it successfully, but many struggle as well. Check out the citrus forum link at the top of the page.

I haven't had any problems overwintering them in my sunny greenhouse. That includes two months at about 35/55F temperatures needed for chilling the other fruit trees.

The Fruitnut
tn_veggie_gardner
14 years ago
I'm growing a Dwarf Lime tree & Dwarf Banana Tree in Middle TN going through the same thing. My father-in-law suggested keeping them in the basement (door closed) away from the door where no wind will get them. I'm going to do that & maybe mulch them a little & hope for the best. Right now, they are in the shade, still outside, getting used to no sun. Sound like a plan or will they die?
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StressBaby... I'm not so sure about tha causes of citrus leaf drop. I have 5 or 6 citrus, a couple of mandarin oranges, a couple of grapefruit and a couple of I-forget-what-i-planteds. The oranges tended to get infested with spidermites over the winter so a few years ago a decided to toss them in the garage for the winter as i just didn't want the mites spreading to other plants. My garage walls are insulated and i do have insulated doors, but there is no addotional heat. All heat is from the windows (I have 3 large south facing windows), what must leak out from the house (insulated 2x6 contruction) and whatever heat comes from the engines. I am in zone 5, massachusetts. I do occasionally get ice on the floor if the outside temps stay below zero for a few days. That first year, i did get the leaf drop you describe. I really thought i had lost them all. One lost about 90% of it's branches, the rest lost most of their leaves. But come Spring, they cam back to life and recovered fully. The following year, i decided to take better care of them since they deserved a bit of credit. I made sure i stuck to a weekly watering plan and that was enough to prevent almost ANY leaf drop. I did get a bit of freeze damage on one tree closet to the doors. This was closer to the springtime when they had started sending out new growth. SO i have now overwintered the in the unheated garage for 3 winters. Temps have been as low as -19F at night outside, and i hardly get the leaf drop. I am of the mind that it was completely due to my neglect that first winter and the lack of water. This winter i plan to put a themometer in the garage so i have an idea of what the temps actually are, but i am pretty much amazed they do so well. Poppa
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When do you plan to do this? If it's now, you might want to pot them up and put them in an attached, but unheated garage or bring them in the house if the garage option isn't available. But if you can wait until this spring, you can plant them exactly as they were in z8 - not any deeper. Mulch may or may not be needed, depending on the winter conditions in your area, but it probably won't be. Bearded iris are generally considered hardy to at least zone 4, and I know of people who grow them in zones 2 & 3 successfully. Diana
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larry_gene
14 years ago
Sometimes calamondin is offered in iffy citrus-climate areas, tolerates a light freeze. The fruit is smallish and mostly used for juice, although calamondin cake is highly touted.
keepitlow
Original Author
14 years ago
If one does not have a greenhouse. Can they be wintered in a dark garage?
fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
14 years ago
No, citrus can not be wintered in a dark garage. They need the right combination of potting soil, fertilizer, watering, temperature, and light. Many struggle to find that combination. Then there are the pests; aphids, scale, and spider mites can be problems inside and out.

They do great in my greenhouse. Pretty easy to grow with only aphids and mites to fight. I had scale at one time but completely eradicated them and things have been pretty easy since. I do have the right spider mite control, organic isn't easy for them.

The Fruitnut
larry_gene
14 years ago
Even citrus placed near our inside window ended up looking pale green by the time they were placed outside next spring.
applenut_gw
14 years ago
What is it with us trying to grow fruit out of its "happy zone"? I live in the middle of citrus country and struggle to grow apples; you're there building greenhouses to grow citrus. Why don't we just switch houses to make it easier on both of us? :)

Applenut
tn_veggie_gardner
14 years ago
the zones/areas where citrus is happy in the US are so limited. I know that many people grow it successfully in zone 6. I don't know how they do it though (at least through the cold months). there is obviously a way to do that & I think that's all we are really asking. =)

Here is a link that might be useful: Steve's Garden
keepitlow
Original Author
14 years ago
Kumquats do any better with garage winter storage? Or do they need greenhouse winterizing too?

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