cold hardy citrus

HOWARD Martin

3 years ago

can I develop citrus trees to grow outside in Ashland Kentucky winters it zone 6b ?

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Comments (12)

PRO
Yardvaark
3 years ago
No. No citrus for you.
HOWARD Martin
Original Author
3 years ago
but I m going to try anyway because impossible is a state of mind
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Cold hardy citrus
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It will be very difficult, and likely impractical, to grow any intergeneric hybrids in zone 6. US852 and TaiTri might be the only ones that would have any chance of making it, and even then I'd strongly recommend planting in a protected spot, somewhere that won't get too much wind, and putting a pile of mulch and a cover on it over the winter. Probably close to the wall of a house would be good, surrounded by other nearby bushy plants. Bear in mind these two are not exactly "delicious" tasting. TaiTri is not very much better in taste than poncirus, while US852 has a bit of off taste and is nowhere near as good fruit quality as the crappiest mandarin you might ever find in a supermarket. Though I did see a video where one very adventurous enthusiast claimed he was able to "enjoy" eating them. (full of seeds of course)
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Jenny, that’s very useful, understand how the hardiness zones are calculated. Since my area has hot humid summers, I’m gonna guess it’s probably a lot like Virginia or the Carolinas? Crazy pest and mold problems here, but when things grow they grow like crazy. The weeds in the summer are like nothing I’ve ever seen. Yuzu was the first citrus people recommended for this area. Mikan (mandarins) were recommended too. The resprouting is kind of neat, and at least before the moles showed up, they had very extensive root systems, which should help with regrowth. I’m not expecting much or any fruit though, as there’s no leaves to support them, and all has to be regrown in one season. Not sure how useful that is. Thanks Cory. The last time I tried grafting I cut my thumb open in the grafts never made it anyway! Pon, I agree with you, it’s nice to use the passive heat systems. I’m still interested to experiment with some ideas. The typhoons really make it tricky here though, as things being blown away can be a bit dangerous. I don’t miss low temperatures like that anymore. I would have no problem moving to an even warmer area that I’m in now.
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Comments (10)
The forecast said the coldest it got down to was 12, but the coldest temperature I measured, just four hours before the forecast said it was supposed to drop down to that low point, was 22. I also did measurements before three different times, on cold winter nights, and the yard was 2 degrees above what the forecast said it was. So I can only assume that it probably actually got down to 14. Most years it only gets down to 15 at the lowest, and that's usually only 2 nights out of the entire winter. Olympia does get just a little colder than Seattle. The Satsuma here (on trifoliate rootstock) that was covered did not survive. There were 3 gallon water containers in there to try to keep the temperatures from going below freezing, and it was planted in a warm sunny spot. (but it was the standard Satsuma variety) The water containers never froze, even on the coldest night, and I actually filled them up with hot water a few hours just before it was supposed to drop to 12, just to try to help out in any additional way possible. It wasn't enough, but this was a colder Winter than usual.
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cold-hardy citrus in the Pacific Northwest - update Dec 2019
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Comments (18)
I did get a scion off his Changsha tree. He grew five Changsha plants from seed, left the small seedlings outside one winter, only one of them survived. He later grafted that Changsha plant onto a rootstock (he can't remember which, probably either poncirus or citrange) and eventually planted it in the ground outside, up against his house. He covered the tree for the first two years, giving it a chance to grow without suffering too much cold damage. But I made sure to specifically ask and he told me he had not bothered to cover the tree the last time (it was not a mild winter that year). The tree you see in the picture is that tree. He believes this seedling of Changsha that he selected might be slightly hardier than regular Changsha. But he is not really sure, and there's no real way to know at this point. Just in case anyone was wondering, this is zone 8. I don't think any of these trees would make it in zone 7 this far so north, with the exception of course of Poncirus trifoliata, and possibly citrumelo in zone 7b. So if you live in a colder climate zone designation, this is likely not going to be possible for you. Trying to grow these here in zone 8 in this cool climate region is already pushing things.
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PRO
Yardvaark
3 years ago
... If only reality has not been getting in the way of dreams since the dawn of time.
HOWARD Martin
Original Author
3 years ago
I know this takes courage and a lot of effort
laceyvail 6A, WV
3 years ago
And a lot of time to waste.
HOWARD Martin
Original Author
3 years ago
may it my choice make
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
Yes, you can grow hardy orange, Poncirus trifoliata, in a zone 6 climate. This zone 5 citrus relative is often used as rootstock for citrus grafting and it does produce a small orange fruit that is edible but very sour. Also is extremely thorny.

Most named forms of citrus will not be hardy for you in the ground. And they can be expensive to experiment with. Maybe you could try growing citrus from the seeds of store bought fruit. They are very easy to germinate and grow and although they will not be exactly like their parents, you may very well end up with something tasty during this process. You may also find that some seedlings may be hardier or more cold tolerant than others.

Here is a listing of the most cold hardy citrus types: Cold Hardy Citrus. And some tips for helping you to extend their survivability.
HOWARD Martin
Original Author
3 years ago
the soil type I dealt with from my youth is clay
HOWARD Martin
Original Author
3 years ago
and I learned the hard way about the bathtub effect that s why I say if u must use a back layer clay and organic material for drainage other wise the clay might not drain at all
HOWARD Martin
Original Author
3 years ago
my young seedlings are doing well
cecily 7A
3 years ago
Poncirus trifoliata thrives in clay soil, use it as your rootstock.
HOWARD Martin
Original Author
3 years ago
no I'm not going to for idont want that type of stock it releases the Gene's into the other scion wood production

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cold hardy citrus

Comments (12)

Yardvaark

HOWARD Martin
Original Author

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Yardvaark

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laceyvail 6A, WV

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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

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HOWARD Martin
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cecily 7A

HOWARD Martin
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cold hardy citrus

Comments (12)

Yardvaark

HOWARD MartinOriginal Author

Related Discussions

Yardvaark

HOWARD MartinOriginal Author

laceyvail 6A, WV

HOWARD MartinOriginal Author

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

HOWARD MartinOriginal Author

HOWARD MartinOriginal Author

HOWARD MartinOriginal Author

cecily 7A

HOWARD MartinOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

HOWARD Martin
Original Author

HOWARD Martin
Original Author

HOWARD Martin
Original Author

HOWARD Martin
Original Author

HOWARD Martin
Original Author

HOWARD Martin
Original Author

HOWARD Martin
Original Author