Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
foolishpleasure

My Citrus trees are feeling the cold

foolishpleasure
11 years ago

We have been hit by miserable cold weather and snow lately. The temperature last night was 5 F . My trees are in unheated garage except for small heater. The maximium I can get the Temperature in the garage by using heater and strong grow lights (putting over 6000 lumen is that the right description) is 36 F.
My question are can I use warm water instead of cold water to water the trees and how about if I rap a heating pads around the pots. Can that help is it advisable?
Abe

Comments (6)

  • Fascist_Nation
    11 years ago

    As long as it stays above freezing all citrus should survive. Putting a small fan in near the ceiling that blows air down (circulates the heat near the ceiling back down to where it does good) can help. Make sure the pots are on insulation and not directly on a concrete floor if it really is touch and go.

  • Fascist_Nation
    11 years ago

    You can also wrap the trunks with newspaper to help. Leave it on all winter.

    While wet soil retains heat better than drier soil do not overwater your citrus.

    Warm water can burn the roots...remember trees and their beneficial soil organisms are not used to temperatures much above 30-35C. They can be killed off. You can fill pots/barrels/containers with hot water for overnight release of heat.
    But as long as it doesn't fall below freezing....

  • foolishpleasure
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you. Your idea of fan to circulate the hot air is good. I will do just that.
    Abe

  • arkberry
    11 years ago

    I can vouch for the wrapping of the trunk - it really helps. I protect my outdoor Satsuma by wrapping the trunk before a cold snap. I have been setting my containerized plants on a couple of old cardboard boxes to keep them out of direct contact with my concrete.

  • trianglejohn
    11 years ago

    I have a large hoophouse that I seal up and use like a greenhouse during the winter. Because it has only plastic sheeting for walls it doesn't hang on to any heat so it is hard to keep "tropical". One surprising thing I've tried is to build another smaller greenhouse inside the larger greenhouse, sort of a tent made out of this very thin clear plastic I had on hand. By placing the tiny electric space heater inside that tent I can keep those plants very warm. So I try to keep the large area just above freezing and never have to worry about the small area. You might be able to build such a temporary tent out of thin plastic (I just used ropes and clothespins to build mine) and put the heater inside it, instead of heating the entire garage.

  • 2pinecones
    11 years ago

    We have our drier vented into our greenhouse. It has been below zero for weeks. At night we put a wet beach towel in the drier and the end result is a warm humid area that is above 50 much appreciated by our 13 citrus (2 avocado) trees that must live in the Utah Rocky Mountain high desert.