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Meyer Lemon/Mexican Lime Espalier

missinformation
16 years ago

Anyone ever done this in Zone 8, or at all? I have 2 large south-facing, protected brick areas, and I'm thinking these 2 trees would be perfect. I already have them and dread bringing them in for winter, hate keeping up with them in pots, etc.

I think they're a good size for not colliding with the eaves of the house. I've never done this before, and I cannot find an espalier board. Should I allow them to establish for several weeks before pruning, or go an entire season or what? I definitely don't want to kill them, but they both seem to be tough plants.

Comments (3)

  • gardenlen
    16 years ago

    g'day missinformation,

    can't see why it wouldn't work, citrus do like a mediterannean climate that is hot and dry summer and cold winters, should be plenty of books at the library on espaliering fruit trees. did you do a google at all?

    len

    Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

  • tclynx
    16 years ago

    I don't know much if anything about the Mexican Lime. Meyer Lemon can be pretty hardy. The in-laws have one that grows like a bush. They live near Ocala, FL. The Meyer has been damaged by cold some years there but it has survived the damage without extra protection. I'm a couple hours further south and a Meyer Lemmon tree would have no problem outside here with the current climate. We also have grapefruit, Tangerine and another unknown tree. Keep in mind that hardiness zones fluctuate over time with climate change and other factors. If you can provide extra protection if hard freezes are forcasted to happen, then keeping them outside against that protect wall may be safe. If you are hoping that the wall will be enough, you might be risking your citrus. I don't know exactly where you are other than zone 8. Espaliering a tree doesn't change it's hardiness per-say. It is the protected location that can help. Most info I've seen about espaliering was to do with more northerly trees like apples, pears, etc.

    Good luck, I'm sure after a few years such trees would become too heavy to happily move indoors for the cold snaps.

  • stoneunhenged
    16 years ago

    Miss I: Citrus are very hardy in the right environment. Google Just Fruits and Exotics and check out that nursery's inventory and growing advice. They're about 30 miles from my farm and are real experts on small-scale fruit production. Great folks.

    Hey, drop me an email if you have a second. I have some pretty cool chickens I want to tell you about, and I want to send you a few free chicks for your subversive urban poultry experiment.

    paul@bradfarm.com

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