Ok. Thanks John! I will do that after tomorrow...it is warm today and will be tomorrow...then the cold front. I'll bring them in before the cold hits.

It's probably only a matter of days or a week or two before your weather gets cold again, right?

I have 15 more safe warm days by forcast. My temperatures will not fall below 40F untill after mid november. We are setting quite a few warmth record. This is the first time ever tjhat temps never droped below 40F. This is the first November that still stands to see nothing below 40F past mid month. We stand to have the latest first frost ever. My last frost was March 8 2016 beating the old record of earliest last spring frost by 4 week. Last winter I only had my trees inside 4.5 months instead of the standard 5.5-6 months. My citrus trees were outside by March 9, 2016 and will stay out for at least another 2 weeks.

That's good Steve! Dave, we are very near you. My husband works in DC. Tomorrow we have rain from the incoming front, then it will get cold again...mid-low 40s...no 30s yet.

I have mine inside their Winter shelter (my garage). We have still not have had a killing frost here in NJ/NYC Metro Zone 7a. Into the extended two week, I don't see anything dramatic but they are in for the season now (too much work to go in/out!)

Oh, I had to rescue my loquats from the DEER that seem to LOVE them (loquats went up to the top deck). Deer seem to avoid Citrus though.

sub,

Deer don't avoid Meyer lemons. Deer and goats love them; but they usually leave alone all the other citrus varieties I have.

Hi Laura,

No offense to anyone, but I think people around here worry too much about having citrus outside in the fall. I leave my potted citrus outside all winter. We have lots of nights below freezing with occasional temperatures in the mid 20s. Of course, there are some citrus that can't tolerate any temperature below freezing whatsoever, however the majority of lemons, mandarins, oranges, etc. have no problem tolerating cold overnight temps as long as it is above freezing most of the day. Kumquats are actually one of the most cold tolerant citrus varieties around.

-Brett

Yeah, I understand Brett. That is partly why I have left them out. The rangpur lime is also out there bc they are so cold tolerant. I just worry because the roots stop working/growing below 55 and since the plant is covered with fruit, I would not want to stunt it. Question for you: when temps drop down to the 20s, for how long do they remain there, and how high do they daytime temps go up? Here, when the temps are in the 20s at night, it likely that the daytime temps are in the 30s...they just don't fluctuate that much. I think that would be lethal for most citrus varieties on a sustained basis.

Absolutely, you are right Laura. If daytime temps are around 45-50 or higher you are all good. When daytime temps drop below that, it is definitely time to bring them in. Also I wouldn't feel comfortable with more than 6-8 hours of subfreezing temperatures.

Quick question, do you get fruit development inside in the winter? When I bring my ultra frost sensitive trees inside in the winter, the fruit development seems to stall completely or the fruit even fall off. I am not sure even a warm sunny indoor room is enough to allow the fruit to develop significantly in the winter. A sunny indoor room in the winter is a far cry from full sun outside in the summer.

-Brett

I can't help you with your dilemma... but I really enjoy seeing your nagami kumquat! Of all the citrus that you've shared with us, I like the overall look of the tree, the leaf shape, and deep color of the nagami. Beautiful ! Hope you get a great crop soon.

Thanks Hiro! I have always looked the look of that tree also. I went back like two months after buying it and bought his brother (lol) - they are called "the beast" and "the savage" at my house. The problem with the new arrival is that he is still not as green as the beast - sat in the nursery too long, and he has one long spike up that I did not cut even though I love hacking ;-). It is not a water spout and does have fruit on it. The trunk diameter of that one is actually larger so I suspect it is just growing up faster - not as much fruit though. Brett - yes, that is the difference. You guys have a much greater temperature gradient than we do here during winter.

Here is a pic of the other nagami...see the huge sprout?? Not sightly, but I felt bad cutting it off.

lol great names! Both 'brothers' look great. This board has been 'confusing' me with so many wonderful citrus to try out. If I get another citrus (if space permits.......) It may be a nagami. I think your bros have convinced me, haha. Sadly they only sell meiwas around where I live - and they seem to have a very different appearance to your nagami.

That is a huge sprout. Probably resulting from great care :). haha, I feel bad hacking off my plants too. Although I go crazy pruning my blueberry bushes... not my citrus!

Laura, do you have a way with just digging a hole in a very sunny warm area and partially or completely burying the Nagami pot? It will keep the root zone warm while it gets all the sun it wants, even more than you could provide with lights...

Do you have a very sunny area right up against the window inside?

If you keep it at cold temps with less than ideal sunlight, they will still ripen, trust me..I have many fruit that still do and they are sweet...The tree focuses on ripening fruit or even maturing fruit while the leaves themselves slow down drastically...By nature, that is exactly what happens to in ground grown ones..The temps cool of drastically in many areas of the world while the ground stays warmer...This process ripens, sweetens and matures fruit in areas where citrus naturally grow...

Just a few options for you)

Funny, I partially buried one I could care less about and it seems to be quite happy outside even with temps down into the 20's!!!

As for the Calamondin...That will do ok even if you brought it inside...With all the sunlight or lite you give it, even with less than ideal sunlight, this fruit should mature...

I would introduce any of them to inside heat and light slowly though..The both of them..From cold open air and sunlight, to dry heat and less light, any plant with react sharply...You could loose the fruit and a few leaves..It varies for everyone..Just a chance we all take once they have been acclimated to very cold temps, natural light, and fresh air for so long..

They are beautiful Laura,,,Good work!

The

Thank you Hiro and Mike! Hiro, I've heard that meiwa kumquats are much sweeter than nagami . I don't know about their growth habit though as I don't have one. Mike, my bright windows are hogged up and I really can't bury it...not to mention, I'd be scared to lose them. I love those trees. I can find it an area with some natural light and give it lots of artificial light. I'm going to HD tomorrow to buy another lamp. Lol!

Laura,

Shall I entice you to the dark si... err, light side? Metal halides work wonders for artificial light. In your case, it all depends how much light you need to augment. I know your "grow room" has a ton of windows, so you might just be able to scoot by without any supplemental light... what's your light experience thus far?

For what it's worth, your smartphone should have a light sensor that measures the visible spectrum radiation in "lux". Manufacturers include those sensors to measure light so they know when to automatically adjust screen brightness. If your windows or grow lights are emitting a couple thousand lux at the leaf-level, then you should be more than okay.

-Tom

Thank you Tom! That was extremely helpful. I found an app and just measured. This is morning light, but along the windows it was in the 300s. The bulbs I am using on the interior of the trees are just LED - 1600 lumens, 6500 K. I measured those and right up close got 1000+, however, within a very short distance, the intensity quickly declined (it's that inverse square law at work again ;-). I don't know about metal halides, but would like to find out. Keep in mind that I can't spend a fortune (these bulbs are cheap) and the rooms I use are living areas of my home so I cannot hang fixtures from the ceeling. Thank you!!