Dave, I'm glad you only lost one. My mantra for the winter is always, "Can Spring be far behind?" I do Not like the cold. Hope it warms up soon for you northern folks.

I have to use a hand truck dolly to move mine, Thank God, I don't have to go up any stairs! So once they are in they stay in and once out....

My trees are still small and few... otherwise I'd be like you, one time out, one time in. I already get annoyed playing the sun game with my seedling peppers. I started them way too early and now have about 8 that barely fit on the windowsill.

I am also in 8b and my trees went outside yesterday. Hopefully out for the rest of the season because I am tired of bringing 17 in and out daily from the sunroom based on the low weather temps.

The thing is, if plants are pushing new growth, that new growth is more prone to cold damage (even above 32f). (I noticed flowers on my kumquats and citron.) I wait till temps are certainly above freezing at night, but this March has been awful with cold and snowstorms. Yesterday, got some massive palms out from the same Winter shelter as my Citrus, which to some extent will help shelter the Citrus once they do go out (with protection from strong wind and sun). Probably will be moving Citrus out next (Easter) weekend. I am currently below freezing at 31 F, and tomorrow too flirts with freezing at night, does not wanna make me push them out into the cold as they seem very well this year, so far.

It is very cold here, not even thinking of taking the trees outside, even in the daytime wind chill makes the temperatures feel like freezing. I am going to wait till May, when it is really warm, especially nights.

Same here, sunshine. Sounds like our weather pattern is similar. The nights lows are still going down into the teens. Wake up to a heavy frost most morning's. The trees are all snug as a bug in the gh and sunroom, and so will remain there until probably May. I will take a few smaller trees outside once the day temps look good and the spring winds die down. (including the two that have a recurring bout of scale.) I will bring them back in at night. Just not all of them, too much work moving them back and forth.

Great looking trees Bonnie and Bob! Bonnie, that Buddha's Hand is a lovely tree! I have one on order that will be shipped this spring.

I plan on putting my Grafted Meiwa kumquat outside this evening. If the weather forecast holds true the tree will be safe for the next 15 days. I'll take if from there day by day. I am hoping to move my grafted Fukushu outside within a week. My NZL on US897 will need to stay inside till May.

Steve

This is a good thread to get some idea. I had 9" of snow from the nor'easter last week and although 1/2 was gone the next day and 3/4 gone now (except in some of the colder spots - like where I will need to put the citrus! lol), I am thinking of doing similar to what I did in the fall - start looking at consistent temps in the 40Fs (upper 30s possible if covered) as a benchmark for night lows, and go from there. The last frost date here is usually around mid-April but we have had frosts all the way into May on occasion. Still, I think the citrus should be okay in April (and I will probably put the fig out too - all assuming we don't keep getting this unseasonable snow), whereas none of my tropicals are going out until after Mother's Day!

I feel for you guys that still have such cold temps. As of this morning, the high on Thursday will be 62 here. There will be some nights in the low-mid 40s, but they will be fine. It is a cost/benefit decision I am making. I realize that if there is new growth, it may be stunted, but it will come back again in a few weeks. However, the bug situation for a few of my trees is dire and needs to be addressed and I can only really do that well outside.

Oh my gosh, I feel for those of you still getting below freezing and snow! I was getting spring fever weeks ago. Our last projected frost was March 13th, plus my yard rarely gets a frost, as I am protected on three sides by trees and on the other side by the house, so I have a bit of a micro climate going.

Dave, I know your pain. I always start my peppers and tomatoes too early. Then I wind up with light deprived plants, even tho' I use a grow light. But I usually have early tomatoes!

Jinnylea, Thank you, the Buddha's hand was a birthday gift from my daughter. Somehow I wasn't expecting that much growth. It only went into the larger pot last spring, but looks like it needs to go to the next size already.

Jenny, my figs are in ground, but they are already pushing out new growth. My grandfather always said you could plant anything outside after the dogwoods bloom. Well, my dogwood is in full bloom. LOL! An elder neighbor told me once that you could plant out tomatoes when the pecan leaves were as big as a mouse's ear. (I love these old sayings!) and I have mouse ear sized leaves! lol!

Laura, my daytime temps are expected to be in the 80's the next two days, then dropping when the rain hits to the 60's and 70's. The lowest night time temp is expected to be 47. My greenhouse is now totally empty. Staghorn ferns, Tillandsia's, Begonia's, Brugmansia and Banana's, all outside.

Dave, I have hardened off my peppers and tomatoes, so as soon as my hubby can start the tiller for me, I will be setting mine out! Tho I probably should wait until after we get the 5 inches of projected rain!! Lol

Bonnie, I love those old sayings also! Grandparents and our elders sure had a lot of wisdom and a way with words. Pass it on.. ♡

Yes Bonnie. Love those sayings! Just took a look at the dogwoods in my backyard....small buds....getting closer. :)

Laura - we are supposed to hit 60 here next Thursday as well but I am reluctant to have to do too much in/out - especially since none of them are on the 1st floor (either 2nd floor or basement). Will have to see what the forecast is for the 10 days after then when we get to that point... but I hear ya about the buggies. It has been a never-ending battle of aphids on the thornless key lime (which I even took outside during one winter warm spell and really sprayed down with water and did an HO treatment on it before bringing it back in...). It has been rewarding me with all kinds of leaf drop.

Bonnie - we have figs in the ground up here too, but mine was an 8" tall baby in a 6" pot that my BIL bought last year and handed to me to take care of. lol It's now in a 12" and almost 3ft tall and despite being forced into dormancy and wintered in an almost completely dark somewhat (upper 50s) cool spot, it woke up and sprouted about a month ago. I have been gradually introducing it to the basement lighting and it has greened up. This was it a couple weeks ago-

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They have a new Celeste that I planted for them last year (and wrapped for winter) after their earlier Celeste got killed back in the bad 2013/2014 winter (it had been in the ground for almost 10 years and was uncovered for its final 6 years, reaching about 15 ft tall before dying back). It's tricky for those of us not far from the ocean because of the marine influence and cold ocean temps in winter, which extends the spring. The reverse happens in fall where the warm ocean temps moderates everything all the way into November and sometimes December.

I do love those old sayings! The other I would hear a lot was to plant peas around St. Patrick's Day so you could hopefully get some kind of harvest before they burn up in June! And we always used to say we could (safely, without need for covering, etc) plant the tenders - tomatoes, peppers, cukes around Memorial Day.

Jenny, the fig looks good for being inside, I think. I have two in the ground a young Black Mission and a Alma. The Alma has been in the ground since 1987-88. This year I may dig a off shoot and replace it. (not sure how long figs will live.)

My grandfather always said that you should have potatoes in the ground by Valentine's day. So I always try to plant, tho the weather isn't always accommodating!

I have found that most of the old sayings are pretty much true.

Laura, I watch my dogwood like a hawk, waiting for it to bud out!! LOL!!

Bonnie - I brought the fig in the first week of December, which let it go through some frosts and drop all its leaves and go dormant. That new growth in the pic happened in the pitch dark! LOL When I took it out of the "storage" area, all the growth was yellow. After being near the lights for a few days, it all greened up.

From something you mentioned earlier - I think you would be okay with a half-whisky barrel. There are resin inserts for the wooden ones (usually used for half barrel ponds) that would help preserve the wood (at least from the inside) and their width would help stabilize a tree with a bigger canopy. I noticed that Home Depot has 26" wide ones (17" deep).

As another "old saying" - we look at forsythia blooms for being able to start working the soil and my other sister has a spring-blooming Camellia that started budding up and trying to open some tentative blooms a couple weeks ago (and then got snowed on...lol), so that is sortof a harbinger for me. Heck, I even look for snowdrops and crocuses and know spring is not far away! :-D

Lol. Jenny I know what you mean. When my snowdrops and daffodils start blooming I know spring will be here soon! But then I've had daffodils get snowed on. :-(

I haven't seen any half-whiskey barrels that large at our Home Depot. 24" but not 26". Maybe I better go check again.

My Son suggested trash cans, but I'm not sure how long they would last. Lol!

I DO use durable, plastic garbage can and cheap plastic tubs (some of which come with handles, so you can pull them around. Are are still good for several season. I use those deep, black plastic garbage cans for PALMS (that have deep roots), Citrus prefer much more shallow tubs if you can find them.

Yeah - the "muck buckets" (per jurasico) are a possibility and the handles on them are a bonus if you have to move them. They have them at places like Walmart, Target, etc., and I believe they are 25" wide. I actually have a couple that I keep my bags of soil in and to use for container plant soaks. They fit perfectly on the larger round dollies.

I do have some plants in the black rope handled buckets from Walmart. I painted them burgundy. Lol. I've got bananas and alocasia in them. And my brugmansia cuttings will go in the last two I have, And I have some of the rectangular totes, planted with hedychiums.

It goes without saying that you need to put drainage holes in them and I drill really wide drill bits into those. Even if I end up using the baskets for lawn debris or garbage, the holes can come in handy for drainage from rain. Eventually, some of them get brittle from the exposure to strong sun and the root pressure; one of my projects is to paint some my older ones as the colors do fade with the uv light,

Redneck, what kind of paint did you use on yours?

P.S., This weather is RIDICULOUS. It was 80 F in mid February in NJ and now it's freezing. SECOND season in a row when there was a WARM February and then a COLD MARCH!

jurasico, Yes, I drill several holes in the buckets. I just used a spray paint that is acceptable to use on plastics. I think maybe Krylon? I used a grey primer and then the burgundy spray paint. And I hope no one looks really close at them, because I am not a painter!

You have my sympathy with the weather, it can be frustrating. Especially when you are dying for spring.

I wanna paint paint my but do not want to use spray painting due to those fumes and concern about breathing any of the aerosol. I am going to experiment with inexpensive, outdoor enamel pains though. In the past, I would paint clay so plastics will be a new challenge.

jurasico - I found that Krylon now sells quart cans with the same formula as the spray cans of paint for plastics - http://www.krylon.com/press-room/press-releases/2011/04/krylon-introduces-the-first-brush-on-paint-for-plastic/

jurasico, I have used latex house paint before. It lasts a couple years before it starts peeling off.

Poncirusguy, I have thought about using those drums, but they are hard to find around here. And people think they are gold! Lol! They are only a couple inches larger than the largest flower pot that I use. So I don't know if they would be worth it for two inches.?

Bonnie, I have thought of using those buckets but was afraid they would not be strong enough. I take it they work well for you? The handles could not come in handier...

Laura, I don't really trust the handles, they are just rope with the ends burned. I'm afraid that with the weight of soil and plant they would pull thru, so I don't use them. I move everything with a hand truck dolly, always. Other than that, they do work well. But you might want to keep the weed whacker away from them! Lol! I have a few with wholes where I got a bit too close!!

Good to know Bonnie. I will keep an eye open for them. I just found these very nice planters at Sam’s Club for $20...they are a good size for a couple of trees I need to pot up. I got them but need to drill holes. I’ll let you guys know how they work out.

Laura, I have gotten to the point where I will bring them outside as long as the low thirties is not on the ten day forcast! I can't stand them indoors any longer. I really think they would be a heck of a lot better held up outside under sun or shade even in the cold temps above 32 than inside wasting away for these warm days to take forever to get here.

If I waited for temps to stay into the 50's at night, I would have to wait until the end of May then they would all be dead by then((

Ha ha, mine get kicked out off the garage come this weekend, that’s my though love!

Never lost a Citrus to cold, almost always to..., indoor pests!

It’s really been cold in much of the East this March, still, they should be able go out about now in most eastern zone 7 climates in a day or so.

Wow Bonnie - that's a beautiful red paint job on those tubs!!!

Laura - those are nice pots and cheap too! How big are they?

Mike and jurasico - good to know about the temps. I am hoping the patches of leftover snow will be gone by the weekend with a warmup coming and some forecast rain (it is still somewhat shady there this time of year so it's been slow to melt) , and I may consider putting mine out.

Jenny, here are the specs:

Laura, those are so pretty. I may have to go to the local Sam's, see if they have any. What size are they?

Jenny, Thank you, but its a good thing I didn't get a closer photo! Lol, then you could really see the paint where it dripped down the side! I'm a terrible painter!

Laura, sorry I must have been sending the same time you were! Lol!

Mike, I hear you! Jurasico, I may drag some smaller ones out Wednesday depending on the temps, but come Thursday, most will get booted!

Bonnie, lol...yeah I want to drill holes soon and make a careful count of what trees need that size pot. I bought two, but may go pick up a few more. They will sure look pretty with citrus in them and seem quite sturdy.

I think in your climate, Laura, I would put them out when the night temps are 40; but I am certainly no expert, as my trees get nervous if the temps are below 75.

Winter stops at April 15, then look at the 15 day forecast on April 10.

If you have white flies problem try this: Organocide, Plant Doctor. There is a video.

Or maybe a handheld battery power vac. Darn, ran-out of idea's.

John, I am in agreement with you. I keep checking the lows but they are mostly in the 40s, which should be ok. I just looked and there may be one or two nights with a low of 39, but they are over 7 days out and that can change (hopefully not towards the lower number). I will cross my fingers. I will leave the newly grafted twigs inside with a light and my orchids for the time being. Bob, I will look that up. I have used a product of HO and neem and it does control them, but it is impossible to get them all. If I don't spray again within a week they are out of control. I have another with scale and another with mealy bugs. They need to be hosed off and I will begin a consistent regimen of HO to wipe out the bugs outside.

Most of you know of my aversion to Neem oil; it is a broad spectrum insecticide that kills a lot of beneficials. We rely primarily on wasps to control scale and other plagues. Neem kills them; and they work hard for you for NOTHING. If you only have a few trees, the easiest way to control scale is physical removal; and if you observe them in the crawlie stage a small chemical application eradicates them... that is until the birds bring them again.

John, I remember exactly what you just explained. I have just ordered only HO oil to spray with, not neem. That should be ok right? Indoors I do use neem and HO because there are no beneficials there.

Laura - thanks for info on the specs for those pots! Amazing buy, especially for something as pretty as that! I have 3 lilacs and 2 clematises in containers close to that size (but nowhere near as fancy) and they stay out all year. I have other shrubs, perennials, & bulbs in containers in the 18" - 20" range that also stay out all year. The resin (especially thicker stuff) does last a long time in some harsh weather.

Bonnie - no one but you would know about any "imperfections" in your paint job! Most would be admiring the beautiful plants within those containers with a cool color! :-D

Since weather is a hobby for me, I usually look at 3 different sources (and a weather forum) for forecasts to get a general consensus, so am trying to plan how to do this with limited space, to accommodate a transition from a shadier area to their final sunny summer spots.

Jenny, It's sweet of you to say that. I have a friend that is a professional house painter, he usually laughs and shakes his head at my attempts. And asks me if I sanded it first. Lol! And if I used a primer and a sealer. Lol! Geez, its just a pot! Lol!

Our weather around here changes by the hour, usually. I'm always fussing about the inaccurate weather forecasts! If they says it supposed to be sunny all day, we'll get a rain shower! Lol. Or if they say it will rain, the storm will split and go around us! Crazy.

Laura, you did great finding those containers. I can only find them at those prices, at the end of the season, marked down at Lowe's. If I'm lucky, and they haven't sold out before I think to go check.

Corey, where do you live? I was just checking the weather...again! There are few questionable days with highs in the upper 40s and lows around 38...that is cold, but most days are fine with even highs in low 60s or upper 50s....I think I’m at least going to take out the mandarins, kumquats, etc....I may take out a few with pest problems and hose them off thoroughly.

Everything, even the super tropicals (mango, coffee), went outside today. Lots of them are small pots I can easily bring back in when temps dip below 45...but that won't be until Friday according to the current forecast.

If you know your rootstock, like F/D you cannot go too big on pots. F/d does not have a good root growth system, i would go 12 gls max.

Beautiful Corey! Enjoy those blossoms! We are not quite so cold....lowest would be 38...cold, but not freezing danger. The thing is the low temps are straddled by warm days so it would not be a prolongued cold stretch. I am pretty sure that most are going out tomorrow....at least as many as I can haul outside with my husband ;)