My trees will not be going outside this winter. Al of them are to heavy or berried to deep to get to.

Steve

My trees get to go outside in May, from October to April they stay indoors, unless we get good warm spring or fall. The season might stretch for about two weeks in the spring and/or fall. In the winter time no way they go outside! I clean once every two months the area they sit in, that activity can take hours, spraying for pests happens in the bathroom tub.

I like to put my trees in and out during the winter, but this year I am being really lazy. I think it's because I have so many to deal with. I am also worried about having to respray once they go outside again and then bringing them back in with something in the soil like cockroaches. I live in GA so cockroaches are as common as houseflies.

I am putting many of my trees outside during warm winter day (most of mine are cold hardy anyway). Like today, it was in the 60's. They're staying out tonight too, as it will stay lower 50's. I also have a utility room set up now with some CFL lights that I am leaving some trees in this winter for the first time - will see how they do compared to my trees going In/outisde.

Here in lower central NC, at the beginning of zone 8a, daytime temps warm up pretty good, and we get some nice prolonged warm spells. Yes, It's a lot of work carrying trees in and out, but I need the exercise. My trees like it outside better than inside I'm convinced. In the past I have kept all my trees inside all winter with lights and sunny windows, but nothing beats real sunshine outside. My trees have done well the last couple of winters going in/out. However, I don't move my meyer and key limes in/out during winter, I leave those in once they go in for the winter.

It's the proper thing to do but if your collection is large it becomes too much of a challenge. It usually takes me multiple weekends to get them all in so I leave them alone until end of March.

This past Friday morning, my low was 15F (-9C) and then I had over 2" of rain Saturday night (some areas around here got 3" - 4") and there was flooding everywhere, plus we have more due today so they are in for good for now (but I will reassess as the season progresses). I have some on the 2nd floor and the rest in the basement so moving them requires up and down stairs.

I expect if I had a house with a garage or an enclosed patio and had the trees there, it would be easier to move in/out.

Yeah, today it was 45 and I thought about what one poster said above, about it being to cold for them to benefit from light anyways so brought them back inside. After I sprayed them with all season dormant oil first. Washed the inside area clean and swept the floor. I feel better now.

Funny thing is this,

Even though they have not been exposed to temps above the 40's for weeks now, I am still getting new growth and flowers on many. Why is that? Does anyone know?

Mike

No way, I brought mine in early. I've dealt with leaves falling and snow, turning garden beds, digging holes for passive compost from leaves mixed with my home brew of compost. Winterizing garden hoses and outdoor water lines, etc. etc. Leave the Citrus be.....My grafted Kishu mandarin is blooming and growing, some fruit set, hopeful, its still very young but just thickened up those spindly arms.. Meyer is blooming again. I still have to cover my outdoor Citrangequat though, although its under a glass roof.

It probably takes a few to several hours of cold temperatures to lower the temperature at the center of your pot. If your trees have been outside all day morning and night, the whole rootball and soil would definitely be at 45F and roots not active. At least that’s my theory. It’s probably still holding your indoor temps at its core so there’s still a bit of activity when it gets the sun outside.

I hate the cold too much and I’m lazy even with just 3 trees lol, so they stay indoors for the winter. I did leave a bunch of baby citrus grown from seed outdoors.

They’re Rio Red grapefruit seedlings still in their seed trays since birth and situated near the wall of the house. I have a watering tray next to them with rainwater collected in it. ^Above photo taken Nov 16. It looked like 4 or 5 out of 7 seedlings still looked perky and in good shape

^Photo taken Nov 26. Of course the roots were zapped after the freezes on Thanksgiving and Friday so they’re prob suffering root rot and declining. I was surprised to see them looking great on Nov 16 though. We were definitely getting 40F regularly around that period. I wonder if the seedlings were adapted to the cold already since they were sprouted from seed around late winter/early spring last season.

It's 52* this morning and will be 68* this afternoon due to a storm coming to middle GA. I am going to put the trees outside today for some water and then bring them back in this evening. By doing this, I allow the pots to drain all day and bring them back inside without worrying about them getting too much water over the weekend. It's suppose to rain for 3 days and then the temps will drop again to the mid 30's.

Kvetch, you are going to leave those poor little seedlings outside? Ouch. They look so healthy, at least then)) I actually keep my trees below the high forties all day every day on the porch. It never warms up past 50 out there in the winter. So they are already below the growing temps needed to stay very active. It's very strange to me for sure buddy.

Denise, for some reason, I love it when they get rained on, even when it gets cold here. They still seem to love it. Gee, isn't that cold for your area this time of the year? It's crazy this weather.

Mike

meyermike, we have the weirdest weather. Whenever we get a storm from the Gulf of Mexico during the winter months, our weather gets warm and humid. Once it passes, it gets cold again. I remember being in the process of moving to GA in 1997 during the month of October and wondering which clothes to take with us rather than putting our winter clothes in storage. The movers told us that we wouldn't need turtlenecks and warm coats until January. I didn't believe him and packed our heavy winter clothes just in case. Well, he was correct. During the Thanksgiving week, were were wearing shorts. lol. What a difference from the East and West Coast.

They’re okay Mike, there’s tons more twice removed cousins and relatives out there sitting in the grocery store in their little seeds lol! I took another photo of the seedlings on Dec 4, 2018. Crazy how the one in the lower right corner is still green. These are grapefruit seedlings too! They shouldn’t be alive. I’ll check them again today and maybe even try to save that lower right seedling.

Denise,

sorry, I have been so tired of being sick. My brain is brain dead and I can only keep up here and there. Dam 'pregnizone' can wreak havoc on even a young body. Me too. My weather does the same exact thing. When it clouds up it usually rains and is lousy out, but warm. Once the storms pass, then comes the arctic air, the only time I ever get blue skies this time of the year. It's pretty depressing. It has been frigid for day, but not a cloud in the sky. I don't know which is better, cloud warm days and no sun, or blue skies and sun? You are so right! When the west is warm, the east freezes to death! I can't wait to catch a break around here. What a pain it is to unhook the hose and drain all the water out and then hook it back up again to water all the plants in my greenhouse.

Kvetch, I see you dug them up!! I am so glad you did that. Ha. I was hoping you would not just let them die of hypothermia..lool

Good to see you my friend.

Mike

Mike, my husband and dog are on prednizone too. Both gets the munchies. My husband gets potato chips and the dog gets green beans. lol.

Theses haven't been inside yet this fall

C35 the tall one. Seville sour the short simple leaf one and the rest are US897

Steve

How cold can C35 take

I don't know. I am going to guess 15F

No way for me....too much trouble. They are settled into their winter quarters and will remain there till spring, which can't come soon enough.

Amazing cold hardiness Steve! I know you’ve mentioned them before but finally seeing them in this cold is really astounding.

Uh oh Mike. Right after I mentioned possibly bringing them in, I completely forgot about them lol! I think finally having varieties besides a Meyer has satisfied most of my citrus craving so I care alot less about those seedlings than I used to. The chances of ripening a grapefruit are slim for us though so it’s probably best they are let go for the sake of anecdotal science lol. Btw it’s been decided that I’m going to Taiwan in a few months so I’m gonna slave away researching how to bring back plumeria cuttings

Had to do some green room cleaning, high 50,s, took most of them out for a couple of days, bring them back in this afternoon.I can actually just open garage door and french door wide open and have cross/ventilation and just leave them open when temps are in the four-ties.

Those are some big, nice looking container citrus trees, Bob!

I took my oranges and mandarins out this afternoon. We are suppose to get rain tonight and I have seen a lot of leaves on the floor. I am pretty sure they need water.