Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - Re: [NAFEX] P. trifoliata cold hardiness

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Donna &/or Kieran" <holycow@cookeville.com>
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] P. trifoliata cold hardiness
  • Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 21:00:59 -0500

Regarding John's Flying Dragon dying to the snow line.  One of the problems with trifoliata and it's hybrids is that they are more likely to be hurt if frozen repeatedly during the winter.  I don't think this is the same thing at all as being frozen and staying that way. (For you folks in Z5) They are the slowest of all citrus to respond to warming temps, requiring nights in the 60's to start growth in the spring.  In Florida, such warm nights can occur in midwinter for long enough to wake the plants, then even a simple freeze can do them in.  Mike Cartright told me that sometimes the trees are damaged only at ground level, presumably by the stratification of a full moon freeze. 
    I don't know about Missouri where John is, but we had a sudden freeze in Oct about the time we should have had light frost, then we went down to 8 in Dec, then up so warm in Jan that we'd be in teeshirts and shorts long after sunset, then it went back down to 8 in Feb.  I would think that could be hard on trifoliate, though it doesn't seem to have affected mine in the least.    Donna



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page