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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Citrus and cold

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  • From: Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Citrus and cold
  • Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:17:42 -0800 (PST)

Steve,

I think in most cases it’s best to plant young trees even if you have some
losses at first. We have very harsh growing conditions: heavy clay soil and
extended dry periods. Apart from the prohibitive cost of older trees, there
is the problem that trees pampered in a nursery for years in rich black soil,
with plenty of water, fertilizers and all kinds of amendments and protected
from the weather by the enclosure of the nursery don’t stand a chance in the
wild open country side here.

Robin,

Apart from the frost in winter, our citrus trees have to put up with all
kinds of stresses: aphids in spring, drought in the summer and leaf borers in
the autumn ... I’m starting to get a hold of the aphid problem and have made
some inroads with the leaf borers, but there isn’t much I can do about our
extended dry periods. I don’t have enough water to irrigate the fruit trees.
Some of my neighbors pump water from the ground to irrigate their trees, but
I think that is not sustainable. Basically, our citrus trees only grow in
the spring, IF I manage to control the aphids. There is no growth during the
summer because of the lack of humidity. And even if there is little growth
in October or November, the young delicate leafs will be frost killed in the
winter.

Anyways, losses are mainly with young trees. Most older trees do withstand
-10 C or colder. We have the added problem that our trees are at the bottom
of a valley. During cloudless nights, the cold will always sink to the
lowest point in the valley. I’m trying to plant some trees at higher
altitudes, but the soil is even drier up on the hill and citrus trees do need
some humidity.

Dieter








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