Winter lighting on container citrus

[LarryB]

Hello,

This is my first post. Stanley McKenzie sent me a link to the site. I live on the Arkansas / Louisiana border. I and am a zone 8 but sometimes approach a zone 7. I have a Meyer lemon and a Brown's Satsuma that I have in pots. They barley survived last winter. I had them in the house and under some LED grow lights that I bought at Wal-Mart. I do not have any windows that get any direct sunlight so I had them by a window that just got indirect sunlight. I left the grow lights on all the time. I need to get ready for winter and I want to know what kind of set up I need to help my trees make it through the winter and be in a lot better condition than they were this year. It has taken them all summer to get back healthy looking and all the fruit fell off my trees this year.

Larry  

[brian]

With just two trees in containers I suggest you get a pair of seedling heating mats to keep the roots warm if you are using grow lights. Meyer lemons are notorious for dropping leaves easily.

If the trees are small enough, you could try the "two opposing 5gallon buckets lined with foil and a light bulb on top" system one guy was always promoting.

[david]

Mlemon seem to be sensitive plants when kept in containers. They need sunshine, humidity and soil and water in the right porportions in order to be a dark green, healthy plant. If one of these conditions is off they protest by shedding leaves. I would increase the hours oflight exposure and water less. See if this will help your plant out.

[ladygt]

For the past 2 winters, my potted trees (21 of them) have been kept in a north facing sunroom with NO artificial lighting which means my trees had no bright light at all. This room had very little heat as well, but the temps didn't drop lower than 44*. They were in there for about 4 months. Many of them even bloomed in February/March.

Last year I brought a few of my trees into rooms with windows that had a southern exposure and they had only 4 hours of sunlight at most. They were happy in their environment and even put out blossoms.


In the past, I have put them in my garage which has no heat nor much light. Less light than the sunroom mentioned above. They weren't pretty in the spring time, but they made it through the winter. I had about 6 trees then and have 33 now all in pots.

With the various ways I have over wintered my trees, I have to scratch my head and wonder what the big deal is with grow lights and humidifiers as I have never used either. My only concern was the possibility of over watering and root rot so I watered only when the pots were really dry.

Edit:  I did an experiment last year with my lemon trees.  I brought them inside before they had to be.  Instead of waiting until mid-November, I brought them into the house in October when the temps were equal inside and out.  Also I made sure the lighting was the same.  I had no leaf drop the whole time the trees were inside.  My lemon trees consisted of a Meyer, 3 Eurekas which 1 was variegated, and 1 New Zealand Lemonade. Some of them bloomed from November through March.

[david]

I only have a few container citrus (limes) all the rest are in the ground. I do not have the winter you do. I start bringing my limes inside about the end of November. They are on rollers and On nice days I move them outside. I have no light source except a filtered SE window. The only protest I get from the trees is that they show leaf wilt for a day or so after I move tbem. The change from environment may be your problem. My MLemons are outside in the ground so I can not compare apples to apples.

[LarryB]

Thanks for the replies. I want to build me a small green house sometime for my citrus. I went by our local Wal-Mart today and they had a nice sunburst tangerine and a kumquat tree marked down to $15 each. They were really dry but not in death mode yet. I had to get them. So now I have 4 that will need to come in for the winter. I just figured since the only room I have that I can put them in basically gets no sunlight I would need a grow light to keep them alive. I may get the heated mats. I like that idea.

[brian]

If you want them to keep growing over winter they need light, water, and warmth. If you want them to hibernate until spring they need dark, dry, and cold (but above freezing)

I can't say which makes more sense for you. Heat and grow lights is certainly more fun.

[Laaz]

Or just keep them in the garage & slide them out on nice days...

[LarryB]

I am mainly just worried about keeping them alive during winter. I do not care if I have any new growth at all during the winter but I would like to keep as many of the leaves as possible from falling off.

[ilya11]

Aug 16, 2019 8:52:54 GMT -5 LarryB said:

I am mainly just worried about keeping them alive during winter. I do not care if I have any new growth at all during the winter but I would like to keep as many of the leaves as possible from falling off.

If you a have a dark place with temperatures of less than 10C (50F) you can keep citruses for up to 4 months without any problems

[LarryB]

Aug 17, 2019 10:54:53 GMT -5 ilya11 said:

Aug 16, 2019 8:52:54 GMT -5 LarryB said:

I am mainly just worried about keeping them alive during winter. I do not care if I have any new growth at all during the winter but I would like to keep as many of the leaves as possible from falling off.

If you a have a dark place with temperatures of less than 10C (50F) you can keep citruses for up to 4 months without any problems

Thanks, That's good to know.

[marro]

My greenroom( workshop) equip with all led lighting ( shoplights)

 

[Vlad]

Don't forget to transition them slowly from direct sun to partial shade and then shade over 2 week period before bringing them indoors.

[bklyncitrus]

Although I have heat mats, I am a bit gun shy of having these things rip or catch fire when unattended in the quantity I would use. When it gets a bit colder I set a cheap clip on light on each pot and aimed it at the top of the soil/rootstock, which by timer came on an hour in advance of uppers each day. This warms the roots up before the overheads came on, no leaf drop and helped dry out soil in DEAD Winter. My basement is heated but I often have open windows at least partially and sometimes basement doors

[poncirusguy]

lighting with foil lined 35 gallon trash can fitted with 35 watt CFL putting out 2500 bright white lumens.  23 watt daylight CFL in 5 gallon foil lined buckets

Attachments: