The message
from Charlie Pridham contains these words:

I have just rescued two from being dumped, I have no idea what citrus
they are

Taste the leaf - they always (IME) taste of the fruit. Some lemons have
lighter leaves, and some have wicked thorns.

as the person doing the dumping was not the grower/owner. They
stand around 7' and are in very large heavy pots and have clearly been
outside for years, most of the dead and damaged parts I had to trim off
were caused by a montana which grown over them.

How much cold can they cope with if fleeced?

Well, a Sith Effrican friend had a lemon tree outside his back door up
in the mountains not an hundred miles from the Drakenburg mountains, and
though it lost it's ever bit from evergreen, it always grew new foliage
in spring, and lemons in the summer.

I gave one of my larger lemons to neighbours, and they keep it in an
unheated greenhouse during the winter. last week, we had quite a sharp
frost and the lemon trees are all OK, as are some smaller oranges and
satsumas I left out. The frost was severe enough to render cucurbits
into a wilting imitation of cooked spinach...

Would they be better in my unheated conservatory once winter comes?

Yes. That's how orangaries worked. The trees were wheeled in and out, in
large tubs or planters.

Do they need regular repotting or is top dressing and feeding sufficiant?

I'd guess they need repotting every few years. I have several citrus
trees, and they definitely like being fed, watered and given more space
for roaming roots.

I'll put-up some pics when there's a bit more light about...

If I can get them back to health can they be pruned back to get a better
shaped? I am concerned that if I do it now they would have few leaves
this winter.

Don't worry - they know how to make more...

As you may gather I have never grown citrus before!

The drill, so I've been told, is to let them go almost dry, then water
them thoroughly. Feed every other watering. They like full sun, but
don't complain if they get quite a lot less.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
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