I have just rescued two from being dumped, I have no idea what citrus
they are 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?
Would they be better in my unheated conservatory once winter comes?
Do they need regular repotting or is top dressing and feeding sufficiant?
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.
As you may gather I have never grown citrus before!
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 16/10/08 10:49, in article ,
"Charlie Pridham" wrote:

I have just rescued two from being dumped, I have no idea what citrus
they are 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?
Would they be better in my unheated conservatory once winter comes?
Do they need regular repotting or is top dressing and feeding sufficiant?
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.
As you may gather I have never grown citrus before!

Charlie, we've had C. Meyer's Lemon growing in the little, unheated
conservatory by the big fishpond. It is in the ground, though, not in a
pot. In especially cold weather, Matt has been known to put a blow heater
in there but for the last few years it's had no special cosseting at all.
We haven't risked that with the C. medica or the C. medica Sarcodactylis
(Buddha's Hand) plants, however because they're still quite young. However,
none of our greenhouses are heated, as you know and the heater only comes on
if the temp falls below freezing and then only just enough to keep things
frost free.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online)

In article ,
says...
On 16/10/08 10:49, in article ,
"Charlie Pridham" wrote:

I have just rescued two from being dumped, I have no idea what citrus
they are 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?
Would they be better in my unheated conservatory once winter comes?
Do they need regular repotting or is top dressing and feeding sufficiant?
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.
As you may gather I have never grown citrus before!

Charlie, we've had C. Meyer's Lemon growing in the little, unheated
conservatory by the big fishpond. It is in the ground, though, not in a
pot. In especially cold weather, Matt has been known to put a blow heater
in there but for the last few years it's had no special cosseting at all.
We haven't risked that with the C. medica or the C. medica Sarcodactylis
(Buddha's Hand) plants, however because they're still quite young. However,
none of our greenhouses are heated, as you know and the heater only comes on
if the temp falls below freezing and then only just enough to keep things
frost free.


Thanks for that, bit silly really taking them on at this time of year!
but the trunks are about 4" diameter at the base so they have been around
a while, I think I will wait for the first cold forcast and stand them
in the conservatory, not looking forward to having to move them though,
very spiney!
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 16 Oct, 12:40, Charlie Pridham wrote:
In article ,
says...



On 16/10/08 10:49, in article ,
"Charlie Pridham" wrote:

I have just rescued two from being dumped, I have no idea what citrus
they are 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?
Would they be better in my unheated conservatory once winter comes?
Do they need regular repotting or is top dressing and feeding sufficiant?
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.
As you may gather I have never grown citrus before!

Charlie, we've had C. Meyer's Lemon growing in the little, unheated
conservatory by the big fishpond. *It is in the ground, though, not in a
pot. *In especially cold weather, Matt has been known to put a blow heater
in there but for the last few years it's had no special cosseting at all.
We haven't risked that with the C. medica or the C. medica Sarcodactylis
(Buddha's Hand) plants, however because they're still quite young. *However,
none of our greenhouses are heated, as you know and the heater only comes on
if the temp falls below freezing and then only just enough to keep things
frost free.

Thanks for that, bit silly really taking them on at this time of year!
but the trunks are about 4" diameter at the base so they have been around
a while, I think I will wait for the first cold forcast and stand them
in the conservatory, not looking forward to having to move them though,
very spiney!
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwallwww.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Charlie
If you crush a leaf the smell of it will be the same as the fruit so
you should be able to tell what they are.
This link is about Myers Lemon but is quite good advice for citrus.
http://meyerlemontree.com/instructions.html
I love the bit about using Xmas lights to give frost protection.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

In article ,
Charlie Pridham wrote:

How much cold can they cope with if fleeced?
Would they be better in my unheated conservatory once winter comes?

Most can take a light frost, as other people have pointed out, but
an unheated conservatory is probably better. If nothing else, it
will prevent them from waterlogging.

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.

I caused major leaf drop on my kaffir lime, which was getting out of
shape anyway, and cut it back hard. It responded by shooting with
vigour. If I were to say that Citrus make good hedge plants, would
that help? :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Charlie Pridham" wrote
I have just rescued two from being dumped, I have no idea what citrus
they are 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?
Would they be better in my unheated conservatory once winter comes?
Do they need regular repotting or is top dressing and feeding sufficiant?
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.
As you may gather I have never grown citrus before!

Although they can take a few degrees of frost they would prefer not so I'd
go for the cold conservatory myself. We only take our citrus inside when
it's frosty, I think it was early March that they came back outside this
year, they sit against a S. facing house wall under an open porch type thing
that runs along that side, so get some protection.

Watering is they one thing to be careful of, keep the compost just moist
never wet, and be even more careful in winter when they are dormant(ish).
Try not to use a water tray, let the pots drain any excess water away from
the roots. Raising the pot up from the ground helps too. I used to grow
Bizzy Lizzys in our pots to show when watering was needed.

If they are in big pots just remove some compost and replace with new. We
use ericaceous, citrus prefer acid soil but don't demand it, but if you will
always use rain/soft water then normal compost will do but either way you
need to add some grit or similar (orchid type bark chips are lighter) to aid
drainage.

My feeding system is to use mainly the separate Summer and Winter feeds
available at good GCs as directed on the tubs, but I also water once with
Sequestered Iron in the spring and throw a handful or two of chicken manure
pellets on top of the compost a couple of times a summer. When giving the
plain waterings between feeds I ensure the pots are flushed through to
remove any excess feed.

Citrus are strange plants, seem to have a mind of their own and don't
conform to the seasons as we expect them. We have had one come into full
flower in the middle of winter and the fruit can take a year to mature so
you often have ripe fruit, immature fruit in every stage of growing, and
flowers, all on the same plant.

They can get to you, be warned.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

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
Separator in search of a sig

The message
from Charlie Pridham contains these words:

Thanks for that, bit silly really taking them on at this time of year!
but the trunks are about 4" diameter at the base so they have been around
a while, I think I will wait for the first cold forcast and stand them
in the conservatory, not looking forward to having to move them though,
very spiney!

Almost certainly lemons, then, though I have a sort-of feeling that
Seville oranges might be barbarous...

Get yourself some of those runners which you put under washing-machines,
freezers, etc. Any white goods shop will sell them.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

The message
from "Bob Hobden" contains these words:

/prune/

They can get to you, be warned.

Can't they just?

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
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Citrus is a massive topic, with a lot of care needed but it is very rewarding. I suggest you do a google search for a citrus forum and read read read. There are several out there. Thats what I did and I feel my citrus would have died long ago without those forums

In article ,
says...

Citrus is a massive topic, with a lot of care needed but it is very
rewarding. I suggest you do a google search for a citrus forum and read
read read. There are several out there. Thats what I did and I feel my
citrus would have died long ago without those forums




--
danny22

Thanks t all for helpful advice. have taken the two seater out of the
conservatory and will drag them in in due course! give them a prune and
feed and post an update late next year on how I did.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

The message
from Charlie Pridham contains these words:
In article ,
says...

Citrus is a massive topic, with a lot of care needed but it is very
rewarding. I suggest you do a google search for a citrus forum and read
read read. There are several out there. Thats what I did and I feel my
citrus would have died long ago without those forums

Thanks t all for helpful advice. have taken the two seater out of the
conservatory and will drag them in in due course! give them a prune and
feed and post an update late next year on how I did.

Two seater? Nice little BSA 3-wheeler?

Morgan?

D&RFC

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