HUNTING FOR CITRUS TREES
My periodically tested hubby who listens to a lot of wailing and concern over plants that are dead or frozen back, joined me to find some new citrus trees.
That means he is driving, carrying, and paying. Which I of course consider is a good deal. We visited several garden centres, some of the trees were very expensive relative to the size, in other garden centres the citrus trees were in medium condition, unattractive (and still expensive).
One of the best peaks to live in a house with a garden here in Houston is the ability to cultivate citrus fruit. Houston is the very edge of where it is possible, we got that bitterly experienced this winter with two days continuous hard frost.
The Lime tree froze completely down, the same with the Key Lime tree. Our Improved Meyer Lemon tree actually produced more than twenty lemons the previous year but got so severe frost damages that I doubt we see flowers on it in 2017. So we decided to supplement with some new trees.
To our delight, we finally found some wonderful trees in the middle of Houston, at Cornelius Nursery. They were not particularly cheap, but still cheaper than other garden centres, compared to the quality, age and size. So now I have to go out and plant my new citrus trees in the garden.
What kind of citrus trees can I plant?
- Here on the Gulf Coast the winter almost always includes one or two hard freeze periods, so be prepared to either lose some citrus trees, or plant those in a very warm place, sheltered from the north wind, directly to the south, and possibly wrap them tightly if a frost period is on its way (you can still lose some). Or you can grow them in a container and carry them inside on very cold nights.
Mandarins, satsumas, navel and kumquat are considered the hardiest types, while lime and some lemon are very susceptible to frost and cold weather. It’s a great table with some of the more common citrus varieties in Texas here.
What time of the year is the best to plant citrus trees?
Here in Houston a lot of plants, shrubs and trees will benefit hugely of being planted in the autumn. But early spring is never wrong. Preferably after the last hard frost (March). It is important not to plant too late in spring because like all other plants and trees citrus trees will struggle to establish in the heat and sun later in the late spring and summer.
