PROTECTING CITRUS TREES

Here in North Florida citrus trees take cold snaps pretty well each year as long as you give them some protection. But some citrus varieties are better at handling freezes better than others. And this record blast of cold will be a challenge for citrus. There are ways to help protect your trees during a severe cold snap like the one I am forecasting over the next 3 nights.
It is important to protect lime and lemon trees since these are the least hardy citrus plants. Lows in the high 20s will kill or severely damage these trees. Once the temperature drops to 31 some damage will occur in these varieties of citrus. Tangerines and mandarins are very cold hardy taking on temps as low as 20. Oranges and grapefruit can tolerate readings down to the mid-20s before damage occurs to branches, but the fruit will freeze at 28 if temperatures are sustained at this level for several hours.

I have protected small newly planted trees by placing trash cans over them. Placing 100 watt incandescent lights near the plant also provides some warmth. Building a small frame and covering it with blankets will trap in heat but make sure the covering is held off the foliage. During the day you will want to remove the covering to sustain photosynthesis.

Thursday morning I am expecting inland locations to reach at least 25 degrees. The areas west of highway 301 may bottom out in the upper teens. You may want to water the lawn 24 hours before this type of hard freeze to add an extra level of protection since wet soil takes longer to freeze than dry.

The best information for tracking temperatures for inland rural locations is by the FAWN Network.





There is also valuable information about cold protection methods from the University of Florida.