Post by Mary B. on Dec 1, 2015 9:56:18 GMT -8
Sigh. It happens every year.
This is Tucson, so we have lots of citrus trees in our landscaping. But every year when the temperatures are predicted to drop almost to freezing for 5 minutes, one of our elderly matriachs will go out and pick ALL the fruit on a tree. Today one of them gleaned the entire Meyer lemon tree, even though the fruit won't be ripe until later this month.
Despite what you may have heard about frosts and light freezes damaging citrus trees, it simply isn't true. Although you don't want your grapefruits to freeze rock hard (that would require temps in the 20's and most of the night) most damaging freezes occur in the spring when the trees are pushing out tender new growth or flowering.
Here's some additional advice from Texas A&M on citrus care and harvesting:
This data shows that most of the varieties had a soluble solids (sugar) reading of 10 by the middle of November but by the middle of December more of the varieties registered a 10 or more soluble solids. This data shows that the longer you can leave them on the tree, the sweeter they will get until they begin to drop in January.
Unless damaged by freeze, citrus fruit keeps longer on the tree than if picked and stored so you're not faced with an enormous harvest all at once. Also realize that a mere frost of 30 to 32 degrees F will not injure the trees or fruit. Rather, it takes an extended number of hours below freezing to cause damage to both the tree and fruit. For example, it takes about four hours at 27 degrees F to form ice in a grapefruit; probably a bit less in smaller fruit. Of course lush tender growth can be injured, but for the most part the trees should not really be in an active state of growth at this time of the year.
This is Tucson, so we have lots of citrus trees in our landscaping. But every year when the temperatures are predicted to drop almost to freezing for 5 minutes, one of our elderly matriachs will go out and pick ALL the fruit on a tree. Today one of them gleaned the entire Meyer lemon tree, even though the fruit won't be ripe until later this month.
Despite what you may have heard about frosts and light freezes damaging citrus trees, it simply isn't true. Although you don't want your grapefruits to freeze rock hard (that would require temps in the 20's and most of the night) most damaging freezes occur in the spring when the trees are pushing out tender new growth or flowering.
Here's some additional advice from Texas A&M on citrus care and harvesting:
This data shows that most of the varieties had a soluble solids (sugar) reading of 10 by the middle of November but by the middle of December more of the varieties registered a 10 or more soluble solids. This data shows that the longer you can leave them on the tree, the sweeter they will get until they begin to drop in January.
Unless damaged by freeze, citrus fruit keeps longer on the tree than if picked and stored so you're not faced with an enormous harvest all at once. Also realize that a mere frost of 30 to 32 degrees F will not injure the trees or fruit. Rather, it takes an extended number of hours below freezing to cause damage to both the tree and fruit. For example, it takes about four hours at 27 degrees F to form ice in a grapefruit; probably a bit less in smaller fruit. Of course lush tender growth can be injured, but for the most part the trees should not really be in an active state of growth at this time of the year.