[Arid_gardener] Absence of lemons

[Dick]

I have a sweet Chinese Lemon. that has a few blossoms nearly every month of the year.

That, in my personal experience with 60 years growing citrus in California and Phoenix, is pretty customary with lemon, especially and not uncommon in other citrus varieties in warmer climates but, of course, citrus freezes readily. On the west side near 43rd and Dunlap, I have a mild frost or two every year. For years, on danger nights, I set up a large oscillating shop fan before dark and let it run all night. With that protection and sometimes flooding the basins, I have had very minor frost damage. The past three years, I have done nothing to protect against frost and have suffered little but minor tip damage.  Another section of theSalt River Basin may be more severe but only experience can determine how cold it will get in your yard. When the weather man says "freeze tonight" assume the worst and protect accordingly. All my trees are too large to cover but flooding has helped and I keep the basins completely free of litter when frost threatens because someone told me that helps and experience leads me to believe it does. That is contrary to keeping the basin cool and conserving moisture in summer by having a four inch layer of mulch. In a freeze, the trees will fare better with bare, denuded ground.

Years ago on someones friendly advice, I set up a large oscillating sprinkler  that covered nearly my entire yard. The next morning, I found the trees completely covered with ice averaging a fourth inch thick with icicles several inches long. I was sick but to my utter surprise, after thawing, not a leaf exhibited any damage at all.

I would assume buds would freeze but in 40 years my several citrus have borne abundant fruit with what is already on the ground more than I can use or give away.  I believe, however, that the weather has sufficiently warmed by the time buds began to swell.  

I am still learning and I am not the least bit fussy about who or what teaches me but I sometimes mis-interpret data I've generated myself. Friendly council is, therefore, always welcome here. 

Dick Gross, Master Gardener Volunteer
University of Arizona Maricopa County 
Cooperative Extension

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bill Woody 
  To: nsfritzler at cox.net ; arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu 
  Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 2:46 PM
  Subject: [Arid_gardener] Absence of lemons


  Someone answered this question recently, I think.  The hard freeze last January appears to have killed the blossoms or buds on some varieties of lemons in the valley.  It may sound surprising that a citrus tree would have buds that early, but on my morning walk a week or so ago I saw a lemon tree with a few blossoms on it already.  I suspect that the lemon trees which have fruit on now are a different variety than yours and the one I observed.

  Bill Woody (not a Master Gardener)


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