EASY Fruit Tree Cold Protection Method: A Scientific Analysis

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Do you use any cold protection methods to protect plants your zone is too cold for? Let us know in the Comments below!

[@StevenStGelais]

thanks for sharing the graphs, that's really cool. im ready for the 67 degree high this thurs/fri. one last breath of warm air

[@acidnut]

I use 2oz frost clothes for my mango trees. All my avocados do fine without any protection. Zone 10a here.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@StevenStGelais at this point, I’m just happy when nights are above freezing!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@acidnut I’m surprised you need to protect mangoes in 10a. I guess you’re still liable to get 1-2 freezes a year.

[@acidnut]

@@TheMillennialGardener Believe it or not, not many are successful with growing Mangos here in the SF Bay Area, California. We don't get many freezes here, but we get rain and many nights of temps of low 40s to high 30s during the winter months and young Mango trees will die back over time being exposed unless it is a matured tree. The cloth helps block a lot of the cold rain and wind that would amplify the coldness at night, which Mangos hate.

[@tammym110]

Using Christmas lights under the cover. PURE GENIUS!!! I will use your method next winter.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It really does work wonders. We just had back-to-back 22 degree lows and not only are my trees undamaged, but my tomatoes in the hoop house are just fine. Incandescent lights are great at this! Thanks for watching.

[@tammym110]

I thought tropical plants had to be grown in a container and brought inside for the winter. This is so smart. I watched your video when you make your raised bed hoop house. Also so smart. It must be so nice to get tomatoes and lettuce this time of the year.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@tammym110 the plants grow very, very slowly in my greenhouse this time of year due to the short days and lack of UV intensity. I don't think my tomatoes and peppers will fruit for me over the winter, BUT, I do think I'll be picking them in April, which will be incredible. They're only growing an inch or two a week right now, but it's something! Keep in mind the fruit trees I'm protecting this way are subtropical, not tropical. I'm growing cold hardy citrus and avocado trees that do tolerate light frosts and light freezes. I wouldn't be able to grow something truly tropical like a mango, dragonfruit, coffee plant, papaya, cocoa plant or key lime that can't tolerate even a light frost. However, if you live in a Zone 9b/10a, this may make growing those things possible.

[@tammym110]

The Millennial Gardener I could handle some slow growth over the winter to be able to have a tomato harvest in April! It’s been one day since you posted it and I am already buying up Christmas lights on sale for next winter.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@tammym110 just make sure they are incandescent and not LED. LED’s don’t give out significant heat, so they won’t be of any use.

[@SocaPoliceForce]

Thank you very much, a totally best video, came in very handy for me since I have my tropical fruit trees outdoors all summer. They're in very large pots, I'm in the process of turning my garage into a green house, so no more trees inside. They weather started getting cool off and on, I grew them form seeds ten years old, and would hate to loose them, they are all flowering now. I have a Mammy tree, Soursop, and a Meyer Lemon tree. Seeing this video and the information you provided equipped me to handle my situation better, I'm looking into getting some plant jackets for frost protection now, thank you again.💚💯🙌

[@joelhowe]

This is a really great video - I appreciate the explanation of *why* a given technique works or doesn't. It really helps to make sense of what's going on. Thank you!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you. I don't like telling a person to do something without explaining my theory behind why I'm doing it. Things need to make sense to me. Thanks for watching!

[@joshuahoyer1279]

It may not be as pretty to look at during the nighttime, but soil warming cables may also be pretty effective for frost protection. It also provides a nice even source of heating, rather than focused points of warmth like the individual bulbs. Haven't tested it out, but I might looks at how well it works soon.

[@jacobsigren4805]

A technique I have used a few times in the past for my meyer lemon is to cover the tree and put a 5 gallon bucket of hot water below it. Since you don't shy away from the science, by my reckoning, cooling 5 gallons of water (~19kg) from 50 -> 0 Celsius would release around 4 million joules of heat energy to the surrounding environment (specific heat of water 4182 J per kg per degree). If the water freezes solid, this would release even more heat into the environment due to the exothermic nature of freezing a substance. By my reckoning, around another 6 million joules of energy (heat of fusion for water is 334,000 J per kg). All in all, this would provide 200 to 300 watts of heat over the course of the night. My lemon tree didn't die so perhaps it gave it a bit of protection. Water is pretty amazing stuff, all this heat release is why coastal areas have milder weather than landlocked areas during freezes. I might compare water to incandescent bulbs myself this coming winter here in Houston if we have a decent freeze! Anyways, I love your channel, I've been watching a lot of your videos lately as I try to expand my backyard orchard. Keep up the good work and your scientific approach to things!

[@TheNotoriousNemo]

This bucket idea is a good one, I have a 120 hookup on my truck I can maybe use a heat trace cable to heat up the water incase power goes out. The heat trace instruction says to put it in a bucket to test it. I live in Houston area too with a large yard. I'm trying to come up with a game plan lol.

[@localgardenqueens4881]

Very good video. Great data collection and illustration! Thanks for the organized and detailed videos!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you. Data must be organized to be of value! Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@TheNCGardener]

I have the same weather station. I love it. We got down to 21 early this morning.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I love it as well, but I will tell you this. I was having intermittent communications issues where it would occasionally lose signal with the indoor receiver. I finally figured out the problem. I switched the alkaline batteries out with Energizer Lithium and it fixed the issue. Alkaline batteries start sputtering in cold weather and hot weather. The lithium are rated for like -40F to 140F. It cured my disconnection issues.

[@TheNCGardener]

@@TheMillennialGardener I have noticed the same problem. I will have to try the batteries. I have mine integrated with Home Assistant running on a raspberrypi. It collects all the data from the system. I purchased a few extra sensors also. The data then goes into influxdb database and then I use Grafana to make all the graphs. I want to see what micro climates I may have around the house foundation. Do you submit your weather data to Ambient Weather website? You can find mine if you search WIndsor.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@TheNCGardener what I was finding was I was having signal dropouts at night during the winter and midday during the summer. It finally hit me - oh! The alkaline batteries are freezing up at night when the temps are falling below 40F, and they're failing in the heat of the summer. Since switching to lithium, it's been operating flawlessly. I upload the stuff to WUnderground, but I don't advertise the station since I just use it as a random datapoint.

[@TheNCGardener]

@@TheMillennialGardener I see that Ambient weather lists a soil sensor for the ws2000 but they never seem to have any in stock. I found this to be the only site that gives you soil measurements. climate.ncsu.edu/map/

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@TheNCGardener that’s interesting. I never thought of getting a soil sensor because my ground doesn’t freeze...

[@RotorBotanical]

Thanks for sending me this way. Another great video. Look forward to more zone pushing

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Glad you enjoyed it! A big freeze is coming tonight, and it's the official end of our growing season. Time to shift into winter mode.

[@kievgarden]

Thanks for conversion in celsius.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@samuelford9384]

my satsuma trees are perfekly fine to -10 degree celsius without protection. Permafrost for 3 weeks ( soil did not freeze) with not a singel frost damage. My trees are 3 years old

[@TheMillennialGardener]

WOW. Where are you located? That's very impressive.

[@samuelford9384]

@@TheMillennialGardener South East Germany (Alps)

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@samuelford9384 you're growing satsumas in ground in Germany? That is an incredible feat.

[@elizabethgallo499]

Samual, what zone are you in?

[@samuelford9384]

@@elizabethgallo499 6b

[@Sanchez96d]

Yeah! I noticed the Meyer lemon from my experience, takes damage around 25°f or 28°F. What’s your experience. The one I had I planted in an open area, and another beneath a tree as an under story by a thicket. And it did better under the tree. My assumption is the tree canopies aided in taking the ice and snow from touching the tree any. And didn’t defoliate as rapidly or any. And the one in the open area got the ice and snow on it, and froze the plant cells

[@solidbluesister]

Great video and extremely informative.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AlessandroMazzamuto]

This is exactly what I needed!!! Thank you!!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@great-garden-watch]

Omg you just solved my problem! I want some evergreens in my unheated greenhouse which will only be for hanging out in the sun. At night the temperature swings from day time will probably be too much even for the evergreens so i will try the lights at night!!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I don't like overwintering in a greenhouse, because the temps get so high during the day that it can prevent deciduous trees from entering dormancy and also cause new, tender growth to form on evergreen trees that are more susceptible to cold damage. Because these jackets breathe, they don't collect a lot of heat during the day. It's a much easier way of doing things, and they can be left on for months since they let in light.

[@leticiagr2222]

Very informative. Nice video.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thanks for watching!

[@ScreenPrintR]

Nice video and great explanation.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.

[@ShaggyDogg0128]

Water deep, tons of mulch, sheets, and throughout the year I use silica to help with numerous things. Look up recyclesil

[@veronicaalta9462]

Brilliant!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you!

[@great0789]

I didn't realize you had plopped a Meyer Lemon into the ground! Mine in it's container survived many freezes down to the upper teens. It was presumed dead but came back late the next Spring. I bet they would do even better in a protected spot/ in the ground. Also, I took your advise and ordered an Owari Satsuma and another Satsuma from McKenzie. It should be here sometime in January. I am looking forward to playing with citrus in-ground up here in Elizabeth City, NC at some point. I made 4 clones of the Meyer. They are now grown out in 5gal pots. Putting one in the ground next Spring... probably the oldest/origional one since she has proven herself through her already established thick bark.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

A Meyer Lemon surviving in the teens in a container is virtually unheard of. Yours must be a genetic freak. Definitely propagate it. Mine suffered zero damage despite back to back 22.6F/22.5F hard, hard freezes. But, it was covered with the lights on. It looks beautiful. Deep green and glossy. I think you'll be fine in Elizabeth City. That's as mild as Wilmington, so planting it against a southern wall should be fine. Just protect it 3-5 nights a year with my method and it'll do brilliantly.

[@great0789]

@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you and I will! If I ever see temps in the low teens to single digits headed our way... I will throw a heavy moving blanket on top too! Just for the night anyways I have a feeling that letting a blanket drape in a wide are around it will help out by adding some of that 55F ground temps to the equation

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@great0789 it will. Adding tarps over my greenhouse added like another 10 degrees. The more blankets the better, it seems. But plant jackets are designed to be breathable to be left on for days at a time.

[@great0789]

@@TheMillennialGardener Sounds like they are worth it then.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@great0789 definitely. I can’t grow my avocado without it.

[@ktrain4996]

Great video, Here in North Ga. We have been seeing low 20's to teens the last few nights. My more expensive trees are in the green house, some in the garage....Had to stick a heater in the chicken coop though...lol Got worried about my layers. I can monitor the temps through my Blink security cameras. I wish the best for your trees to get through the entire winter unharmed.

[@StevenStGelais]

thats odd. here in NC it hasnt gotten into the low 20's/teens yet. i think our low so far has been about 24-26

[@ktrain4996]

@@StevenStGelais Christmas night here it was 17, the night before was 22 and last night got down to 22 as well. I think we are out of that now and should be right around 30 at night for at least the next week. Here we are zone 7b, so y'all are a zone warmer. Hope to not see to many more nights like that though.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Everything sailed through unharmed. I just uncovered everything this morning and there isn't a hint of damage to anything. It definitely works great!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@StevenStGelais believe it or not, coastal NC is typically considerably warmer than northern Georgia and almost all of inland South Carolina. The Wilmington area where I live is half a hardiness zone higher than northern Georgia. I hit 22.6F/22.5F the past two nights. Chilly. And I'm in the furthest south portion of NC. OBX gets the mildest temps in the state, though. They FINALLY froze during this cold snap.

[@ktrain4996]

@@TheMillennialGardener Glad to hear, now just have to make it through the rest of winter...lol

[@matthysloedolff]

As a scientist, I quite enjoyed you going through the data like that. Have you ever thought about doing a double jacket around each tree to see if you get a bit more insulation? We do not get frosts here in my growth zone of 10b (Perth, Australia), so it is fascinating to see what people, who do experience frosts, do to protect their plants. Thanks for the very informative video!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

No, I have not, and I will tell you why. The design of these plant jackets are to allow high rates of UV transmission so they can be left on for days at a time. These jackets still let in around 50% of the sun’s light. This means I can leave them on for days at a time during prolonged cold snaps. If I added more layers, I could negatively impact the plant’s health long term by blocking out too much light. Essentially, you should select the thinnest jackets you need for plants like avocados and citrus because they don’t have a dormancy period where light can be heavily restricted. I don’t need a lot of protection here because we don’t get a lot of hard freezes. Just a lot of little frosts and light freezes, and usually, they don’t need protection for those.

[@matthysloedolff]

@@TheMillennialGardener very interesting. Makes a lot of sense.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@matthysloedolff you have a wonderful climate for growing figs. Perfect, really. Perfect, rainless summers with hot days that cool off during the evening. Do you grow figs in your climate? You can turn out world-class fruits in Perth. I’ve been wanting to go back to Australia and WA was a goal of mine, but these travel restrictions have me delayed indefinitely 😭

[@matthysloedolff]

@@TheMillennialGardener we do have one fig tree (Brown Turkish Fig). We chose this fig tree due to availability, taste and reputation for prolific growth. My wife loves figs and would likely live off of them if she could. Our tree is in a pot, due to our restricted space, but does really well with minimal effort from our part. Our climate truly is ideal for growing many things. Ideally I'd like a slightly milder summer as some colder-loving plants struggle here and we only get a few months to grow them well in winter. Guess it's a grass is always greener on the other side type of situation. Haha. Some day soon you'd be able to travel again and maybe even experience Perth's relentless heat and sandy white beaches that stretches out for miles and miles 😉

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@matthysloedolff I always say if I lived in Miami, I would try and grow apples and cherries. I would recommend looking into an Adriatic type fig if you have room, which is green skin with red interior. Something like White Madeira #1. It is spectacular.

[@121hearc]

would a heat light work better than the Christmas lights?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I use Christmas lights because of fire safety. They are designed to stay on all night long and contact foliage. I don't use heat lamps because of fire risk.

[@artbyrobot1]

this is very cool. Wonder if you could grow tropicals in zone 5 with this

[@rachelgee7894]

I have a HUGE aprocot tree with full blossoms and we're looking at 25° next week. I have some lights on it but its simply unfeasible to cover it. We tried, to be fair, but its so big the sheets of fabric just parachuted in the wind. Will the lights be enough by themselves?

[@sherrygadberryturner9527]

Where can you find incandescent Christmas lights these days?

[@geoffryallan7261]

Hi thank you - what’s the coldest temperature you get in winter - I’m in las cruces nm and it can get down to 10F although I haven’t seen it that low here - I think the lowest was 18 for a couple hrs - oh I just heard your in 8a and me too!!!! This is going to help me I have a lemon tree I bought at Home Depot in Colorado before I moves to las cruces - it’s surviving….the leaves are curled but not falling off and it even has some new growth on the bottom - I have been covering it w frost cloth and it’s close to the house so we’ll see !

[@TheNotoriousNemo]

I haven't planted any fruit trees yet. But I'm interested to know how well a double bubble wrap foil with plant jacket on top will do. I need to do a test on a cold day. I think it might be possible to get hotter Temps inside

[@ayatti26]

Do you make your own compost? Have you heard of a Hot bed?

[@ronwaller4017]

Hi. I enjoy your channel! What type and size PVC pipe do you use? Schedule 20 or 40? Also what diameter…1/2 or 3/4? Thank you!

[@wackymamajen]

How do you make your Avocado like a dwarf tree?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You can't make an avocado a dwarf tree. There are certain varieties that are naturally dwarfing, but there are no "dwarf avocado trees" like their are dwarf apples, dwarf pears, etc. The only dwarfing avocado trees I know of are Lila and Wurtz. Wurtz is not cold hardy. Lila is. That is why I grow Lila on my property. From there, you'll need to prune it annually to maintain its size, because even a Lila will grow to be 12-15 feet tall if you don't manage it. I prune it and keep it at 6-7 feet.

[@ducksndogshomesteaddoggroo2706]

This is amazing, thank you so much! Can those trees grow in containers?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you. Absolutely they can. Meyer lemons are one of the best citrus you can grow in a container, period, and fruit profusely all year long. The Lila Avocado is one of the best choices for container growing an avocado because they're a rare semi-dwarf and don't get as large as most other varieties. Citrus can be tricky because you want one on a dwarfing rootstock. My satsuma is grafted onto a trifoliate hybrid, and any citrus grafted onto trifoliate becomes very dwarfed and rarely gets larger than 6 feet. Trifoliate/Flying Dragon rootstock is PERFECT for containers.

[@ducksndogshomesteaddoggroo2706]

@@TheMillennialGardener That definitely helps, thank you!! I found the fast growing trees site so I'm going to be purchasing a bunch of fruit trees soon, now that I know that they can survive with your methods of keeping them warm. I sent you an email, holler back when you get a chance, I need some gardening help. :)

[@ducksndogshomesteaddoggroo2706]

@@TheMillennialGardener I live like half an hour from you. :D

[@jenniferhayes5071]

Do you know what size plant jacket you have for your satsuma? Has your tree grown much since this video 2 years ago? Mine is still quite small since it was just planted this spring, but I would like to go ahead and purchase a large one for future use.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I maintain my satsuma to a certain size and shape via annual pruning. The plant jacket I use for my avocado and satsuma is the 120"x120" linked in my Amazon Storefront in the PLANT FREEZE PROTECTION list. It is currently $29.99.

[@will2913]

So how many strands of the mini lights do you recommend per tree?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I recommend you use a wireless thermometer like I do so you can measure the air temperature under the jacket versus the ambient air outside so you can directly compare the two and you know exactly how much protection you're getting. If you're not getting enough, add more. I use one 175W strand of incandescent C9 lights and one strand of 40W mini-lights for a total of 215W of light. That gives me enough warmth. You may need more or less depending on the size of your tree. You can't guess. You have to measure.

[@johndowns7536]

You need a greenhouse.

[@musmanfam]

After three years of rolling the dice I just got those frost bags. What are your thoughts of keeping them on till threat of a freeze is over? Be a heck of lot easier. Seem transparent enough to get enough light during the day.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Which thickness did you purchase? If the light transmissibility is 50%, you can leave them on for a bit. We had a really marginal week 2 weeks ago and I left them on for 5 or 6 days straight with no problems. Problem is, my avocado is about to flower, so I can’t leave the bags on for more than a week at a time or I will be stealing its energy that it needs now. If you have citrus you need to cover that are picked clean and not demanding much energy, you can probably leave them bagged for a week at a time. However, if they are trying to ripen fruit, you’ll be cutting off their energy source and you’ll need to uncover them from time to time.

[@musmanfam]

@@TheMillennialGardener I got the .95. My avocado is about to do the same. 2 varieties of Kumquats are loaded with ripe fruit. I guess it makes sense to keep off mostly. Would rather not get into an on/off scenario daily.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@musmanfam I believe mine are 95’s as well. I think that’s about 50% light. I have left them on for almost a full week without any ill effect. If you have a few days in a row of cold, you can definitely leave them on all day, but I definitely wouldn’t leave them on all winter. If you have 3-4 days in a row of mild temps, definitely take them off and let them breathe. I haven’t had mine on in almost 2 weeks with this mild stretch.

[@LadyGoza]

Does it matter if the C7 and C9 bulbs are touching the foliage or even the trunk of these trees? I’m wrapping mine around the mangos and guavas.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I have only used mini-lights to date, because they do not get as hot. I am not sure how hot a C7 or C9 will get. I have used C9's in my greenhouse pressed up against the 6 mil greenhouse plastic with no ill effect. People use C7's and C9's to decorate outdoor trees all the time, so as long as they are UL Listed and approved for outdoor use, it should be fairly foliage safe. You may want to be careful with the plant jackets, though, and ensure the jackets aren't contacting the bulbs. I can tell you the plant jackets can contact the mini-light bulbs will no ill effect.

[@LadyGoza]

@@TheMillennialGardener oh! I meant C7 and the mini-lights (not C9). Thank you!

[@kwoklum5961]

You solved one problem but you created another one. Using Christmas lights to provide heat for the plants may be ingenious, but at the same time you are disrupting the plants need to rest. Just like human, plants need sleep at night in total darkness to recharge their batteries. When the sun rises over the horizon, the plants awake to do their magic with photosynthesis.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

The intensity of incandescent lights is incredibly low. It won’t have any effect. Even if it did, it won’t matter for annuals. If annuals were affected by light intensity, then it wouldn’t be possibly to grow annuals in high latitudes. But, we know that is not true because those large, award winning plants that set records are grown in Alaska because they get almost 24 hours of daylight all summer. So, it just isn’t true. Even if it were, the lights are used a handful of nights a year. It won’t make any difference, so fear not.

[@wendydixon2180]

I watched your other videos along with creating the frame. That video you speak about using the frame to keep the jacket from touching the leaves. I see the frame here but you're not using it. Is it the degree of weather that makes the difference between using the hoop or not? I'm just curious. I followed your advice. It'll be in the 20's Saturday so I've bricked up the trunks, built frames and have put lights on some of them. I followed the link for the jackets to order from Amazon and ordered more lights. Just waiting for delivery. Thank you

[@TheMillennialGardener]

This video is a bit older. The original intent of the frame was to add an additional tarp over top if necessary. It was too big for the plant jacket. Since then, I brought the dimensions of the frame in a few inches, and now the bag perfectly fits over the frame. The winters of 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 were mild, here. We never dropped below 22, so placing the bag over the tree directly was fine. This winter was not mild, and we had two lows in the teens. When it comes to things like tarps, usually they freeze to the leaves and can cause damage where the tarps touch foliage. I haven't experienced as much of a problem with these fabric bags, since they're made of agricultural fabric. We are supposed to get down to 25 degrees here on Saturday, but one of the biggest problems is it's going to be WINDY. 10-20mph winds all night. I'm very concerned that covers will blow off. Make sure you secure everything very well. This isn't going to be like a late radiation frost. This is going to be a wind-driven Arctic blast, which is going to be a lot more damaging.

[@wendydixon2180]

@@TheMillennialGardener thanks so much for the information. I just moved into this house a year ago and when summer rolled around, I discovered I had 3 pomegranate trees, 2 peach trees and 1 grape vine. None of the trees did well. They didn't produce much and the peaches were sappy and buggy. I really know nothing about caring for them but I pruned all of them a month or so ago, sprayed the ones that had fungus/bugs, worked fertilizer into the soil, added more soil and mulched. They leaved and have open flowers so now I'm worried. I also am concerned because it's supposed to rain. Hopefully that will just help insulate the flowers. I got the largest tarps that I saw.

[@wendydixon2180]

@@TheMillennialGardener btw, I'm in Cayce, SC which is part of the Columbia/West Columbia area

[@wendydixon2180]

@@TheMillennialGardener I wanted to add that one of the jackets came in. It would not fit around the frame nor could I get it to fit around all three pomegranate trees, though they are grouped fairly closely together. So one is still exposed. The covered two, have three strands of lights that should equal to 216 watts. But when I look at the thermometer inside the jacket, the temperature is not that much difference so it makes me afraid for the 23 degrees they are predicting here. I'm freaking out.

[@wendydixon2180]

How did you create the hoop frame over the plant?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I discuss creating the frame here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWbTlJJ9js-sgas

[@simonadunn7168]

Your plant jackets look like ice cubes! 😁

[@TheMillennialGardener]

The avocado froze through during the most recent terrible cold snap. It fell slightly below 31, but the avocado tree was unharmed. My Lila tolerates light freezes and doesn't have a hint of damage. The yard itself, though, hit 22.6F and 22.5F both nights, so the plant jacket provided nearly 10 degrees of protection.

[@christines3638]

I'm moving to zone 8a in NC this month. Would you be okay with me asking a few questions about your plants? I'm planting a lot of fruit trees and bushes for jelly but have been eyeing citrus for our personal consumption

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Sure. I live in Zone 8a NC just outside of Wilmington. I can make a lot of suggestions.

[@christines3638]

@@TheMillennialGardener - we will be south of you, closer to the SC line. Also 8A, moving from Raleigh. Within the next year we will be building a glass greenhouse, but I don't think that it will be heated. Would you recommend citrus in pots or in the ground? I'm trying to stay with plant choices that are recommend for at minimum zone 7 to 9. Obviously with citrus we are at the very beginning of a viable zone as I'm not aware of any recommend below 8a.

[@twominutefoodforest165]

Which citrus varieties do you recommend for zone 8b?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Examples of high quality citrus are Owari and Brown Select Satsumas, Nagami and Meiwa Kumquats, Bloomsweet Grapefruit, Ichang Lemon, calamondins and cold hardy crosses like limequats and orangequats. If you want to grow sour citrus, yuzu and sudachi are an option. If you don’t mind seeds or citrus with trifoliate in its lineage, you can look into things like citranges, citrumelos and many others. You can also grow things like Meyer lemons with protection in choice microclimates.

[@budstik]

can you send me the link to your plant jacket install video? Can't seem to find it on your channel.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Certainly. The video is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIrImaZjZstql5o If you need any help with finding the jackets, I have them linked in my Amazon Storefront in the video description.

[@albongardens3199]

Did you get the plant jacket and incandescent lights from Amazon?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

The plant jackets are from Amazon and are linked in my Amazon Storefront in the video description. They are hard to search for, so I tried to consolidate them. The incandescent bulbs are from Walmart and Home Depot because they cost more online. However, stock this year was terrible, so I added them to my Storefront as well. I bought a bunch of C9’s on clearance for next season because I have plans for more in-ground citrus in a less protected area.

[@LadyGoza]

Do you think it’s better to get white or red lights?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

The only purpose is the heat. They’re all the same wattage. The color won’t matter.

[@LadyGoza]

@@TheMillennialGardener it’s just that people get better sleep without any lights, except red light. I thought it could be the same with plants.

[@user-bp8si1bu4k]

Were all here because of frost damage to our plants .

[@pedrogonzalesgonzales5097]

A heat source other than light would be more efficient. Any light escaping is wasted energy and cost

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It's about safety, though. These are outdoor environments, so you need to come up with a good way of heating your trees that is not a fire hazard. That's why I don't use heaters and I use Christmas lights. They're designed to contact foliage and operate outdoors for long periods of time on timers.

[@ahmadyurem1055]

Need lovely 😍💋 💝💖❤️

[@jeffreydustin5303]

Its a shame they advertise these trees as zone 8a. I have a Meyer lemon tree and it gets tip burn on its green new growth. Right now the leaves on the tips of the plant, the new growth, is getting frostburn and turning yellow/dieback. Why advertise them as FROST hardy when, the truth is, they're at least a zone 9. What bull!

[@JoseGonzales-ul9sv]

Agree but when matures it will take lower temperatures

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I've never seen a Meyer Lemon advertised as Zone 8a or 8b. I've only ever seen it advertised as Zone 9a. Meyer Lemons genuinely are Zone 9a hardy, but once mature. A seedling or a new graft won't fare so well. They are, however, frost hardy. Frost hardy simply means they can take a frosting on their leaves, which has happened to be as "warm" as 36F. There is a big difference between frosts and freezes. A young Meyer Lemon can briefly take temps below freezing if warmed up quickly. I don't protect it if I see temps are going to be 31/32F because a light frost or a very brief, light freeze won't hurt it. However, it took back-to-back nights at 22F just dandy under a plant jacket with those lights on it.