Planting Yuzu & Sudachi in Cold Climates - Will They Survive? An Experiment

[@jonwebb3235]

Sudachi is a heavy bearer. I prefer them green and yuzu yellow. Sudachi mojitos are great. Sudachi and yuzu are also good on vegetables and poultry

[@quinnM1007]

Good stuff man! From what I’ve seen with my tree in 7b mid-Atlantic, is that yuzu only may need protection during the vortexs. Consistent temps down to the mid-low 20s back to back over winter do not seem to harm it. It may look fazed a bit, but the leaves bounce back fine.

[@xaviercruz4763]

How’re you doing Ross? Thanks for all the experiments on figs and varieties of tomatoes 🍅 and strawberries 🍓 tested and testified: it’s what I say about olives, that in Spain they’re grown in a Sierra to temperatures of around -7 C and in Oregon they’re plantations, varieties are important for early yield as the olives don’t like being frozen and thawed in the shrub and also what they say in this plantation is that is during the day temps are above freezing is best. These varieties they share are the best performers in their super cold area in the limits of olive terrain that is barely suitable: arbequina (readily available in USA) alfafarenca, picual. Two more but I forgot now and can check for you (I say this because you like me and figs are cousins of the same region than olives)

[@ross2398]

The Thomasville citrangequat and 10° tangerine should be added to your list to trial. The Thomasville is very good quality and can be used as a lime unripe and eaten peel and all if it ripens to late winter. Hardy to 5° and is very prolific, these would be great to espalier to a low cordon on a warm wall and covered with a frost cloth on very cold nights. Good luck!

[@RossRaddi]

Thanks for that. I didn't know they were any good.

[@ross2398]

@@RossRaddi Thomasvilles are great, I use them for lemonade often! They are 1/4 parentage trifoliate, so they do also have good cold hardiness, yet impressively lack the trifoliate taste. As far as the breeding you’ve mentioned, this is probably the best result so far. I believe a low espalier next to the brick wall, hooks installed for draping a frost cloth over, and a small water barrel will give you total success. Certainly with Thomasville, but this method should allow you to possibly grow satsumas and other less hardy varieties. I will be using this method in a 7b zone soon with much less hardy varieties!

[@PeterEntwistle]

I can't wait to see how they get on for you Ross! I love the idea of experimenting with citrus in colder areas. I've been experimenting with a clementine tree which I planted in the ground here in the UK last year. But I would definitely take the claimed cold hardiness of them with a pinch of salt. I know a couple of people who have tried Yuzu in the ground over here where our winters rarely go below 20°F but have lost their Yuzu to a couple of nights at -5°C (23°F) or slightly lower. Although it may be that their trees were grafted on a less hardy rootstock, the rootstock variety is rarely stated on the trees imported here from Italy or Spain. Of course in the Mediterranean, where most of our citrus trees are imported from, they don't need to worry much about temperatures below freezing. For my clementine, I used incandescent lights and a plant jacket which I used as and when frosts were predicted.

[@XoroksComment]

@@PeterEntwistle Hardiness of Yuzu also depends on the clone. There are named varieties

[@RossRaddi]

Thanks for the heads up.

[@qiang2007]

I tried a Sudachi in ground in Lancaster against the house with frost cloth and xmas lights. It died over a relatively mild winter (temps down to the teens at the coldest). Either they aren't as cold resistant as advertised, or it needs some wind protection. The winter may not have been super cold, but my street is like a wind tunnel so that winter winds could have killed the tree.

[@josephjude1290]

I noticed the cold wind in Jersey got my Yuzu two years ago.

[@rauljimenez8132]

I am experimenting with Brown Select Satsuma and Meiwa Kumquat in 7b NJ.

[@lilicrashes]

wood chips, rain barrels black behind it. put a sheet over it to minimize the frost. I heard some old fashioned christmas lights on the colder days keeps the frost away.

[@paul.1337]

I grafted a Yuzu onto trifoliate a few months ago. It's only got two leaves at the moment, so it'll be a while before I get to try it. I've had Japanese Yuzu candy which I liked.

[@XoroksComment]

Plant a Prague chimera mandarin grafted on Poncirus, it's your best option Ross. It has better fruit than these two and is hardier. The only downside is that it grows a bit weird and is not super productive, so it needs additional TLC and good feeding.

[@paul.1337]

If you can actually source one... They're a little scarce.

[@XoroksComment]

@@paul.1337 Stan McKenzie has them, at least sometimes. He has mature, fruit bearing Prague trees that are completely hardy for him. He considers them the best option to plant

[@RossRaddi]

Interesting.

[@natemurphy4367]

I’m in Washington I grow citrus in containers I don’t have those two but I’ve grown a bunch from seed to and they have survived in a greenhouse without heat year 6 for me one myer lemon made it 4 year in ground and then I think a vole got the roots … year two for 15 different kinds of figs still have no idea what they taste like o get a Satsuma orange cold tolerant has done great for me

[@themulberries]

These are delicious citrus! Not sure about Yuzu sprouting from the ground and ripening a fruit in the same season, but maybe it could bloom on a second flush of growth later in the season. From what I've seen, high single digits seems to be the limit, and for short periods. 5°F and below is certain to cause a lot of damage. Good luck Ross!

[@RossRaddi]

Have you tested this firsthand?

[@themulberries]

@@RossRaddi Virginia Fruit Grower is a friend of mine who grows in Virginia Beach, and he's collected a lot of valuable information on these trees in zone 7b, so that's mostly where my information comes from, as well as a few other anecdotes. Our zone 7b/8a citrus planting here in NC is a bit too mild to compare, but we had a grafted Yuzu that perished at our zone 7a location in NY when it saw 2-3°F unprotected. We will be trying to collect a lot more information in the coming years about hardiness from our plot of 100+ citrus trees and 30+ varieties. I saw another comment mention Prague Chimera - if it interests you I might have some extra trees this year that I could share with you. I'll have to update.

[@novastar369]

You're probably aware but I've heard about growing satsumas on a trifolia rootstock zone 7 quite a bit. With some protection with a frost blanket and water barrels under it with them.

[@ianferguson3998]

Not citrus, but i have a tea plant in my yard. Im on Delmarva so close to you (7B) and haven't lost it yet and its rated i think USDA 8. I also have pomegranates and of course tons of figs. I think for the most part as long as we don't get days below 20F for weeks on end, being that close to your house it should be fine.

[@larawines4875]

Any thoughts on growing citrus in pots?

[@06075345]

Definitely doable. All mine are in pots

[@RossRaddi]

Absolutely. I've got videos on that. Mine are very successful in pots.

[@alessandro21686]

A few years ago I saw a video on either Eater or Bon Appetit about someone growing yuzu in Princeton, NJ. Was pretty interesting.

[@RossRaddi]

Me too.

[@werpu12]

In my experience late frost is more damaging to yuzu than winter frost. The plant goes into dormancy during winter so it can stand way more cold. Btw the bouncing back also works only for a few years, it probably is better to grow it out and then have a more cold resistent plant which is adult, I will give it a shot in a few years but my hope is low that a smaller yuzu can survive multiple winters in ground. Last year I almost killed a Keraji mandarine almost that way, it has had some rebouncing now but never really can get back to the size it has until frost hits, so I will overwinter it frost free in my greenhouse! Keraji has a similar hardiness profile as yuzu does! My protection was straw and fleece on top! What works for me really well is Citrumelo, it already has survived two winters in the ground with minimal damage. the only protection I do is to add some bubbly foil and in the ground a layer of straw upwards aka the top is literally unprotected and has survived nevertheless!

[@MichaelRay380]

Citrandarins!! US-942 and US-852, I still don’t know if they’d be hardy enough but they’re the hardiest sweet citrus I know, they were bred as citrus rootstock, hybrids between slightly hardy mandarins and trifoliate orange

[@Everythingbrawlstarss]

Very interesting video fig boss. Ps. I have a fig tree that’s been in the family for 70 + years passed down through cutting. I’ll mail you a couple cuttings for free in the mail in winter if you want.

[@Everythingbrawlstarss]

To see if it’s worthy of being in the fig boss collection. 70+ was not a hyperbole btw.

[@RossRaddi]

That'd be great. Can you send me photos of the figs? I'm curious if I can ID it.

[@Everythingbrawlstarss]

@@RossRaddiyea , where can I do this?

[@doggiefamily908]

I'm pretty sure you know that, but I'd recommend Christmas lights, a water barrel and some kind of cover for your Yuzu. At least the first winter in the ground. You don't want to lose it.

[@mmmmm49513]

I’m curious to see how it does. Growing yuzu in 7A would be cool. The thing I would be most worried about isn’t the winter minimum temp but rather it breaking dormancy too early. If it breaks dormancy then it could take some serious damage from a late freeze….

[@doggiefamily908]

Yuzu really never goes dormant. It keeps it's leaves all year round. ripens in late fall, and depending on weather might bloom right away.

[@RobertoMartinez-vs4yt]

Ross what are the best figs I can grow in ground in zone 8a? I'm currently trying to grow a yuzu brown satsuma and a kumquat here. I have them by the sound wall and I'm growing to protect them with Christmas lights and cover in the winter.

[@RossRaddi]

I need more info about your location. Feel free to contact me.

[@RobertoMartinez-vs4yt]

@@RossRaddi I live in ft worth Texas

[@cacmang42]

One green world sells with flying dragon as it's rootstock so it should be even hardier. I bought some expecting it to make it through NYC winters. Time will tell

[@werpu12]

Yes rootstocking it helps that the roots survive but the foliage wont aka, you will end up with a nice flying dragon that way, which can survive anything, but no trace of Yuzu left!

[@cacmang42]

@@werpu12 i was worried about that!

[@milo-qh7cv]

time to grow it in zone 2

[@stephenremo9200]

There is a guy growing yuzu in nj .. He is supplying local restaurants. Nj is zone 7 to 6.. He's 7

[@paul.1337]

If it's the one from the news story, they're using a heated greenhouse.

[@werpu12]

I saw a video they have a huge glasshouse and grown them in containers! I talked to a local citrus farmer who lives in the southern alpine area who literally has 700 different kinds of citrus fruits, he had a bunch of really big yuzu trees (aka 2m50 or so) and he told me that he did not manage to have them planted out in his area, which is considered to be one of the milder areas, (akla as well similar to zone 7a). This resembles my experiment I did with Keraji Mandarines, last winter, the plant barely survived, it is bouncing back, but it wont survive a second winter outside!