Easy DIY Guide To Protecting FRUIT TREES From Cold

[@jeffreydustin5303]

The doggone thorns on my citrus trees are making putting on a jacket made from black garbage bags darn tough. I didn't have time to re-watch this video before I got your latest storm warning. Thank you for that!

[@ronweldon5892]

Love your clear, direct, precise, explanation on this whole process. You don't go on saying uh, um, well, etc. You speak clear and precise which for me, someone that is 78% deaf, can pick up and understand everything you say. A wealth of information and explanation of everything clear and to the point, love it! Thanks for making this video

[@JohnNeighbors-sp6gq]

FYI I had 2 Owari Satsuma trees that were unprotected when the temperature dropped to 17 degrees 3 nights in a row here in north Florida zone 8B. they looked like they were dead but came back with a little die back on outer limbs but did not fruit that year. the following year they began to fruit heavily again. Love your videos

[@OrganicGreens]

I recommend putting something over any exposed rebar. I use tennis balls or empty plastic bottles. Almost impaled myself on some rebar once luckily it only scratched my side but a few inches to the left and I would have been a kabob lol. I do the same for bamboo steaks or any other exposed pointy ends in my garden to save my eyes. Almost bent down stabbing my eye on a bamboo steak more times than I can count.

[@allyourchildren1550]

Thanks for sharing.

[@great0789]

Impeccable timing... as usual! The snow is really coming down now outside here in Chesapeake, VA... and it is 28F. Supposed to get down to 17F soon.

[@Avo7bProject]

Yeah, Millennial Gardener will get a good test of his preparations. Even Myrtle Beach SC is going to get freezing rain this weekend.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Everything, including my plant jackets, are covered in a solid sheet of ice here. No snow, but the ice coating is thick. I'm home-bound until Sunday, I guess. 19F Saturday night forecast here. Terrifying for us.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@Avo7bProject So far, it's pretty awful outside. Cold is one thing, but you can only do so much with freezing rain, because it's so heavy and sticks to tarps and fabric.

[@great0789]

@@TheMillennialGardener Best of luck to you. My citrus is safe inside this year. Next year will be different

[@chisexton5845]

I lost two oranges and a lemon tree in the 2021 frost (Houston suburbs). I have repurchased the trees, and will be using your system to protect them.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Wonderful! DEFINITELY use the pickle barrel method. They won't fail on you if you lose electricity.

[@PiedmontFoodForest-kz9fi]

@@TheMillennialGardener Where do you get pickle barrels? Thanks!

[@MikeStamm1058]

Really great content like always! I grow Tropical here in Phoenix, AZ which is 9B. I have three mangos and a starfruit. Fortunately we haven't had a hard freeze the last two years so I have been able to be a little lazy lol. I have always built a structure around the tree like you show but make it square and use the metal conduit. I use the metal because I also use the frame to put up 50% shade fabric in the summer as the plastic PVC only last 1-2 years here in Phoenix if exposed to sunlight and makes it much more resilient to wind. Something I found more reliable then lights as I always stress about the fuses blowing or the bulbs burning out etc. is the ceramic reptile heat bulbs. I have been told they give off more heat for the wattage as 100% of the electricity used goes to heat generation as no light is given off. The are super durable so you don't have to worry about breaking the bulbs and are rated to last for at least 15,000 hours. One nights below 32 for the topicals I place two on the bottom. I always double them up for redundancy just incase one fails I know I am slightly paranoid. I loved your idea of the smart timer though. I just always went out and plugged them in before bed and unplugged them in the morning. I will have to look into getting one of those smart timers. I have the rachio for my irrigation and absolutely love it. PS your rain collection system inspired me and I am going to be installing some sort of rain catchment myself. We only get about 5-10" of rain a year so every drop counts!

[@Toomuchbullshitt]

In the Southwest it’s the heat that is a bigger threat to tropicals rather than the cold.

[@lisadavis7536]

Can the metal structure be taken apart easily for storing

[@remrocket2885]

I’m in Phoenix are also. Thanks for the tips Michael!

[@deboradew]

Greetings Fellow Tarheel, AMAZING Technique this will be highly successful, I can feel it I'm currently living in central Florida and I rescued a sad fig tree with zero leaves from a store and followed your fig care instructions as exactly as possible and now it's lush with growth and very happy 😊 THANK YOU and Dale for outstanding content🌳🌳🌳🌳

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I'm so happy to hear you were able to rescue the fig! Great job! Thank you for watching the channel.

[@innerjon]

Thanks for doing this video. I really like the winter videos you’ve been putting out, they’re very helpful. I like that you gave the dimensions of the hoop structure so I can buy the right plant jacket.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you. Almost no one makes any kind of cold protection content. I don't understand it. With a little ingenuity, you can radically alter how much you can grow, even pretty far up north. I try to build my Amazon Storefront around real things I use. I use virtually everything in it myself, so I try to make it easy for others to copy these methods.

[@innerjon]

@@TheMillennialGardener in my opinion I think these winter videos are essential and maybe the most important content to gardening, especially when it is presented as intelligently as you do. Now I have more tricks up my sleeve to help my plants survive so I’m not starting over every year.

[@bowchickawowwow7282]

Thanks for sharing you very informative video, much appreciated

[@blblawhoo4338]

Here in TN , i got 20s here in a day, I got tons of blooms, hope i get something off them

[@TheNotoriousNemo]

this is nice, i just planted some trees, and looking to plant some fruit trees soon, this is a good idea thank you

[@cKs2929]

This is such a great video. This helps so much. Thanks!!

[@valoriegriego5212]

Wow! What a great tutorial!👍I love how you give us so much detail! Thanks!🙂 It's nice to hear y'all had a great time visiting family. Dale really has grown up...he's such a handsome fur baby! 🙂

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you! I'm glad you found it to be comprehensive. Dale has come a long way. When we first got him, he was so scared of being indoors, he used to run into the laundry room and hide behind the jackets when the TV was on or the dishwasher was running. Now, you have to practically drag him off the couch every morning 😅

[@valoriegriego5212]

@@TheMillennialGardener 😄

[@AndrewUnruh]

Thanks! Very comprehensive and practical. 9b California here. So as you are to subtropical, I am to tropical plants like banana, sapote, and cherimoya.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

This method certainly isn't limited to avocado trees. I imagine you could grow things like jaboticaba, carambola, guava, mango, sapote and others using this method.

[@sylvia10101]

Great information, as usual! Thank you! 😊

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You are welcome! Thank you for watching!

[@sharonmatias827]

Awesome, thank you!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome!

[@luckygardener2151]

Thank you for this information. I could see where my containers could be grouped and protected.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@persianlimein7b724]

thank you so much for the information again

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You’re welcome!

[@persianlimein7b724]

@@TheMillennialGardener can you check your email

[@ITSHProductions]

Our Meyer Lemon tree is about 8' tall Do you have a video or recommended products for this height plant? (Today it is going to get down to the 20°s with 40mph winds

[@Catherine-f8i]

We have a couple weeks of weather in the low 30’s here in west Texas starting tonite, not predicted until way too late. It’s been warm at night, upper 40’s and 50’s, and my potted Meyer lemon is fruiting, flowering, and putting on new leaves. I haven’t been limiting sun exposure! I plan to bring it indoors for winter but I think I might wheel it inside at night, then out during the warmth of the day for the next week to get it adjusted to lower light. I can keep indoor temps as low as 60 if I keep the heater off, so I don’t temperature shock the tree. Ugh. Wish I had planned ahead!!! Wish me luck.

[@AlaskanCopperMer]

Was watching your new video today so I’m watching these to protect my citrus trees. In this video you are leery of the C9 lights with the plant jackets but you are using them together in other videos…did you change your mind? Also why do you not do the hoops for your citrus trees?

[@SiriusScientist]

Great video, as always! I’m looking into something like this to maybe put some hardy trees out in our 5B, northern New England yard. I keep getting conflicting info on what the hardy figs can survive and would like to give it a test with extra rooted cuttings next year (while keeping one in containers inside as a reserve in case it fails). I hope y’all had a great vacation!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you. I have a couple suggestions. 1. Figs don't vary much in hardiness. *Any* fig you grow in 5B is going to die back to the ground without protection. What you actually need is a short season fig - something that will be able to grow back from significant damage, but still ripen in time. My favorite short season figs are Ronde de Bordeaux and Negra d'Agde. If you can only grow one fig tree, it should be Ronde de Bordeaux, in my opinion. It is earlier than the very common Chicago Hardy and tastes about a million times better. Now, the thing about figs is they grow about 6-8 feet in a season. Therefore, they can tolerate extremely aggressive pruning. This method of protecting trees in this video is for evergreen trees, not deciduous trees that go dormant. What you want to do with your fig tree is plant the tree, then come your first frost or two after the tree gets defoliated, prune the entire tree back to a single trunk. Cut the tree back so it is nothing more than one single 36" tall trunk. You will then want to protect that trunk every year from dieback so it re-buds from that trunk annually. You can protect it by buying a couple 5-6 ft tall stakes, pounding them a foot into the ground, wrapping 48" chicken wire around it and stuffing it with 1-2 bales of straw. That will prevent the tree from dying back. Just do exactly what I did with my bananas here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqGceq15eZ5jbpo Then, once late April/early May or whenever your frosts stop, pull the cage off, use all that straw as a thick mulch layer, and fertilize the heck out of that tree. 2. I would also suggest you grow a cold hardy astringent Asian persimmon, such as Nikita's Gift. That will survive where you're at. 3. I would also suggest you get yourself 2 grafted pawpaw's. I think they're still in stock at Edible Landscaping. You must buy two different varieties and plant them only 4-6 feet apart, because they must cross-pollinate. Pollination rates on pawpaw's are poor, so they need to "grow into each other." If you have a fig, an Asian persimmon and pawpaw's in your yard, it's going to be a wild, subtropical looking scene in Zone 5B.

[@SiriusScientist]

@@TheMillennialGardener thank you! I was trying to catch up on your pawpaw videos after seeing your video to acclimate them to full sun with shade cloth, and had never even thought of persimmons! I’ll definitely check out the banana tree video as well! We have a sunroom that is south facing we are going to keep some of the tasty but not hardy varieties in.

[@Lochness19]

​@@TheMillennialGardener I do prefer the idea of using straw (or leaves) as insulation compared to fiberglass insulation like some others have done. Less expensive and it can be throw into the compost pile or used as mulch at the end of winter. The only thing I'm wondering is how cold will that approach work? I'm thinking that in my climate (Toronto) or Babbs' (Boston?) with an January mean temp of around 25F, and the coldest week of any given winter averaging closer to 15F, there's a pretty good chance that the temperatures inside the straw bale will drop below freezing? Maybe not down to 15F, but fairly prolonged temperatures of 25-30F inside the bale doesn't seem that unlikely? Even my compost pile has cooled to 30-35F now with the cold we've been getting.

[@KevanArt]

thanks! this gives me a good start. I'm in NJ and want to protect my just planted in October, espalier fig. it has two arms and a center trunk. I am concerned with snow crushing your design. Any ideas are welcome.

[@geoffryallan7261]

Hi I’m in zone 8a in NM - I have a lemon tree that has survived outside in the ground - it’s gotten down to 18 on one night but I cover it w 2 frost cloths and a tarp when it get to 29 or below and it has survived w no leaf falling( the leaves are curled in a little, but a deep green) it even has some new growth at the bottom. I bought this tree at Home Depot in Denver, co before I moved to S NM near El Paso to. Don’t know anything about this tree except it produced 3 lemons (it’s only 3 ft tall) and they were tart - it’s definitely not an improved Meyer lemon. So somehow it’s adapted and thriving here in the hot desert. We a.so get out share of monsoon rain and some humidity for a short while. But my avocado tree is struggling a little - it’s the water here from the city I thinks it’s salty or something, so now I’m only using water from my rain barrels to water it. Hopefully that will dove the problem because of the leaf browning on the edges of the tree - love and admire what you’ve done with these trees in an 8a climate - gives me hope for me here in 8a but dryer and the soil is salty, definitely have to amend it.

[@dchambers986]

Very nicely done.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thanks!

[@debralauesen4225]

Awesome video as usual, thanks so much!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

[@kikiitv3982]

I wonder if that would work in Salt Lake City UT Winters? Would love to have avocados and citrus trees

[@WayneTX254]

Brilliant.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you!

[@richard9827]

Thank you

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome!

[@christianwaits4767]

Planted an Owari, Browns Select, and Meyers Lemon this past spring and looking to be prepared for cold weeks in Greenville, SC. Any concerns with how close you planted your trees to your home foundation? I know it was intentional for heat radiation but will roots potentially cause any damage that close?

[@Indogirlish]

I want to try covering my papaya tree. Thank you for your thorough explanation. I will definitely try this method. My question is, I live in Texas zone 8b, in winter the sunlight still pretty bright. Can I cover it all the way till the spring comes without opening it? you said we can keep the tree covered up to 2 week using this jacket. I wonder if it will be ok to keep it covered all winter long and only open it when the cold weather has passed in early spring. Papaya is very sensitive to the cold. I am worry it will be too hot sometimes, but to cover and then removing it often will be a pain. Please let me know. I tried last year but it did not work. I did not cover it well though. The wind blew my planket away a few times. Thank you in advance.

[@cynthiacisneros1694]

Great idea❣️

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you! 😊

[@stepp1124]

I tried to make the hoop for my lime and lemon trees. Could you give more explicit directions? I bought 2 10 ft electrical conduit but they were not long enough to go all the way to the ground and then there must be a reason for putting the bracket type pipe not on the top. A little more explanation for those of us who are not so handy would be tremendously helpful. I ended up with more of a square house because I couldn’t get the hoop to stay glued to the tri-coupling. And it didn’t go all the way to the ground. Hopefully the cover will still work as we are supposed to have a light frost this week. Not sure what I have will be tall enough. If you could give more explanation I might could start over…

[@capefear511]

Those have to be 20 foot pieces, I was noticing the same.

[@katiedavis5861]

Id really love to have a lemon and lime tree here in Idaho.... Im determined to make it happen soon. Maybe some sort of dwarf variety in its own greenhouse situation...

[@rustoluem]

Just a silly question…can i purchase a larger (as in taller) bag so that I use it for a few years? My avocado tree has only been in the ground about 2 yrs and is about 8 ft or so and it’s growing quickly. I’m in central Florida. Thanks

[@IgnorantFishermanVideos]

I am in year 2 of growing avocados in 8b Tacoma/seattle area -- growing on large raised area for drainage, and now trying to conquer cold. i'm seeing outlets that auto turn on at 38 degrees. planning to wrap each tree like you did. Is there a reason you turn on manually thru phone? have you had bad experience with auto outlet? Love your videos!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I am skeptical of the Thermocubes, because they have an unsettling failure rate. I actively monitor my weather, so I often opt to manually control it. That being said, I could simply set a timer so it would come on every night, and then opt to manually turn them off. That is an option, so if you forget, no harm is done. No, I have not had a bad experience with the outlet. I've been using it for 3 years and it's amazing. The only time I had an issue was during an internet outage and a power outage, but if there's no power...well...that's a problem!

[@brownthumbnursery]

Great video as always!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@steverodenberg1623]

Nice idea. Sounds like a lot of work. I have my citrus trees outside in ground in Cincinnati Ohio so I know about the work needed

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Not really. I pull the bag over the tree in late November/early December. I remove it in the spring. Sometimes, here in NC, we get very long stretches of frost-free weather in January and/or February that can last 2-3 weeks. In those periods, I'll take 30 seconds and pull it off. Turning the lights on is automated.

[@steverodenberg1623]

@@TheMillennialGardener I have to use 4 layers of glass here in Cincinnati.

[@katiem9644]

Wanted to revisit this video as I have a few fruit trees in containers and are too big for me to drag in the house. Can you give a rough wag of the length/amount of the incandescent lights you use for that large avocado tree? I have much smaller citrus; Im just wondering how many lights are needed. Thanks.

[@tohka3347]

I just planted a citrus tree for oranges! Do I need to worry about it during the winter? I live in south Texas and it doesn’t really get cold down here but sometimes ice forms🤔 do I need a plant blanket for it?

[@robertjohnson2537]

Did you cut the 10' conduit to place into the T or does the T just slide into place?

[@richard9827]

I’m in Cary NC and will be planting your recommended citrus. At what anticipated temperature do you put on the blanket and turn on the lights?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I follow the opposite logic. What I do is I leave them covered in the jackets, but I remove the jackets during warm periods. If there is going to be 3-5 days or more with lows forecast that are 40F or higher, I'll take the bags off to let the trees air out. Then, when waves of 30's and colder come back, I put the plant jackets back on until the next warm wave. I'll turn on the lights anytime temps are forecast below 35F, because I live in a cold spot and it's frequently 4-6 degrees colder here than forecast. Since everything is all set up, it's no risk to just flip the light switch on my phone.

[@tylerjohnson6459]

I have a quick question. How come you don’t use the PVC pipe for the orange and lemon tree as well?

[@kabasakaljoker5196]

I have also hobby garden and wish to try groving avacado tree in there. İn my location, climate condition is mediterrenian climate and similar with Berry Creek Calofornia,Lebec California and Blue Ridge Georgia. My garden only 19 km away from the sea . We produce large among of olive and fig. Native Brown Turkey figs especially. We have 2, sometimes 3 times snowing and rare Drops menus 5C in winter. How possible to grow avocado tree if I apply winter protection proses that you have done? What climate zone we can classifield the my land comparing the US zones? Thanks

[@johnsonrobbins]

What is the height of your hoop structure? I didn't see this in the video. It looks to be around 7-8 ft for the size of the plant jacket.

[@riveryzen]

Silly question but...are 10 feet of pvc electrical conduits longer than 10 feet of pvc pipes? I used 10 feet of pvc pipes and it only comes up to about 3 feet tall while yours appear to be over twice that.

[@TheNotoriousNemo]

its the same size. use more together to make them longer

[@Natalya-G52]

I’m in zone 8b Murrells Inlet SC little bit warmer than you. Today is 29 at night and maybe 19 tonight. I protect my Myers lemon, what are you doing with figs?

[@sk8yard]

Going to try a Lila avocado in zone 7b. The thing about south facing wall is it only works if you have a sunny day, but most of our coldest ones are because of complete overcast. I worry the plant fabric might be too breathable and let too much cool air in, so I was thinking maybe I need to just go get a big greenhouse plastic sheet. Or maybe double up on lights? Also, I had an idea… for a Texas-like hard freeze and power outage, prep with some propane tanks and small heaters. That way even if there’s no power and a record-breaking freeze you always have heat and your trees won’t die.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I am going to be subjected to around 18-19F tomorrow night, and I'm getting a heavy ice storm as we speak. My plant jacket is completely frozen solid like an igloo. My tree will be tested big time. 7b for an in-ground avocado is going to be a tremendous undertaking. I don't want to be discouraging, but you are going to need serious protection, even above and beyond what I do. The thing about my climate is while we are an 8a, we are 1-2 nights away from being a 9a/9b. The coldest temperature I've recorded since I moved into my house 3.5 years ago has been 19F, and my tree wasn't planted then. This Lila hasn't seen below 22F. It looks like tomorrow, it will experience its first true test. I just want you to realize how mild my 8a is. A 7b that is a more "normal" 7b is really going to be a challenge. You'd have to be a very far south Zone 7b. Something in the Northeast like Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Richmond or DC would be completely impossible without a high tunnel.

[@sk8yard]

@@TheMillennialGardener oh trust me, I know it will be quite the undertaking. I’ve looked at historical data for my area and 25 or below is actually quite rare. I was going to build a hoop around it like you and have either a propane or electric heater under greenhouse plastic for some of those coldest nights. From what I’m seeing, after the tree is established I might only need to run the heater a few nights a year. I’m pretty committed and I like the challenge. This year we haven’t dipped under 25 yet

[@DNice81atl]

@@TheMillennialGardener he could just throw pickle barrel in his green house. I m in north Atlanta but 25 min drive I m in 8a zone that being said it’s suppose to get brutal down to 23 this coming week but only have loquats in ground and they should be good

[@Avo7bProject]

@@sk8yard The Texas 7b zone is an additional challenge because it's not like the southeast 7b. Your "average" lows meet the definition of the agricultural zone - but there is more variability and extremes because of the way cold air masses just plow through the plains. The Appalachian mountains here help contain some of the cold and keep it on the other side.

[@sk8yard]

@@DNice81atl I thought about that but it’s the overcast days I’m worried about, I feel like that barrel won’t heat up and provide any heat

[@stevenvitali7404]

How long can I leave my plant jacket on my Echium Pininana as the night temperature is -3 degrees Celsius and daytime is 3 degrees Celsius, can I leave it on for 2 days without removing it, you say in the video you can leave it on, just wondering if it's the same with all plants

[@bjl1226]

Sorry for asking. Trying to find the plant blankets. Could you please send the link? Thanks. Bobby

[@TheMillennialGardener]

They are linked in the Amazon Storefront in the video description. If you expand the video description and click on the Amazon Storefront link, they are under the PLANT FREEZE PROTECTION list. There are many sizes.

[@bjl1226]

Thanks.

[@antonioperez119]

I live in odessa tx. Its 80 during the day and 30's at night. I know you said it breaths but will this harm my trees ?

[@rauljimenez8132]

Get a wireless thermostat and if it gets too hot, open the cover up.

[@johnsonrobbins]

Do you typically leave the jacket on through the winter months or are you constantly pulling it off and putting it back on?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It depends on the forecast. The plant jacket can stay on for weeks or months if need be. I usually have a 3-4 week period in the dead of winter where I'll just leave it on, because there are too many questionable nights. If I see there is going to be a full mild week, I'll take it off and let the tree air out. While the jacket is not necessarily harmful, allowing for full sun does produce thicker leaves, and leaving any tree covered too long could cause something like aphids or spider mites to build up. While this has *never* happened with my avocado, it's possible. I did leave my Ichang lemon covered for the entire winter straight through last year, and it was fine.

[@desertdanblacksmith1394]

Good Job Dale! Ever since my Zoey brought a baby bunny in her mouth to me.....she is now really on patrol! We release the baby bunny in the desert yard with the other bunnies and are sure its still around. Good video...thx

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Dale caught a bunny when we first got him. It was the proudest moment of his life. Ever since then, he has been craving another 😆 They really keep the yard clear of the pests.

[@desertdanblacksmith1394]

@@TheMillennialGardener haha....now I just need to fig out how to keep the sparrows and wrens out of the chicken feeders! I feed the wild Quail out away from the feeders but the others are pesky but migratory

[@persianlimein7b724]

im a fan

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you!

[@lisadavis7536]

So this was very helpful, but I have a number of temperature sensitive trees in containers here in zone 8B in the Texas Hill Country and they don't get any radiant heat from the house (Southern Cherry, avocados, pears, a mango, tangerine, lemon and lime). Would you suggest the same thing for my situation? Or should I use a small greenhouse heater for each tree? I want to get this all sorted out before fall.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I would recommend the water barrel method I explain here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZqloJunrZ6Wnpo Simply place one of those under the cover and problem solved. It works excellent for me where I don’t have power available, and it won’t fail during power outages. If an ice storm takes out your electricity, this still works.

[@lisadavis7536]

@@TheMillennialGardener thanks so much!!

[@cathyfurtado362]

Do you know of any bird netting cages? In CA I don't need protection from cold, but the birds!, yes!

[@mikesoutside]

Very nice, and you’re in NC??

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Yes.

[@mikesoutside]

@@TheMillennialGardener wow, pretty cool you can grow all that there! What variety is your avocado tree?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@mikesoutside it is a Lila.

[@mikesoutside]

@@TheMillennialGardener never heard of that one, thank you 👍🏼

[@steffiejoe]

The tag on my Lila avocado says it can take down to 10 degrees. I have it in a wooden pot. I guess I will move it to the other side of my house and cover it with a plant jacket. My garage is full I don’t think I can fit another tree inside unless I stop parking my truck inside. I’m in zone 9A north Houston. I actually was able to harvest one avocado 🥑 this last season, so let me protect my tree. Glad I watched ur video and was going to leave my avocado outside next to my loquat.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That's completely untrue about the 10 degrees. No avocado tree can survive 10 degrees. These plant ratings are totally hype. Here's what happens with these plant hardiness ratings: Some Lila avocado that was mature and well-established in probably a very low humidity area was very briefly subjected to mere moments at 15F, was probably killed all the way down to nearly the roots, but managed to re-sprout and grow back. So, now we have proof that a tree can technically survive to 15F, and now that it was recorded, they can slap ZONE 8A 10-15F on a tag somewhere. The reality is your Lila Avocado will take damage at around 26F. My tree will take damage on the tips of the new growth somewhere around 25-27F. This season, the coldest we've gotten to, so far, has been 25F. I've had to remove a few inches of dead growth on my tree, and it's pretty well-established at 3 full seasons in-ground. Furthermore, the blossoms are only hardy to around 30-31 degrees. You will have to protect your Lila Avocado at temperatures below 28F, and once it flowers, you need to protect it from even frost. I just want you to be very realistic. In 9A Houston, you can grow it outside, but it will need protection a couple nights a year.

[@steffiejoe]

@@TheMillennialGardener who thanks for clarification. I normally don’t follow the low temperature recommendations on tags, I am just being lazy cause I don’t have help bringing my trees inside this winter. I did put it in a wagon, put some lights on it and a frost cloth. The temperatures are going to be 31 degrees tonight. So I Will make room inside my garage for Lila. I tagged you on instagram about my gran nain banana plant I have in a pot. I just finished adding a frost cloth with a draw string. Thank you so much I appreciate your videos

[@jennhoff03]

Hey, Steffiejoe! I'm in Spring! A bunch of my plants are in the garage, too. May I ask how you give them light in there? I've been wheeling them in and out every day, but it's getting ridiculous. And grow lights are tricky cause you have to mount them so close to the trees, which are all different heights and I could only fit a couple under a standard 4-ft one, anyway. How are you doing this?

[@steffiejoe]

@@jennhoff03 I purchased a shop light from Costco. This light has an adapter to add a second light. I had garage overhead ceiling racks installed about 10 years ago and I hang my light on the bottom of the shelf. I also put a LED light 💡 in the light fixture in my garage. I also purchased an electric heater from Costco, they have very good quality heaters. I have not used the heater yet this year but I have used it safely in the past. I also have a fan for circulation. Most of my trees are dropping their leaves and are sleeping. So I have not pulled them back outside. My fig trees are sleeping. The mango trees , some are upset and dropping leaves and some are pushing flowers. My houseplant and gardening instagram is called, plantonthis. You can DM me there and we can share ideas. It’s nice to know I’m not the only person in Spring doing this. I started growing fruiting trees in 2010. The first year I turned my breakfast area into a indoor green house.

[@js_playa]

I've heard of lights burning leaves. Did you have this problem?

[@zhaowenji5429]

Did you do the same for the citrus trees? The citrus on left looks much higher and can it fit? Or do you only use light but not cover for the citrus?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Yes. I am publishing a video is afternoon where you can see how the citrus trees are covered.

[@forthepeopleasshole]

How long are the conduits for the hoops

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Conduit sticks are standard length 10’ each. You can get them at Home Depot or Lowes.

[@daphneshanholtz-thomas1976]

I did not see a link for the plant jacket listed below. Can you send that to me please?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It is linked in the Amazon Storefront. It's the first link in the video description under the table of contents.

[@jedd.5407]

How much snow did you get yesterday? It is extremely RARE, like as much as you can ... enjoy it!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

We did not get any snow. However, we did get covered in a layer of ice, sleet, and freezing rain. The entire ground and all the plants and roofs are glazed over in awfulness. You can't have any fun at all in this. No positives to ice or sleet, unfortunately. At least snow can have some fun to it, but this is just problems.

[@beercanrich99]

I'm guessing there aren't enough Christmas lights in the world to protect an avocado tree from the -30F we see up here in North Dakota every year! 😁

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You could always grow a Lila semi-dwarf in a container indoors! Problem solved.

[@beercanrich99]

@@TheMillennialGardener We do have some JUJUBE trees in planters. We bring them in the heated garage for the winter. Actually had fruit last summer!

[@loneranger5349]

Skip to 9:50 he enjoys the sound of his voice tooooo much

[@yaima0901]

Would this protect trees from wind?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

To a degree. If the wind gets too bad, often times the branches will puncture the bags and tear them.

[@svilponis]

Any specific reason why you prefer Christmas lights to self regulating heating cable? Bulbs are usually in series, any failing bulb will disable the whole chain.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Fire hazards, cost, availability, and I can clearly see it is on and working. Christmas lights are made to be strung on foliage and be exposed to terrible weather events lice ice storms. Heating cable isn’t. And when your heating cable fails, you can’t see it isn’t working. Christmas lights are rarely made in series anymore. I can pull bulbs out of my C9’s and they work fine with entire bulbs missing from the sockets.

[@svilponis]

​@@TheMillennialGardener i see! Thanks for this thorough insight!

[@braincruz]

Were you able to get avocados this year ?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

My tree has made avocados every year for the past 3 years. Problem is, they drop before they mature when they're about golf ball sized. I am hoping maybe it'll carry a few to maturity this season. We'll see, I guess.

[@PLNTGMING]

21 th January is my birthday

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I hope you didn't ask for an ice storm for your birthday 😅

[@PLNTGMING]

@@TheMillennialGardener yes, the 21 January no frost, this night one frost

[@xrsjohnm]

YOu should put a bluetooth thermometer Inside your p!antjacket so you caN monitor your temperatures and humidity I use the govee app on my cellphone so I can monitor temps With graphs i know what the history is dating back to 1 year inside my plant jackets and greenhouse so your plants are not stressed during those coldest nights and hottest summers you might need more supplemental heating because plant jacket that thin doesn't provide ample protection from the cold.

[@xrsjohnm]

My plant jackets are 50% thicker and are only good to 27 degrees without supplemental heat protection from frost

[@xrsjohnm]

I'm in zone 9a banning,CA inland Los Angeles and I had a really easy year for frost protection, I basically put a plant jacket on for 2 times this year on my new Baby avocados, everything else was put in an unheated greenhouse tropical guavas, passion fruit, grenadilla, seedling citrus, basil, peppers, all were unscathed though the temps got down into the mid 30's in the greenhouse on one ocassion, with temps reaching 100 during the winter days, just the other day, its a cheap plastic cover greenhouse 12 ftX10 ft one night in the yard got to 29 for an hour and the other night was 31 degrees for an hour all in december so I had 2 or 3 nights of lite frost that didn't bother even my 2 yr old frost tender avocados without any protection whatsoever just a few burnt new growth leaves as my avocados grow during the winter too.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I do have a wireless thermometer in my avocado plant jacket. I have many comparison videos where I compare the protection to ambient outdoor temps. This video may help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGO9fmlnard1msU I have a full weather station in my yard with sensors all over the place. The ratings of agricultural fabric are false. Thicker fabric will not provide more protection without an internal heat source, because plants do not generate heat. It won’t matter if you buy 0.9oz or 2oz fabric if all you do is bag up the plant, because it will freeze through. You need to have a heat source, like incandescent lights or a barrel full of water in there. I think my jacket is maybe 1.5oz.

[@loneranger5349]

Why do all of the talk so much dam

[@Justme-xp4rf]

I've never seen anyone place fruit trees that close to a structure. Those trees will not produce fruit as it should. Especially on the backside. I doubt that they will even be alive by now. Please don't buy fruit trees if you don't know what your doing. It's sad to see a tree like that.