citrus indoors?

mindyandmike

Just curious if anyone in the colder climates have grown ornamental/dwarf citrus trees/bushes. I live in Iowa and am wondering if I could keep them indoors in the cold months and move them outside during the summer and still have the produce fruit or survive for that matter.

GRsweetpea

I have an ornamental orange.  It's 100% indoors.  After a few years, the fruit is still quite small and sour, but the smell when it's in bloom is wonderful.

Here's mine, dressed up for the holidays:

Surfinbride

I bought a dwarf Meyer lemon tree last year. It is meant to produce fruit while growing in the pot. In fact, when I bought it from a local nursery, they said not to replant it to a bigger pot for 2 years. We were told to put it outside in the summer and inside in the winter.

Last year, it bloomed. Then, we joked that we had a lime tree. We had green fruit for a long time. I think it is because our weather got a little cooler one night. I forget what I read about which temp made it stop producing. We brought it inside and put it in our sunniest window. The "limes" finally turned to lemons. They were okay, but not as sweet as they should have been. They had a weird bitter taste that reminded me of insecticide. I only used organic fertilizer (Dr Earth) on the soil.

This year, it bloomed again. The flowers were impressive. However, it made a few "limes"... which are still on the tree. I don't think they'll ripen. The tree seems frozen in time. It has a few flowers and the green lemons. I don't know if I should pull them off. I wonder if it would benefit it in any way. For now, it's interesting to see what will happen.

Based on my experience, citrus is meant to be grown in a warm, sunny outdoor environment. If you don't have that, you could end up like me... or, invest in some kind of artificial light to increase your luck.

Let us know what you decide.

Oh, I did have an ornamental orange tree for several years. The blooms smell wonderful. One year, we left it out on a cold night and that was the end. I would buy one again. Caring for it was very easy.

hoping4septimus

I have a lemon and a lime tree that I have in pots. I put them out in the summer and bring them in the winter. I have had blooms but no fruit yet and they are 3 years old.

MisterD

i have 3 plants that come indoors.  the kumquat decided to do nothing but just grow this year.  My lemon has one lemon on it right now but decided it wasnt done yet.  it has a bunch more blooms coming.

 

if you keep it inside you will have to do the pollinating yourself. not much effort really.  i think i put my finger on mine last time lol.  a small paintbrush is preferred :-)  sometimes you can just get away with a shake of the bush!

MisterD

i have not tried it yet but there is a place in my great state of SC that sells "cold hardy" citrus.  a couple are hardy to 0 deg.  hope this helps!  i would have gotten some of my plants from there had i found them before i ordered them elsewhere.....happy with what i have but i think this place would have made me happier :-)

 

http://mckenzie-farms.com/photo.htm

 

reviews of company

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