Question: I have some small citranges and citrumelos in exposed area that I have surrounded with wire barrels/ tubes and cover each with frost cloth. For the -3 degrees coming Monday night, should I fill the wire cages with mulch or leaves then cover with frost cloth?

I think leaves or some insulating material would help significantly. Can you supply a heat source to warm you citrus? Hopefully it will not get that cold.


I would use two covers and , if possible, try to create an air layer between coverings by using two covers separated by a few inches or more.

Ok. Thanks. I did fill the cages with leaves after placing buckets and jugs of water around base of trees, then covered with two layers of frost cloth. Will hope for the best. I'll need to remove the leaves after big freeze though to prevent rodents taking residence and girdling trees.

Leaves are a great insulator. I think you'll be OK

Update: just removed leaf baskets from around my trees and noticed that all made it through the polar vortex unscathed. The swingle and rusk and carrizo still have green perky leaves.

green leaves is a good sign for success. My large Citrumelo 'Dustan' look crispy......I hope the branches are OK.

I can tell if branches are dead or not. The tender growth on my young dunstans died at first frost of 32degrees and is now dead white branches with mold on them. My Thomasville had green leaves up until the polar vortex but since it only protected with frost cloth and plastic over cage without leaves insulation, it's leaves are crispy and blackening and will fall, but the branches are vibrant green like the bare branches of Poncyrus. If branches look shriveled and desiccated, they are dead.

I am also much surprised that my Dunstan citrumelo shed it leaves after only -5C.
Swingle is doing this at -16C.

IlyaC, I have a 1m (3') tall swingle citrumelo it lost 35% of its foliage at just below freezing back in November ... and didn't drop any more when I had a night at -11c (13f) in mid December. This was a test to see how it would fair (i provided NO protection at all).

My thought was that perhaps the younger leaves were more susceptible to the freezing - or possibly the plant was not fully dormant back in November?
Today it is almost 10 degrees (50f) with the feel of spring in the air

Cheers, Greg

early frost always makes more damage to the trees.