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Post by nicollas on Aug 27, 2016 11:59:12 GMT -5
For decidous plants, it is important that they harden enough : dont overfetilize or plant in too good soil, plant in a place with maximum sunlight at the end of summer (west side)
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Post by richardw on Sept 3, 2016 15:29:21 GMT -5
I'm in the process of creating micro climate area where at this stage ive got one Meyer lemon and a Mandarin, both have been in large pots in the tunnelhouse for about 5 years and have only just gone outside now that its spring. I'll build a frame over them using posts & timber along with frost cloth till they are large enough to go it alone in maybe another 5 years.The Mandarin came from a cutting off a 70 year old bush not far from here,over the years its endured frosts of down to -17C while still growing a very nice sweet fruit. In the first photo they are on the left side of a ditch i'm hand digging,the right is a Cupressus macrocarpa tree line which was heavily side pruned when it was younger, so no wind from the south can blow through it, this been our cold wind in downunderville, the idea of the metre deep ditch is to stop roots from not only getting into the tunnelhouse seen on the left but also the potato area to the left of the citrus, i'm going to put down a concrete path in between and in time build a stone wall between the citrus and the ditch. The macrocarpa will in time over grow the area to the right of the ditch meaning the citrus will be right under the sunny side of the treeline but with out its invasive root system.   |
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Post by rowan on Sept 3, 2016 15:58:36 GMT -5
Is that cabbage tree in the back? If so have you eaten the pulp Richard?
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Post by richardw on Sept 4, 2016 0:41:37 GMT -5
No ive never tried em, you have a few Cordylines in stralia too dont you
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Post by imgrimmer on Sept 4, 2016 6:09:42 GMT -5
Interesting to see in what kind of different landscape you live. The skyline of the trees, the bushes, the cordyline completely different from plants in Europe. North America is far more similiar to Europe.
Do you know the variety of the mandarine? How long last frost periods in your climate is it only short term?
-17C is very promising!
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Post by rowan on Sept 4, 2016 14:15:55 GMT -5
Richard, ther are some native cordylines here but they are all northern plants I think, none grow anywhere near me, and I am not sure any of them are edible.
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Post by richardw on Sept 4, 2016 14:25:02 GMT -5
No i have no idea what the variety would be Heavy frosts are very rare, about once every 10 years we will get a one or two nights in a row where it can get to -15C and colder, every winter we can expect at least 1 -9deg, though the winter just gone the coldest was a -5.8deg Here's close up it, ive had to put the plastic cover around it as the pot it had been in had purple Oxalis corniculata growing in it, it only grows inside the tunnelhouse and i dont want it to spread outside. i just have to pull the cover away to water it. The fruit is a bit small because the mandarin was getting quite dry in its pot.  |
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Post by templeton on Sept 6, 2016 17:19:21 GMT -5
Richard, ther are some native cordylines here but they are all northern plants I think, none grow anywhere near me, and I am not sure any of them are edible. Rowan, surely there is a 1970's BP petrol station nearby with a white pebble garden out the front? Native habitat for those cordylines of Richard's  We had one of those growing in a house i owned - Ms T took out the electric mower, managed to wrap some dried leaves round the blades, and set the mower on fire....  . They are tenacious leaves! There's a native one in the NSW rainforests, and I think one down in Tassie in the wet forests. T |
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Post by mskrieger on Sept 7, 2016 10:24:00 GMT -5
richardw That microclimate project looks promising! And I like the idea of using masonry for both practical and decorative purposes. Along those lines, someone recently suggested we try to grow citrus in the bottom of an in-ground pool we are converting into a grotto. The below-ground level location (it's, ah, six feet under) should protect from the wind and moderate the temperature. But we would definitely have to mulch and wrap the trees every winter. And possibly keep them pruned back hard, as anything extending above ground level would probably winter kill. I don't know if it would work.
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Post by richardw on Sept 7, 2016 15:15:55 GMT -5
Richard, ther are some native cordylines here but they are all northern plants I think, none grow anywhere near me, and I am not sure any of them are edible. Rowan, surely there is a 1970's BP petrol station nearby with a white pebble garden out the front? Native habitat for those cordylines of Richard's We had one of those growing in a house i owned - Ms T took out the electric mower, managed to wrap some dried leaves round the blades, and set the mower on fire.... . They are tenacious leaves! There's a native one in the NSW rainforests, and I think one down in Tassie in the wet forests. T |
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Post by richardw on Sept 7, 2016 15:21:33 GMT -5
richardw That microclimate project looks promising! And I like the idea of using masonry for both practical and decorative purposes. Along those lines, someone recently suggested we try to grow citrus in the bottom of an in-ground pool we are converting into a grotto. The below-ground level location (it's, ah, six feet under) should protect from the wind and moderate the temperature. But we would definitely have to mulch and wrap the trees every winter. And possibly keep them pruned back hard, as anything extending above ground level would probably winter kill. I don't know if it would work. So how cold do you get to? mskrieger
The key for my micro climate project is having the macrocarpa tree line not only stop the cold wind but having it in time growing very close to the citrus
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Post by imgrimmer on Sept 8, 2016 15:02:43 GMT -5
Along those lines, someone recently suggested we try to grow citrus in the bottom of an in-ground pool we are converting into a grotto. The below-ground level location (it's, ah, six feet under) should protect from the wind and moderate the temperature. But we would definitely have to mulch and wrap the trees every winter. And possibly keep them pruned back hard, as anything extending above ground level would probably winter kill. I don't know if it would work. I read about someone in the Ukraine growing Citrus in a greenhouse he dug into the ground. only the roof ( made of plastic) was above the ground. He manage to cultivate a lot of Citrus this way. Winters in the Ukraine are cold, this could work for you too. Here is the link ( currently the forum is down, but maybe it will work again in a few days) citrus.forumup.org/viewtopic.php?t=5777&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&mforum=citrus |
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Post by rowan on Sept 8, 2016 15:35:31 GMT -5
I see a few posts on FB about growing in holes in the ground in cold climates. I have no experience but doesn't cold air pool in hollows? I know that when we get a frost here it stays icier in holes for longer.
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Post by richardw on Sept 10, 2016 14:42:31 GMT -5
Growing in holes wouldnt work for me as holes would full with water when ground water levels get high.
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Post by philagardener on Sept 10, 2016 16:55:24 GMT -5
If you have that much water close to the surface, it might be possible to pump it through your greenhouse as a mild geothermal source of 50F (10C) warmth to keep things from freezing.
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We had one of those growing in a house i owned - Ms T took out the electric mower, managed to wrap some dried leaves round the blades, and set the mower on fire.... 
. They are tenacious leaves! There's a native one in the NSW rainforests, and I think one down in Tassie in the wet forests.
