Growing in the Pacific Northwest !http://amodernhomesteader.com/ With flexibility and a little extra work it is possible to not only grow citrus in the Pacific Northwest, but have it fruit. When you select the varieties you want to grow you should be looking for cold-hardy or frost-hardy citrus varieties unless you are willing to commit to growing in a controlled indoor environment.

!Varieties Improved Meyer (C. meyeri Y. Tan.) • Believed to be a of a lemon & • Round fruit with orange tinted edible skin • Sweeter & less acidic than a regular lemon • was a carrier of tristeza virus, improved variety is not. • Discovered by Frank N Meyer in in 1908 Kaffir (Citrus hystrix DC.) • Leaves are used in Tai & Cambodian cooking • Rind makes a good • Flesh is not typically eaten, but in some places used to make shampoo that is insect repelling • AKA: kafir lime, caffre lime, kieffer lime, kuffre lime, makrut, magrood, lima, -lime Bear’s Lime (C. latifolia) • Hardy to 28F • Nearly seedless • Pale yellow skin, with yellow green flesh that is limey in flavor Nearly thornless • AKA: Tahitian Lime, Bearss Lime, Nagami (Fortunella (Lour.) Swingle) • Hardy to 18F • Fruit, including is edible • Fruit holds well on the • Naturally dwarf, 2-3’ tall • Most commonly grown variety • Susceptible to zinc deficiency which can cause small leaves and reduced internode distance Ichandrin • Hardy to 0F • Rind very aromatic & flavorful, used when green • Flesh is yellow & very seedy • Very thorny • Tought to be cross between Ichang & Satsuma mandarin • Seed collected by Frank N Meyer in 1918 in China

Growing In the Pacific Northwest you will most likely be growing all your citrus in containers. Raintree recommends using 10 to 15 gallon pots. You will need to fertilize annually and repot and root prune every 4 years or so.

You can keep these outside when nighttime temperatures reach 50F in the spring, starting with morning sun and afernoon shade and gradually working it to a full sun location. When nighttime temperatures are going to start dipping below 50F in the autumn, you should bring your citrus back inside and keep them in a cool, bright location. Tey need about 12 hours of light per day, so adding grow lights to supplement the winter light is recommended.

Some people only move their citrus to a more sheltered location and bring indoors if the the temperatures are going to dip below freezing.

Tere are other methods for addressing freezing temperatures but seem to mainly apply to grown citrus in ground versus in a pot. Tese methods include draping them with blankets and keeping a propane lamp under the cover to keep the temperature up, building a soil bank around the trunk as high as possible, or water sprinkler running continuously during the freeze, which can cause breakage (from the ice load) and/or waterlogged soil.

Pruning Except for removing dead, dying, diseased and possibly deranged branches, pruning should not be necessary for purchased from a nursery. It is generally recommended to let them form their natural shape. If you do need to remove a branch and expose a large section of previously shaded trunk/branch. You may need to protect that section from sunburn.

You can prune to keep them more compact and bushy. I could find no details on what age wood they fruit on, I suspect because they are evergreen that it varies. Pruning should be done during dormant season but only when temperatures will be above freezing!

Diseases, Pests and Problems in the PNW Tere are a wide variety of citrus diseases but none have spread to our region, to date. It is important to be sure you are obtaining healthy trees from a reputable source. Tere are several pests that do effect citrus in the PNW, particularly inside.

Spider Mites can be controlled with Mite X which is OMRI certified. You can prevent them by keeping in a humid environment with temperatures below 85. Aphids will be eaten by ladybugs, hoverfly larvae & lacewings or can be sprayed off with water, handpicking and insecticidal soap. Scale can be eliminated by wiping every leaf with rubbing alcohol with particular attention to the point where the leaf meets the stem. Leaf drop is commonly reported and the cause is ofen overwatering, temperatures that are too high or dramatic changes in temperature (i.e. stress). Let the pot dry to the top 1-2 inches before watering throughly and keep your !indoor temperatures cool. !References "Citrus Variety Collection." Citrus Variety Collection. University of California Riverside, n.d. Web. 10 June 2014. Duncan, Bob, and Verna Duncan. "FRUIT TREES and MORE." FRUIT TREES and MORE. Fruit Trees and More, n.d. Web. 10 June 2014. Forbes, Nicole. "Growing Citrus in the Pacific Northwest." Dennis' 7 Dees Nursery. Dennis' 7 Dees Nursery, n.d. Web. 10 June 2014. "Growing Citrus." (n.d.): n. pag. Portland Nursery. Portland Nursery. Web. 10 June 2014. Iucca, Hanna. "How to Prevent Spider Mites on Houseplants." WikiHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2014. Pleasant, Barbara. "How to Kill Aphids Organically." Mother Earth News. Mother Earth News, 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 10 June 2014. "Raintree Nursery." Raintree Nursery. Raintree Nursery, n.d. Web. 10 June 2014. Richards, Davi, and Carol Savonen. "Meyer Can Be Grown in PNW If Protected from Winter." Oregon State University Extension. Oregon State Extension, 9 Mar. 2007. Web. 10 June 2014. Sauls, Julian W. "Fruit & Nut Resources." Fruit Nut Resources. Texas A&M, n.d. Web. 10 June 2014