to pick or not to pick?

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Susie2 Brazoria, TX(Zone 9b) Dec 04, 2009

My grapefruit,tangerines,lemon,satsumas,lime trees are full of fruit. some are ripe but others are still green. Sunday, I picked 5 bushels of fruit that was almost on the ground. With the freeze only about 5 hours away should I pick the remainding fruit or not? Haven't had snow in several years but it is expected today. Have already covered and protected tender trees and plants but undecided about fruit on trees. The freeze probably won't last through tomorrow. Any advice?
Thanks

Susie

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oldude New Iberia, LA Dec 04, 2009

If it were my decision I would not pick the fruit. I would however borrow a couple of charcoal barbecue pits, fill them with charcoal and light them about midnight. You can also make smudge pots with one gallon metal cans filled with charcoal. Looks like your temperature will hover around freezing about midnight and drop down to 28 for a couple of hours just before daybreak. Get them through this cold spell and you will see a surge in sugar content of the fruit.
Good luck
Oldude

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CoreHHI Bluffton, SC(Zone 9a) Dec 04, 2009

I've never had a hard freeze when I had citrus, what exactly will happen if I leave the fruit on the tree? I'm not going to get that cold at all right now but for future reference. I can't picture them freezing, do they just drop off or what??? My trees are hardy enough for sub 32 so no worries there.

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oldude New Iberia, LA Dec 04, 2009

The fruit will drop. The cold causes cells between the stem button and the fruit to develop. I believe the technical term is Abscisson
Oldude




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realbirdlady Austin, TX(Zone 8b) Dec 04, 2009

From my previous life in central Florida:
They freeze just like if you put them in the freezer. So no big deal so far, it's the part when they thaw that's an issue. Commercial growers harvest like heck freeze-damaged fruit, because if you get it before it starts to go bad, you can still squeeze it up for juice.

If you feel very confident that there will be an extended period of very low temperatures, you can spray a light coating of water on the trees (not enough to break branches) and let it freeze, which actually insulates the tree from getting colder than the ice. It sounds like for what you're looking at the charcoal burner approach of trying to keep the temp just above freezing would be best. If there's a way to block wind (park your truck to the north? A camping tarp or picnic shelter?), that's good, too. Don't block to the south - you want the first hint of sunlight to start warming them up.

Touch base with your neighbors - they'll have the best info on very local conditions and past history. Good luck!

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