Dead or Alive? Frost-damaged citrus

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spidra Berkeley, CA(Zone 9b) Apr 17, 2007

Living in Berkeley, I haven't much experience with frost so I got caught "with my plants down" when we had a number of frosts in Jan/Feb. Most of my citrus didn't sustain that much damage, but the dwarf Tavares limequat has mostly brown leaves. Will I damage it permanently if I cut it back, hoping to let it grow new leaves? How can I tell when a plant is really dead? It's planted in the ground, not in a container, so there's that in its favor.

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bettydee La Grange, TX(Zone 8b) Apr 18, 2007

Don't prune it until you see new growth. Then only prune dead branches or branches that rub together. Citrus take a while to recover from the stress. Don't stress it further by over watering. It will suffer a setback, but not permanently.

You can use your fingernail to break through a small section of bark. If it's still green, it's alive. Its kumquat ancestor makes the limequat hardier than many other citrus. It could have suffered more damage because of it size or age.

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spidra Berkeley, CA(Zone 9b) Apr 18, 2007

Thanks, bettydee. Yes, I was surprised to read that kumquats are hardier because this limequat did worse than my oranges, Oroblanco, tangerines, lemons or limes. Even the weakling Chinotto orange, which has only the teensiest leaf buds along the trunk, at least has some green.

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bettydee La Grange, TX(Zone 8b) Apr 18, 2007

I would think that its true hardiness would also depend on the type of lime the kumquat was crossed with. A Beares lime is hardier than a Key lime. The hardiness of citrus is relative. Citrus are subtropical and tropical plants. They can withstand brief periods of frost, not prolonged periods. This winter was very unusual for you. Except for brief periods of time, I lived most of my life in the Fremont/San Jose and don't ever remember anything like what you had this year.

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