I hate to play dumb, but I am. I want to grow orange trees in the High Desert (Yucca Valley, Southern CA 3500ft.) They seem to grow fine in Palm Springs and San Bernardino, but up here it's a little cooler. (highs in summer 105 deg, lows in winter 30 deg) What can I do? I am ready to just plant some seeds and see what happens. Any help will be appreciated. -yuccakev
With highs in the 105 range and lows around 30, you should be able to grown many types of citrus. Most citrus can survive 28F, (even 25 for a few hours). Seedling citrus trees withstand lower temperatures, than do grafted trees. Note that a citrus tree stops any additional growth at temperatures above 96F or below 55.4F. However with some protection on cold nights, your tree should do fairly well. Stringing Christmas lights throughout the the foilage of citrus trees, help greatly during cold nights. Mandarins, kumquats, satsumas are more cold hardy than oranges, grapefruit lemon and limes. There are many "cold hardy" citrus varieties that can easily survive in temperatures as low as 20F or below. Trifoliate Orange is capable of surviving at 0-F. - Millet (1,319-)
