Do you love citrus trees? Well, this handsome tree can even handle the cold

The trifoliateorange tree (Poncirus trifoliata), or simply trifoliate, is a beautiful citrus and you may grow it all year round – even outdoors in our climatic conditions because it can handle freezing temperatures down to -20 °C. Growing is rather simple.

However, in our corner of the world, it is not grown for fruits, but rather as an exotic ornamental plant. You can grow trifoliate in lowlands or “wine” regions, but if you live in the foothills or elevated areas forget it. Trifoliate is also available in a “thornless” variety with variegated leaves or with thorns. We mean plenty of thorns. In any case, you can use it for many declarative projects.

Photo: Pixabay

Growing trifoliate (Poncirustrifoliata)

Plant trifoliate in a protected location and in a slightly acidic soil (mix a little peat with ordinary garden soil). It hates too much water and stony soil , but other than that it does not require anything special. However, compared to other types of citrus trees it is more sensitive to the calcium and salts and it requires good fertilization. It is also susceptible to chlorosis of the leaves.

We think that it looks best as a solitary plant but people grow it in smaller groups too with no problems. A little piece of advice. Do not plant the varieties with thorns near sidewalks or frequently used places. The thorns are sharp. You can also plant it in containers and interestingly, some gardeners use for life hedges.

Photo: Pixabay

No pruning

You do not have to use a garden pruner at all but if some branches get in the way, remove them during the winter but not when the frosts are really strong. By doing so, you will eliminate various fungi or pathogenic germs.

You can also use trifoliate as a rootstock for other citrus trees. The success rate of grafting is very high and the grafted plant, thanks to the trifoliate base, is usually capable of withstanding adverse environmental conditions. Trifoliate is propagated either by cuttings, which are taken during the spring, or from seeds which you can get directly from the fruit. We recommend using gloves when picking seeds from fruits because it is quite difficult.

Preview photo: Pixabay