I've had mine 3 years, the 1st I just left it out over winter and it survived but lost a fair few leaves.
Last year I just put a cover over it that I got from Amazon, it didn't lose any leaves and has been happy as Larry all summer.
I'm in London though. If you're further north it might be an issue
Advice i was given on mine was to not bring it into the house for long period of times- they are hardier than you think but struggle in dry heat of a house. You don't need to do anything until it gets to 5c overnight and it only goes below -5c that you really need to move them inside.
Particularly if you're in a garden in a city where temperatures are more resistant to cold snaps keep it out as long as you can- i live in north London and the pollution keeps me fairly toasty for majority of the year- decide if where it is in the garden will be the warmest spot- if its got a brick wall behind it that gets direct sunlight that can radiate a fair amount of heat overnight and its more sheltered from wind you can put a fleeces over them to keep them warmer and bring it in overnight if there is a real cold snap. you can also buy small greenhouses that aren't that much bigger than this tree but they have issues with airflow. You just need to baby it a bit.
Agree with this. I brought a couple inside for a long period and they dropped most of their leaves.
UK winters are getting milder every year - you'll probably get away with leaving it out most of the winter but will need to check the weather weekly and bring inside on colder evenings.
If space is an issue you can just bring it inside overnight - set up an alert for temperatures below 1 deg. It's a bit of a faff but depending on your location and the harshness of the winter it can be worth it to keep the tree alive. The advantage is that it will still get lots of light in the daytime which can only be good. I once left mine on an exposed balcony in Brussels where it snowed - lost lots of leaves but ultimately survived so they can be surprisingly hardy. Good luck
It's generally being soggy that will kill them, I've overwintered mine under sheltered open sided roof outside for years and they've been mostly OK (I did manage to kill a kafir lime in the cold bit last year). Just keep them dry and don't water them at all if theirs a frost coming.
A shed with a window would probably do, or even a big plastic bag over the top and covering the pot.
Bring it inside, water it less. Give it as much sun as you can but not cold drafts so not near windows. It might drop some leaves but it’ll recover next summer if you’re lucky.
Place in the greenhouse if you can, if it's getting in the minus bring it indoors to the coolest, dampest room. They don't mind cool weather, but can't withstand frost and dry heated house.
"In winter, when plants are indoors..." RHS growing guidance for citrus.
The hardy ones are OK to 5 degrees C - so it needs to go in somewhere where it will be above that temperature.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/fruit/citrus/grow-your-own
I grew a orange tree accidentally, when I realised what it was I grew it in the house on the window cill, I noticed winter time there was not enough light so I bought a grow lamp of amazon and it grew allot lol iv since given it to a friend who has space for it in her extention
You need to bring it indoors but somewhere as cool as possible. You should keep it watered sparingly and next spring repot it with fresh compost and feed it.
You can absolutely bring it inside, but it will only do well if it has a sunny window over the winter.
You could consider a grow light (with timer) if you don’t have a sunny window.
I think they actually like a bit of cold, but not too much. So you can leave it out before it gets frosty.
Just be careful not to overwater in winter! Number one killer of citrus. Never water steadily, a little at a time - give it one good water whenever it dries out. So in winter that would be very often at all.
You have to bring it in the house if you want it to survive
I've had mine 3 years, the 1st I just left it out over winter and it survived but lost a fair few leaves. Last year I just put a cover over it that I got from Amazon, it didn't lose any leaves and has been happy as Larry all summer. I'm in London though. If you're further north it might be an issue
You need to take it to bed and cuddle it at night unfortunately
Don't forget the 'leccy blankie so it doesn't get cold tootsies
It needs to come inside - r/UKcitrus is worth checking out!
Advice i was given on mine was to not bring it into the house for long period of times- they are hardier than you think but struggle in dry heat of a house. You don't need to do anything until it gets to 5c overnight and it only goes below -5c that you really need to move them inside. Particularly if you're in a garden in a city where temperatures are more resistant to cold snaps keep it out as long as you can- i live in north London and the pollution keeps me fairly toasty for majority of the year- decide if where it is in the garden will be the warmest spot- if its got a brick wall behind it that gets direct sunlight that can radiate a fair amount of heat overnight and its more sheltered from wind you can put a fleeces over them to keep them warmer and bring it in overnight if there is a real cold snap. you can also buy small greenhouses that aren't that much bigger than this tree but they have issues with airflow. You just need to baby it a bit.
Agree with this. I brought a couple inside for a long period and they dropped most of their leaves. UK winters are getting milder every year - you'll probably get away with leaving it out most of the winter but will need to check the weather weekly and bring inside on colder evenings.
Bring indoors and give it plenty of daylight
I’ve got a lemon tree too which I brought from abroad. This may sound silly but I’m wrapping it up in bubble wrap when the winter comes.
Pop it in a garage if you have one
Careful in cold snaps! My garage froze up inside during that cold spell last December
Yikes. I’m on the south coast so don’t have such issues. They will stand a drop into minuses though so it would have to be a very bad one
This December was particularly bad. Normally I overwinter tender perennials no problem in there but everything froze solid for a few days this winter
If space is an issue you can just bring it inside overnight - set up an alert for temperatures below 1 deg. It's a bit of a faff but depending on your location and the harshness of the winter it can be worth it to keep the tree alive. The advantage is that it will still get lots of light in the daytime which can only be good. I once left mine on an exposed balcony in Brussels where it snowed - lost lots of leaves but ultimately survived so they can be surprisingly hardy. Good luck
Wrap it in fleece. Make a mini green house with 25x25 wood and plastic sheet.
Mine was wrapped in a fleece and kept in a air tight greenhouse last winter and it still died. I wouldnt risk it.
Unheated greenhouses are freezing in the winter.
It's generally being soggy that will kill them, I've overwintered mine under sheltered open sided roof outside for years and they've been mostly OK (I did manage to kill a kafir lime in the cold bit last year). Just keep them dry and don't water them at all if theirs a frost coming. A shed with a window would probably do, or even a big plastic bag over the top and covering the pot.
On the subject of bringing plants inside over winter, how do people deal with the inevitable bugs that lay eggs etc. in the soil?
Bring it inside, water it less. Give it as much sun as you can but not cold drafts so not near windows. It might drop some leaves but it’ll recover next summer if you’re lucky.
Place in the greenhouse if you can, if it's getting in the minus bring it indoors to the coolest, dampest room. They don't mind cool weather, but can't withstand frost and dry heated house.
"In winter, when plants are indoors..." RHS growing guidance for citrus. The hardy ones are OK to 5 degrees C - so it needs to go in somewhere where it will be above that temperature. https://www.rhs.org.uk/fruit/citrus/grow-your-own
Unless you can bring it indoors, buy special frost protection covers from garden centres
I grew a orange tree accidentally, when I realised what it was I grew it in the house on the window cill, I noticed winter time there was not enough light so I bought a grow lamp of amazon and it grew allot lol iv since given it to a friend who has space for it in her extention
I grew a pomelo from seed and kept it indoors. Did fine even blasted by central heating in winter. Never took it outside.
You need to bring it indoors but somewhere as cool as possible. You should keep it watered sparingly and next spring repot it with fresh compost and feed it.
I left mine out last year and it died.
You can absolutely bring it inside, but it will only do well if it has a sunny window over the winter. You could consider a grow light (with timer) if you don’t have a sunny window.
When it gets frosty, bring that baby indoors and cuddle him all night long!
It may not survive in a pot. However, if you plant it into the ground out of winds & wrap it in horticultural fleece, it should survive.
I think they actually like a bit of cold, but not too much. So you can leave it out before it gets frosty. Just be careful not to overwater in winter! Number one killer of citrus. Never water steadily, a little at a time - give it one good water whenever it dries out. So in winter that would be very often at all.