ᐅ Overwintering Olive and Lemon Trees in Outdoor Storage

Hello everyone,

Does anyone have experience overwintering olive and lemon trees indoors in an unheated space? Since our garden landscaper will be working in the garden until the end of January, we can’t simply pack up and store the plants as we usually do. The effort to keep moving them around would be too much, and there’s a higher risk of damage during rearranging. We have an unheated outdoor storage area where we would like to keep the plants. The temperature there should be fine, since it won’t get warm. However, the light is limited to a skylight in the door. The plants don’t tolerate low light for longer than 14 days. In case it’s needed, can I keep on the two moisture-resistant lamps with neutral white light at 4,000 K and 3,600 lumens each? Would that benefit the plants, or is that too little light or the wrong color temperature? Does anyone have experience with this?

Best regards

DASI90 schrieb:

Does anyone have experience with this?

Somewhat.
Your moisture-resistant lights with those specifications won’t be sufficient. Daylight is also different from neutral daylight white. It’s only called that because it looks like “true white.”
There are expensive and proper grow lights for plants with ballasts and substantial wattage. However, that will also be reflected in your electricity bill.
I’ve successfully kept my lemon tree in the living room in front of the south-facing window.

Thanks for the assessment. Yes, I wanted to avoid buying expensive equipment. But I already suspected that damp room lights are only partially suitable. On the other hand, we will probably have temperatures around 4-8°C (39-46°F) when it gets frosty outside. I once read that cold conditions can also mean darkness or low light levels?

Or, if I should buy a grow light, how is the light requirement determined?

Cold and dark or bright and warm.
For the right needs:
There are growing websites. But don’t be surprised: they often target a different audience focused on plant growth 😉
I don’t know of any others.

DASI90 schrieb:

Does anyone have experience with overwintering olive and lemon trees indoors without heating?

Assume that the lemon tree will die at around 4°C (39°F). Sorry...

The olive tree needs at least some light. However, I would simply leave it outside. Wrap the pot well, cover the soil, and protect the crown with fleece (mainly against wind rather than cold). I have never lost an olive tree outdoors during winter. If you plant it permanently, get a root heater.

Torti2022neu schrieb:

Assume that the lemon tree will die at 4°C (39°F). Sorry...

The olive tree needs at least some light. However, I would just leave it outside. Wrap the pot well, cover the soil, and use fleece around the canopy (mainly to protect against wind rather than cold). I have never had an olive tree die outside during winter. If you decide to plant it permanently, get a root heater.

The lemon tree has survived on our open balcony for the past five years, even through moderate to severe frost. When it comes to the olives, I don’t want to take any risks because we’re quite attached to them.

Besides all the miscellaneous stuff from China, I’ve now found a grow light from a German manufacturer to help with overwintering. It’s from MeineOrangerie and looks quite decent.