You may be wondering what you should do to your citrus trees after the recent cold weather we experienced. In a typical year, trees receive gradual colder weather that when coupled with shorter day length, promote hardiness within the plant. The recent warm temperatures and colder than expected weather has caused some damage to your trees. Fruit and leaves have begun to fall off your trees prematurely as the result of the freezing temperatures they received. Some fruit became damaged beyond use but others with thicker skin like grapefruit appear to be fine.
I have been getting calls regarding the pruning of limbs and branches that are showing some signs of damage and I am advising homeowners to have patience and wait until spring to prune. Warmer temperatures will promote new spring growth, Mother Nature will tell how much damage she caused, and you will be able to determine how far back you may need to prune back the branches on your trees. In addition, pruning often promotes new growth and I am sure that winter is not over and new growth is more susceptible to damage from freezing temperatures than older growth. Your trees may look bad and you cannot stand to look at them, but again, be patient.
If you want to be productive, rake the fallen leaves and fruit from under your trees if you are able to do so.
Lemon and lime trees are less hardy than kumquat and satsuma trees. All other citrus fall somewhere in between the two hardiness levels.
Once spring has arrived and you address the damage, use a citrus/fruit tree fertilizer to help your plants bounce back from the winter.