Is it safe to move potted citrus trees outdoors when it’s warm enough?

Question

Hello,

I have a couple of citrus trees in pots inside my house. I live in Colorado where they cannot overwinter, so they’ve been inside during this time. We’ve had a streak of pretty warm weather (mid to upper 50s), and my deck is south facing and gets direct sunlight that warms it up pretty nicely.

I know citrus trees require a lot of sunlight, but I don’t want to stress them out too much. Is it safe to move these trees outside into the sun when it gets warm enough, and back inside once the sun sets? They’d get more sunlight but I think they’d end up having some temperature swings.

Answer 1

That would do as much damage as leaving them inside with little light. There is a very easy remedy for this, as citrus are not very picky about types of light. Any horticultural grade light of 200 watts or above will suffice for a citrus over winter. Using LEDs will cut down on lighting cost, and heat.

Using lighting indoors will often lead to fruit, where as the shock of being indoors without light in the winter will not allow for fruiting, since they will lose the majority, if not all, of their leaves.

I don't put my citrus out, even in the summer. I find indoor lighting sufficient. This is especially true in indoor greenhouses commonly known as tents. This provides an enclosed environment for trees and plants as long as you have a way to evacuate air.