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Temp tolerance in chinese varieties

Nar.n

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Joined
Aug 30, 2025
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4
I've been experimenting with temperature ranges for my cull plants, and it's been a bit of a revelation. Turns out, even the notoriously finicky Chinense varieties can handle much lower temps than I expected. I had them down to 33°F with no losses, I had light over them, but they were still in an unheated greenhouse
Has anyone else tried pushing the limits with their plants in similar conditions?
 
Wow, 33°F and the chinense survived? That's great! The lights must have helped. Most people keep them above 40°F. Did you see any signs of cold, like purple leaves or slow growth? I'm wondering which types you tried and how they did in the spring.
 
I have a three year old Chinese variety (plus others) that I have been able to keep alive through the winter in a large raised bed. I have a heavy duty (fiber woven) clear plastic tarp that I put over the raised bed for the winter. I'm sure that the temperature gets down that low as it is often 26F to 28F outside this enclosure. If it gets much colder than that I put an electric oil heater under the tarp and can also add heat lamps.
 
I've had Pubescens that resprouted from the roots after a frost hit the leaves. These plants also resembled trees after growing for five years or more.
 
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