Potted lemon before a freeze

A low of 32°F is forecast. Roots in a pot get almost as cold as the air, and lemons are among the most cold-sensitive citrus. Potted roots can die if the soil drops much below 32°F.

When we suggest this

• ForecastA night at or below about 32°F is forecast for tonight or the next 2 nights.
• Your noteYour note: it grows in a container.

What would stop us suggesting it

• The morning after the forecast night passes (or when a fresh forecast no longer shows it).
• When you mark it Done or Doesn't apply. "Doesn't fit my setup" stops it for that plant this season.

What to do

1. Before sunset, move the pot into a garage, shed, or enclosed porch. An unheated spot is fine.
2. If it's too heavy to move, push it against a house wall and cover the tree and pot with a frost cloth that reaches the ground.
3. If the soil is dry, water it during the day. Moist soil holds heat better.
4. Move it back out the next morning, once it's above freezing.

What we can't know

• How sheltered the pot's spot is now.

Container roots lack the insulation of the ground; Texas A&M says they may die if the pot drops much below 32°F. Leaf and wood damage on lemons starts in the mid to high 20s°F in the air, so 32°F leaves some margin; moving a pot is quick, so we err early.

Where this advice applies

All US regions.

Any US garden with a potted lemon outdoors when a night at or below freezing is forecast.

Pots on a covered porch or against the house run warmer than pots in the open.

Exceptions

• Lemons in the ground (see the in-ground task).
• Pots already indoors for the winter (answer "Already inside").

Related guide sections

• Growing lemon trees: containers

Reviewed

Sources checked Sept 2026 · awaiting expert review

Gardenplanner research (AI-assisted), pending extension-qualified review

Rule id and version: lemon.container-shelter@1