Citrus Tree T.L.C.
By Misty Johns, Vice President, Coastal Greenery, Inc.
Getting enough Vitamin C these days is big on everyone’s “To Do List.” Planting citrus trees to give you instant access to Vitamin C is ideal. There is nothing hard or mysterious about planting and maintaining citrus trees. To keep citrus trees healthy and well you simply need to understand the three main considerations for a citrus tree: planting, pruning, and feeding.
One important requirement for the health of a citrus tree is the location it is planted. Citrus trees like a warm climate, so plant the tree where it will get at least five hours of sunlight a day. You also want to plan for the growth of the tree. A mature Mandarin tree can reach up to 25 feet and a Kumquat tree can grow up to 6 feet wide. If space is limited, plant Dwarf citrus trees in large pots. Dwarf citrus trees will grow to about half the size of regular citrus trees, but the size and taste of the fruit will not be altered. If you find that you do not have the space for the width of a citrus tree, you can always espalier your tree. Not sure what espaliering is? Not to worry, we will talk about that later.
Citrus Tree
Pruning your citrus tree is important to maintaining its health and wellbeing. Pruning involves removing dead, unhealthy, or poorly positioned foliage. The purpose for pruning is to allow for air circulation, light saturation, increase blossom and fruit quality, tree manageability, and the availability of growing space. If you have limited space, you can prune and train your citrus tree to grow along a trellis and or up a wall, which is otherwise known as espaliering. The time of year to prune is determined by the harvest of the fruit. For example, a Valencia orange ripens from March into October, but a Tangerine is ready to harvest during winter and early spring. The best time to prune a citrus tree is after a harvest but before the tree has buds growing.
How you feed and water a citrus tree is the last factor in understanding how to keep a citrus tree healthy. Citrus trees do not like “wet feet.” They need good soil drainage where the soil is moist and not soggy. Newly planted Meyer lemon trees need to be watered deeply once a week, but older Meyer lemon trees need deeper watering every two weeks. Along with water, nutrients made especially for citrus trees are important. Citrus trees are most ravenous from the time they bloom until they produce fruit. Feed a young tree once every one to two months during the growing season and once every two to three months during dormancy. Fertilizing can be achieved through the leaves or through the ground depending on the type of citrus tree.
You do not have to be an expert to grow citrus trees! Considering these three important provisions required by citrus trees will help take the stress out of caring for your trees and will promote nutritious and tasty fruit for years to come.
Coastal Greenery, Inc. has been providing professional landscape maintenance and management services for commercial, industrial, county and city, historic, and residential properties in the Golden Isles since 1994. They customizes each client’s landscape program to suit their property and budget requirements. Visit coastalgreenery.com or call 912.261.8171 to schedule a consultation.
