Unlike some fruit trees who are drama queens, citrus is more of a “leave-me-alone-to-get-the-job-done” kind of fruit tree.If you just let it hang out and grow – and just give it a tad bit of help – everybody will win.

Citrus Care IS As Simple as 1-2-3

There are only three things you need to do as a citrus owner, and one of them is a don’t!

Number One

Don’t prune citrus. Citrus trees naturally grow into a globe shape. They NEED to shade their trunk. SHADE! So you need to let them naturally form their glossy green globe. If you prune this natural shape into a tall lollipop – sunlight hits the trunk of the tree, and then the trouble begins.

Minor problems of sun exposure on bark include fruit drop and poor fruit quality. Major problems include splitting or cracking bark, sap oozing out, gumosis, limb death, and even death of the entire tree.

Bear all of this in mind and avoid pruning citrus if at all possible. If you must, like if it is getting in the walkway or rubbing on the house, prune in early fall or early spring, never in the heat of summer.

With the above in mind – some interior pruning is good. Do this in early spring (St. Patrick’s Day) as the plant begins its active growth phase. For spring pruning you need to eliminate crossing, rubbing branches, and remove sucker growth (watersprouts). If such pruning causes the trunk to be exposed to sunlight, paint the exposed area with “Go Natural Citrus Paint” a gray paint specifically created for the task. (This paint can also be used on other thin barked trees such as peaches.)

Number Two

Do fertilize. A well balanced citrus fertilizer should be used. Generally this is one high in nitrate and phosphate, such as ammonium phosphate (16-20-0).

Fertilizer only needs to be applied to established trees three times per year.

In Low and Middle Desert, fertilize on St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. If you live at Upper Elevations – fertilize on last frost day, mid-summer, and 60 days before first frost.

Apply fertilizer correctly – at least six inches away from the trunk, and extending outward to several feet beyond the branch ends. The feeder roots that take up the fertilizer are below the branch ends and further out. If your tree has a tree well and it is not larger than the diameter of the tree – time to make the tree well bigger.

Water your fertilizer into the soil so it does not burn the roots. Better yet, dissolve fertilizer in water before applying. I always do this because of wildlife. Sadly, doves are not the sharpest tools in the shed, and they can be killed by eating fertilizer pellets.

Number Two-and-a-half

Citrus requires acid soils and has a really hard time absorbing the fertilizer you just applied if the soil is overly alkaline. Since our water is alkaline too, you have to watch for this issue and treat it quickly – before the tree suffers excessively.

Alkaline-induced-iron-chlorosis

Symptom: Leaves are yellow but the veins remain green (at first anyway).

Treatment: One (1) cup white (or cider) vinegar in 4 gallons of water and use this to water. Repeat until the leaves are no longer yellow.

Prevent: A new layer of compost on top of the soil over the roots every single year (why tree wells for citrus are good). Used coffee grounds when you can are helpful too.

Number Three

Water Correctly. Citrus prefers a deep watering, then allow the soil to dry out! Soils that are kept wet can kill the tree. Water too often, and you get poor fruit quality, and even problems with flowering. In moderate, loamy soils, water once a month October through March (or not at all if more than half an inch of rain falls that month). After March, increase irrigation frequency to every three weeks, and then every two or three weeks in the summer. This guide assumes a moderate desert soil – not clay, not sand.

Citrus Care IS As Simple as 1-2-3.

Put away the pruning tools, fertilize only three times a year, and water only every so often. Citrus can be so easy to grow!

Thanks for reading!

Jacqueline

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