Citrus trees include lemons, oranges, limes, tangerines, mandarins, satsumas, and kumquats. These are surprisingly easy to grow and so rewarding that they can be grown domestically and commercially. Their glossy green evergreen leaves, colorful (and delicious!) fruit, and fragrant blossoms are a great attraction, and the high value of the crop can be a “fruitful” investment into any farming business. And if you’re lucky enough to live in USDA Growing Zones 9-11, you can even grow citrus trees right in your yard! Precision agriculture services in the USA have made it much easier for commercial cultivators to grow citrus fruits in bulk.
If you plant these trees correctly and care for it, it will also soon be covered in the delicious fruits. For commercial growers, a citrus fruit plantation is an excellent source of revenue. However, they must prepare their field well with all the nutrients essential for healthy plants.
Soil Types Suitable for Citrus Plants:
Clay and silt soils are made of very smaller particles. They feel slick and sticky when wet. Clay and silt hold the moisture well, but resist water infiltration, especially when they are completely dry. Often the puddles form on clay or silt soils, and they very easily become compacted.
Loamy soil is an interesting mix of sand, silt or clay, and the organic matter. Loamy soils are loose and look rich. and when squeezed in your fist, moist loam will normally form a ball which crumbles when poked simply with a finger. Loamy soils usually absorb water and store moisture well. Loam soils can be very sandy or clay based, and will differ in moisture absorption and retention accordingly.
Sandy soils contain very large particles that are visible to bare eyes, and are usually light in color. Sand usually feels coarse when wet or dry, and will not even form a ball when squeezed as a bundle in your fist. Sandy soils stay loose and allow the moisture to percolate easily, but do not retain it for very long-term use.
Source: Freepik
Soil Composition for Citrus Trees:
Citrus trees are surprisingly hardy, but they do have some soil preferences. Although citrus trees can grow in nearly any soil with good drainage, they grow best in loamy or sandy loam soils. Planting citrus trees in clay soil can be problematic because fine particles compact them easily, shutting out air and water that citrus trees need to flourish. Planting in sand-heavy soil can make it difficult for your tree’s roots to retain moisture.
Both problems can be overcome by adding organic matter to the soil. Dried animal manure (available in many yards and garden centers) is a great way to amend problematic soil. Plant-balanced nutrition should be a high-priority management objective for every citrus grower. Plants require a balanced nutrition program for specific maintenance needs and expected production performance. Properly nourished trees or plants grow stronger, produce consistently, have better disease resistance, and are more stress tolerant.
How to Plant Citrus Trees?
The steps to follow are:
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Keep the soil moist:
Citrus grows best in damp (not soggy!) soil. Water your trees every seven to 10 days during the summer, providing it with 4 to 6 inches of water each month. Allow the soil around mature trees to partially dry before watering again – over-watered citrus trees are at risk of root rot. In contrast, trees that aren’t watered enough won’t produce as much fruit.
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Fertilizing citrus trees:
Citrus trees need applications of nitrogenous fertilizer throughout the growing season to promote fruit production. Give trees two to three years old about two tablespoons of actual nitrogen before watering twice a year. Fertilize mature trees with 2 to 3 pounds of nitrogen yearly, scattering the fertilizer over the root area and then watering the soil. In addition, giving your tree a balanced citrus food may correct mineral deficiencies in the soil and promote growth.
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Weeding and mulching:
To reduce competition for moisture and nutrients, keep the area around your tree weeded at least four feet away. You’d also do well to mulch around fruit trees because doing so helps minimize weeds and allows the soil to retain moisture.
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Pest control:
Citrus trees can be sensitive to chemicals, so it’s best to use natural pest control options.
Nutrient Deficiency Dymptoms in Citrus Plants:
Nutrient deficiency symptoms often appear on different plant parts, most frequently on the leaves, fruits, and roots. From this point of view, nutrients’ mobility is an essential property. Therefore, nutrients are redistributed, e.g., when the plant enters the reproductive phase from the vegetative phase.
Accordingly, various soil nutrients are classified as very immobile (B and Ca), very mobile (N, P, K, and Mg), immobile (Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mo), and slightly mobile (S). Symptoms are noticed on fruits for immobile nutrients like B and Ca. The development of visible symptoms is accountable to metabolic disorders, which cause changes in the micromorphology of plants before these symptoms are identifiable.
How the symptoms develop and manifest on younger or older leaves or fruits gives a reliable indication of the cause of nutritional disorders. Both deficiency and excess nutrients can reduce crop yield and inferior fruit quality. Mild visible leaf symptoms for some essential element deficiencies can be tolerated without reducing yield in some citrus varieties but not in the others.
Various forms of nutrient deficiency symptoms are usually summarized as follows:
- Stunted or reduced growth of the complete plant with it remaining either green or lacking in average green luster or the younger leaves being light colored compared to older ones
- Older leaves show a purple color, which is more intense on the lower side
- Chlorosis of leaves either interveinal or the complete leaf itself, with symptoms either on the younger and older leaves or both
- Necrosis on the margins, interveinal areas of the leaf, or the whole leaf on the young or older leaves
- Stunted growth of the terminals in the form of rosetting, frenching, or smalling of the leaves coupled with reduced terminal growth or subsequent death of a terminal portion of plants
Interactions of Nutrition with Other Citrus Grove Practices:
Nutrition management interacts with irrigation processes, pest control, weed management, and the vegetative growth control. Nutrition and irrigation are linked through fertigation process and the need to provide maximum nutrient uptake while reducing nutrient leaching. Water and nutrient uptake efficiency increase as trees mature due to more excellent interception by closely interwoven root systems. Fertilization and irrigation outside the root zone are economically and environmentally unsound and promote weed growth.
Suppose you are wondering exactly when to fertilize citrus trees. In that case, you will find that experts agree that three different feedings are beneficial throughout the growing season. The timing depends partly on the fruit species and the tree’s age.
In Conclusion:
Nutrient availability directly impacts how well plants grow and produce. A sufficient supply of all the nutrients is critical for nutrient management and sustainability. If even a single essential element is below the crucial level for availability, crop growth and yield will fall even if the other aspects are in sufficient supply.
It will need regular watering until your tree is established and roots are spread. How often it happens depends on the weather, but a good, slow soak once a week is usually the best, or twice a week if the weather is hot. Soak the entire area around the tree, not just up against the trunk. Your new citrus plantation crop is set for a great life, and it will soon reward you with the vigorous growth and a bounty of delicious fruit. A little care pays off.
If you need expert advice on preparing your soil before planting any crop, contact us at SoilOptix® today!
