Citrus Tree Advice

I purchased a citrus tree from B&Q. The problem is that it never came with a lot of instructions. This is year 2 I have owned it and it is bearing fruit.

I have a few questions I hope someone can help me with as I am new to gardening.

Do I need to re-pot the tree, and if so could you please advise on pot size and soil type?

How do I feed a citrus tree? Would I needs to get specific foods or generic food?

Thank you so much for your time and replies.

Declan





Don't know why the photos are showing sideways!

 

Hi Declan, That's a healthy-looking specimen! It wouldn't hurt to re-pot it though. I've found that citrus do much better in a wooden or plastic pot than in terracotta. Choose one 2" bigger all round than the existing one (interior measurements). Citrus don't like standing in too much wet, badly drained compost so make sure there are plenty of drainage holes and preferably that it's deep enough to put a layer of gravel, pouzzolane or pieces of broken pot in the bottom. Never stand a citrus tree in a saucer of water! Have a look in your local garden centre for a special compost mix for mediterranean plants/ citrus. Failing that, a mix of John Innes soil-based, peat-based multi-purpose, manure and horticultural grit in equal measures works well but involves buying a lot of bags...much simpler if you can find a ready mix. Just check the ingredients for a high percentage of 'chopped green waste' or words to that effect, and avoid it...there seems to be a lot of rubbishy compost about lately. Citrus prefer a slightly acid medium. If you re-pot, you shouldn't need to feed it for a few weeks. After that, either a dedicated feed for citrus or something like Miracle-Gro ericaceous feed works well. Keep an eye open for little brown bumps on the underside of the leaves...scale insects love citrus and are a pain to get rid of once established. If you wipe them off as soon as seen, it saves a lot of hassle later. The only other possible but quite rare pests are woolly scale which looks like cotton wool on the stems (same treatment as for brown scale) and leaf miners which cause the edges of the leaves to curl and turn yellow. Best controlled by taking off all the affected leaves and thoroughly disposing of them. Keep somewhere cool, light and frost-free in winter and it'll thrive! Here's a photo of the sort of container to go for..something on feet, legs or wheels that you can put a saucer underneath to catch excess water!

 

Hi Noisette47,

Thank you for your time and detailed reply. I will take your advice and repot the tree with correct soil mixtures. I want it to grow and though it might have needed a bigger pot. I just wasn't sure about soil mixtures. Think I will go for a ready made one though.

 

But they are owned by Scotts. I don't know what happened to the historic Bogs eventually, but stories like this sadden me about companies like that.

 

Hi FloraPie,
Sorry, I don't do political correctness when it comes to plants! There was a campaign years ago by the RHS to replace peat use in it's gardens and nurseries, and to discourage gardeners from using it. Several years on, they not only admitted that there was not one single viable alternative, but that most peat bogs used for horticultural purposes weren't threatened sites!
My experience of peat substitutes has proved conclusively that chopped-up and 'composted' green/street waste is disastrous for most uses. The only thing it's fit for is to use as a soil conditioner and /or mulch. As for Miracle Gro, well it saddens me that I can't get it here. My plants used to do very much better when I used it. Don't get me started on the wonders of glyphosate

 

That article is indeed sad, Flora. But it is 16 years old. The peat bogs continue to be destroyed and the best thing we as gardeners can do is REFUSE TO BUY PEAT. I think though that this is off topic and needs a thread to itself.

 

Yes, I know, that's why I chose that one. I always research the history of companies I deal with prior to purchasing from them and Scott's history wasn't/isn't so commendable. It has been said that peat farming doesn't harm the peat bogs at all... but when one depletes a source without reserve, well the end result speaks louder than words. Good to know that we agree that gardeners should REFUSE TO BUY PEAT. And yes, this is probably off topic right here and so I shall say no more with regards to it