Citrus Basics

March 20, 2012   Our lesson this week was on the cultivation of citrus.  A healthy citrus tree bearing abundant fruit is a great addition to your landscape.  Newer varieties provide lower acid fruit which is sweeter.  Some, such as the very sweet and easy to peel Honeybell or Minneola Tangelo are crosses between grapefruit and tangerines.

When buying citrus for your home, choose healthy trees with good root systems.  Most reputable nurseries will let you pull them from the pot to check for girdling or other root problems, so take advantage and save yourself an extra trip.  Once home with your tree chose a location in full sunlight with plenty of room to grow.  Mature citrus trees need a clear area of about 20 ft. and will grow to 15-20 f.t tall.   Give them space, and if possible do not plant on the northwest side of your property as that's the direction of the prevailing winter winds.  Remove vegetation in a 5 ft circle. In the middle of the circle, dig a planting hole two times the size of the pot and the same depth or a little more shallow.  No need to add amendments as it will need to adapt to the existing soil. Remove the bottom root mass, bound roots and loose potting soil and open up the roots.

Fill the hole with water (mudding in), put in the tree and begin to back fill keeping wet to push out any air pockets.  Yes, it's messy, but very effective.  Use the remaining dirt to build a water ring that will hold about five gallons of water.  Prune the top to compensate for any root loss. Your tree will need to be watered daily for the first week. Just fill the water ring you built for this purpose.  Water three times a week for the next three weeks.  Then keep evenly moist but never wet.  Feed monthly February - October.  Many specialty citrus fertilizers are available.  Always read and follow the directions.

Most of you have heard of Citrus Greening which is presenting yet another challenge to the citrus industry and to dooryard citrus too.  It is also called Huang Long Bing or yellow dragon disease.  This bacterial disease is thought to have originated in China in the early 1900s. The disease is primarily spread by two species of psyllid insects. One species, the Asian citrus pysllid, Diaphorina citri, has been present in Florida since 1998.  Here is link with an in-depth discussion of Citrus Greening:  Citrus Greening 

While this is a serious challenge, don't give up on planting citrus trees.   Imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide can be used to protect your trees until they are eight feet tall, and I have been assured by local experts that it's safe to eat the fruit.  New methods of controlling the disease are being developed, and new management practices such nutrient foliar sprays are also being tested.  If you find you have Greening, don't yank out your trees just yet.  You won't protect your neighbor's trees as once symptoms show, nearby trees are probably also infected. Enjoy your fruit while you can and be alert to new control methods.