Fertilizing potted citrus

General Fruit Growing
#1

Generally, I don’t fertilize my potted plants inside during the winter, but I’m wondering if citrus are different. The fruit on my plants has been picked in late summer. Should the trees be getting ready for blooming again, and does this mean they want feeding?

#2

Citrus are heavy feeders. However, yours are in pots which you bring indoors. So (1) overall your Citrus need less than those in the ground, and (2) while they’re indoors can only utilize about 1/4 of that because their metabolism is greatly reduced.

To calculate how much to use in the summer, consider a mature tree in the ground utilizes about 200 gallons of soil volume. So if your pot is 20 gallons you should apply about 1/10th of the “ground” dosage.

As for what Citrus fertilizer to use, I’ve noticed that several “organic” brands are insufficient in potash (the K value in N-P-K). For better results, choose a fertilizer with equal N and K values, and a lower P value.

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#3

Thanks - should I keep up the same fertilization as in summer?

The trees tend to drop leaves when moved inside - is this a factor in ferilizing?

#4

Here’s what I’m recommending:

  1. Choose a fertilizer with the NPK profile discussed above.
  2. Calculate your summer dosage, based on pot size.
  3. Then compute 1/4 of that, your winter dosage.

The leaf fall you observe is due to reduced light in the solar spectrum.

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#5

How much light does indoor citrus need in winter? My is staying near glass door facing south-east. It is about 2 feet tall, in my experience with veggie starters, if they reach that size, lights become very inefficient due only reaching the top of the plant with good intensity. Do you think it make sense to provide artificial light from top or wrapped around the tree in addition to the window light?

#6

I think artificial light could be a good idea, but potted citrus also should have moisture in a dry indoor room and that could cause safety concerns. I wouldn’t want to spritz a tree wearing wires.

My trees don’t really get a lot of light on the porch in the winter, but they like the humidity out there. They do well when put outside in the spring and bear a crop every year, if not such a large one.

#7

I didn’t mean really wrap the tree in string lights, just to create a structure around the tree to install side lights :blush:. For moister - it has a personal humidifier. :grinning:.

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