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Newbie here... need help planting citrus trees

15 years ago

Hi,

I'm sorry if some of these questions have already been answered, but I'm new to growing citrus trees and would love to get some expert advice before I get started.

I live in Southern Calif (inland empire area) and just bought 3 citrus trees (lemon/dwarf, early navel orange/semi-dwarf, bearss lime/semi-dwarf). We have semi-sandy soil, hot summers and windy winters. We have a retaining wall area that I'm planning on putting the trees, southern exposure and sun year round.

Planting

1. What size hole do I need to dig? Should it be 2x the width and 1.5x the depth of the pot? And should the top of the rootball be right at, above or a little below the surrounding dirt line? Should I put amendment in the soil when planting?

2. How far apart should I pant the trees? I found this discussion http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/citrus/msg0620004430898.html and I really like the idea of planting like trees (for example, early and late oranges) together. But since my trees are different fruit bearing (lime,lemon,orange) how far apart should I plan for them to be?

3. Once planted, how often do I need to water and fertilize? I bought a bag of organic fertilizer (smells like rotten fish), so should I wait a while before fertilizing newly planted trees? When should I start fertilizing the trees?

Thanks!

Lali

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Comments (3)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
I'll answer the first question for you. The planting hole should be the as wide as you care to dig it, though with a sandy soil, you needn't make it much larger than 2 or 3 times the width of the root ball. It should not be any deeper, however, than the height of the roots and maybe even a little bit shallower. That root ball should rest a little above the surrounding soil level. It's best to measure carefully so that you don't have to put more soil in the bottom to compensate for a too-deep hole, but dig it out so that the roots can rest directly on the natural soil.

Do not add a single bit of soil amendment to the hole or to the backfill. Plants establish themselves much more efficiently in native soil whether it be sandy, clayey or anything in between.
lali
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi rhizo_1,

Thanks for the tip. Is there a reason why I shouldn't dig a little deeper than the root ball to and back fill? I would think that loosening the ground underneath the plant would help its roots more easily dig their way deeper into the ground. Are their roots generally close to the surface then? And do citrus trees generally like deep and infrequent watering?

Thanks,
Lali
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sugar_land_dave
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As long as you have well-draining soil you can do as you suggest. SUch an action in clay soil would make a water basin and would drown your plant. Keep the base of the trunk a just little above the soil level.

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