I found at Meyers a 24-8-16 with most micros, non acid Mericle grow. None of your listed choices are appropriate. Home depot and lowes will not have anything your tree can use.

I was told not to fertilize containerized citruses so I stopped with no ill effects. Im surprised its blooming now but I'm so far south from you that my input is probably of little value to you.

Thanks for the quick responses! poncirusguy, is that the Miracle Gro All Purpose fertilizer or was it a Meijers store brand? I don't think we have Meijers up here. bossyvossy my last lemon did well with little/no food for a few years but it stopped bearing fruit for the last 2 years, then dropped all its leaves and then died last spring. I think my failure was a combo of no food, wrong soil mix, 1 repotting when it was stressed in an effort to save it, and then the final bullet to the heart was our move this summer. It got overwatered by my well meaning husband.

Look for Vigoro Citrus and Avocado, or Espoma Citrus Tone (organic, but a bit pricey); apply according to label instructions.

Hi John

Are we going with a fertilizer lower in nitrogen because we are going in to winter but we still need the other nutrients at regular strength.

Steve

This stuff might be available nationwide - does have urea based nitrogen, though, so biuret buildup could be an issue.

Here is a link that might be useful: green all fruit and vine

This post was edited by serge94501 on Thu, Sep 11, 14 at 21:55

I use foliage pro 1/2- full strength every time I water, even in the winter. I flush the container about once a month with distiller water. The plant will only use what it needs to and the watering and fertilizer needs will be less in cooler weather. You have to be versed in not only growing citrus, but also growing in container.

When you repot you should use Al's 511 or gritty mix. I use 511.

Good luck.

This post was edited by vanman23 on Thu, Sep 11, 14 at 23:40

People here seem to love Foliage Pro by Dyna-Gro, which you can get on Amazon. I've used a variety of different ones over the years before I knew better. Most high nitrogen fertilizers with micro-nutrients will be good enough but macro-nutrient ration of 3-1-2 seems to be best for citrus. For example Foliage Pro is 9-3-6. However, I already had a bottle of 6-4-4 which I'm trying to use up and my trees don't seem any worse for wear.

Beware of folks who may recommend adding acids/base, ie vinegar or acid loving plant fertilizer. Unless you have high or low ph in your water/soil you don't have to adjust.

BeanQueen, most of the very successful container citrus growers use DynaGro's Foliage Pro. Full strength in the summer when your trees are outside and growing rapidly, 1/2 strength during the slower winter months. And, many often supplement with Osmocote Plus (must be the "Plus" formulation). Works very well, proper NPK ratios, plus all the micros. Also, the N is not urea-based, so you don't have to fear biuret build up and root burn. Both can be purchased at any number of online sources, and Osmocote Plus I think can be purchased at Lowes, now. Bossyvossy, not sure who on earth would have told you not to fertilize a container citrus tree, but your tree will eventually decline if you do not fertilize.

Patty S.

Thank you so much for all the tips, everyone! Most of my indoor plants are in some variation of 511 mix; I adjust it according to what I'm potting in it. I do have Osmocote Plus, and I will plan to add some to the 511 next spring when I repot the lemon. I have seen the DynaGro Foliage Pro mentioned a ton in these forums, so I'll probably end up tracking it down online. I've seen some of the Espoma products in local stores, so now I will keep my eye out for the Citrus Tone. I have seen the vinegar thing mentioned a few times, and was questioning if I needed to do that, so thanks for the clarification DTunes! I'm excited to do great with this plant, and again I appreciate all the advice.

Keep in mind that Johnmerr grows Meyer lemon trees professionally and has over 30,000 trees. His answer is probably the best for your tree and situation.

Steve

Steve,

My answer is probably not the best; I just know those work pretty well for some of my friends who have garden trees.

I don't use those fertilizers for my inground trees; so best to take the advice of people who know more about container growing.

Four weeks ago i transplanted a few citrus tree's to 3gl rootmaker containers and planted them on top in the garden area picked one up and i notice white roots coming out of the bottom. These tree's are growing in compost only.The containers were soaked for a day in a fish/kelp/water(Nitron-Sea/grow plus) bucket.You don't need anything fancy for the first 3 years
Seagrow plus or any fish/kelp fertilizer to me is a crf,it does not work immediate.

A seedling with it's first true leaves needs the same ratio of nutrients, including the secondary macros and all the micros. All nutrients are equally important to growth and vitality, so suggesting that nothing special need be done for the first 3 years could be very misleading. Nothing special need be done as long as the plant is getting ALL the nutrients plants normally take from the soil, in a favorable ratio and at a concentration high enough to prevent deficiencies, yet low enough that the concentration of nutrients in the soil solution isn't high enough that it inhibits the uptake of water and the nutrients dissolved therein.

To me, that sounds like you need a plan if you want to be on target. Leaving it to chance by letting the soil feed the plant might be ok in the yard or orchard, but it's not going to get the job done in pots.

FWIW - using large fractions of compost in conventional container culture is usually fraught with water retention problems (as in too much), due to the fact that compost is all fine particles (or it's not finished and you probably shouldn't e using it for that reason). That you have the Rootmaker containers resting on the soil employs the earth as a giant wick, and from a hydrological perspectives turns the containers into mini raised beds - which changes the way water behaves in those containers. You can use soils that are much more water-retentive and get away with it in raised beds, where the same soil in conventional containers would be limiting due to its excess water retention.

Al

A seedling with it's first true leaves needs the same ratio of nutrients, including the secondary macros and all the micros. All nutrients are equally important to growth and vitality, so suggesting that nothing special need be done for the first 3 years could be very misleading. Nothing special need be done as long as the plant is getting ALL the nutrients plants normally take from the soil, in a favorable ratio and at a concentration high enough to prevent deficiencies, yet low enough that the concentration of nutrients in the soil solution isn't high enough that it inhibits the uptake of water and the nutrients dissolved therein.

To me, that sounds like you need a plan if you want to be on target. Leaving it to chance by letting the soil feed the plant might be ok in the yard or orchard, but it's not going to get the job done in pots.

FWIW - using large fractions of compost in conventional container culture is usually fraught with water retention problems (as in too much), due to the fact that compost is all fine particles (or it's not finished and you probably shouldn't e using it for that reason). That you have the Rootmaker containers resting on the soil employs the earth as a giant wick, and from a hydrological perspectives turns the containers into mini raised beds - which changes the way water behaves in those containers. You can use soils that are much more water-retentive and get away with it in raised beds, where the same soil in conventional containers would be limiting due to its excess water retention.

Al