Hi Heruga,

Welcome! It depends on how large your tree is and how much you feed it. What kind of fertilizer are you purchasing? Slow release, water soluble, urea or ammonium based, and so on?

-Tom

It is about 3 feet tall. And I don't want any water soluble ones. I just want the sprinkled 5-1-3 ish fertilizer. And also, I never fertilized this tree ever in the 3 years I had it. How come this tree is able to do so well without it?

I would use Foliage Pro (although it is water soluble - why do you not want those?). It's what most of us use who grow container citrus here. Depending on the mix it's potted in, you can feed it more or less than the recommended dose. I have a sudachi that I got this summer from FW.....it has not grown at all and continues losing leaves. It did not look healthy when I got it. I hope yours does well!

Oh ok, but for the water soluble does that mean its sold as a liquid? Or do I have to mix the fertilizer with water at home?

Folige pro is a liquid that you mix into your water. I feed at 1tsp FP per gallon of water until it's starts draining out the bottom one gallon is good for my small lemon tree I could probably get away with 3/4 gallon but I have a lime as well so I usually just mix up two gallons and water my citrus then pour any excess on my other plants.

It's way easier and has better results then the granular stuff and is way less likely to burn the roots.

It can sold as liquid or powder..You mix it with water it dissolves when mixed with water

Picture of the tree please heruga :)!

Heruga, as Sammers says, you are more unlikely to burn the roots using a liquid fertilizer than a granular fertilizer unless you are using a slow release type such as Osmocote Plus that most of us use often in conjunction with Foliage Pro in case we don't have time to regularly feed with the Foliage Pro. The slow release fertilizers are encased in small pellets that release the fertilizer slowly over time. Often the release is linked to temperature so that as the temperature rises and plants are growing faster and need more nutrients, the nutrients are released faster. Originally when that technology was first used in hot climates the pellets would release too rapidly and burn the roots, but that problem has been worked out. Like Foliage Pro, Osmocote Plus has all the micronutrients citrus trees need too. You must get the Plus version to get the micronutients. Most fertilizers do not include the micronutrients. You can also use the Foliage Pro at 1/4 dosage and spray your leaves to green them up quickly if the plant is showing any nutrient deficiencies. Welcome to this gathering of Citrus fanatics. We have fun here and learn from each other. We like to see pictures, so don't be shy posting some of your tree or other interesting plants you may be growing along with your tree.

Cory

Osmocote Plus is a wonderful product and I couldn't recommend it more. Even though I regularly use Foliage Pro and vinegar, I noticed a pronounced foliage darkening when I added some Osmocote Plus this summer. It basically picks up the slack when you don't feed every watering.

-Tom

Pretty shaped tree Heruga!

Cory

Thanks. You see a few yellowish leaves though right? Could that be because of a lack of nutrients? Since I've never fertilized this tree for the 3 years I had it.

Yes, I think the Foliage Pro will help that. It may take a few applications. Overall, the tree looks good to me. Maybe the original potting mix had slow release fertilizer in it and is now running low. It is good you are catching it in time before the tree starts to decline. Otherwise, you have been taking good care of it. If it has been in the same pot for three years you probably should think of repotting it in the spring. Most of us use the 511 mix that is posted about often and can be found with a search of this site. However, any airy, fast draining potting mix will do well if it is fast-draining and you water carefully. Do not get a mix with moisture control in it as that will keep the roots too wet. Several people like Miracle Grow Garden Soil, NOT Miracle Grow Potting Mix as might be expected. It contains more bark and is light and airy and drains faster than the potting mix version. There are many posts on the subject which you can read using the search engine. Let us know how your tree does once it has been fertilized a few times over a few weeks. I hope you see it green up relatively fast, but this is the time of year tree growth slows down with the shorter days and lower light levels. Don't get impatient. It will green up.

Cory

Ok well one question. When you repot, do I have to scrape off all the surrounding soil on the roots? Or do I just simply pull the plant out of its container(with all the original soil), add new potting mix in a new pot, and then plant the citrus in it?

If its been 3 years or more I would bare-root it, carefully shake off as much of the old soil as possible and using a bucket of water to swish the roots around to get any stubborn stuck on soil off and maybe a tool like a chopstick or dowel to get in between the roots better, just be careful not to break the roots of when doing this. unless they are dead or damaged then trim those off. After re pot in a 5-1-1 or gritty type fast draining soil, or amend a store bought type soil with extra bark/perlite but your roots will probably get more packed by the soil over time then with a soiless mix thus retaining more water. So be careful to let it dry out between watering. I was told on this forum that early summer (June-ish) is the best time to re pot since the tree will be at its most active and recover better from the shock of replanting. Also when you do replant make sure to have your mix ready or let your tree sit in the water while you assemble things so it doesn't dry out the roots. it seems like a lot but its not really once you see how great your tree does with a little extra care.

Also I've never had a Sudachi before, what kind of flavor does it have and what do you usually like to use the fruit for?

Thanks I'll do that. So is it better off waiting until june to repot or should I just do it ASAP?

Sudachi tastes like lime but with a yuzu-ish flavor to it if you ever had yuzu before. We usually squeeze it on fish usually to add stronger flavor to it. If its not fish then usually fried meats like fried chicken. Other than that it really has no significant use unlike the yuzu.