Vitax Citrus Feed for Winter Soluble Plant Feeds,

Product Information

Citrus plants should keep their leaves all winter, which means they require plenty of light, humidity and occasional watering and feeding. Many citrus flower in late winter. Sudden and dramatic leaf loss is almost always due to underwatering so watch carefully to catch your plant before this stage. When you bring them inside, they still need access to sunlight, so it’s best to put them near a window where they can get as many hours of direct sunlight as possible. Sunlight is very important and if they don’t get enough sunlight the leaves can start to droop. Position

Like other plants, citrus trees have different levels of hardiness and can tolerate different temperatures. Although some are more hardy than others, still make sure to bring them indoors over winter in an unheated conservatory or hallway. If you find that despite a regular feeding regime the leaves are still coming through light in colour or mottled then you may have hard water and/or need an extra boost of nutrients – give us a call and we’ll be happy to advise. Advice on Pests Spikes are best for potted citrus trees, rather than those in the ground. Different companies sell these. Fertilizer spikes utilize the nutrients potassium and phosphorus to feed citrus trees for producing fruit and flowers. Some go the extra step and include Mycorrhizal fungi and single-celled Archaea that work together to increase the productivity of the tree’s root mass. They’re used twice per year in the soil around trees. You can find spikes in most home improvement stores. Citrus Fertilizer Sprays

4. Watch for Leaf Drop

Feeding your tree in the summer can be done weekly from April to September with our summer citrus feed. It is a high nitrogen fertiliser to support the growth of healthy new foliage and prevents the developing fruits from prematurely ripening. Citrus trees are hungry plants, so feed regularly during the growing season. From mid-spring to mid-autumn, tomato feed or liquid seaweed solution is ideal. In winter, use a winter citrus feed once a month. Indoors try to keep your plant away from any radiators, under floor heating or draughts and if on a windowsill keep the leaves from touching the glass.

Remove the old pot (Turn the plant upside down and hold it soil in with one hand and pull the pot off with the other) If the roots are tightly knotted together, gently pull them away from each other so that they will then be able to move out into the new soil. Put a small amount of soil into the bottom of the new pot, lower the plant into the pot and fill up around the edges, compacting the soil gently with your fingers to make sure that there are no air gaps around the edge. Water the plant thoroughly a few times, to make sure the soil is wet. The good news is that all citrus trees have similar requirements when it comes to fertilizer – you won’t have to search for specific types, like orange tree fertilizer or satsuma tree fertilizer. A good, all-around citrus tree fertilizer, whether it’s fertilizer for trees grown outdoors or fertilizer for citrus trees in pots, will be rich in nitrogen and contain plenty of micronutrients including boron, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium and zinc. When a lemon tree is devoid of enough nitrogen to sustain it, its leaves become mottled with yellow before turning completely yellow and falling off of the tree. The yellowing of mature leaves is a sign of nitrogen deficiency. In the image shown, the dark green leaf is normal while the other two are symptomatic of a tree deficient in nitrogen. The higher the air temperature the more often your citrus plant should be watered, because it will be evapotranspiring more (or ‘breathing’ more).

Spent flowers and dead fruits should be removed regularly from both indoor and outdoor plants to keep the tree looking neat and to avoid fungal problems. Lemon trees and particularly the mature Lemon trees can take cooler temperatures right down to 0 degrees and can go outside as soon as the night time temperature is above freezing. (They will even survive a mild frost if you get caught out). If you are leaving your citrus trees outdoors when the weather turns at the end of summer all the way through until the beginning of spring. Even if only for a few months, you want to position them such that they get sunlight all the time and have access to temperatures around 5°C. Still, it’s safer to get them indoors sooner rather than later. Where not to position your citrus tree

You should only water when the top of the soil is actually dry to the touch. Most problems come not from watering too much but watering too often. If you consistently overwater your plant, you will starve the roots of oxygen, and prevent them from functioning properly. They can start dropping their leaves a few at a time at this stage and if it continues can lead to root rot and eventually the death of the plant. Advice on Humidity Foliar feeding (using the same strength feed as when watering) with a dash of washing up liquid can also make a huge difference to the health of Citrus. Many things that can go wrong in a garden, from injuries from tools to crops not producing fruit, but there’s no reason that your lemon tree should suffer. If you are aware of the things we discussed and follow our tips for treating nutrient deficient or pest-ridden plants, you will see your lemon tree thrive and produce stunning fruit, perfect for slicing into a glass of something cold and refreshing or incorporating into an alfresco dinner. STOP PRESS: NOVEMBER 2022. So far this autumn has been unseasonably warm but wet. Because of this, you may choose to keep your trees out a little longer than usual but do make sure their roots have a chance to dry out between downpours. Citrus trees sensitive roots should not sit in water so use pot feet to keep pots with drainage holes up above the puddles and consider moving your trees up against the side of the house or under a porch to protect them from the worst of the rain. As the days get shorter and we move from autumn to winter the care your plants need will change. 1. WateringLemon trees do need a lot of light to flourish, aim for bright indirect sunlight for around 6 hours a day. When the surface of the soil dries out on top, remove the plastic pot from any pot cover or basket and water the plant heavily until the water runs freely through the soil and out of the holes in the bottom of the plastic pot. You might find it easiest to do this in a sink or outside. Don’t forget to throw the excess water away and never let the pot sit in a pool of water.