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Known for their lush green foliage, sweet-smelling blossoms, and delicious fruity pulp, citrus trees grow naturally in tropical to subtropical surroundings. Citrus tree planting becomes possible in temperate climate and colder zones as long as these trees have been planted with care and are occasionally attended to during their year-round growth.
How to grow citrus trees
For ideal results, the best time of the year for citrus tree planting would be from fall to late winter. This gives them time to adjust to the hot, dry days of late spring until summer. Many citrus trees, such as sweet citrus, sour oranges, dwarf citrus, and trifoliate varieties, can be planted at almost any time of the year and are widely available all throughout the United States, courtesy of nurseries.
You usually buy them as container-grown citrus trees, and they often come in the budded form which is grown as a graft on the lower portion of the trunk or root stock. It is rare to find the seedling types which are more resistant to cold but sadly prone to foot rot disease in this environment.
How to plant them
The process of citrus tree planting is crucial to their growth and survival. You have to begin by washing off the potting soil from the root ball to prepare it for adapting to its new soil conditions. The soil fertile enough for citrus would be well-drained sandy loam, not at all salty, and with a pH of 6 to 8.
On your yard, select an open space exposed to full sunlight yet protected from the cold fronts coming from the northwest. Clear it of weeds and other vegetation. Dig a planting hole three feet wide and as deep as the height of the root ball. If you plant your citrus tree too deep, it could develop foot rot near its graft.
Place the tree in the middle of the hole, and refill it halfway with soil. Add some water, then completely fill and tamp with topsoil. Add one more inch of topsoil to protect the roots from drying out. Do not forget to build a raised ring of soil six inches high wherein you will supply water.
How to care for them
There is no need whatsoever to mulch citrus trees because doing so would only make them more susceptible to foot rot disease. You can use mild herbicides to control weeds, and you should only use nitrogenous fertilizers when recommended.
Young citrus trees need regular watering within their soil ring, especially when they have been newly planted. Water them every other day for the first week, then one to two times a week for the succeeding months. Within four to six months, you can use a hose or sprinkler for watering. How often you water them as they grow depends on the kind of soil you have and the rainfall you experience at a certain time of year.
Within November to early March, be sure to construct soil banks around citrus trees to protect their lower trunks and branches from freezing when winter comes.
The wonder of citrus tree planting is that you will be saved from the task of any pruning. During their fruit-bearing season, the branches of citrus trees naturally reach almost to the ground. Your care in planting and attending to them will bear fruit, all in good time and in abundance.
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Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about trees and shrubs and gardening articles at GreenThumbArticles.com!
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