Citrus trees

[NannyGreen]

I had a crazy covid moment last month and bought a lemon tree and an orange tree. I have no experience of growing citrus so all and any handy tips would be very welcome

Both were repotted into 50L pots and are in a fairly sheltered spot (at a premium with all these storms!) but I will be moving them into a corner of the patio once the baby sparrows stop messing with the the other pots. So, basic questions:
Neither has any flowers do I still need to dose them with the citrus food?
Supposed to be hardy down to 5C and the greenhouse is still full at the mo, can I risk leaving them out 'til end October do you think? I am in Berkshire.
Any tips on pruning? Told you I don't have a scooby what I'm doing!

Any and all help will be gratefully received

[Plot70]

I have never bought citrus but have grown them from seed. This has got me good at overwintering them before they start to take up too much space.
I managed to stress one into producing a flower at just 6 inches high. I top dressed it with ericaceous compost over local Derbyshire clay garden soil and it greened up and produced good strong growth.
They are sort of half ericaceous plants so will not grow in that Berkshire blackboard chalk soil but will need a couple of handfuls thrown in for the mineral content.
A grass frost is unlikely to do more than scorch the leaves but a big freeze will kill the mature wood.

[nickdub]

I have a lemon tree in my Polytunnel which is not heated. My take would be that they like damp, cool and preferably frost free conditions over winter. Some varieties seem to be a lot hardier than others, so some details on exactly what you have might be useful for others to comment on.

[NannyGreen]

Thank you Plot70 . If only I had the West Berkshire chalk I am in East Berkshire where London Clay prevails and PH levels require some fenurgling. They were potted into citrus compost so I am hoping that will be a bit on the acid side but I hear you and any top up better be PH6 at least.

Hi nickdub given the weather at the moment they are certainly enjoying cool, damp conditions so that makes me feel better. The lemon is Eureka and the orange is Navelina I don't have a polytunnel so it will have to be the greenhouse, guess I'll have to judge the move depending on the weather. Sadly at the moment forecasting is about the same as guessing

They are both still fairly small (although bigger than 6" Plot70 , that was some achievement!) about 2-3' high with a small crown of leafed branches, wasn't sure if I should reduce the leaves over winter?

[devonuk]

Definitely no need to reduce the leaves.

I have kept them (oranges, lemons, kumquat, tangerine, chinotto) in a cold greenhouse for decades, and they have survived down to -3.7 deg C in the greenhouse with no wrapping and no damage at all. Of course it isn't just about the temperature - that was between two sunny days, and I am sure a week of sub-zero would finish them off, as would being outside in a freezing wind. They hate wind and waterlogging. I have never been very fussed about specialist citrus food, mine fruit away like mad on basic miracle gro. Some people say to fertilise with pee, but I prefer citrus to smell of citrus...

[NannyGreen]

Thank you devonuk that is really helpful. Sadly they have to deal with wind and quite a bit of water at the moment, helping them where I can but this weather is just weird!

Good news about the leaves because my pruning skills would only be useful in a jungle using a machete

The citrus food came with the plants so I might as well use it ( wish I had a chap to 'service' my compost heap though ) but I am not used to feeding stuff that isn't flowering or fruiting. Should I be feeding them now even though there is no sign of flowers?

[ameno]

Thank you devonuk that is really helpful. Sadly they have to deal with wind and quite a bit of water at the moment, helping them where I can but this weather is just weird!

Good news about the leaves because my pruning skills would only be useful in a jungle using a machete

The citrus food came with the plants so I might as well use it ( wish I had a chap to 'service' my compost heap though ) but I am not used to feeding stuff that isn't flowering or fruiting. Should I be feeding them now even though there is no sign of flowers?

Citrus always need feeding when they are potted. They are hungry plants. Indeed, technically all permanent potted plants should be fed regularly, at least through the growing season, even if they aren't flowering. The nutrients held within the pot itself are exhausted within the first 6-8 weeks.
You should only feed them on a summer schedule until the end of September, though. In the winter they don't need much because they don't grow much. Once a month is plenty until maybe mid-February, when you can increase frequency a little.

[NannyGreen]

Thank you ameno , repotted end July so I'm thinking they will probably need a feed in the couple of weeks?

You might have to expand on the Summer and Winter feeding schedule though. My containers have herbs (fed once in Spring), strawberries (get fed when they deserve it) and cordyline (fed twice Spring and end Summer) so I don't really understand. What would be a reasonable frequency pleas?

Thanks to all of you! Feeling a bit less scared about the trees now

[ameno]

Thank you ameno , repotted end July so I'm thinking they will probably need a feed in the couple of weeks?

You might have to expand on the Summer and Winter feeding schedule though. My containers have herbs (fed once in Spring), strawberries (get fed when they deserve it) and cordyline (fed twice Spring and end Summer) so I don't really understand. What would be a reasonable frequency pleas?

Thanks to all of you! Feeling a bit less scared about the trees now

For citrus, summer once a week, winter once a month.

Anything left outside all winter doesn't need winter feeding, as it will go completely dormant over the winter. Citrus don't go completely dormant, though, only semi-dormant, and so still need some feeding, just not as much as they are only growing slowly.
Strawberries in pots really want feeding weekly with tomato feed between about March and maybe the end of July. The others you mentioned are probably fine with just a granular feed (like fish, blood & bone, poultry manure or growmore) once or twice a year, as you are already doing.

[Plot70]

They are both still fairly small (although bigger than 6" Plot70 , that was some achievement!) about 2-3' high with a small crown of leafed branches, wasn't sure if I should reduce the leaves over winter?

One of the branches has now taken over and dwarfed the little bushy plant.
I have just added another photo while it was very wet.
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...flowering-size

[NannyGreen]

That is even more impressive Plot70 !! Don't you just love oxalis

[NannyGreen]

Thank you for the explanation ameno that makes perfect sense. It is just possible I can keep these lovely trees alive now, I do hope so. You may have guessed I'm a pretty basic, not to say haphazard, gardener and usually pretty pragmatic about success and failure. Somehow I feel a tad more invested in these trees, not sure why

[Plot70]

I looked up the formula for citrus feed.
It looks like regular feed with a few minerals added.
As they are half ericacious just add a hand full of clay and use tomato or general feed like I have done.

[NannyGreen]

Thank you Plot70 kind of you to do the research I have a tub of citrus feed that came with the trees so I will use that up and then follow your lead!

[Plot70]

Even grass greening fluid will work at half strength. It is tomato with double nitrogen but remember the hand full of clay as the stuff is devoid of some of the trace elements. I have inherited several bottles of it with the allotment. The previous tenant put the stuff on cough grass. Once pickled the roots made good squash compost in less than 6 months as can be seen in the how are your squashes doing thread.