I’ve put together some answers to the frequently asked questions I get about growing citrus trees. You should be able to find a lot of answers here but if you still have questions after searching here please reach out and contact me. I will help you however I can.
Will citrus grow outside here?
Absolutely! However it is important to choose the correct varieties of citrus and match that with the appropriate amount of winter protection. There are great varieties that are cold hardy enough to grow here with very simple and minimal cold weather protection. Varieties that you can grow here: Owari Satsuma, Brown Select Mandarin, Kishu Mandarin, Shirnaui Mandarin, Croxton Grapefruit, Meyer Lemon, Kumquats and more.
I am going to be growing my citrus in a container, how do I up pot it?
I recommend you up pot into a container that is ~3x the size of the original container. Typically its a 1 gallon liner and I would put that into a 3 gallon pot with well draining potting mix. Make sure you fill the container almost to the top and plant the tree at the same level it was in the original container. Do not disturb the rootball any more than you have to during this process. You often have to rough up the bottom of the rootball to get it to fit height wise but do as little as you can get away with. Here is a great video on the process.
How do you protect your trees from the cold?
There are a number of ways to do it, some people use incandescent Christmas lights and frost cloths, other plant against a brick wall and cover the trees, I prefer to use barrels of water and moving blankets. This video best explains the process, I use a moving blanket instead of a carpet and i’ve also added a frost cloth as well if its going to be really cold… while it may not be needed it does make me feel better knowing its there. This method got my in-ground trees through 15 degree weather in 2022, the other tree I lost, the barrel had a hole in it and leaked out over night.
How old are the trees you offer?
A lot of people have been asking the age of trees and are then surprised when I tell them they were grafted less than a year ago and will fruit this coming season. Our trees are grafted with mature buds which allows them to set fruit quicker. Its recommended to remove any developing fruit for the first 3 years to allow the tree to focus its energy on growing roots and branch structure. I understand its not easy though, so if you are impatient like me, you can always leave a couple just to try but realize it wont be the best fruit the young tree has to offer.
What kind of fertilizer do you recommend?
I recommend using a slow release type fertilizer with higher nitrogen. I personally use a 13-6-6 slow release fertilizer I purchase from Madison Citrus for my potted citrus as well as my in-ground citrus.