TOP 7 TIPS ON GROWING ORANGES AND LEMONS

Growing citrus trees can be tricky so it helps if you know that you are looking after them properly. These seven tips are by Darren Sheriff a Master Gardener and Certified Professional Nurseryman who is the author of the Best Selling Book ?How To Grow Citrus Practically Anywhere?. I found his article on the Gardening Know How website.

When I go out and do lectures or work at a Master Gardener sponsored activity, or even on a daily basis, I get a lot of the same questions. Don?t get me wrong, I have no problem with this, sometimes it actually gets kind of funny. People don?t realize that I just had somebody ten minutes ago ask me the exact same question. Questions are how we learn after all.
Here is a list of some of the more frequently asked ones.
Q: How often should I water?
A: This is a good one that can have many answers. On average, according to many other sources, Citrus require about one inch of water per week. With that being said, I HATE that sentence. Here is some food for thought, if you have a very sandy soil, how long do you think that water will last? 30 minutes, maybe?
If you have a soil that is predominantly clay, that water will last you until Christmas. If you have your Citrus in the ground, it will not need to be watered as often as one in a container. Again, it will depend on your soil type, but also when was the last rainfall, how old is the tree, what kind of weather conditions there have been, etc. Sunny and hot will need more water than cloudy and cool. All of these conditions will apply to in ground or containers. Something else to take into account with containers, a black pot will get very hot and the moisture will evaporate very quickly. The soil temperature can easily reach 120 degrees in full sun. My suggestion, give your plant the finger. Stick it into the soil and see how damp it is. And just what were you thinking? If it is dry up to your first knuckle, or about an inch down, give it a good drink.