How to Fertilize Citrus: The Complete Guide – Sembrar100
Citrus fruits are among the trees with the highest nutritional requirements, so a good fertilizer for citrus fruits is key.
There are many types and the strategies for their application are also varied depending on the objectives you hope to obtain.
Take into account that fertilization is directly linked to the production of fruits and their quality.
So you cannot ignore this task and to help you a little more, we leave you this post with everything you need to know.
Why is it important to pay citrus?
The main reason to promote a correct application of fertilizers in citrus responds to the productive issue.When a plant is well fertilized, it has facilities to develop a much more numerous flower production that translates into more fruits.
In turn, these fruits achieve positive growth during their development and maturation process, which is even better for the evaluation of the harvest.
Citrus fertilizer is also key to keeping the trees strong and capable of dealing with the different problems that arise. These include climate change, pest and disease attack, and pruning, just to mention a few.
In addition, they are trees that need regular watering to stay alive and healthy, but this in turn leads to loss of nutrients. Therefore, the greater the amount of irrigation, the more nutritional needs the trees will have.
How often should we pay citrus?
Nutrients are always key in the life of citrus fruits, but it is in spring that the demand increases to a higher level.
The reason is that during this time the trees fulfill many functions that lead to a significant energy loss.
Greening after winter, flowering and fruit set are counted here. In summer, these fruits begin to fill with juice and structure as we know them, so we cannot neglect this time either.
The normal thing is to establish subscribers in fortnightly periods, although the type of subscription and the way of applying it will also have to be taken into account. It is possible to apply a certain amount of compost in the fall to recharge the tree’s energies and help it withstand the winter season.
During the winter it is not necessary to pay because the plant will be in a dormant period and it does not need it.
What nutrients do citrus need?
Citrus fruits are especially picky about the main macronutrients known as nitrogen (N), potassium (K), and phosphorous (P).In addition to these, they also need to have an appropriate level of magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe) and calcium (Ca).
In all cases, a deficit or an excess of one of them will cause variations in foliage, flowering and fruit formation.
What kind of fertilizers do citrus trees need?
To keep citrus fruits in perfect condition, two fundamental issues must be considered: the requirements of the soil and those of the tree itself. In the first case, it is possible to take advantage of the benefits offered by physical- chemical fertilizers, which are the ones that give the best results.
In the second, organic fertilizers are favorites for trees and help them to have optimal conditions for all their processes.
To select one type or another, it is necessary to understand the behavior of the soil and the crop as such. Soil studies are the best option. However, it is very positive to take advantage of organic matter to create homemade compost (free) and apply it to the ground before planting.
How do we prepare fertilizer for citrus?
Organic compost can be prepared at home, ensuring that it is well decomposed before feeding it to the plants.
This must be applied carefully, because the biggest problem it has is that the internal composition that exists is not known and that can lead to excess feeding.
In the case of using complex fertilizers, the process will be much simpler because they are already factory-regulated, which makes it easier to provide just what is necessary.
If a water-soluble one is chosen (which is the best alternative), it can be applied through regular irrigation, thus facilitating the absorption of nutrients.
How do we detect if citrus trees need fertilizer?
Nutrient deficiency in citrus is one of the most studied, due to what these imply at a commercial level. Here we have:
- Nitrogen: affects the development of the leaves, evidencing these much smaller and with changes in color, turning yellowish.
- Potassium: the fruits do not grow enough and the oldest leaves begin to wrinkle.
- Phosphorus: it is not one of the deficiencies that should concern you the most in citrus fruits because it is not frequent. However, it is good that you know that damage can manifest itself in fruits that grow with the correct size, but the amount of juice is reduced.
- Calcium: Citrus trees are vigorous trees most of the time, but if they have a calcium deficit they see it diminished. This can lead to leaf drop if not attended to soon.
- Iron: produces the well-known iron chlorosis that is usually very frequent. The symptoms are manifested in yellow leaves that keep the nerves green, so it cannot be confused with nitrogen deficiency.
- Magnesium: affects leaves and fruits. The former suffer coloration damage that turns yellow, although it does not cover the entire surface. In the fruits it happens that the sugar is at low levels and the size is also usually insufficient.
Citrus fertilizer is an action that you must take yes or yes, since it is essential for excellent crops. In fact, it is one of the most outstanding care for these species, which is why it is common to find studies associated with orange trees, for example.
Complying with all the recommendations that we gave you in this post, the process will be simple and you will not have much more to worry about. Go ahead!
Bibliographic references
- Citrus fertilizer, A Quinones, B Martínez-Alcántara… – Practical guide to the…, 2010 – redivia.gva.es
- Fertilization of the different species and varieties of citrus fruits, E González-Sicilia – 1st International Orange Week…, 1969 – redivia.gva.es
- Ferticit: a computer program for citrus fertilization, PJF Talón – Rural Life, 2000 – mapa.gob.es
- Effect of the seasonal contribution of nitrogen fertilizer in citrus, B Martínez-Alcántara, A Quinones, E Primo-Millo… – Vida Rural, 2009 – 34.240.160.189
- FERTI. CFH- Citricos ®: agricultural software for decision support in the fertilization and irrigation of a citrus plantation, MS Rodenas, MP Sánchez, P Ferrer, V Cebolla – Camp Valencià, 2012 – 34.240.160.189
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