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good air circulation, proper moisture and adequate
drainage for good growth and production. Walk your landscape and observe the sun
patterns to find just the right spot. Try to select
a site with a southern exposure that provides a nice
warm spot for your young citrus. Avoid crowding
citrus trees by allowing ten to fifteen feet between
trees if planting in a row with rows twenty to
twenty-five feet apart. Give grapefruit (which grow
larger than oranges) twenty-five to thirty feet
between rows.
While citrus can be planted at
any time in Florida, fall and spring are preferred
times; each with its own advantages and
disadvantages. Fall planting allows time for roots
to develop in advance of the spring growth.
However, winter weather may bring some damaging
freezes. Spring planted citrus have a good ten
months to grow and get ready for the following
winter. A dry spring and hot summer may need some
additional attention.
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To prepare the site for
planting, remove weeds and rake the area.
Dig a hole wide and deep enough for the root
system. Specifically, a hole three
times bigger than the root ball and no
deeper should suffice. Inspect the
root ball for any problems such as pot
binding where the roots spiral around the
root ball. If necessary, tease the
roots out a bit from the root ball so that
they will have better contact with the soil.
Set the plant in the planting hole making
sure that it is arranged a bit higher than
it was in the container to accommodate for
settling later on. Backfill with soil
to the half way point. Press this soil
down and water it in to remove air pockets
and allow for settling. When the water
has drained, add the rest of the soil, firm
it in and build a small water basin |
| around the plant to catch
and hold about ten gallons of water.
Water the plant in one more time. Do
not mulch citrus as they prefer not to have
overly wet roots that can cause stress and
promote disease. |
No fertilizer is needed until
about two to three weeks later. A light application
(according to label instructions) is all that is
needed at that time. I will cover more details on
fertilizer needs in a future article. Keep up on
the watering as needed and allowed by water
restrictions. Generally, water deeply each time you
water. Research indicates a good rule-of-thumb:
three gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter
are needed almost daily for the first several
months.
We have a great collection of
fact sheets on backyard citrus for your use at our
office. For more information, please
contact our Master Gardeners on the Plant Lifeline
at 764-4340 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Our office is located at
25550 Harborview
Road, Unit no. 3 in Port Charlotte.
Ralph Mitchell
is the county extension director/horticulture agent
for the Charlotte County Cooperative Extension
Service. You may contact him by e-mail
Ralph.Mitchell@charlottefl.com
You may also contact a volunteer Master Gardener
from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at
764-4340 or by e-mail
Master.Gardener@charlottefl.com
Resources:
Ferguson, J. J. (2002) Your Florida Dooryard Citrus
Guide - Site Selection, The University of Florida
Cooperative Extension Service, IFAS.
Gilman, E. F. (1991) Community
Tree Care, the University of Florida Cooperative
Extension Service, IFAS.
Ralph E. Mitchell is a Horticulturist
and Charlotte County Extension Agent
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