CITRUS IN THE GARDEN

Ottillia “Toots” Bier University of California, Riverside Citrus Variety Collection

Origin of Citrus

ƒ Citrus originated in China and India. ƒ The three ancestral species are: ƒ Pummelo ƒ Citron ƒ Mandarin

Choosing your varieties:

ƒ What do you like? ƒ What is your climate? ƒ What is your garden site like? What do you like?

ƒ Only grow what you like to eat. ƒ Choose the most costly varieties first. ƒ Select varieties for year-round production. ƒ Choose varieties that store well on the tree. What is your climate?

ƒ Most citrus requires a frost-free location. ƒ Many citrus varieties require high heat to sweeten satisfactorily.

What is your garden site like?

ƒ Citrus requires a fertile well-drained soil. ƒ Citrus requires a sunny wind-free location. ƒ Citrus requires space for the mature tree.

Planting

ƒ Dig a hole the same depth as the rootball ƒ and twice as wide. ƒ Soil amendments are usually not needed. ƒ Don’t plant too deeply. ƒ Build a shallow soil basin. ƒ Stake as low as possible so trunk can flex. ƒ Protect the trunk from sunburn. Methods of Irrigation

ƒ Hose ƒ Sprinklers ƒ Drip system ƒ Micro-sprayers Irrigation Frequency, Volume and Duration (how often, how much, how long)

ƒ Depends upon your soil and weather conditions

z Sandy soil needs water more often, higher volume emitters, for a shorter length of time

z Clay soil needs water less often, low volume emitters, for a longer length of time

z Loam soil is intermediate in all aspects Flowering and Fruiting

ƒ Most citrus trees flower late winter to spring. ƒ A mature orange tree will have 200,000 flowers but mature only 400 fruit. ƒ Rind color is no indication of ripeness. ƒ The longer a fruit hangs on the tree, the sweeter it gets. Fertilization

ƒ Newly-planted trees- 2 tbs citrus fertilizer in May, June, and July ƒ 2nd year- 1/4 lb actual nitrogen divided into two applications February and May ƒ 3rd year- 1/2 lb actual nitrogen divided into two applications February and May ƒ 4th year- 3/4 lb actual nitrogen divided into two applications February and May Calculating Actual Nitrogen

ƒ Bag says 10-4-10 which means contents is 10% nitrogen, 4% phosphorus, 10% potash. ƒ Bag weighs 20 pounds. ƒ 10% of 20 pounds is 2 pounds. ƒ Therefore, the entire 20 pound bag of fertilizer contains 2 pounds actual nitrogen. ƒ To get ¼ pound actual nitrogen you would need to apply 2 ½ pounds of fertilizer. Fertilizing container citrus

ƒ Container citrus needs more fertilizer than citrus growing in the ground. ƒ Apply granular or liquid fertilizer at reduced strength every month from February to August or use a controlled release fertilizer such as Osmocote. Micronutrients

ƒ Citrus is especially susceptible to deficiencies of iron, zinc, and manganese. ƒ Main symptom is interveinal chlorosis. ƒ Make a foliar application of micronutrients at 3/4 of leaf expansion (April to May). ƒ Repeat later in summer if needed.

Insect Pests

ƒ Aphids ƒ Thrips ƒ Mealy bug ƒ Whitefly ƒ Ants ƒ Mites ƒ Scales Common Pest Damage Diseases

ƒ Tristeza ƒ Phytophthora Other Problems

ƒ Gophers ƒ Snails ƒ Round-up damage ƒ Mechanical damage ƒ Fruit splitting ƒ Poor or irregular fruit- set Pruning

ƒ Pruning is usually not needed. ƒ Exceptions: ƒ Lemons may need to be pruned back about 20% each year to keep them tidy. ƒ Mandarins may require pruning of weak inside growth to open tree to light and air. ƒ Remove all suckers from rootstock. ƒ Sterilize tools before pruning each tree. Selected Varieties Navel oranges

ƒ Fukumoto ƒ Washington ƒ Cara Cara ƒ Lane Late

Sweet Oranges

ƒ Trovita ƒ Midknight Valencia ƒ Delta Valencia Pigmented Oranges

ƒ Moro ƒ Tarocco ƒ Bream Tarocco ƒ Sanguinelli ƒ Smith Red Valencia ƒ Vainiglia Sanguigno

Sour Oranges

ƒ Seville ƒ Chinotto ƒ Bouquet de Fleurs

Mandarin Oranges

ƒ Seedless Kishu ƒ Satsuma ƒ Clementine ƒ Pixie ƒ Shasta Gold ƒ Tahoe Gold ƒ Yosemite Gold ƒ Gold Nugget ƒ Tango

Grapefruit and pummelo types

ƒ Oroblanco ƒ Melogold ƒ Cocktail ƒ Star Ruby ƒ Rio Red ƒ Chandler ƒ Reinking

Lemons and Limes

ƒ Pink Lemonade lemon ƒ Meyer lemon ƒ Bearss lime ƒ Mexican lime ƒ Sweet lime ƒ Limequat

Exotics

ƒ Sudachi ƒ Yuzu ƒ Calamondin ƒ Kumquat ƒ Citrus hystrix ƒ Bergamot ƒ Buddha’s Hand ƒ Etrog