Growing Citrus- Fertilizer Software of Citrus Orchard
The origin of Citrus is believed to be South-East Asia. It is widely grown in sub-tropical regions, for example in the Mediterranean basin.
Among the citrus genus there are some well-known hybrids, such as orange, lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, clementine and pomelo.
Most of the commercial growth is in North America (Florida and California), South America (Brazil), Japan, Spain and Italy.
GROWING CONDITIONS
SOIL
The root system of citrus is very shallow. Citrus can grow well on a variety of soil types, as long as the soil is well-drained. It grows well in clay soil or in containers, but will not tolerate saline conditions.
The ideal soil pH for citrus trees ranges from slightly acidic 6.0 to alkaline 8.0.
CLIMATE
Lemon, Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) and other small-fruit citrus grow well in protected areas in cooler climate regions.
Grapefruits and other large-fruit citrus, however, may not sweeten in a cooler environment.
Optimum mean daily temperature: 23°C to 30°C.
Growth is markedly reduced above 38°C and below 13°C.
When temperatures drop below 0°C, even for a short time, flowers and young fruits tend to drop.
GROWTH CYCLE
BEARING FRUIT
Citrus trees normally start bearing fruit from the third year after planting, but economic yields are generally obtained from the fifth year onward.
A grower should take notice of other fertilizing complexities. For example, soil temperature. Once the soil temperature is higher than 180C, it is recommended to add urea to the regular ammonium nitrate fertilizing.
FLOWERING
For flowering in spring, a rest period or reduced growth is needed. In the subtropics, the low winter temperature induces this rest period, but in the absence of sufficient chilling, the rest period can be encouraged by water shortage.
FRUITING
Not all flowers end up producing mature fruits. During the flowering period, weaker, younger fruit tend to fall naturally. This is called ‘June drop’ in the northern hemisphere or the ‘December drop’ in the southern hemisphere.
Fruits take 7 to 14 months from flowering to maturity, corresponding to a harvest season from October /November to May/June in the northern hemisphere and from April/May to November/December in the southern hemisphere. All cultivars require proper fertilization for fruit development.
BREEDING AND PLANTING
Grafting is commonly used for propagation of citrus trees. The method includes insertion of sprouts of a desired variety on to a stock grown from seed of another variety.
Normally citrus trees are transplanted. Planting distances differ according to a number of parameters, such as soil conditions, general topography, variety and the type of tree to be planted.
Planting spacing: generally, from 4 x 4m to 8 x 8m.
Tree density: varies from 200 to 800 trees/ha.
CITRUS NUTRITION
Application of fertilizers has a great impact on almost all of the citrus growth stages. From the germination and roots development, through vegetative stage and ripening to maturing and fruits color break.
When providing nutrition to citrus trees, it is important to consider both the specific nutrients requirements of the plant and the soil conditions which it grows in.
Also, since different stages of the citrus trees require different quantities of nutrients, timing is crucial.
Giving the right nutrients at the right time will ensure high and quality yields, with no fertilizer waste and minimum environmental damage.
- Recommends the ideal fertilizer mixture/ blends
- Saves up to 50% on fertilizer costs
- Comprehensive data on hundreds of crop varieties
- Interprets test results for any extraction method
