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The plant in the photos is starved of nitrogen ( and probably everything else!!) , either due to lack of nutrients from fertiliser or from being so cold or wet that its roots were not working, many citrus will go very yellow in the colder months due to lack of root activity
Tomato feed is no good for citrus , many books say it is.....they are wrong!, its better than nothing though but not as a long term feed!
Dont worry about over feeding them!, Citrus are very heavy feeders and you do need a decent citrus feed with a large quantity of nirogen and micronutrients
Many plants look like the ones in the photos after a short while of getting them home due to 3 things
1) incorrect compost ( they will not like multi purpose compost and most citrus compost is not much better, the citrus compost at least has a better pH for the plant )
2) Plant too wet so it is cold or roots rotting or just cold conditons, usually caused by bad repotting, bad compost, repotting in cold weather
To make a citrus plant grow into a new pot and prevent root rot, chop the sides and bottom off the root ball! , dont untwist the roots! , just chop the outer edges off the root ball with a big kitchen knife....repot and within days new roots will have shooted across into the new compost, root pruning is good.....this is how all the ornamental plants in italy are treated and many are centurys old, the roots are not fragile, the more you prune them the more they grow, to do it the best way, repot into an air root pruning pot, the best type of pot to use for almost any plant!
3) inorrect feed, most feed is no good for citrus, some will harm it, many citrus fertilisers are rubbish, try the one from `the citrus center` and see a big difference
As well as the decent citrus feed ( such as one by the citrus center, chempak or global orange groves) , I also every now and then add a small amount of slow release fertiliser by miracle grow to the pot, on top of this every now and then I spray with epsom salts and every couple of months I sprinkle blood fish and bone and a small amount of ammonium sulfate lightly into the pot.
The main problem in the UK is alkaline water, you can add feed and still have a plant looking like the one in the picture The difference using our acidic water from the well here in Bulgaria is amazing, in the UK I add a drop of white vinegar to the water before every watering ( not the water I spray on! ) the slightly acidic water helps the plant take in nutrients
If using tap water , let it sit 24 hours it does make a difference, add a drop of white vinegar add the correct feed , soak the plant with it, let it all drain out, and then dont repeat until it is almost dry ( dry at the top ), feed every watering
As a compost ,multi purpose compost isnt good due to the pH, If you dont want anything strange such as wood chips or coconut husk in your compost, the best standard one from every garden center is a mix of equal part soil, erricacious compost and horticultural grit (sand) , mix them up and use that, I have been using it for some and it is very much better than things like ready bagged citrus or multi purpose compost , the compost is best with 50% wood chips in it though for drainage
Tomato feed is no good for citrus , many books say it is.....they are wrong!, its better than nothing though but not as a long term feed!
Dont worry about over feeding them!, Citrus are very heavy feeders and you do need a decent citrus feed with a large quantity of nirogen and micronutrients
Many plants look like the ones in the photos after a short while of getting them home due to 3 things
1) incorrect compost ( they will not like multi purpose compost and most citrus compost is not much better, the citrus compost at least has a better pH for the plant )
2) Plant too wet so it is cold or roots rotting or just cold conditons, usually caused by bad repotting, bad compost, repotting in cold weather
To make a citrus plant grow into a new pot and prevent root rot, chop the sides and bottom off the root ball! , dont untwist the roots! , just chop the outer edges off the root ball with a big kitchen knife....repot and within days new roots will have shooted across into the new compost, root pruning is good.....this is how all the ornamental plants in italy are treated and many are centurys old, the roots are not fragile, the more you prune them the more they grow, to do it the best way, repot into an air root pruning pot, the best type of pot to use for almost any plant!
3) inorrect feed, most feed is no good for citrus, some will harm it, many citrus fertilisers are rubbish, try the one from `the citrus center` and see a big difference
As well as the decent citrus feed ( such as one by the citrus center, chempak or global orange groves) , I also every now and then add a small amount of slow release fertiliser by miracle grow to the pot, on top of this every now and then I spray with epsom salts and every couple of months I sprinkle blood fish and bone and a small amount of ammonium sulfate lightly into the pot.
The main problem in the UK is alkaline water, you can add feed and still have a plant looking like the one in the picture The difference using our acidic water from the well here in Bulgaria is amazing, in the UK I add a drop of white vinegar to the water before every watering ( not the water I spray on! ) the slightly acidic water helps the plant take in nutrients
If using tap water , let it sit 24 hours it does make a difference, add a drop of white vinegar add the correct feed , soak the plant with it, let it all drain out, and then dont repeat until it is almost dry ( dry at the top ), feed every watering
As a compost ,multi purpose compost isnt good due to the pH, If you dont want anything strange such as wood chips or coconut husk in your compost, the best standard one from every garden center is a mix of equal part soil, erricacious compost and horticultural grit (sand) , mix them up and use that, I have been using it for some and it is very much better than things like ready bagged citrus or multi purpose compost , the compost is best with 50% wood chips in it though for drainage
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