Citrus trees are not native to Britain, but you can grow them successfully in containers. You can leave them outside in the summer and bring them inside for the winter. Most gardeners love growing lemons, calamondins and kumquats are also tolerant of cold weather. Those in slightly warmer regions can cultivate limes or grapefruits, even oranges. No matter what type of citrus tree you grow, it’s essential that you know how to feed and water it appropriately because overwatering is the biggest cause of leaf drop and root rot. They are also very hungry plants and need feeding regularly with winter or summer citrus feed. Feeding citrus trees In a hot summer, plants can need watering up to twice a day when in a small pot but in the winter months this might drop right down to once every 2-3 weeks. It is therefore important to adapt your watering routine as the seasons change, be wary of underwatering in the spring and overwatering in the autumn. If and when you do move your plant outside do be aware that a sudden change in light levels can cause 'sunburn'. To avoid this, place your plant in a partially shaded spot for a few days before moving into full sun or move it outside for a few hours a day until it has adjusted to its new position. Too dramatic a change in light levels can lead to blanching of the leaves and some leaf loss but over time your plant will recover and put on new growth. Suttons strives to ensure that all its plants are delivered to you in the perfect condition for planting. While the majority of our nursery plants cope well with slight delays in intransit, sadly, the time it takes to deliver to certain locations in the UK means that we can't guarantee this for some of our smaller plug products and tender bedding and vegetable lines, which do not respond well to the extra journey time. So regretfully while we offer the majority of our live plant offering nationwide, we are unable to ship plugs, begging plants and tender vegetable plants to the following areas: HS, IV41-IV49, IV51, IV55-56, KW15-KW17, PA34, PA41-48, PA60-PA78, PA80, PH40-PH44, TR21-TR24, ZE1-ZE3. Central heating can be a problem for citrus trees in winter, as they don’t like a dry atmosphere. To increase the humidity level around your tree, stand it on a tray filled with gravel, and top up with water to just below the surface of the gravel. Open greenhouse vents on sunny spring days when temperatures inside can soar.

If you find that despite a regular feeding regime the leaves are still coming through light in colour or mottled then you may have hard water and/or need an extra boost of nutrients – give us a call and we’ll be happy to advise. Advice on Pests Finally, the citrus leaf miner leaves a calling card of distorted leaves with silvery trails. Because citrus leaf miners live inside the leaf, it is best to treat them by cutting away the affected areas.STOP PRESS: NOVEMBER 2022. So far this autumn has been unseasonably warm but wet. Because of this, you may choose to keep your trees out a little longer than usual but do make sure their roots have a chance to dry out between downpours. Citrus trees sensitive roots should not sit in water so use pot feet to keep pots with drainage holes up above the puddles and consider moving your trees up against the side of the house or under a porch to protect them from the worst of the rain. As the days get shorter and we move from autumn to winter the care your plants need will change. 1. Watering Citrus plants: Citrus trees are ravenous plants, so feed every two weeks in spring and summer with a high-nitrogen citrus summer fertiliser and a specialised citrus winter feed during the winter months. TOP TIP You can apply your citrus feed as a foliar feed to help get the nutrients directly to the affected leaves. Simply make it up at half strength and water the solution directly on to the leaves and new shoots. Be sure to do this in the morning or evening so that bright sunlight does not scorch the leaves. When the plant doesn’t have enough nitrogen and/or iron the leaves typically turn yellow and or mottled. Once this has happened you will need to feed regularly for some time to get the new leaves to come through green and healthy. Unfortunately once the leaves have got to this stage it is very difficult to return them to a healthy green and most people only get a partial recovery on the old leaves. In winter, allow the surface to partially dry out before watering, then water thoroughly with rainwater, allowing excess moisture to drain away. Overwatering in winter is one of the commonest causes of stress in citrus, so keep them on the dry side. Feeding

The type of citrus tree you have will directly influence how tolerant it is to a cold temperature, but in general, it’s much safer to bring them indoors before the nights start to get cooler. Tender citrus trees A: In an outdoor garden, fruit tree fertilizers should be applied in dormancy, while an indoor tree can be fertilized year-round. It also depends on how you garden citrus fruit. Read through to see how different types have different timings. As with most plants, citrus trees will absorb water better and more efficiently if watered in the cool of the morning or evening rather than in the middle of the day. Avoid splashing the leaves with water generally but particularly in the middle of a sunny day.Special liquid citrus fertiliser . This is essential for healthy, productive plants. We produce it here at the nursery. Lemon trees and particularly the mature Lemon trees can take cooler temperatures right down to 0 degrees and can go outside as soon as the night time temperature is above freezing. (They will even survive a mild frost if you get caught out). Citrus plants need to be periodically repotted to maintain a healthy plant - once a year or once every 2 years for trees up to 6ft in height. For trees over 6ft you can usually just top up the compost once a year and repot every 3 or 4 years. Flowers and Fruit: Generally flowering takes place in May but may occur several times in the year in more mature plants. A number of fragrant flowers appear but only about 1% will set (more than this would overload the branches when the fruit reaches full size).

If your citrus plant is very big in relation to the size of the pot, then the amount of water the pot will hold will not be enough to last it very long, so it will have to be watered very frequently, and thus it is more likely to dry out. In general, the plant should be 2 times the height of the pot. If it is any bigger, the watering becomes more difficult, and you should pot your plant into a bigger pot (see Repotting). A balanced fertiliser will contain similar levels of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. For example, Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Plant Food (a balanced feed) has an NPK ratio of 20 – 20 - 20, whereas a high nitrogen feed like Baby Bio has an NPK ratio of 10.6 - 4.4 - 1.7. Citrus like cool, but not cold, conditions in winter, as a little growth does take place. A minimum winter night temperature of 10°C (50°F) is fine for lemons. Calamondin oranges need at least a minimum winter night temperature of 13°C (55°F). Other species will tolerate cooler conditions, not falling below 7°C (45°F). WateringThe higher the air temperature the more often your citrus plant should be watered, because it will be evapotranspiring more (or ‘breathing’ more). While you might see fertilizers specific to a type of citrus tree, the same fertilizer can likely be applied to another citrus tree with equal success. Most fertilizers on the market are more generalized and fertilize each citrus fruit tree equally. Adjustments in nutrient content don’t often occur in amounts that would matter much to lemon trees and lime trees. To lemon and lime, as long as they have the food they need to thrive, it’s all good! Lemon trees do need a lot of light to flourish, aim for bright indirect sunlight for around 6 hours a day. A: Many citrus fertilizers are also organic fertilizers. The best citrus fertilizers are those that source from natural ingredients like kelp, bone, and alfalfa. Bumper Crop and Espoma are two brands that use natural sources in their formulations. In addition to feeding regularly, it is a good idea to top up your citrus tree compost every spring and to repot it at least every other spring to give it a fresh boost of nutrients.