Citrus > Citrus General Discussion

Citrus Spring feeding and care regimen

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Samu:
My citrus trees are showing activities now: new leaves and blooms in SoCal. I wonder if there is special extra feeding and/or disease prevention regiments; (other than the normal feeding routine) we can give our trees so they may stay healthy and produce well this year?
Thought I ask, not wanting to make mistake, thanks a lot fellow gardeners ...!

Millet:
Actually, the special bloom feeding to enhance a good flowering and retention should have been given 1 months before the expected bloom date.   That feeding would have been a foliar spray of low-biuret urea.  A citrus tree sets many times more flowers and small fruitlets, then the tree can possibly retain until maturity, and will drop the excess.  This is called the Early Drop Period, If the tree held onto all of the fruitlets that were originally set, as those fruit grew the tree would be crushed under its own weight.  After all the blooms have set fruit, and then dropped the excess small fruitlets a foliar  spray application of low-biuret urea, is need to give the tree the energy to grow the remaining  fruitlets into nice large size fruit. You can start the regular ground fertilizing at this time.  The number of fertilizer applications throughout the season depends on the age of the tree. If you tell us how old the tree is we can tell you what the fertilizer schedule should be.  Also while the tree is in flower BE SURE the tree is well watered.

Samu:
Thanks for taking the time to give valuable lesson! 
Yes, when I read your post regarding the need to give the foliar spray with low-biuret urea prior to expected bloom, I went ahead and sprayed them in mid Feb., but since I don’t know exactly what to get, I used Dynagrow’s “Superbloom” formula that I have available, which contains 3-12-6 and some minors.
OK, I will spray again after the “Early Drop Period”, this time using your recommended product, so would you recommend a low biuret urea product to use, a link will be most helpful.

Most of my trees are between 2-4 years in the ground, so some started fruiting for the first time last year, and I've been fertilizing them with Osmocote Plus every 3 months or so. As far as trying to keep them healthy and for disease prevention, do we need to do anything?
And yes, I am making sure the blooming citrus trees are well watered too, thanks again, Millet!

spaugh:
Samu, citrus does pretty well will little care here in so cal.  I never spray anything on my trees and rarely fertilize.  A handful of citrus fertilizer on the mulch a few times a year and the trees are prolific.  I think spraying with urea is totally un necessary for a good fruit set in our climate.  There are wild citrus and neglected citrus trees all around here and they are completely loaded with fruit.  My neighbors dont even water or fertilize or anything and their trees are absolutely loaded. Sorry Millet, I have no idea about CO but citrus in so cal are like weeds. 

Millet:
Spaugh most all of the inflammation about urea applied as a foliar spray is found  in the University Of California's Citrus Production Manual, and that book is firstly intended for California growers and their trees..  All citrus trees, no matter where they are grown, need to be fertilized if one wants the best for their trees, and the best crop that their trees can produce.

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