Hi everyone, I hope the start of summer is going well!
So most of my previous posts had related to indoor citrus as I live in a typical unfriendly-to-citrus environment. I have some citrus being shipped from Phoenix perennials in Vancouver and I plan to continue to experiment with growing citrus indoors. I know that this will be a challenge as citrus are plants that obviously thrive outdoors but that hasn’t stopped me from trying to have thriving indoor citrus. I am looking for any advice on making this a successful growing experience as I struggled previously with root rot, lack of lighting and fluctuating root temperatures. So this time around I am going “all-in” with the indoor experiment. Listed below is what I have prepared for my indoor citrus (4th time is a charm!):
-They will be living in a 2x4’ grow tent that is lined with reflective Mylar material to help reflect light, regulate temperatures and humidity.
-I will be fertilizing with jacks high performance 25-5-15 (after the advice of everyone here).
-fabric pots and plastic air root pruning pots for maximum drainage and access to oxygen (my first attempt at defending from root rot which I have struggled with).
-medium will be 5:1:1:1 for extra drainage. I will used cedar bark fines (the best/affordable bark I could find), 1 mushroom compost, 1 sand, 1 large coarse perlite. I know this mix may seem extreme but I would rather have to water every day then have another set of plants die from root rot.
-TSL 2000 Marshydro LED light that is using 6400K light. The light covers the 2x4 area nicely.
-6” oscillating fan for airflow
-humidity/temperature monitor.
First question: because I won’t have to compete with any weather or seasons, how does this effect fertilization/fruiting schedules?
Second question: my area chlorinated tap water, should I dechlorinate?
Ok team, does it seem like I am prepared? Any other recommendations for success?
I intend to have these be indoor plants (yes their size will be a challenge down the road) but I am excited to see what is capable growing citrus in my basement. I also plan to photograph the growing experience and see if I have learned from previous mistakes.
Thanks very much! Any advice is very much appreciated!!!