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I started with Citrus in containers last year and while my trees have done OK, I wanted to get a better grasp on what their requirements really were. I understood that they don't like wet feet and appreciate a fast draining planting medium. What troubled me was that I couldn't find out any good information on what they require for optimal nutrition. There are a lot of products on the market labeled 'citrus fertilizer', but I have found them to be silly. One product is high in nitrogen, another high in phosphorus etc. How can the ratio of nutrients be so different if the makers of these products understand the requirements of citrus?
So, I started researching.
What I found really surprised me and it may you.
Many of you may believe citrus are heavy nitrogen users. Some of you might think a high phosphorus fertilizer will promote more blooms and thus fruits. Turns out you would all be wrong ;)
As it turns out the nutrient citrus use more of than any other is a nutrient that many fertilizer products have little to none of... calcium.
I don't expect anyone to take my word for it so here is a link to the U of Florida's finding on citrus nutritional requirements. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/CH046
The table showing the ratio of each nutrient citrus use is at the bottom.
While I have understood for a few years that the amount of calcium plants require for optimal development is often not reflected in commercial fertilizers, this would be the first time I have encountered a plant whose calcium requirements were roughly equal to the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium combined.
thoughts?
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