Hey fellow citrusgrowers!

I didn't come up with a better topic title so....sorry.

I was wondering what every one uses as fertilizer (N-P-K + brand) because After 2 years I still see that people are still using different types of fertilizer.

The first question I am asking myself is: does the type of fertilizer depend on your climate? (zone e.a.) ?

The second one would be: is my fertilizer good? I use a 11-3-6 Sunplant.
Link:
http://www.sunplant.be/en/citrus

I read on this forum that the best ratio for citrus is a 5-1-3. My fertilizer seems to be in the right direction except that the P element seems maybe a little to high?

And last but not least: what do all off you fellowmembers use?

greetings!

Hi Sven,

I posted some stuff about the Sunplant citrus fertiliser on the forum before, you can read about it here...

link

...and here...

link

Thanks for the links! I guess DCM hits the ball waaaaay out off the park using a 6-6-7 for citrus. And thats one of the bigger brands. :s I actually used DCM on my previous citrus and it bloomed really hard. But the fruit started falling of as well as the leaves.
I hope the sunplant fertilizer gives me a better result and I think it will.

I don't understand where information comes from that 5-1-3 is the best fertilizer for citrus, I saw Malcolm Manners's post that the best is 6-4-6 or 6-2-6...

Evaldas, on this forum you can find many post explaining the truth of the 5-1-3 ratio. Concerning formulations such as 6-4-6, 6-2-6, and more commonly 6-6-6 and 8-8-8, and 10-10-10, they are for trees growing in the ground. Many common low analysis formulations can be used on in ground trees because of the high leaching from the root zone by seasonal rains. Another BIG reason for using such formulations is because they are commonly manufactured, easily obtained in bulk, and are relatively inexpensive. Still the best ratio, even for in ground trees, would be a 5-1-3, because it is the ratio of nutrients that citrus roots absorb from the soil. For every 5 parts N, a citrus tree will absorb 1 part P, and 3 parts K. However, because any excess nutrition is leached away form in ground trees, fertilizer toxicity is rarely a problem. This is of course not true for container trees, which have nutrient toxicities frequently. 5-1-3 replaces the nutrients in the container that were lost to the tree, and replaces them in the same ratio of the tree's use. - Millet (634-)

I need opinion on whether it's safe to apply 6-3-6 ratio liquid fertilizer to a citrus tree (container one)? it's a all purpose liquid fertilizer, shall I have any problem using mentioned?

thanks!

Igor

igor.fogarasi, if you flush your container 3 or 4 times a year, with clean clean water, in the amount of 4 times the volume of the container, you could probably use most any fertilizer formulation safely. - Millet (634-)

I get asked this all the times at my nursery here: (whats the best fertilizer)

I've always responded that there isn't a fertilizer that's "Best", the question everyone should be asking is; Whats Available to the plant?
To get a correct answer, provide a lab report of whats in your soils, then simply provide what your plant needs.

To add to Millet's explanation -- your soil determines to a great extent what's needed. The material the tree absorbs is not necessarily the same as what you must be adding, unless you start with a soil with nothing in it. Many clay soils, especially in the West, already have abundant potassium in them, so you could easily use something like an 8-2-0 for decades, with no potassium deficiency developing. Here in central Florida, we seldom need any Phosphorus at all, and with our excessively well-drained, highly leachable soils, potassium does not stick around. So we do tend to use something like a 12-0-12 or even a 12-0-15 (especially for Murcotts). That's just what it takes to give the tree what it needs

So in a sterile, peat- or coconut-fiber-based potting soil, you can give a blanket recommendation for the "best" fertilizer, but in the open ground, you can't -- it needs to be adapted to the local soil and climate conditions.

There are many commercial fertilizer products. They must be chosen according to the replacement of minerals and their ratio. 5-1-3 is the ratio when the mineral content in the leaves is satisfactory. Obviously, in cases of over dosage, or deficiency of one or more elements, this ratio must be changed to a more appropriate one. Replacing element ratio depends on soil and climate. This is why in ground fertilization formulas cannot be generalized. A suitable mineral ratio for a specific situation can be easily built up by using monoelement fertilizers. Complex fertilizers are even more problematic, since their ratio does not always correspond to the needs of the grove. However, this does not change the value of the 5-1-3 ratio. Anyway, the necessary changing of a formulation due to deficiencies and soil over dosages has be addressed on this forum many times in the past when this subject has come up . For containerized plants the 5-1-3 ratio is much more consistent. - Millet (634-)

So... what do you guys use to fertilize your container citrus? A fertilizer with the 5-1-3 ratio and micronutrients would be ideal, but does that exist in a form you can buy?

Yes, I purchase 25-5-15 W/trace minerals fertilizer ( 5-1-3 ratio) in 25-lb. bags from the Scott's Co. - Millet (525-)

What do you think of the often-recommended Foliage-Pro fertilizer?

http://www.dyna-gro.com/936.htm

It's far easier for me to get my hands on this than the other product, so I find that attractive. What you use clearly works very well for you and your trees, but would there be any significant downside to using Foliage-Pro on my trees instead?