Hi guys, I am new here! My name is Ivan and I am from Italy (north-center).

I am growing 4 citrus plants in container on my terrasse (my preferred one is my 2 years old lemon grown from seed), trying to do it "as more organically as possible"! Is it a good idea to use my own produced compost to fertilize my plants? My compost is made with everything coming from the kitchen and dead plants parts, a little wood ashes and a little paper.
And if yes, which is the best way to use it? Mix it with the soil, put it on the soil, put it a little under the surface of the soil...thank you!!

This is a great forum, I've been reading a lot of stuff before registering!

Bye bye,

Ivan

I love compost, I compost all my yard and kitchen waste as well as my neighbors grass clippings and leaves. It is great for use in my garden and on lots of my shrubs, but not great for citrus. Citrus needs lots of Nitrogen and it is difficult to get that much from compost. In addition, citrus need lots of oxygen in the root zone, compost ends up turning to muck and does not allow the necessary oxygen in the soil.

Compost has to turn into the same chemical forms of N that is supplied in commercial fertilizer to be taken up by the plant (NH4 and NO3). The best fertilizer for container citrus is a slow release fertilizer with trace minerals that provides NPK at a ratio of about 5-1-3.

Skeeter, thank you for your detailed answer. Just one question: i have always read that the compost improves the physical and chemical features of any kind of soil...sandy, clayey...do you think this is not true?

Bye

Yes. That is true in the ground. In a container, unless you repot frequently, it will degrade to a fine mud that does not allow enough air to the roots of citrus promoting root rot. There are some growers that grow inground citrus with organic matter, but production is lower.

You are fooling yourself if you think there is something safer about organic fertilizer--depending on the source it could be less safe. There is nothing toxic in commercial fertilizer, it is derived from rock and air.

The real downside of commercial fertilizer is it's effect on soil ( in a garden). Fertilizer speeds the degredation of soil organic matter by bacteria and fungi, and with continued use will result in soil compaction and mineral depletion--if organic matter is not added. By adding commercial fertilizer, you are aiding bactieria and fungi in the degradation of the low nutrient fiberous organic matter (like cellulose)--that fiberous organic matter improves soil condition and drainage but supplies very little in the form of nutrient. So if you use commercial fertilizer in a graden, you actually need to add more to keep your soil rich and loose.

In your experience, what are the elements that a lemon tree needs the most? And what kind of soil have you found to be the best, especially for container cultivation?

Thanks 4 your time!

It is not a matter of what a tree needs the most of--it is really a matter of balance. Lemons need lots of Nitrogen, that is the primary nutrient required by most plants, but if you supply only N, then another nutrient will limit the growth. Citrus use macro nutrients (NP&K) in the ratio of 5-1-3, but they also need trace minerals. The best way to do this is with a slow release fertilizer like osmocote or dynamite in a formulaion that contains trace minerals and has a NPK ratio of about 18-6-12 (that is about as close as you can get to 5-1-3).

As for media, Millet has posted a media mix made with Coconut Husk Chips (CHC)--CHC will last longer than most media while still keeping a fast draining airy media. I use pine bark and it works well, it just needs replacing more often--but I get it free. In any case, the media should have lots of air space and drain fast--if you have a fast draining media with lots of air space it is difficult to over water.

I use a lot of compost in my pot´s soil mix and have big success with it.

Citrus plants love it ...