Repotting citrus trees is a delicate operation that must be carried out with care and at certain times of the year.
In this article we will give you some advice to carry out the repotting operation correctly and in the best period. Among the citrus plants we remind you that the following are included: orange, grapefruit, lemon, kumquat, Chinese mandarin, mandarin and bergamot among the most known and appreciated species.
When to repot citrus fruits
The best time to repot citrus fruits is in spring, especially in the two-month period April-May . To know if it is time to repot the lemon, orange or any other citrus fruit, you must carry out the following operation: avoid watering the plant for a few days, then, when the soil is very dry, remove the plant and observe the root ball, if this is saturated with roots it will be necessary to repot it in a container larger by about 5 cm.
We advise against repotting citrus trees in autumn because the climatic conditions would favor the stagnation of humidity since the new volume of soil would not be immediately reached by the roots as usually happens with other plants that need to be repotted in autumn.
How to Repot Citrus Trees: Step-by-Step Instructions
To repot citrus fruits you can follow these steps:
- Suspend watering a few days before repotting to facilitate the detachment of the clod of earth from the walls of the pot.
- Remove the plant from the pot by lifting it gently: to lift it you can grab the trunk without any problems.
- If the clod of earth comes away from the pot compactly, with a spatula, remove the outermost layer to a thickness of about 5 cm so as to regenerate the clod of earth with new, fresh soil.
- Prepare a draining base to avoid the risk of water stagnation. How? In the new pot, place some terracotta shards near the drainage hole. Cover the shards with a 2-3 cm layer of expanded clay.
- Pour a layer of specific soil into the new pot and add a couple of handfuls of slow-release fertilizer (such as Baycote or Osmocote , with a long-lasting effect lasting about 6 months).
- Place the plant in the pot and pour the soil into the empty spaces, add more fertilizer and press lightly.
- Pour more citrus soil up to the surface of the pot. Remember that you should cover with soil only up to the collar.
- If present, cut the ripest fruits from the plant to avoid too much stress to the plant.
- Water and if necessary, after a few days, add more soil.
