dj9281, just upload your photos to Photobucket. Then, just copy the HTML code (not any of the other codes, use the HTML code string), and paste that right into your message. Then, your photos will appear embedded in your message to the list. Much easier for us to see. Also, can I ask how you are fertilizing your citrus and with what product? You should be fertilizing every 2 to 3 months. If you're not, then they may not be getting enough fertilizer. And, citrus can take a couple of years to produce, especially if you've purchased young trees. You didn't say where you bought your trees, how old they were, size of pot when purchased. All those things help us to give you better answers :-)

Patty S.

Hi Patty, thanks for the quick reply. :) I will go out to the shed and copy down the specific fertilizer I use. I believe I bought it at Home Depot and it's specifically for citrus trees. I follow the instructions on it to the T and it recommends fertilizing 3 times a year if I'm remembering correctly. I have an auto-email reminder setup to notify me specifically when it needs to be done. I don't remember the answers to your questions. My best guess is we bought them at Home Depot and they were 5 gallon containers. Our history of planting these sized trees in the past (at past homes) has always yielded fruit within 2 years. And that was with more careless fertilizing techniques. I don't have photo bucket but I am going to try to embed the pics from picasa and hope it works :). The smaller tree has never grown from its original size. The taller thinner one has recently grown about a third in size since we planted it in the same soil. Both are fertilized comparably based on the width of the canopy and the instructions on the fertilizer.
Thanks again.
{{gwi:559076}}Scrapbook Photos

Okay, those are tiny trees. They really need to get much bigger before you can expect fruit. Loosen up your ties to your stake, so the trunks can fatten up. Be sure they're getting enough water, but not too much - find out how well your soil drains. Wet roots can retard growth. You don't say where you're located (city, county, state), but 3 times a year is not enough fertilization imho. Every 2 to 3 months is a better schedule. I would get to your local garden center, and NOT a big box store, and see what citrus fertilizers are available in your area. One of the very best out there for in-ground citrus is Grow More Citrus & Avocado Food. It has a fair amount of humic acid in it, which is very helpful for the micronutrients to be absorbed. It's not so easy to find, though.

Patty S.

Yes they are tiny! They should've grown much bigger by now and that's the problem. :) I use Espoma Citrus Tone fertilizer. Sorry I thought I mentioned I was in the East Bay of San Francisco (northern California). Near Dublin. Drainage seems good here for all the plants we have. I've just removed the stakes; they're not necessary. That was a good point. And I got the trees mixed up. The taller thin one is the lime.

Hi dj,

The pictures help immensely - thanks for posting them!

Patty is absolutely right-on with regard to wet roots retarding growth (you didn't mention your watering frequency and amount, BTW...). Soil that's consistently moist has low oxygen level, which for any length of time retards both root development AND nutrient absorption causing a plant to grow much slower. Remember, the key is water deeply, but not too often, which for me meant watering my newly planted citrus 5 gallons 2x/week for the first year, then once/week the next year, once/2 weeks year after, etc. You'll have to gauge for your environment watering amount and frequency so as to allow this optimal air-to-water ratio.

And speaking of nutrients, I just looked up the composition of the organic fertilizer you've been using and the first couple things I noticed immediately are 1) less than ideal Nitrogen (first number) amounts and 2) lack of some key micronutrients. A lot of people have observed that for in-ground citrus, the ideal ration is 6-4-2 (yours is 5-2-6), since citrus are heavy Nitrogen feeders. The micronutrients you're lacking are Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), and Zinc (Zn), with Iron being the most important as it is necessary for making chlorophyll that enables plants to photosynthesize and make food - this (and lack of Nitrogen) is why your leaves are not as green as they could be. For my in-ground Meyer lemons, I use GreenAll's Citrus and Avocado Food (14-4-8, so has a bit more N than recommended) 3 times per year. Additionally, I use Miracle Gro's Rhododendron, Camelia, and Azalea (previously called MirAcid) fertilizer every couple weeks during the growing season to make sure that I feed heavily my very hungry citrus.

Finally, I noticed that your mulch goes all the way to the trunk's base - you'll want to clear mulch at least 6-12 inches from the base of the tree so you do not encourage any rot issues (plus you'll need this area clear around the drip line to dig in your granular fertilizer the 3 or 4 times/year that you apply anyway)...

Oh, I have a couple question for you. 1) How many hours of sunlight do your trees get during the growing season(?) and 2) When you planted, did you happen to amend the soil with compost, especially if you are on clay like the rest of us in the Bay Area? Brett in Marin swears by this for his in-ground citrus (he has quite a few), and I did this for my trees as well with great results (I actually raised the planting mound and made a moat 1 ft from the tree base to further aid in drainage/promote optimal air-to-water ratio).

Hope this helps some... Best of luck, and keep us posted with your progress!

Tim