New orange and Meyer lemon trees - planted wrong?

15 years ago

In recent weeks we planted a new orange and Meyer lemon tree in our rich clay soil. Both spots (and their surrounding areas) were previously planted and amended for other plants, so the soil was not raw clay to start with.

Not knowing any better (???) we amended each hole at planting time, tamped down, watered, then created a shallow water basin at the drip line.

Yesterday I noticed feeder roots on the soil surface of each tree, so I mixed some spare native soil with planting compost (approx. 1:1) and covered the feeder roots, then covered with mulch from the drip line to a few inches away from the trunk.

Are our new trees doomed? I know my husband will NOT want to re-plant them. Both trees are covered with blossoms, and the orange has tiny fruit.

Is there anything we need to correct without having to re-plant them?

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Comments (8)

houstontexas123
15 years ago
i did the same thing with mine last spring. they grew fine, the larger one had several oranges.

i planted them really close to the side of the house(south side) for winter protection, and we did have several hard freezes this past winter. after seeing other people's orange trees survive out in the open with no cover at all, i decided to transplant them to the backyard.

we have thick heavy clay. i just replanted them the same way. it really depends on the weather in your area. if you get lots of rain and your area is prone to flooding, then your trees might drown. if your area is fairly dry, just water lightly, and fertilize regularly.
jenn
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you. We have an established Tangerine tree (in the ground) that was planted about 40 years ago. We lost a dwarf lemon a couple of years ago that was also about 40 years old --- we have no idea what happened. It was happy, produced lots of lemons, then began to decline. I wish I'd taken pictures and asked for help so we might have saved it...
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jenn
Original Author
15 years ago
Can anyone else comment? If we mulch with composted manure and give fish fertilizer now, will they be fine?
mksmth zone 7a Tulsa Oklahoma
15 years ago
Do they appear to be suffering? The roots at the soil are not an issue most likely just soil erosion.
jenn
Original Author
15 years ago
Not yet, but the weather was very cool on the day I checked, and now it is hot.

Even if the surface-root exposure was due to soil erosion (and I don't doubt that it was), shouldn't I cover those roots? I've already done that, and yesterday added some composted manure mulch and gave it a feeding of fish fertilizer.
mksmth zone 7a Tulsa Oklahoma
15 years ago
they should be just fine.
jenn
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you.
jakkom
15 years ago
OK, you're feeding it a lot, so let that rest for a while. You don't mention citrus fertilizer and iron, both of which are needed for citrus in the ground. Like roses, they're hungry all the time and will exhaust the soil during their extremely long lives.

I feed once every month or two with citrus fertilizer, liquid iron at least twice a year. I save the liquid fish/kelp dousing for no more than once or twice a year, but always after the main harvest ends - right around the end of this month or so.

The new growth will always tell you how well the citrus is doing. If it's dark green, it's getting enough food. If it's unfolding a paler green, the plant is hungry.

I mulch with either mini-bark or cocoa hull mulch, which seems to work better for me in conserving moisture than compost.

I can't find any info on meyers specifically, but according to one web source, 40 yrs is about the average lifespan of a lemon tree, with production dropping off as it ages although it may live longer.