Bob, that's the point of this question. What do you do that's different that works? I rotated my fertilizers at first, but now I have found a combination that works really well for me. I don't use Peters so I wouldn't mind knowing more about it if it performs well for somebody else. There are many fertilizers on the market as well as additives which are expensive and may or may not benefit the trees. Molasses is one ingredient I have reservations about. Some of it can be all hype for all I know. The best way to learn is through other people's experiences. So lets hear it.

As for garden centers in general, I have noticed there is always slow release fertilizer on the top of the potting soil which has been put there by the nursery grower because they have no idea how long their trees will be sitting waiting to be purchased. Lowes and Home Depot just hire folks to water plants, nothing more. Trees arrive in late March/early April looking great and turn yellow by August and are clearenced. The fertilizer has been washed out from frequent waterings which is why the trees look so poor towards the fall if not purchased. I have read not to fertilize newly purchased plants for 3 months because of the added fertilizer the growing nursery has included. I think that is ok if the plants look fresh right off the truck. Not only that, the citrus trees found in most places are standard sized trees, not dwarf, which explains the height. If the tags say the grower is Four Winds Growers, then they are not standard sized trees.

Denise, you just made it clear about Osmocote. You said it right by “August “ that is a long time from May. I also use Espoma products, which I buy them dirt cheap in the fall, it is mild stuff, can,t hurd, but stink. I think, your p/h watering is more important. Well water is too alkaline and rainwater too acidic.

How is rainwater too acidic? I measured 14 ppm with my TDS meter, so it should be basically neutral, like distilled water.

You are measuring parts per millium, that has nothing to do with acidity. Rainwater has only 2 benefits, one it makes the soil wet, two, if you have alkaline soil it would lower your p/h some, the parts per million is probably carbon, from lightning. Jay, you are too high tech for me.

For my New Zealand lemonade on Seville sour orange roots when it is more than just a short graft that grows in well in alkaline soil and currently on my fig trees.

This is how 3/4 of my garden is feed but a milk jug is used as the retailer. I save at least $200 per year

Steve, if you don,t have flushing toilets in your whatever, I guess that would be a solution. I hope you are not foaming in the mouth when you eat your produces.

Osmocote only lasts for 4 months, but we don't know exactly when the growing nursery applies it to the pot. Lowes here in my area just clearanced their trees and didn't look too bad. The first application for my trees was late March and reapplied it in July. If I was over fertilizing my trees for the last few years, then my oldest trees should be looking better than they do.

Bob, rainwater is usually slightly acidic. But from what I've read, the carbonic acid which acidifies it, will eventually turn into CO2 and escape into the air, leaving basically distilled water, which is ph neutral.

So to any chemists here, I wonder, should we be letting our rainwater sit for a length of time before using it?

only if you want tons of mosquitoes.

I put mosquito dunks (BT) in mine

Jay, if you feel that your rainwater is neutral than you don,t need a chemist to tell you otherwise. I have,t seen any changes in my 500 gl container, 5.5. I keep mine close at all times.

I just posted about FE in Kelley's thread but like many here I alternate between a variety of fertilizers. Osmocote is added to the pots in the spring and this year I've been trying Brian's method of sprinkling a little Miracle Gro 24-8-16 on the soil before watering. So far I've had good growth and no signs of fertilizer burn with the NZL and ST lemon holding on to little fruitlets and having some new growth despite being set back by scale last winter. I also have Foliage Pro which I used last year but not so much this year because it was more work to mix up compared to scattering the MG. I also found leftover bags of lawn fertilizer in the garage and scattered some 24-8-16 around the inground Yuzu which seemed to like it. This winter I may try weak solutions of Maxicrop seaweed fertilizer with either Foliage Pro or MG and see if it keeps the trees healthier.

Carie

Carrie, is the Miracle Grow you mentioned the all purpose plant food that is blue? I have some of that but never thought about using it without diluting with water.

Yes it's the all purpose one. I like that it's got the 3-1-2 ratio similar to Foliage Pro.

Osmocote 1/2 strength with 1/2 strength Peters 25-5-15 here. Add the Peters once every 3-4 weeks. My trees are lush and green. But recently did a FE spray and noticed that three of the very youngest trees burned slightly afterward. Maybe the FE is over the top for mine. (Although in a few weeks I'll still try again on the YG Denise).

In late spring when the night temps have finally warmed (most ferts need > 40F to start functioning), I have done an initial all-Espoma (multiple products including Citrus-tone) sprinkle on all my plants - temperate, subtropical (including citrus), and tropical. After that with the citrus, I have given them Osmocote Plus (and reapply 3 months later in August), and have mainly fertilized with FP (1 tbsp/gal of that along with 1 tbsp/gal of vinegar and 1/8 tsp - 1/4 tsp gal of Pro-tekt) about once a week (depending on the weather/rain). I have done a FE spray and have been waiting for the best time to do another (have had so much rain and now about to go into a mini-heatwave).

I'll probably do a last "-tone" fert on everything in September to start winding it all down.

I use the same feeding regiment all year. In the winter my tree only needs water every 2-4 weeks and in 90F heat I have to water every other day. A lot of pure watering between the weekly feedings. I use 24-8-16 Miracle Grow year around. In the out door months I add 20-0-10 to get me close to 40-8-24 fed at 75% dose.

Having fed the trees less than I'd like this summer, thanks to lots of travel and commitments, I just gave my trees another round of Peters. I was just wondering if I left it a little too late, and am asking for tender growth that won't do well in winter, but then a friend says she fertilizes her trees every month, all year. Given that we don't really get hard freezes, but just some frost in January, I am thinking I might scatter some alfalfa or Citrus-tone under the trees next month too. Thoughts?

KC