Following

none of those recommendations do anything for citrus seedlings and what is safe for them

Citrus seedlings need clay pots or very porous pots of other fabrics.

Steve

my lemon seedlings are doing well but not growing

Yes and my topic was more regarding adult citrus trees rather than seedlings.

dandt1,, I don't use slow release fertilizers, but does not the product label advise an application rate?

I may need to find some other organic sources of fertilizer that is safe for my seedlings

Howard, organic fertilizers do not work very well in containers.

They do, but that’s my point. They advise something on the order of teaspoons which over the course of a season would amount to extremely small amounts of actual nitrogen. Many university websites recommend actual nitrogen amounts of 0.25lbs and up. For most slow release fertilizers, that amounts to 6-12lbs of fertilizer over the course of a season. So you see, you get nowhere close to that when you use just teaspoon amounts.

Don't try to make comparisons between inground planted trees and containers! Other than perhaps dealing with the same plant, they are really not the slightest bit comparable. And that would be the same for the amount of fertilizer required/applied.

All my containerized trees get a dose of Osmocote when they are potted and again at the start of each growing season. They also receive supplemental fertilization with a dilute application of Foliage Pro at least monthly and usually a bit more frequently from May to October to make sure all micronutrients are fully addressed. I have never noticed any issues that would speak to insufficient N being provided with citrus or any other so-called "heavy feeders".

am I going to have to get some poultry manure based fertilizer it slow release type

Thanks gardengal, that’s more what I was going for although again that’s where the confusion arises. Here is a link to one of the university websites that has a chart for actual nitrogen requirements. If you look at the ** at the bottom, it specifically says these requirements also apply to potted citrus.

https://acis.cals.arizona.edu/docs/default-source/agricultural-ipm-documents/publications/2015/az1671-2015.pdf?sfvrsn=4cecfc9a_4

If this were some random blog, I might dismiss it. But Univ of Arizona usually has good info regarding citrus.

organic is how I want to grow my lemons

"organic is how I want to grow my lemons"

Then I'd suggest you not grow them in containers. The nature of container culture and the container medium makes 100% organic growing practices highly problematic.

I got a problem my climate only allows me to grow them in clay filled containers

Howard This is a source of nitrogen that is free. Do some research first before using

Steve

I have to buy mine and I use small tea or coffee scoop that is about a tablespoon full on my clay soil and when it gets wet it rinses through the clay soil in my flowerpot

LOL!! NO climate will restrict you to "clay filled" containers!! Containers maybe, yes.......but find a better media to grow them in than clay. You will not be happy with the results. And if you are forced by climate issues to grow your citrus in containers, then please reconsider the use of synthetic fertilizers. You will get very poor results from any dry or granular organics in a container.

I'm not going to use nonorganic fertilizer my economics won't let me do things no other way for I'm a poor man and clay soil retains nutrients

Sure, it retains nutrient in the ground. But clay doesn't work well in containers. And that's science, not just wishful thinking.

Howard, you are free to grow your citrus any way you like :-) But you are not going to get the same sort of results of healthy growth and good fruit production with your methods as you would if you were to reconsider your premise with the limits of container culture in mind.

I am also on a fixed income, yet my containerized plants are important to me and I focus on maximizing their potential. You just can't do that without proper consideration of the container media. Even a bag or two of cheapo potting soil - while not ideal - will offer a far better growing environment than clay or any other kind of garden soil.

but when I can I will get different soil but I'm still going with organic fertilizers

If 90% - or more - of the fertilizer is just wasted or not able to be accessed by the plants, then what possible advantage does an organic fert have over a synthetic?

originally is the way I like to grow my fruit and vegetables

my health is,what I'm considering

and I'm going to go with poultry based manure based

fertilizer

LOL!! I'd suggest you do a lot more further research. A synthetically fertilized plant is not going to be any less healthy than one that as been provided organic ferts. Health issues come into play when you discuss pesticides and even then, organically derived pesticides can be just as harmful if misused or ingested as the non-organic ones.

If you insist on using an organic fertilizer - even though they are NOT recommended for container growing, then use something like fish or seaweed emulsion or alfalfa, comfrey or compost tea. Dry poultry manure is just a waste of time.

I'm going to put it in by the table spoon full

I don't use pesticides unless absolutely necessary I rather use pest predators instead

and dried poultry manure would be better than I'm using now

I don't live in Arizona I live in Ashland Kentucky

to KenB 7 my pot was filled with a very poor clay and a patently nutrient deficiencin not even grasses are growing in it too well

Howard. i just want to know why you want to use poultry manure? Did someone suggest it or have you had success with it?

Mike

yes with other plants

but it was from Jobes organic fertilizer and it mostly poultry manure to the the point where you smell it at first but that is better than I have now