This publish has been a reader favourite since I printed it in 2022. It was up to date with rising suggestions and new details about citrus suckers in January 2025.

The types of citrus I wish to develop outnumber the spots I’ve out there for planting. Fortunately, citrus grows very effectively in containers. By the years, I’ve realized what works and what doesn’t. Discover ways to develop citrus in containers with the following pointers, and very quickly, you can be a container citrus rising professional!

Article Index:

Why develop citrus in containers?

Select the most effective container for planting citrus

Plant citrus on the proper time

Choose citrus varieties that develop effectively in containers

Use the proper sort of soil

Select the most effective location

Plant your citrus tree accurately

Citrus in containers will want extra frequent watering

Feed your citrus often

Prune container-grown citrus as wanted

Defend citrus from freezing temperatures

Why develop citrus in containers?

Rising citrus in containers has loads of benefits.

Restricted House: Containers allow you to experiment with a number of citrus varieties even should you don’t have a lot room.

Unfavorable Climate: Transfer potted citrus bushes indoors or to a protected space if the local weather is simply too chilly or unpredictable.

Poor Soil and Drainage: Management soil high quality and drainage by rising citrus in containers, fixing any ground-related points.

Root Encroachment: Hold citrus roots out of close by raised beds or backyard plots, so all vegetation have the house they should thrive.

1. Select the most effective container for planting citrus

The container must be twice as massive because the citrus nursery pot to provide the roots room to develop. A half whiskey barrel is my favourite measurement for rising citrus. Massive ceramic or terra cotta pots additionally work effectively. Search for a container at the very least 2 ft broad (61 cm) and a couple of ft (61 cm) deep. It ought to maintain at the very least 20 gallons (about 2 cubic ft of soil) or extra. Get extra details about the most effective sizes for containers on this information.

Place on a plant dolly earlier than filling with soil in chilly climates so the container will be moved to a sheltered location in the course of the coldest months of the 12 months.

The pot ought to have a number of drain holes round its circumference. Drill extra holes if obligatory. Having the pot off the bottom on pot ft fairly than sitting in a tray (standing water can breed mosquitoes).

2. Plant citrus on the proper time

The most effective time to plant citrus bushes in containers is within the spring after the hazard of frost has handed. In gentle winter areas, there’s a second planting window for citrus within the fall. Should you plant within the fall, remember that newly planted citrus is extra vulnerable to frost and desires frost safety.

Should you plant the best bushes, having one thing out of your fruit bushes to reap year-round may be very potential. This publish will aid you discover concepts about what to plant for year-round fruit tree harvests.

3. Choose citrus varieties that develop effectively in containers

Some citrus is healthier suited to containers than others. Here’s what to search for:

Search for wholesome bushes with shiny leaves.

Purchase citrus bushes grafted onto dwarf rootstock. Dwarf bushes produce the identical measurement and high quality of fruit however yield 50-60 % much less fruit.

Have a look at the roots and ensure they don’t circle the nursery container. In the event that they do, the citrus tree could also be root certain and won’t develop effectively.

Smaller bushes are simpler to plant and endure much less from transplant shock issues.

Bigger forms of citrus bushes (like lemons and grapefruit) could outgrow the container rapidly and have to be repotted or have roots trimmed again.

Smaller forms of citrus that do effectively in containers embody: Improved Meyer lemon, Bearss lime, Mandarins, Australian Finger Lime, Calamondin, and Kumquat.

This weblog publish shares details about 30 various kinds of citrus and could also be useful as you establish which kind of citrus to plant in your container. Get extra assist deciding which citrus to plant on this information.

4. Use the proper sort of soil on your container citrus tree

The most effective soil for container-grown citrus is a potting combine with compost, coconut coir, peat moss, and vermiculite or perlite. Study extra about this soil mixture right here.

The potting soil must be mild and fluffy and drain effectively. Soil that’s all natural matter (compost) will decompose too rapidly and grow to be compacted. Backyard soil and/or native soil is simply too heavy for containers and won’t give the roots the air they want.

5. Select the Finest Location for Container-Grown Citrus

Prioritize Daylight: Citrus bushes want at the very least 8 hours of daylight day by day.

Morning Solar, Afternoon Shade: A spot with morning solar and a few late afternoon shade is good in most areas.

Reflective Warmth: Should you stay in a cooler local weather, inserting your container close to a sunny wall that displays warmth can increase rising situations.

Sizzling Climates: In very heat areas (just like the low desert of Arizona), present pure afternoon shade to scale back stress on container-grown vegetation. As a result of containers can overheat extra rapidly than floor soil, holding citrus barely shaded in the course of the hottest elements of the day is very vital.

6. Plant your citrus tree accurately

Planting citrus accurately from the beginning is essential for a wholesome, productive tree. Observe the directions beneath to make sure your citrus is about up for long-term success.

Fill the container midway with soil; set the tree in place.

Loosen compacted roots evenly however hold root ball intact.

If you’ll add an olla (oya) to your backyard, add it to your container earlier than you fill it with soil.

Fill the container with soil to the identical degree of the nursery pot. Don’t bury the basis crown or graft (the small bump the place the fruiting sort was grafted to the rootstock, sometimes just a few inches above the basis ball).

Mulch effectively, however push again soil and mulch away from the trunk.

7. Citrus in containers will want extra frequent watering

Examine your containers ceaselessly; citrus in containers dry out extra rapidly than citrus within the floor. Dip your finger into the soil an inch or so, and if it feels dry, it’s time to water. Use a moisture meter to provide you a extra actual concept of how moist the roots are.

Take note of your citrus tree. Your vegetation will inform you if their water wants aren’t being met. Leaves which can be wilted after which perk up after watering are an indication of roots which were allowed to dry out an excessive amount of. Yellow, curled leaves that don’t perk up after watering could imply they’re getting an excessive amount of water. Citrus roots like moist however not soggy situations.

How typically you water will likely be influenced by the climate. Throughout sizzling dry climate, water extra typically. Throughout cooler climate, you have to to water a lot much less.

Every time you water, water completely ensuring the water is being absorbed and never simply draining out the opening within the backside. If this occurs to your soil, it may be hydrophobic. To treatment this, gently dig within the soil with a backyard spade; don’t flip the soil over, simply loosen it. Subsequent, sprinkle the floor evenly with water. After a number of sprayings, the soil ought to start to interrupt up and loosen, permitting extra water to be absorbed. Including a 1″–2″ layer of mulch may help stop this.

Hydrophobic soil is soil that repels water as an alternative of absorbing it. When this occurs, water will bead up and run off the floor fairly than soaking in, inflicting vegetation to wrestle with water uptake.

Right here within the low desert, I add ollas (oyas) to all of my container-grown vegetation, together with citrus. Water the container completely, and fill the olla every time you water. This lets you go slightly longer between watering than containers with out ollas. Through the warmest months of the 12 months in sizzling climates, you should still need to water daily, however the plant roots have entry to extra water. Study extra about how you can water containers on this information.

8. Feed your citrus often

As a result of frequent watering means vitamins are washed away and roots can’t go searching within the floor for added vitamins, it’s additionally a good suggestion to feed your citrus often.

Use an natural fertilizer formulated for citrus. Sometimes for containers, fertilize extra typically however use much less fertilizer (observe label directions for quantities). Fertilize citrus in containers every month in the course of the rising season. Get extra primary care suggestions for citrus on this information.

9. Prune container-grown citrus as wanted

The most effective time to prune citrus is within the spring, after the hazard of frost has handed and earlier than new development seems. Use water-based latex paint or tree wrap to cowl any uncovered bark.

When pruning citrus in containers, prune for 3 issues:

Prune suckers beneath the graft union; they sap power from the tree and don’t produce fruit. Study extra about how you can determine citrus suckers on this information.

Prune lifeless branches.

Citrus may also be pruned to maintain the citrus a desired measurement and/or form. Keep away from pruning decrease branches.

10. Defend citrus from freezing temperatures

All citrus is frost-tender and must be introduced indoors or lined with frost material when nighttime temperatures go beneath 35°F (1°C). For extra details about defending citrus throughout freezing temperatures learn this information.

Should you transfer citrus indoors, present extra develop lights for the tree. Transfer the container again outdoors after the hazard of frost has handed within the spring. Dwarf Improved Meyer Lemon, Kumquat, and Calamondin are all extra cold-hardy varieties that do effectively in containers.

Get extra suggestions for avoiding widespread citrus errors on this information.