Citrus trees in tubs

RupertofOZ

SensitiveNewAquaGardener wrote:

I'm gunna try it...will report back when I get out of physio and can walk again!

Have asked KEII to revise his itinery and come down and have a quiet talk to you Snag..... :lol:

SensitiveNewAquaGardener

'Sokay Rupe, I'm willing to take one fer the team!

catfat112

Jaymie can I see a picture of your lime tree setup?
How much limes are you getting off it ?

Jaymie wrote:

F&F and I both have citrus in tubs.

I have a dwarf Meyer lemon, a dwarf tahitian lime and a finger lime.
I used the two limes that grew last week and they were yummy! Of course I would prefer to have a bigger crop, but I am patient

I also have a sultana grape vine that seems to be doing very well.

All of them are in vertical half blue drums with gravel. They have loop siphons that fill for 20-30 minutes and drain a couple of times in each cycle.

I've also had rosellas growing in the medium grow bed. They have done really well and fruited well, until the rats found them and ate most of the crop

I'm now removing them, one each couple of weeks.

hydrophilia

So F&F says
"On my citrus while its growing and fruiting its no where as good as the one in the dirt".
I assume this means that the AP citrus is not growing as well, not fruiting as much, or the quality of the fruit is substandard. I wish we had more info, but we can contemplate possibilities and solutions...

As discussed, iron is often a problem. Manganese as well, according to various citrus sites I've visited. These can both be added if there are any signs of deficiencies. Easy...

More causes of poor growth might be some root rot; not enough to kill the tree outright, but enough to set it back. Watering less often and making sure that it is completely drained for the dry period would help this.

The trees may be stress-deprived. Too much water? Might this cause lack of fruiting or poor flavor? I know that wine makers often withhold water until the fruit is picked, hoping to get the flavors as concentrated as possible. Could this be solved by flooding them much less often, perhaps once or twice each day?

Could there be a lack of other nutrients leading to poor flavor or blossoming? This could affect all of the possible symptoms. Ditto if the trees may not be getting enough light.

So.... iron and less frequent watering might be the easiest/best things to try. At least that's how I'd go.

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Citrus trees in tubs

Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics