Citrus soil: composition and acidity, how to do it yourself

Growing citrus plants indoors is a labor-intensive, energy-intensive process. Their varieties, as a rule, are poorly adapted to growth and development in living quarters. Cultivation of citrus fruits is associated with compliance with regular care rules, the selection of soil and the regulation of optimal temperature and humidity values.

Citrus Soil Quality Criteria

To choose a soil for citrus fruits, you need to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of these plants. Indoor varieties are significantly different from those that grow in natural conditions:

• indoor species bloom twice a year;
• fruits of indoor species have a less pronounced citrus flavor;
• The sizes of indoor varieties are different from wild ones.

With the right choice of soil for planting a variety of citrus plants and compliance with the conditions of care, the crop is harvested in the third year of the plant's life. The soil mixture is selected according to several parameters:

• the structure of the soil should be loose (the root system of citrus fruits has its own characteristics, in order to obtain nutrients from the earth it needs to have easy access to useful elements);
• acidity indicators should not exceed the boundaries of 5.2 and 7 pH;
• The soil must have a uniform structure (the presence of lumps interferes with the root system, reduces the speed of the process of obtaining nutrients).

Types of indoor citruses have distinctive features that are taken into account when selecting soil:

1. Black soil is not suitable for any varieties of lemon. It causes root rot due to the greenhouse effect.
2. Tangerine roots are distinguished by their ability to quickly absorb minerals from the soil, so experts recommend supplementing them with mineral fertilizers more often.

Buy or make your own

Compositions for planting and growing citrus fruits are sold in specialized departments of thematic stores, the second way to obtain the necessary mixture is to make it yourself.

Citrus growers note that purchased soils are often not suitable for lemon varieties. This is due to the peculiarity of the packaging: sealed bags contribute to the creation of a greenhouse effect, which provokes the decomposition of the fibers contained in the mixture.Such mechanisms are harmful to lemon varieties of any type, it is difficult for plants to gain growth and develop properly.

Ideal soil mix for citrus fruits at home

An important condition for the proper growth and development of citrus varieties at home is to adjust the level of soil acidity. Plants do not tolerate low acidity, they die in an environment with high acidity.

For experienced gardeners, checking soil acidity is easy. To do this, you need to evaluate the result that appeared on litmus paper after immersion in a liquid that remains on the surface of the soil:

• red color - evidence of level 5 RN;
• orange indicator - medium acidity;
• yellow indicator - level increased;
• green is an indicator of an alkaline environment.

Information! A common cause of changes in acidity is watering with hard water.

Several components are used to create the necessary soil mixture.

Garden soil

Features:

• light structure;
• acidity neutral.

Garden soil is recommended to be collected near fruit crops in summer. The top layer is collected, which is then sieved and separated from debris.

Leaf land

The feature of this mixture is the natural level of acidity. A similar type of soil is formed after the decay of leaves that fall from trees. Natural mechanisms make the soil useful for growing all kinds of crops.

Sod land

Features:

• porous structure;
• increased nutrient content.

Cooking sod has specific steps. The layer should not exceed 15 centimeters in thickness and 35 centimeters in width. Layers of turf are laid in layers on top of each other, until a height of 1 meter is reached. The middle of the upper part of the structure is pierced, a recess is created so that moisture is retained there. In summer, a similar structure is turned over, spilled, compacted with manure.

Sod land is being prepared for 2 years. The layers are sieved before using the turf for houseplants.

Sand

Features:

• light structure;
• friability;
• structure helps prevent the development of fungus.

Sands do not contain nutrients, they are added to the mixture to give lightness.

Experts recommend collecting sand in warm, clear weather. It is washed before adding.

Peat land

Peat has a number of useful characteristics:

• contains nutrients;
• regulates soil acidity;
• gives the necessary structure.

Peat is added to the mixture for indoor citrus plants in minimal amounts so as not to oversaturate the soil and not provoke the decomposition of the fibers.

Compost

Compost is an organic type fertilizer that is formed as a result of the decomposition of plant and animal waste.

Compost is obtained by composting. To do this, create a recess in the ground, where waste of plant or animal origin is placed. The optimal composting time is 2 years after the first laying.

When adding compost to the soil mixture, make sure it is fully prepared, as the unripened structure may adversely affect the growth of the citrus plant.

Seedling fertilizers

Citrus plants need proper nutrition. For cultivation, it is necessary to adhere to special schemes developed by specialists.

Information! For top dressing, the simultaneous use of mineral and organic fertilizers is not practiced. This approach contributes to the burning of the root system, so the types of complexes alternate.

Plants need different types of fertilizer, it depends on the period of development:

1. Nitrogen-containing complexes are needed from January to August. For lemons and tangerines, an infusion of horse manure is recommended with a concentration of manure and water in the proportion of 100 grams to 1 liter of water. This mixture is infused for 2 weeks.
2. A large amount of nitrogen is contained in urea, it is dissolved according to the formula: 1.5 grams per 1 liter of water.
3. For top dressing of citrus fruits, during flowering or color set, fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus and potassium are used. They are applied until lemons and tangerines form fruits with a minimum diameter of up to 15 millimeters.
4. Preparing for the dormant phase, which occurs in plants in August or September, requires feeding with potassium sulfates. For this, granular inorganic type fertilizers are used.

Advice! It is recommended to alternate root and non-root feeding.

Need transplant

Citrus plants need regular repotting:

• for nutrient replenishment;
• to change soil acidity;
• to expand the space of the pot due to the fact that the root system has grown.

Signs a citrus plant needs repotting:

• plant stops growing;
• slowly evolving;
• part of the branches remain underdeveloped;
• the tips of the roots are visible from the drainage hole, which indicates a strong entanglement of the root system of the earthy coma.

For transplantation, periods of budding, flowering or fruiting are excluded. The process is recommended to be approached very carefully. Before transplanting, the plants are thoroughly shed for several days. A culture with a clod of earth is taken out of the pot, trying not to disturb the roots.

After examining the root system, dried or rotten parts are carefully removed. The lump that is taken out of the pot is by no means destroyed. Plants are transplanted into a new container with it. This explains the second name of the method for transplanting citrus fruits - transshipment.

With regular transplants, the rule of increasing the size of the pot should be taken into account: each time it is increased by 2-4 centimeters.

Regular transshipment contributes to the formation of a strong tree, so frequent treatments are recommended for indoor citrus plants (2-3 times annually).

After transshipment, citrus pots are watered abundantly and covered from direct sunlight, not placed in a draft or near heating appliances. The quarantine period provides for a rest period of 1-2 weeks for the plants to adapt to the new capacity and new growth conditions.

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