Does anyone have a good formula for citrus compost ? I have read that John
Innes No3 is appropriate but a large Poncirus Trifoliata "Flying Dragon" I
bought last year came potted in a very coarse peat compost. Also, can I use
universal liquid "phostrogen" type feeds or do I need to use the expensive
specialised stuff?
Best regards,
Christina

In article ,
Christina Cameron wrote:
Does anyone have a good formula for citrus compost ? I have read that John
Innes No3 is appropriate but a large Poncirus Trifoliata "Flying Dragon" I
bought last year came potted in a very coarse peat compost. Also, can I use
universal liquid "phostrogen" type feeds or do I need to use the expensive
specialised stuff?

Ideally, any neutral to slightly acid John Innes, but a similar,
freely-draining soilless one will do. They are actually fairly
flexible, so don't worry. And, yes, you can use generic feeds,
but give it some ericaceous (acid) feed every now and then.

Citrus are far tougher than is often made out - just don't let
them get waterlogged, completely dried out or frozen.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Christina Cameron wrote:
Does anyone have a good formula for citrus compost ? I have read that John
Innes No3 is appropriate but a large Poncirus Trifoliata "Flying Dragon" I
bought last year came potted in a very coarse peat compost. Also, can I
use
universal liquid "phostrogen" type feeds or do I need to use the expensive
specialised stuff?

Ideally, any neutral to slightly acid John Innes, but a similar,
freely-draining soilless one will do. They are actually fairly
flexible, so don't worry. And, yes, you can use generic feeds,
but give it some ericaceous (acid) feed every now and then.

Citrus are far tougher than is often made out - just don't let
them get waterlogged, completely dried out or frozen.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
My trifoliata got an annual feed of 10-10-10 and that was it...produced up
to 200 oranges per year. A hedge of them make great animal barriers....also
make an excellent root stock for oranges and is grown as such down in
Florida...HW

The message
from "Harold Walker" contains these words:

My trifoliata got an annual feed of 10-10-10 and that was it...produced up
to 200 oranges per year. A hedge of them make great animal
barriers....also
make an excellent root stock for oranges and is grown as such down in
Florida...HW

That's fine - but they've got their feet in soil. This is
UK.rec.gardening, and any orange tree left outside here in yhe UK all
year would very soon be an ex-orange tree, so the tree is potted.

My two-year-old lemon trees thrive on ordinary potting compost mixed
with some bonemeal. In the spring I give them some nitrogen, in the form
of smelly infusion of nettles.

Two of the most vigorous (all pips from the same lemon) are over five
feet tall, while the smallest is about nine inches...

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
k...
The message
from "Harold Walker" contains these words:

My trifoliata got an annual feed of 10-10-10 and that was it...produced
up
to 200 oranges per year. A hedge of them make great animal
barriers....also
make an excellent root stock for oranges and is grown as such down in
Florida...HW

That's fine - but they've got their feet in soil. This is
UK.rec.gardening, and any orange tree left outside here in yhe UK all
year would very soon be an ex-orange tree, so the tree is potted.

My two-year-old lemon trees thrive on ordinary potting compost mixed
with some bonemeal. In the spring I give them some nitrogen, in the form
of smelly infusion of nettles.

Two of the most vigorous (all pips from the same lemon) are over five
feet tall, while the smallest is about nine inches...

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Curious....why not in the ground..the trifoliata are very hardy....will take
temps. down to minus 17 C without a problem plus a windy and humid
climate......some friends of mine have theirs in ground in the UK and still
are growing without a problem...HW

In article ,
"Harold Walker" writes:
|
| Curious....why not in the ground..the trifoliata are very hardy....will take
| temps. down to minus 17 C without a problem plus a windy and humid
| climate......some friends of mine have theirs in ground in the UK and still
| are growing without a problem...HW

It is doubtful that they would take that in the UK, because of our
severe waterlogging and frost/warmth cycles in the winter with
continual 100% humidity. However, I have heard that they are
adequately hardy in quite a lot of the UK - including all of the
milder parts.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Harold Walker" writes:
|
| Curious....why not in the ground..the trifoliata are very hardy....will
take
| temps. down to minus 17 C without a problem plus a windy and humid
| climate......some friends of mine have theirs in ground in the UK and
still
| are growing without a problem...HW

It is doubtful that they would take that in the UK, because of our
severe waterlogging and frost/warmth cycles in the winter with
continual 100% humidity. However, I have heard that they are
adequately hardy in quite a lot of the UK - including all of the
milder parts.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
Ones that I know of in the UK that grew without a problem was in the fair
city of York.....as to water logging...that is easily taken care off with
some deep digging plus sand or what have you...a little bit of work I must
admit.

In article ,
"Harold Walker" writes:
|
| Ones that I know of in the UK that grew without a problem was in the fair
| city of York.....as to water logging...that is easily taken care off with
| some deep digging plus sand or what have you...a little bit of work I must
| admit.

Not entirely. My soil is 60% sand and 18% silt, and there have
been periods where it has been effectively waterlogged because
the rain simply didn't stop. If that is too bad, you can lose
plants because of it (I have).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Harold Walker" writes:
|
| Ones that I know of in the UK that grew without a problem was in the
fair
| city of York.....as to water logging...that is easily taken care off
with
| some deep digging plus sand or what have you...a little bit of work I
must
| admit.

Not entirely. My soil is 60% sand and 18% silt, and there have
been periods where it has been effectively waterlogged because
the rain simply didn't stop. If that is too bad, you can lose
plants because of it (I have).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Have you tried drainage pipes?

In article ,
"Harold Walker" writes:
|
| Not entirely. My soil is 60% sand and 18% silt, and there have
| been periods where it has been effectively waterlogged because
| the rain simply didn't stop. If that is too bad, you can lose
| plants because of it (I have).
|
| Have you tried drainage pipes?

Unnecessary and futile. My soil drains perfectly - even in
the heaviest rain, it never has standing water. That isn't the
problem.

The problem is extended periods with continual, moderate to
heavy, rain, causing the effect of waterlogging on the soil that
it is passing through. There is effectively nothing that can
be done about that other than keeping the rain off (hence
orangeries).

"Christina Cameron" wrote
Does anyone have a good formula for citrus compost ? I have read that John
Innes No3 is appropriate but a large Poncirus Trifoliata "Flying Dragon" I
bought last year came potted in a very coarse peat compost. Also, can I
use universal liquid "phostrogen" type feeds or do I need to use the
expensive specialised stuff?

I use a normal ericaceous compost with bark chippings*(as used for orchid
composts) to increase drainage. 4 to 1.
* these are NOT the half rotted chipped bark available at Garden Centres.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

The message
from "Harold Walker" contains these words:

Ones that I know of in the UK that grew without a problem was in the fair
city of York.....as to water logging...that is easily taken care off with
some deep digging plus sand or what have you...a little bit of work I must
admit.

Not in my garden! A bit of deep digging hits the water table...

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Harold Walker" writes:
|
| Not entirely. My soil is 60% sand and 18% silt, and there have
| been periods where it has been effectively waterlogged because
| the rain simply didn't stop. If that is too bad, you can lose
| plants because of it (I have).
|
| Have you tried drainage pipes?

Unnecessary and futile. My soil drains perfectly - even in
the heaviest rain, it never has standing water. That isn't the
problem.

The problem is extended periods with continual, moderate to
heavy, rain, causing the effect of waterlogging on the soil that
it is passing through. There is effectively nothing that can
be done about that other than keeping the rain off (hence
orangeries).

I would think I had heaven if I had your soil....mine basically consists of
6 inches of dirt on top of pure sand....I grow some excellent crops but all
in raised beds...the rest consists of berry bearing shrubs for the birds for
which I have to dig out very large holes and baclfill with 'imported' soil
and free compost from the local tip....

On Tue, 10 May 2005 07:43:18 +0100, "Christina Cameron"
wrote:

Does anyone have a good formula for citrus compost ? I have read that John
Innes No3 is appropriate but a large Poncirus Trifoliata "Flying Dragon" I
bought last year came potted in a very coarse peat compost. Also, can I use
universal liquid "phostrogen" type feeds or do I need to use the expensive
specialised stuff?

Citrus are prone to chlorosis and the Florida growers have to be alert
for it. I think the issue is iron, but I'm not at all sure I'm right
in saying that. Another issue might be that the soils in Florida are
particularly deficient in iron (or whatever).

thinks

It's something along the lines of the alkaline soils of Florida
causing chlorosis which is countered with a feed of iron.

I suggest you google "citrus chlorosis" and see what turns up.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, BC, Canada
to send email, change atlantic to pacific
and invalid to net

In article ,
Dave Poole wrote:

Regarding hardiness, the problem is that even with a Poncirus
rootstock, the relentless cold-wet combination in a good many parts of
the UK *without* compensatory day-time temperature rises plus early,
sustained, warm spring weather means that few varieties can survive
out of doors all year round. Poncirus does impart some hardiness, but
not quite enough for UK conditions. I have a 'Valencia' orange, which
has overwintered in a large container out of doors for 5 years and
both lemons and Nagami Kumquats do well locally.

Yes, that is the point. Interestingly, the same applies in some
parts of the tropics, though the problem there is saturation combined
with continual warmth!

If the precipitation is heavy enough, and the evaporation low enough,
even pure sand will remain largely saturated. Plants that are very
sensitive to that (whether in combination with cold, warmth or other
factors) can suffer. As the evaporation in the UK is essentially
nil all winter, even light continual rain will keep most soils at
least semi-saturated. The fact that the water is just passing through
doesn't help.

And, of course, the frequent light frosts cause damage, and the cold
and dark conditions mean that recovery by regrowth isn't possible.
In the tropics (the high rainfall areas), the problem is that the
fungi and bacteria grow faster than the plant can.

I have no idea of the physiological and related reasons why some
plants can handle this and some can't, but it is very obvious that
is the case.