7 Best Citrus Tree Fertilizers Along With FAQs Answered

Best Citrus Tree Fertilizers

 

Patience and time are the two vital aspects of growing trees or having a small home garden. You can find several internet sources full of information about the right way to grow a citrus plant. However, in all honesty, you do not need any specific skills to do this. How? By using the right tools and products for the task. An essential product for your citrus plant’s growth is fertilizer. Here, in this article, we will help you with the seven best fertilizers for citrus trees. Further, we will also provide you with the buying guide and answer some of the frequently asked questions to help you fetch great results.

 

At A Glance: Best Fertilizers For Citrus Trees

 

Table of Contents

 

 

Best Citrus Plant Foods

Preview Product Buy Now
J R Peters Inc 52524 Jacks Classic No.1.5 20-10-20 Citrus Food Fertilizer J R Peters Inc 52524 Jacks Classic No.1.5 20-10-20 Citrus Food Fertilizer Check price on Amazon
Best Liquid Fertilizer For Citrus Trees Southern Ag – 01902 – Citrus Nutritional Spray – 16oz Check price on Amazon
Dr. Earth 708P Organic 9 Fruit Tree Fertilizer In Poly Bag Dr. Earth 708P Organic 9 Fruit Tree Fertilizer In Poly Bag, 4-Pound Check price on Amazon
Down to Earth Organic Citrus Fertilizer Mix 6-3-3 Down to Earth Organic Citrus Fertilizer Mix 6-3-3, 5 lb Check price on Amazon
Espoma Citrus-Tone Plant Food Espoma Citrus-Tone Plant Food, Natural & Organic Fertilizer for All Citrus, Avocado, Fruit & Nut Trees, 4 lb, Pack of 1 Check price on Amazon
Urban Farm Fertilizers Apples and Oranges Fruits and Citrus Fertilizer Urban Farm Fertilizers Apples & Oranges Fruits and Citrus Fertilizer, 1 quart Check price on Amazon

 

1. J R Peters Inc 52524 Jacks Classic No.1.5 20-10-20 Citrus Food Fertilizer

Our Number One Pick

 

J R Peters Inc 52524 Jacks Classic No.1.5 20-10-20 Citrus Food Fertilizer Check price on Amazon

 

If you need the best food for citrus trees, you can easily trust the JR Peters Jack’s Classic Citrus Fertilizer. You can avail of this citrus plant food in a pound bucket, and it comes with a resealable lid. This best citrus fertilizer is available in the 20-10-20 formulation and is crafted to offer the plant the right nutrients.

 

This is the best citrus fertilizer for limes, oranges, lemons, mangos, kumquats, and grapefruits. This best feed for citrus trees focuses on accentuating the micronutrient levels of the citrus fruits. Consequently, you will get more fruits, stronger branches, and greener leaves using this fertilizer. This best citrus fertilizer’s advanced formulation provides your plant with top-quality nutrients. So, with this best manure for citrus trees, you can achieve professional results at home.

 

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2. Southern Ag – 01902 – Citrus Nutritional Spray – Best Liquid Fertilizer For Citrus Trees

Best Liquid Fertilizer For Citrus Trees

 

Best Liquid Fertilizer For Citrus Trees Check price on Amazon

 

The next best citrus fertilizer is the Southern Ag Citrus Nutrition Spray. This liquid fertilizer for citrus trees is available in a 16-ounce bottle and is crafted to curtail the leaves’ yellowing. Further, this is also a good citrus fertilizer to rectify the yellowing disease in plants. This is the best citrus fertilizer as it comes packed with five vital nutrients, each of which is balanced into one.

 

In this manner, this best food for citrus trees offers your plants with all the nutrients that it requires to thrive. With this best food for citrus trees, your plant gets adequate zinc, sulfur, manganese, and magnesium. We call it the best citrus fertilizer as it is perfect for all kinds of fruit trees and ornamentals and has to be directly sprayed on the leaves.

 

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3. Dr. Earth 708P Organic 9 Fruit Tree Fertilizer

Best For Fruit Trees

 

Dr. Earth 708P Organic 9 Fruit Tree Fertilizer In Poly Bag Check price on Amazon

 

The third best feed for citrus trees is the Dr. Earth 708P Organic Fertilizer. This best plant food for citrus trees is designed to stimulate root development. You get these best fertilizers for citrus trees in a 4-pound box. This is the best citrus plant food and can be used to feed almonds, berries, persimmons, plums, fruit vines, nut trees, apricots, and avocadoes as well.

 

It is the best citrus fertilizer as it has probiotics in it. This best plant food for citrus trees has seven strains of microbes that are vital for the soil. It also has endo and ectomycorrhizae for root development.

 

This fertilizer betters the plant’s performance. If you use this best citrus food as directed, you won’t ever need a chemical fertilizer. This is a good citrus fertilizer and will feed your plant for many months. It is a 5-5-2 formula and has similar nitrogen and phosphate levels and lower potassium.

 

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4. Down to Earth Organic Citrus Fertilizer Mix

 

Down to Earth Organic Citrus Fertilizer Mix 6-3-3 Check price on Amazon

 

Number fourth on our best fertilizers for citrus trees list, we have the Down To Earth Organic Fertilizer. It is the best feed for citrus trees as it is natural and employs a 6-3-3 formula. You can avail of this in a one or five-pound box. OMRI lists this best citrus fertilizer for organic garden use.

 

This best citrus plant food is formulated with several plant nutrients, such as zinc, iron, calcium, and sulfur. It also has abundant micronutrients, which citrus plants require. This is one of the best fertilizers for citrus trees and offers the plant the right nitrogen and phosphorous dose. However, this best food for citrus trees runs a little low on potassium. Overall, this is one of the best citrus plant food as it promotes new growth, fragrant blossoms, and more fruit.

 

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5. Espoma Citrus-Tone Plant Food, Natural & Organic Fertilizer for All Citrus, Avocado, Fruit & Nut Trees

Budget Pick

 

Espoma Citrus-Tone Plant Food Check price on Amazon

 

Next on our best fertilizers for citrus trees is the Espoma CT4 Citrus-tone Food. It is a good fertilizer for citrus trees, and you get it in a 4-pound bag. Alternatively, this fertilizer can also be bought in four-pack, three-pack, and two-pack. This is a good fertilizer for citrus trees and ideal for organic farming as it has all natural ingredients. In this fertilizer, you get thousands of microbes to keep the plant healthy.

 

Though it is one of the best manure for citrus trees, it is available in a 5-2-6 formulation. Thus, if you use this fertilizer, you will have to feed the plant more often to achieve the best results.

 

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7. Urban Farm Fertilizers Apples & Oranges Fruits and Citrus Fertilizer

 

Urban Farm Fertilizers Apples and Oranges Fruits and Citrus Fertilizer Check price on Amazon

 

The last one on our best fertilizers for citrus trees list is the Urban Farm Fertilizers for citrus fruits. This liquid fertilizer for citrus trees is a micro-brewed, hand-crafted fertilizer. You get this 4.5-2-4.2 formulation. You will have to mix one quart of the fertilizer with 64 gallons of water and keep the ratio 256 to 1. It is not 100% organic as it has calcium in it.

 

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What Nutrients Work Best For Citrus Trees?

There are two kinds of nutrients which every good fertilizer for citrus trees should have – micronutrients and macronutrients. The plants need the macronutrients in a much larger quantity compared to the micronutrients. These include the following:

 

  1. Nitrogen: It is the most vital nutrient used by the citrus plant. The plant uses nitrogen for the production of flowers and leaves, and of course, the fruits.
  2. Phosphorous: The citrus plants need phosphorous to digest the nutrients and store energy. It is a vital nutrient used for cell division.
  3. Potassium: The citrus trees use potassium for the production of leaves, flowers, fruits. It works in the same way as nitrogen.
  4. Calcium: Calcium, too, performs a similar function as potassium and nitrogen.
  5. Magnesium: The citrus plants use magnesium during photosynthesis. Further, magnesium boosts the phosphorous intake in the plants.
  6. Sulfur: Citrus plants use sulfur to better root growth. Sulfur is also a vital component of several kinds of proteins.

 

Micronutrients used by the citrus plants include:

  1. Iron: Iron is a necessary component, which helps in chlorophyll production in citrus plants.
  2. Zinc: Citrus plants use zinc for carbon metabolism.
  3. Boron: Boron is vital for sugar translocation.
  4. Manganese: Manganese helps the citrus plants ensure that all the nitrates are usable to the plant.
  5. Copper: Copper is employed in a bunch of systems inside the plant.
  6. Molybdenum: Citrus plants utilize molybdenum for vitamins and starch formation.

 

Features To Consider While Buying The Best Fertilizer For Citrus Trees

When shopping for organic fertilizer for citrus trees, you need to consider a bunch of factors. It goes without saying, every professional or hobbyist gardener wants the best plant food for citrus trees while still ensuring that the chosen nutrient is easy to use, reasonable, and pretty manageable.

 

To help you find the best citrus tree fertilizer, here we have come up with a few factors that you need to bear in mind when deciding on the best citrus food. Let us get started and address these factors to shop for the best manure for citrus trees one by one.

 

Price

The price range for organic fertilizer for citrus trees is not very wide. Typically, the price for the good fertilizer for citrus trees is usually between 10-40 USD. However, if you opt for the value packs, the cost can rise to 50 USD or above. In our view, the value packs are better as they get you more at once at a lower value than you would possibly get when you buy the spikes or the sprays one at a time.

 

NPK

NPK refers to the three essential citrus tree fertilizers that plants need to grow strong and healthy.

 

In this, N implies nitrogen. Nitrogen is believed to be the best food for citrus trees and is needed for the plants to carry out their photosynthesis process. It is a quintessential piece in amino acids, which can aid in protein construction. Nitrogen also enables the plants to store and utilize the energy. Nitrogen can be found in a blood meal, manure, compost, and feather meal.

 

P stands for Phosphorous, which is another component of good fertilizers for citrus trees. The plants need phosphorous to aid proper root growth and to have the plants blooming. When the plants get the right phosphorous dosage, they build strong structural stability. This enables seed production in the plants. The organic fertilizer for citrus trees to acquire phosphorous include blood meal, compost, and manure, just like nitrogen. Phosphorous can also be availed from bone meal.

 

Lastly, the K in NPK signifies potassium. Potassium is a citrus tree fertilizer, which decides the shape, size, taste, and color of the fruit. When the plants get this citrus tree fertilizer in good quantity, the fruits are naturally better. Potassium, an important component of every good citrus fertilizer can be found in compost and manure too. Alternatively, wood ash is also an excellent source for this best citrus food.

 

Fertilizer type

You have more than one way to provide the plants with citrus tree fertilizers. You can opt for liquid fertilizer for citrus trees or go for a granulated one. The idea is to understand which way best suits you and your plant. Some people spray the best citrus fertilizer over the plants. Upon spraying the good citrus fertilizer, the nutrients directly land upon the leaves. It is also helpful in proper plant maintenance.

 

Further, another way to provide the citrus tree fertilizer to your trees is via a spike. A spike has the nutritional formula in it. So, all you have to do is take the spike and insert it in the soil in your plant’s pot. If you are growing the tree, to provide organic fertilizer for citrus trees, you can insert the spike directly into the ground where your tree is planted. This will, over time, provide your plants the best feed for citrus trees. However, the spike will not last forever. Thus, you need to keep a continuous check on it to see how much citrus tree fertilizer remains in the spike.

 

At times, the best manure for citrus trees goes right over your soil or lawn. This is primarily the organic fertilizer for citrus trees. However, you also come across the chemical formulas, which can be absorbed easily by the roots and the citrus tree’s soil.

 

The powdered citrus tree fertilizer that we recommend includes the Espoma CT4 and Dr. Earth Natural Wonder. However, if you like to use the granules instead, you can opt for the Nelson Citrus Fruit and Avocado Tree Plant Food fertilizers and the J R Peters Inc Jacks Classic Citrus FeEd.

 

Pack volume

Once you invest in a plant, citrus tree fertilizer is also going to be an ongoing expense. To make this investment in citrus tree fertilizer a lot more budget-friendly, you should look for a value deal or pack on multiple packs of organic fertilizer for citrus trees. The good citrus fertilizer will cost you less over time if you make a bulk purchase.

 

You can even avail of a weekly, monthly or even yearly service of consistent good citrus fertilizer, so you never run out and never have the trouble of finding a new brand.

 

Tree care

Some good fertilizer for citrus trees promises to offer you the right nutrients for your plants and guard the plants against potential diseases and insects. In case of an infestation, you can get a pesticide separately. Some good fertilizers for citrus trees have pesticides inside them that are full of chemicals. This implies that you will have to use these citrus tree fertilizers in lesser quantities, so you do not harm your plant.

 

How effective would it be?

Though the general idea is to shop for the citrus tree fertilizer from a top and recognized brand, you should look for organic fertilizer for citrus trees. The organic citrus tree fertilizer works the best since they have minimum chemicals, which the plants can absorb. The best fertilizers for citrus trees are organic fertilizers, but the chemical liquid fertilizer for citrus trees can guard the plants against other factors, such as insects, pollution, and sunlight.

 

Overall, to achieve the best and most effective performance, you need to look for the best feed for citrus trees that is organic and exclusively meant for the citrus plants you are planting.

 

How To Fertilize Citrus Trees With The Best Citrus Food?

When you have good fertilizer for citrus trees at hand, the next big question is how to provide your plants with the citrus tree fertilizer. See, never let this task dampen your mood. Most of the plant foods come with instructions on product application. So, regardless of whether you opt for a pre-measured spike or pick one that requires mixing with the soil, follow the steps below to feed your plants with the citrus tree fertilizer.

 

Step 1: Pick the best fertilizers for citrus trees. Opt for an organic best citrus food over a synthetic one as the synthetic ones might burn the tree, mainly if the tree is not matured yet.

 

Step 2: Now, measure the quantity of your chosen best citrus fertilizer that you want to give to your plant. The amount of any good citrus fertilizer depends on the age and the size of the plant.

 

For this, you need to follow the steps below:

  1. Measure the tree’s trunk in diameter.
  2. Now, multiply the diameter by 0.10 pounds. This is the nitrogen amount.
  3. Take a quick look at the packaging for your best manure for citrus trees, and try to gauge the NPK numbers. From there, you can get the actual nitrogen amount per pound in the plants.
  4. Next, divide the actual nitrogen that the tree needs to the nitrogen per pound in your chosen citrus tree fertilizer. This is precisely the number that you need to determine the fertilizing that is to be applied.

 

Step 3: Now, take the selected best plant food for citrus trees and evenly start applying it. You have to start the application from a foot away from the tree’s trunk and end right at the drip line. Employ a rake to dig in small homes around the trunk. This can help you evenly spread out the fertilizer.

 

Step 4: Put a bit of compost around the tree and thoroughly water it. In the first year, you need to use about half a pound of 10-10-10 fertilizer for fertilizing the young citrus plants. You need a pound of fertilizer for the mature trees for every year of the citrus plant’s current age.

 

For instance, if the mature citrus is four years old, you will have to scatter four pounds of fertilizer a few feet away from the drip line.

 

Frequently Asked Questions: Best Fertilizers For Citrus Trees

Ques 1. How often should you fertilize citrus trees?

Ans. The best citrus plant food should be given to the plant only thrice a year to maintain a good harvest. Firstly, the feed should be given in February, and the next feed should be given in May, and the last feed needs to be given in August. At times, the packaging instructions on the best citrus fertilizer may direct you for a high dosage or application, but we recommend you always apply a little less.

 

Ques 2. What is the best time to fertilize citrus trees?

Ans. The best time to fertilize the citrus trees is during the active growth period of the plants. It would be best if you fertilized the plants one to two months and during the summer and spring months. In the winter season, the plants are in their dormant period. This is when you should fertilize the plant once every two to three months.

 

Ques 3. What fertilizer to use on citrus trees?

Ans. The best citrus food should be a nitrogenous fertilizer or the fertilizer with high nitrogen content. However, the good citrus fertilizer will be the one that does not have a number higher than eight nitrogen-phosphate-potash. If you’re growing a lemon tree, always ensure that the soil pH is in-between 5.5-6.5. If the pH level rises above 7.0, it can lead to nutritional deficiencies and stunt the plant’s growth.

 

On the other hand, the orange tree grows the best when it has a balanced fertilizer or higher in NPK. Further, the best fertilizers for citrus trees, like oranges, need other micronutrients, such as zinc, manganese, and iron, for perfect growth.

 

Ques 4. What is the best fertilizer for citrus trees?

Ans. To get the best results for your orange trees, you require the best citrus fertilizer, that is, one with a fertilizer ratio, not more than 8-8-8, just like a Lemon tree. It would also be the best citrus food for orange trees.

 

To get yourself the best fertilizers for citrus trees, like grapefruits, you need to ensure that the soil pH is mainly acidic, that is, between 6.0 to 6.5. Do not forget to test the soil pH before plantation, and add dolomite limestone to heighten the pH levels, if required. In case the pH level is already high, you can add sulfur to reduce it.

 

You need to fertilize the grapefruit plants thrice in a year with the best fertilizers for citrus trees. If the weather is hot, add more nitrogen to it.

 

Ques 4. What is a natural fertilizer for citrus trees?

Ans. Organic fertilizers or natural fertilizers are good fertilizers for citrus trees. They are directly derived from animal or plant sources. Some of the best citrus fertilizers include compost, manures, or bone meal. These are all-natural and organic.

 

Ques 5. Are coffee grounds good for lemon trees?

Ans. Coffee ground is indeed one of the best plant food for citrus trees. It provides the plants with NPK. The good thing is it does so gradually, so you let them be in there for a while.

 

Ques 6. Is Epsom salt good for citrus trees?

Ans. Epsom salt or magnesium sulfate is a phenomenal source of sulfur and organic magnesium and is a part of many market bought best citrus fertilizer. It is the best citrus food when your soil has been intensively cultivated or if it lacks magnesium. They are the best citrus food, especially for lemon trees.

 

Wrapping Up

We are sure by now you know how important it is to have the right fertilizer for the growth of your citrus plant. Don’t forget to check out our selection of top orchid fertilizer and best fertilizer for palm trees. If you do not have a good fertilizer, your plants may either be diseased or develop yellow leaves. At times, its growth may be stunted, and it might stop yielding fruits as well as it should.

 

With the right choice of fertilizer, your citrus trees will be bestowed with greener leaves, produce more fruits, and look healthier. Upon using the fertilizers for only a few months, you will be amazed at the results generated.