"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...
K wrote:
Martin Brown writes
keith kent wrote:
Hello ,i have a Calamondin and a Lemon tree.
I continue to struggle to get nice green leafs , i have been feeding
with a winter and summer citrus feed in rain water.
I have tested with a TDS meter the strength of the summer feed 150 ppm
and it seems very weak to me as i would think they are heavy
feeders.Standard plant feed are approx 1000 ppm or more .
What is the best feed to use ?

Dunno what the best feed to use is, but mine get whichever of orchid
feed or their proper citrus feed is going at the time they need it in
rainwater. I only water them again when the compost looks dry.

Orchid feed is less strength than standard feed isn't it? Dos that mean
that citrus aren't in fact heavy feeders?

Both of mine are crystalline semi solids with similar NPK ratios but
slightly different mix of trace elements. I use them pretty much
interchangeably. How much you dilute it makes the difference.

Citrus leaves will yellow and certainly sulk if they don't get enough
food - but overwatering is a more common problem. I think by most
definitions they are fairly heavy feeders and acid loving so hard water
will cause them problems getting enough iron.

My lemon seems to tolerate quite a bit of water however it is in a large pot
outside and so unlikely to get waterlogged.

I have been feeding it this year less frequently than recommended but with a
stronger solution and it seems to like it more than being neglected.
Previous years there has beeen patchy growth and some yellowing of the
leaves.

It has just started growing again and I think I can correlate the growth
spurts with extra watering and feeding.

So from my experience if the leaves aren't greening up and the plant is in
well drained soil/potting composed in a warm and sunny spot then an extra
feed or a stronger feed is worth trying.
A little extra watering is also worth a try - I suspect mine has previously
been under fed and under watered.
The main thing is not to go on for too long if you are not getting positive
results because AFAIK under feeding and watering is less likely to kill the
plant unless carried to the extreme.

It may be a little late this year to experiment, though.

HTH

Dave R