Last week, I brought all my citrus back inside for the winter, so I thought I’d talk about them this week. I have a Meyer lemon, a Key lime, and two kumquats. Citrus is fairly easy to grow if you’ve got the right spot.
How Citrus Trees Found Their Way to The Americas
Citrus trees are native to a wide area, including Asia, Australia, and New Guinea. Believe it or not, Christopher Columbus brought them to the Americas in 1493. In 1493, he planted a few seeds in Haiti. Spanish explorers brought more citrus. In the mid-1500s, seeds were planted in St. Augustine, Florida. About 25 years later, also in St. Augustine, the first citrus grove was established. In 1776, the first shipment from St. Augustine was shipped to England.
How to Grow Citrus Successfully in Virginia
So, how do we grow citrus successfully in Virginia?
- Citrus are native to tropical areas so we need to remember that when growing them here. They can’t take our winter temperatures outside. They must come inside for the winter when nights fall below 50 degrees. Citrus can take it a bit cooler than that, but it makes it even more stressful on the plants if you leave them out until temperatures are in the 40s.
- Citrus are native to the tropics, where they get long sunny days. Their biggest problem in Virginia is that they are so far from the equator that our days, even in the summer, are shorter than summer ones at the equator. In winter, they are way shorter still. For example, on Christmas Eve in Miami, their day is about an hour longer than in Richmond, so they must be near a South-facing window. I’m lucky enough to have a south-facing window, but I still get the best results if I augment with a grow light during cloudy stretches during the winter.
- Citrus are picky when it comes to their soil. They need loose, extremely well-draining, and slightly acidic soil. You can find a few garden centers that sell commercial citrus soil. If you can’t find it, you can use—believe it or not—cactus soil. Remember, late winter (February or early March) is the best time to repot. When you do repot, never go more than one to two inches bigger in pot diameter.
- Feed with a fertilizer that says it is for citrus. Follow the label directions. You can kill a plant by over-feeding. I never feed my citrus from November through mid-February. Encouraging a plant to grow when the sun is at its weakest actively is very stressful on your plant.
- Allow the soil to dry about halfway down before watering; not so dry that the leaves hang or curl.
Let’s Reap the Tastee Reward
Citrus trees are fun and rewarding, and there is something awfully nice about drinking iced tea with your own lemon adding that special delicious flavor!