Citrus and Lemon Tree Planting How-To

Citrus and Lemon trees can live up to 50 years old. So, a little tender loving care for a new citrus tree can bear fruit in as early as 2 years and keep on giving.

We are all realizing the true threat to the food chain whether by a natural disaster or a man-made problem, and we as a family have decided to do our part to become a more self-sufficient family. One of the easiest plants to grow in the south is a fruit tree. One tree will produce more fruit than a family can eat.

For this reason, we decided that planting more fruit trees was a pretty good idea to get us moving on our way to being more self-sufficient.

Keep reading for my best tips on how to plant citrus and lemon trees.

Where to Plant Your Citrus and Lemon Tree

Citrus trees are subtropical plants, so we are lucky to live in Florida—an ideal citrus growing location. Citrus trees tolerate temperatures as low as 28 degrees F for several hours without permanent damage. If we do get a frost below 28 degrees F we can lose the fruit for the year and possibly the tree.

We can plant our citrus trees outside, but if you aren’t the outdoorsy type there are many dwarf varieties you can grow indoors. But that isn’t the real purpose of this post. 

If you are looking to plant a citrus or lemon tree outdoors look for a full sun area that your tree can be about 20′ away from other vegetation. 

Sometimes it is hard to visualize what that really means, so take out a measuring tape if needed. You may also want to make sure that you observe the location throughout the day to make sure your citrus or lemon tree will get sufficient light.

You can plant in the same place as a tree that has died. I recommend doing a little research on citrus tree greening, so you understand the importance of your tree location and health.

How to Plant Your Citrus Lemon Tree

1) Choose Your Planting Site 

Citrus and lemon trees should be planted 10-20 feet apart, away from your house, or other trees (I recommend 20′). Citrus trees like well-draining soil, so a sandy mix of soil is okay.

Remove the Grass.

In a circular shape about 2-3 times bigger than your pot clear the grass layer down to the roots and set it aside. 

2) Dig Your Hole

This seems kind of obvious, but it should be said since it is probably the most important step in planting an orange tree, lemon tree, or grapefruit tree. When you dig your hole once again dig it to the 2-3 times wider than the pot your tree is currently in. This breaks up the soil and encourages the roots to grow out. 

If you do not do this step you run the risk of having your citrus and lemon tree roots grow in a cylinder-like fashion, as if you put it into a pot.

You will want the depth of your hole to be the same or slightly less than that of the tree pot. This is to prevent trunk rot that may occur if you bury the trunk too far up in the dirt. 

3) Optional Steps

You could add compost into your soil at this point. For this particular tree, I threw in some pineapple scraps and eggs shells just because. 

There is a danger to fertilizing young trees too much. It can actually burn the roots. It is best to use old or established compost (if you are a self composter) to your soil or you can run the risk of burning your roots just like the commercial fertilizer.

As your compost decomposes it will create lots of heat, so I actually don’t recommend throwing food waste directly into your hole. If you put in too much, or put it in too close to the root ball, it could cause a big problem. I only used a small amount.

To make sure the acid in my pineapple, and the heat generated, doesn’t harm my plant I dig it a bit deeper and cover it with soil. The hot weather, worms, and insects will make quick work of it and enrich the soil around my root ball. 

If in doubt don’t even bother fertilizing at all it is better safe than sorry.

And at this step, you could also fill your hole with water. I don’t do this but some people swear by it. I did, however, add a few moisture crystals to help with water retention.

4) Place in Your Tree

You can place your tree now. Turning your citrus and lemon tree around to find its best side is best to do before you place it in the hole.

If you are having trouble getting it out of the pot roll lay it on its side and roll it back and forth to help loosen the connection. Once the root ball is out, tease the bottom slightly to loosen up the roots, but not too much or it may cause shock.

Add soil underneath the root ball so your citrus and lemon tree rests vertically. Once your citrus tree is in position backfill with the dirt you removed from the hole. I like to mix it with any of the potting mix that comes off of the root ball as I remove it from the pot. 

Remember not to bury the trunk higher than it was originally.

5) Mulching Citrus and Lemon

After the dirt is returned to the hole and there are no air pockets I use the grass I removed to create a berm/dam around the dirt area. Basically, I turn the clumps of grass upside down (dirt and root side up) and place it on the grass edge of my dirt circle. This grass will die and decompose, but also create a water dam and more protection for growing roots. 

Cover the berm and root area with the mulch of your choice. This could be wood chips, pine straw mulch, or even straw. Do not let the mulch touch the trunk of your tree. Keep a safe several inch distance or it may burn and scar the trunk of the tree, which in turn makes it hard for the tree to transfer nutrients from the soil to its leaves.

6) After Care

Now is the time to water. Give it a really good soak. And you will want to follow up for the next few months with regular watering if you are not having frequent rains. 

Do not overwater though. The dirt should dry out in between watering.

You can also fertilize every few months or so. There are citrus commercial fertilizers you can find at your local nursery. I recommend applying it on top of that mulch berm so it can slowly release into the soil. Never put your fertilizer near the trunk of your tree. 

Orange Tree, Grapefruit Tree, and Lemon Tree, Oh My

We had a grapefruit tree on our property when we bought it, and sadly it is on its way out due to common Florida citrus bacteria spread by insects. We will continue to enjoy it as long as we can, but I foresee us planting a new grapefruit tree in our future. Adding this Meyer Lemon tree and the Tangerine tree we should be doing pretty well on our citrus.

I would like to add other kinds of fruit trees soon. I read somewhere that we are supposed to be able to plant a certain kind of apple tree, so that would be really amazing. Having citrus on hand helps kids get excited about eating healthy breakfast, as they pick their own fruit.

Hopefully this post has taught you how to plant a citrus tree. If you have any questions or planting success please share it in the comments below.