Transplanting Citrus
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Transplanting Citrus
- From: K*@aol.com
- Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 00:52:55 EDT
All:
I'm looking for advice from anyone who might have experience moving mature
citrus trees. I recently dug up and moved two 12 year old standard
(non-dwarf) citrus trees--a "Moro" blood orange and an "Owari Satsuma"
mandarin. I tried to get as many roots as I could, but most of the soil came
off when I pulled the trees out of the ground. I pruned off 1/2 to 2/3 of
the top growth. I replanted them almost immediately, and have kept them
well-watered and heavily mulched. It has been two weeks, and the poor things
are looking pretty sad. They lose more leaves every day. The new growth on
the mandarin is still perky, but virtually all of the new growth on the blood
orange has shriveled to a crisp. Was I wrong to think I could transplant a
mature citrus tree? Has anyone had success at this sort of thing? Should I
have pruned off all of the top growth? Thanks in advance for any advice you
can offer.
Kurt Mize
Stockton, California
USDA Zone 9
