Soil Science & Citrus Fitness
I knew I had to learn more about soil and plant nutition when I saw that the lemon tree leaves were yellow at the edges.
And so, with my new Three-Way Meter, I became a Soil Scientist.
This highly sophisticated scientific instrument reads the pH of the soil, the moisture level, and the light level—no batteries required.
With this kind of research, I can better give each plant what it needs.
It was interesting to go around the Courtyard and find out the pH levels of the pots and ground soil. Overall, the levels ranged from 6-8.
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Looking at the reading for the lemon tree, we can see the pH is a 7.
The ideal pH for lemon trees is 5.5-6.5, according to my research. To lower the pH, you can add lime or sulfur. I figured I'd start with a good old-fashioned fertilizing, which is what it probably needed when I planted it.
This fertilizer also contains 2.0% sulfur – "S" to be scientifc.
Fertilizing the Lemon Tree
The process was straightforward—sprinkle some magic fairy dust (citrus fertilizer) and water it.
Date fertilized: June 20
(On a side note: notice the marigold recovered! The other did, too, until something ate it–again.)
I used about six tablespoons of the fertilizer, which was a rough guess for the container size following the instructions on the box.
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The picture on the left shows the leaves on the day of fertilizing. On the right are the leaves a week later. As you can see, there is already a lot of new healthy growth.
It has even blossomed a couple of flowers!
Kumquat Transplanting
There is a kumquat tree on the Deck that I noticed also had yellow leaves. I don't know how long it has been there (I didn't plant it), but it may have outgrown its pot (at least that's my hypothesis).
The pH measured an 8. Some sources I read said kumquats like a 6-7 pH; others said they don't have a preference.
We'll see how it does in a citrus potting mix and a bigger pot.
At first, I thought it would be challenging to get out, but I learned a trick: use a machete. The machete helped to loosen the sides without damaging the roots.
I moved it to a pot in the Courtyard where it will get more sun. "More sun in the Courtyard?" you must be thinking. "I thought it was shady there?" Yes, it is, but the kumquat was in an even shadier part of the Deck. It will get more sun than before, especially since it is tall enough to reach where the sun shines longest, but if need be, I can move it.
The pot wasn't much bigger, but it was the biggest I had. I shook off some of the soil to fit as much of the citrus mix as possible. I put a layer of about 4-5 inches of the citrus mix at the bottom of the pot.
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Then came fertilizer. Then, more soil. Then, a nice cool drink for all that it had to undergo.
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Date transplanted & fertilized: June 20
As you can see below, it's close to the Cantinas!
"Hopefully this winter there'll be kumquat on the menu."
Thus concludes my initial report on my procedures in soil science. Will we see green leaves soon? Lots of growth? More flowers? I will report my observations, so stay tuned!