Water Requirements for Citrus Trees
Watering your lemon trees or other citrus trees is tricky. Too little water and the tree will die. Too much and the tree will die. This can leave even an experienced gardener asking, “How often do I water a citrus tree?” With ground-planted citrus trees, watering should happen about once a week, whether from rainfall or manually. Be sure the area has excellent drainage and that you soak the ground deeply at each watering. If the drainage is poor, the tree will get too much water. If the tree is not watered deeply, it will not have enough water for the week. With container planted citrus trees, watering should be done as soon as the soil dries out or is only slightly damp. Again, be sure that the drainage for the container is excellent. Citrus tree watering should be done evenly. Never let a citrus tree dry out completely for more than a day. If a citrus tree is allowed to dry out for more than a day, you won’t see the damage until you water it again, which may cause confusion. A citrus tree that has been left dry will lose leaves when watered. The longer the citrus tree is left in dry soil, the more leaves it will lose when you water it. This is confusing because most plants lose leaves when they dry out. Citrus trees lose leaves after you water them once they have dried out. If your citrus tree is getting too much water, meaning that the drainage is poor, the leaves will yellow and then fall off. If your citrus tree loses all of its leaves due to over or underwatering, do not despair. If you resume the proper water requirements for citrus trees and keep the plant evenly watered, the leaves will regrow and the plant will come back to its former glory. Now that you know how often to water a citrus tree, you can enjoy the beauty of your citrus tree without worry.
