Blog article by Loralei Dewe, UC Master Gardener-Solano
More on my project of growing 3 citrus trees in 1 pot.
To refresh the subject, here are some of the important points I found:
1) Plant trees of the same species. In other words, citrus with other citrus, stone fruit with other stone fruit, etc.
2) If you are doing a backyard orchard and not a commercial orchard, you don't need a tree to bear 900 apples. Pick trees that, with judicious pruning, will produce what you need.
3) Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer to keep your trees from putting out a lot of new growth too quickly.
4) Pick combinations of trees for successive fruit ripening. For instance, an early variety that will ripen in May, one that will ripen in July, and one that will ripen in September.
5) If the intent is to put them from the pot into the ground eventually, let them mature in the pot a year or so first. They will develop a solid root system and adjust easily. These are some of the important points I found:
Today, many of the small trees are starting to bud out, and one, the Calamondin, has even set fruit. They appeared to be a little cramped in their small pot so I repotted them, still all together, and added some acid-type fertilizer and compost. I think they'll be much happier now.
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