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How to Acclimate Your New Citrus Tree
When you first receive your new citrus tree in the mail, it is important to acclimate it to your environment gradually before introducing it to its final sunny home. This slow introduction will help ease the stress and shock that it may experience from it's transition from a greenhouse to the outside. Shock or stress can result in leaf loss, which is itself normal, but a slow 2-3 week acclimation will minimize this as much as possible.
Q: What is acclimation?
A: Acclimation in the context of gardening refers to the process of gradually exposing plants to a new environment or conditions, allowing them to adapt and thrive. It's a crucial step, especially when introducing young plants or seedlings to different light, temperature, or humidity levels.
When you're cultivating fruit trees, including citrus varieties, acclimation becomes essential to ensure their successful transition from one environment to another. Whether you're moving them from indoors to outdoors, adjusting light exposure, or changing the potting soil, the gradual acclimation process helps prevent shock and stress on the plants.
The 2-3 week process of acclimation allows your citrus tree's growth to harden off in its new environment. This gives you the best chances of success with your new tree. Many of our fruit trees are greenhouse-grown, and it will shock the tree if you place it in direct sunlight immediately after receiving it.
How to properly acclimate your new citrus trees to your home:
1. First, as soon as you receive your tree, remove the plastic bag used to keep the soil in place during transit.
2. You can water your tree at this point if the soil is dry.
Our primo trees are grown in 5x12" airpots and have lots of drainage holes. This means that the soil dries out faster than a traditional pot, so it will have to be watered more often than if it were in a regular pot.
Our 5-Gallon containers are standard pots, and you can water your tree as needed. You know it is time to water when the top 2" of the soil feels dry. The soil mix should be moist, and not soggy.
3. After watering, place your tree in a spot in your yard or patio with indirect sunlight that gets an hour or two of direct light throughout the day.
4. After two to three weeks, you can move your adjusted tree into its final location.
If you are planning on transplanting your tree into a container, you can do this first and proceed with the acclimation instructions above.
Please note: It is common for citrus trees to drop some of their leaves during this transition. Monitor the weather and don’t hesitate to protect your tree if you see that the temperatures are going below 40°F or above 85°F during the adjustment period.
Acclimation during the summer months may require the use of some extra tools like shade cloth, tree paint, and foliar spray to ensure your tree is not scorched by the summer sun.
If you have any questions on how to acclimate your new citrus tree, don’t hesitate to email cs@fourwindsgrowers.com for more information.
“The Citrus Tree’s First Weeks at Home”
(a poem about acclimating your new citrus tree)
I brought home a citrus tree, shiny and green,
The sassiest sapling you ever have seen.
It came in a pot with a tag on its head,
It looked at me and yawned "I’d rather stay in bed.”
“The sun is too bright and it's so breezy out here!
This sunlight is scary! That bird is too near!”
It wriggled its roots and it curled up its leaf.
I sighed and said, “Ok, fine, I hear your grief.”
So I sat it outside, not too hot, not too cold,
In a spot where the sun was just a little bit bold.
An hour in the sun, then two, then three.
It was just me and my shy little citrus tree.
I didn’t rush to dig a big hole,
I waited until it was ready.
I fed it some Romeo, just a small bite,
And told it, “We’re taking this slow and steady.”
The wind came a-whistling, “Time to test fate!”
“Nope! It's too soon, we'll just have to wait.”
A citrus, you see, is a delicate sort.
(They don’t do well with a rough-weather sport.)
But soon it was stretching, then smiling with flair,
Its leaves reaching higher, arms waving in air.
I planted it gently, with love and a cheer,
And said, “Welcome home! You’ll be happy here.”
So don’t rush your citrus, don’t toss it around,
Acclimate it first before it goes in the ground.
It takes just two weeks (or maybe even three)
Then you can start your journey with your new citrus tree!
Definition of Acclimation: Acclimation is when you adjust to a new climate or situation. You could say that your acclimation to living in a new country has been harder than you expected.
The process of acclimation is all about the way that a person or other organism adapts to a new environment. In science, acclimation describes a specific process, the biological changes an animal or plant makes in response to a change, like trees' acclimation to an increase in carbon dioxide. In people, acclimation is more about adjusting to something new, like a child's acclimation to having a new baby sister.
Also read: How to Grow Citrus in Containers
Also read: What is the Difference Between Deep Watering and Overwatering?
Feed your fruit tree with Romeo Plant Food. This water-soluble fertilizer is great for citrus container growing.
Do you have any more questions about acclimating your new citrus tree? Don't hesitate to email our customer support team: cs@fourwindsgrowers.com
We are here for the lifetime support of your Four Winds citrus trees.
