The Latest Remedies After Fertilizer Burn in Citrus

Citrus bears a large fruit load, so fertilizer management is relatively important, and adequate nutrients must be provided for its growth and development, which greatly affects fruit quality and yield. However, there are many points to pay attention to when fertilizing, and a slight carelessness can cause fertilizer burn, ranging from restricted growth and weakened tree vigor that affects the yield of that year, to dry and withered branches and leaves that ultimately cause the death of the tree. So how should citrus fertilizer burn be remedied? Follow the editor to learn about it.

1. Symptoms of fertilizer burn

Citrus fertilizer burn generally occurs within 10-60 days after fertilizing. It first starts with water loss or yellowing and scorching at the tips of old leaves at the base of the branches, followed by new leaves or leaf drop. In severe cases of fertilizer burn with dead branches, you will find that the fertilized area, relative to the main branches and side branches above ground, develops serious bark rot; after scraping open the rotted bark, you will find the bark has lost its green color and turned brown, and the branches are withered and dehydrated. Digging up the roots will reveal that the root system at the fertilized area is basically rotted, with the root bark of fine roots and thick horizontal roots rotting and peeling off, extending toward the root crown, trunk, and main branches. In lightly affected plants, the nearby new shoots generally cannot emerge beyond normal, and if fertilizer burn occurs before flowering, flower buds are very likely not to form or bloom.

2. Causes of fertilizer burn

There are many causes of fertilizer burn. First, the fertilizing position is unreasonable: the fertilizing position is too close to the trunk or large roots, or the fertilizer directly contacts the root system, and the fertilizer concentration is too high, injuring the roots, making it difficult for the root system to absorb water and nutrients, and causing the branches to dry up and die. Or the applied organic fertilizer or farmyard manure has not been fully fermented and decomposed; after application, it releases a large amount of heat during decomposition, causing root scorching and preventing the above-ground parts from being supplied with nutrients and water in time, resulting in nutrient imbalance between the underground and above-ground parts, and thus the phenomenon of yellow leaves and withered branches. Applying a large amount of quick-acting fertilizer during fertilization can also cause root scorching, and the damage caused by this kind of fertilizer burn is extremely great, very likely causing the death of large branches or the entire plant. In addition, during foliar fertilizer spraying, if the fertilizer solution concentration is too high, it can also cause leaf scorching and drying.

3. Remedial measures

For fruit trees that have already suffered fertilizer burn, effective remedial measures must be taken to reduce the damage. For fertilizer burn caused by soil fertilization, irrigation should be carried out in time to dilute the fertilizer concentration and reduce the fertilizer burn. If the fertilizer burn has already injured the roots, promptly remove the upper layer of soil around the plant and carry out short-term root exposure to promote new root growth. If the fertilizer burn is relatively severe, the root-cutting method can be adopted, cutting off and digging out the scorched large roots. For foliar fertilizer burn, water should be sprayed on the leaves in time.

  The above is an introduction to the remedial measures for fertilizer burn in citrus. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.