How to Plant Citrus Trees From Start to Finish (COMPLETE GUIDE) 🍊

Check out Cameron's channel: bit.ly/2YYzOuM Planting citrus can be tricky, as you're locking your citrus tree in place for decades to come. This comprehensive A-Z guide will give you everything you need to know about planting a citrus tree, including citrus tree care for the first few months to a year after planting out.
0:00 - Intro
0:48 - Climate Considerations
1:48 - Location
2:20 - Planting Considerations
5:00 - Spacing and Soil
7:40 - Digging a Hole
8:55 - Fertilizing Hole
9:48 - Container Considerations
11:27 - Loosening Soil
12:50 - Removing From Pot
13:58 - Preparing Roots
17:07 - Tree Orientation
18:55 - Backfilling Hole
20:47 - Fertilizer Thoughts
21:47 - Whitewashing Tree
22:34 - Watering
23:02 - Mulching
25:12 - Removing Fruit
26:45 - After Planting Care
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Epic Gardening occasionally links to goods or services offered by vendors to help you find the best products to care for plants. Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if items are purchased. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. More info on our process: www.epicgardening.com/disclai...

[@epicgardening]

Went a bit long on this one, but we wanted to give you AS MUCH info as possible so your citrus is off to a good start!

[@armaanilyas3185]

Kevin can I grow any citrus in zone 7

[@frankbarnwell____]

now I ask. Is lack of sunshine a big deal in San Diego?

[@ebonieriley8309]

Do you buy seed according to the area of the world your in, if can't buy a seedling?

[@maxrocks00]

i love the longer form vids 👌 12-25min is a solid time frame for my preference, ik everybody is different tho

[@epicgardening]

Not without bringing inside or adapting your planting area

[@nikahatt]

I had a neglected citrus tree in a pot from Home Depot, it got knocked over every day for a week from high wind, it rotted a little, died for a while... I went outside yesterday and it has green leaves and flowers.

[@TheBusyGardener]

I love it! Gonna plant it?

[@nikahatt]

@@TheBusyGardener oh absolutely! ☺️ She’s got a great backstory lol

[@ViolentAurora]

I love plants 🥺 they're such little troopers. People will ask why I have a dead plant and I'm like no! She is fine, just watch. There's many reasons a plant could be losing foliage or look like its dying.

[@bambinaforever1402]

@@nikahatt poor abused tree. How is that doing now?

[@yeetergriffin7679]

Women ☕

[@sleepyheadsymphonies2640]

I so appreciate the fact that you consider what your audience might have questions about and then just ask those questions during the video to make sure everybody gets the most out of your content. Your videos are always so thorough! Big big fan, thanks!

[@Tobias611]

30 minutes went by so fast, no clue why you were worried about the video being too long Kevin! Lots of great information that I'll try to use with my mighty IKEA citrus! Lol.

[@krystalmenin1944]

As a horticulture student who is struggling with chemistry, your videos and podcast helps me to keep my eyes on the prize and to keep going. Thank you for all your work! 🙏👍

[@veronicagrave159]

This is great! Helping my mom with her garden and she wants a lemon tree so bad. But she’s in zone 7. Glad they can go into containers!

[@ACV1996]

I’m excited for this video...we inherited citrus trees on our property and I don’t have a clue on how to maintain them 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

[@epicgardening]

Lucky you!

[@kevdaag2523]

We inherited an awesome lemon tree. Someone told us it is a Meyer lemon, but it is different than other Meyer lemons: thinner peel, sweeter juice, fruit stays on the tree for nine months. Inheriting trees is wonderful, and sometimes irreplaceable. We also inherited a navel orange that got sickly and died so we cut it down... Then it rose from the dead and now it is producing oranges again. Plants vs Zombies?

[@cThornton00]

I just wanted you to know even after a year this video is helping so many! I finally got around to purchasing a (very late 😬) Mother’s Day variegated pink lemon. 30. Gallon. Pot. Your tips about cutting the pot and “fluffing” the roots really came in handy. Mine also had very healthy roots! I’ve got blisters from digging a 48” hole 16” deep but I really needed all the tips. Too many to point out. This is just excellent and I feel I won’t have wasted my money on this one. Thank you again!

[@icouldjustscream]

8:00 Geeking out about worms ~~~~~ I feel your joy!

[@Shart-santha]

Lol I was about to comment the same thing, gardeners are probably one of the only people on earth who love earth worms 😂🖤

[@jackieweaver3884]

broooo i have a HUGE aloe vera plant and its filled with earthworms and ita the best thing ever im so proud of it😭

[@deniseb2571]

Good tips especially explaining softening the sides of hole where the shovel compacted it to avoid root bound. 🌱 Thanks Kevin!

[@kieranbenton1002]

Great stuff! More thorough content is great for those who live on the other side of the world! Gives us more understanding of how to plant in our conditions! 🥰

[@sambathehusqueen9909]

I love your videos. You ask a ton of questions id never even think to ask, and its so awesome that your guests can keep up with all the answers! Im excited to start my garden, i feel like i might know what im doing.

[@TheEnthusiasticGardener]

Hi Kevin, this was great timing for me as I planted my first 4 fruit trees on Saturday. I’ve also been over and subscribed to the Busy Gardener. Thanks for all your tips, as always 😊

[@HuskDanny]

Kevin asks the BEST questions. This was like taking a master class in planting. The greatest channel.

[@urbanfarmstead]

Great video Kevin. You guys covered so many important considerations. This video will help lots of people!

[@gagehindle210]

Good to see you two together. A lot of wisdom makes a great video!

[@Epiphalactic]

Something I learned from my mom when planting trees, in addition to not fertalizeing the plant for the first season, and not watering it right at the base, is to cut a square hole. Since the roots can be kind of used to just going in a circle, if you cut a square hole it will run into a flat surface instead of just continually bend around. This supposedly can help to train the roots out. I don't know how much this actually is the case, but it always made sense to me and ever since, I've always done square holes for planting trees. But very similar to breaking up the sides. Never had issues with getting the trees to grow well.

[@Louisianapermaculture]

I personally dig an upside down bowl shape. Then i drape the roots over the mound in the center and cover each root with dirt Individually

[@jondoe292]

@@Louisianapermaculture Works well for me too .

[@kerrileelawrence8889]

Great Advice Thanks for Sharing 🍋🍊💟🙏💟🍊🍋

[@bambinaforever1402]

@@Louisianapermaculture but the tree is in the pot with already formed root system, why on earth would anyone start disturbing the roots. Does not make any sense to me

[@laurenturori6300]

I just bought a home with half an acre in north county San Diego and your videos are helping me so much! Thank you!

[@GCaF]

I planted all my trees either while raining or immediately after rain. It was a messy job but I enjoyed it and all of them took root and look healthy. I'm struggling with a chestnut tree... but I'm hopeful :) - it's my "last" tree to get going :D - This video is filled with so much positive energy, I feel like going out in the night and planting something :)

[@mikep490]

Good video. I'll keep an eye out for sucker growth from the root stock. I've been having good luck with using an oversized pot when planting. I keep my eyes open for oversized pots at garage sales and garden shops, double the volume of the tree's pot. I cut the bottom out, leaving a 6 to 8" tall "ring". This allows me to put an inch into the soil, plant above soil level, plus room for mulch. As needed, I water and fertilze outside the pot. In a few years the sun will break down the plastic so that can be a good time to cut and remove the ring, leaving the tree above the surrounding soil.

[@slippyfists]

thanks as always! hope all your plants are loving the rain and spring around the corner. stay safe out there. could you do a series on growing flowers? or a section of your garden for California natives?

[@joannejohnson6393]

Thanks for some great information. I want to do cirtus in pots (Zone 7B), but had no idea of proper cultivation. The video wasn't too long... just long enough to provide all the needed content! 😎

[@OZYergan]

You always ask great, insightful questions to your guests. Really helps cover all the different scenarios your viewers might be in.

[@epicgardening]

I appreciate that! I try to "be the subscriber" when I'm interviewing a guest :)

[@charliegroves]

@@epicgardening That style really works well! I also love your homestead channel, it's so exciting to see the developments.

[@TacoPoweredMatt]

Dude, we’ve gotten 4 trees from fast growing trees at your recommendation. Couldn’t be happier with ‘em. Love your content!

[@PompomYourkey]

thank you so much! your the person that motivated me to continue gardening and you gave me so much info that helped me out through my gardening experience, I cant thank you enough!!

[@littlekaid3189]

Just planted two days ago, good to know I didn't do a bad job 😅👍

[@bycfr08]

My mind is going 100 miles/hr thinking what fruit tree to add to our lonesome (2 year old) Fuji apples. Thought about citrus fruit tree but may have to pot it, we're in Zone 7A/7B. You can tell Cameron is as passionate as you are in what you do! Great video!

[@TobyRobb]

First tree and it's a solid producer. That's the way to start an epic orchard.

[@leahstrydom8415]

Ahhh I always learn so much from your videos! So much more knowledge on citrus trees now... I feel more confident to plant my lemon tree in the ground now. Thank you so much!

[@jadam7799]

Thank you for the very informative video. I tend to fill the hole with water first & allow the water to drain before putting the plant in. This trains the plant roots to grow downwards & be more resilient to droughts. It's usually the top 2 cm of the soil that dries up. The soil will also absorb water better if the ground is already moist.

[@Nikki-mx5my]

Great, informative vid! I actually enjoy these longer videos, especially when they’re packed with lots of great step by step instructions. I can’t grow citrus here, but I can grow other fruit trees. I saw the other day that Master Gardeners at my local extension office are selling peach trees. I don’t have the space now, but someday.

[@mariebee3146]

By far one of the best videos I've seen. So informative. Covered every topic. Thank you!

[@JadeIsBaking]

This is exactly what I needed!! I’ve been wanting to plant lemons for sooo long!

[@TheBusyGardener]

You've got this!

[@ashlinero]

Same

[@kevdaag2523]

Having a lemon tree is magical.

[@ek2137]

Wow! Thank you for such a clear and comprehensive guide to planting citrus trees!

[@SpicyMoustache]

I wish I could grow citrus trees in my Urban Garden! I might get a lemon tree just to try some of your tips 👊🏼

[@jodylecompte]

Cant hurt to shop around! I was pleasantly surprised at how many options I had in zone 9 for dwarf trees and bushes

[@thr3ddy]

One tool I found useful in hard California soil (for when your shovel doesn't go any further down a hole) is a Soil Ripper. Once you hit that hard layer, you can really tear it into clumps with that ripper and dig for a few more inches afterwards.

[@epicgardening]

I'll look it up!

[@GameNerdMom]

This is such good info, im going to school for landscape and turfgrass management and all the things he said are true, learning alot of this as we speak

[@organic.form310]

The most informative video on KZbin! The closest plant I grew that looks like a tree, a cactus. I'm ready to grow a real tree after watching this!

[@G-boi]

I always add rooting hormoon powder before i plant or re-pot any plant into the planting hole to stimulate root growth which works wonders for me.

[@ViolentAurora]

I just bought some growth hormone! I have a purple passion and having trouble propagating so I hope it helps

[@RedMei126]

Yay more videos! Very thankful for this information. When I buy my first house would love to plant some citrus and mango trees.

[@mataharik8]

I’m a new gardener and your level of detail is so helpful, thank you!!

[@michaelagibbs9695]

Wow! Your spade cut through your soil like butter, so jealous 😳. Even after rain I still need to use a pickaxe to dig holes for my trees. One thing to watch out for when planting trees, make sure the root flare is just at ground level. The root flare is where the tree trunk starts to spread out where the top large roots are. A lot of nurseries plant trees too deep in the nursery pots and then the gardener plants them to the same depth. This can slowly kill the tree. I bought my first citrus from a reputable citrus nursery and had them plant it for me. Every year it kept deteriorating and I thought it was watering issues. Finally someone in my gardening group told me it was planted too deep. When I dug down to find the root flare it was over 8 inches down.

[@c.s.4191]

Perfect questions throughout. Great video!

[@helen2061]

Oh boy, Kevin! I love to watch folks in the warmer climates plant citrus outside 😁 My little meyer lemons are on the sun porch for the winter here in the Northeast. Will enjoy watching yours grow...good luck 👍☘️

[@PompomYourkey]

perfect timing this is right when my citrus tree started overgrowing its pot

[@olivergarcia2459]

Thanks for the EPIC Citrus tree tips, they are very helpful

[@user-ov4wu7dw5i]

This was so helpful! Great watering tips at the end. 👍 Please do a video on pruning fruit trees.

[@LoamReaper]

This was SO helpful, thanks! I just purchased our third citrus, an Owari Mandarin, yesterday, so at least I'm going to plant it right this time!

[@ernestoclarke891]

Awesome! Thanks for the great info. Good luck with your orchard!

[@veronicaalejandra20]

I'm in Disney World right now so I can't really watch it yet, but I just had to say that I'm SO freaking excited for this video!!!🥳🥳🥳

[@AFenderson]

One thing i do with my dense clayey soil is dig a little deeper and put rocks in the bottom, then some sand, then put my root ball in it. Some plants that are even more prone to drowning i plant them higher and add more rocks. This helps a lot actually.

[@theupsidetotheoutside883]

2 of my favorite gardeners. Good video guys. Keep it up

[@zcvb26]

It's been a while, since you posted from start to finish videos like this one

[@niccolomendoza7382]

Fig tree video please!! ❤️

[@epicgardening]

I have one up!

[@bambinaforever1402]

I live in warm climate like yours - south of France on the shore, but because i ran out of place in my garden i had to plant orange tree in a wooden container. It is doing all right, gave me 10 fruits the first year on a tiny tree like yours, survived very hot summer without me ( i have irrigation in my garden). So came here to check whether i did everything right

[@ashwinsodhi]

Exactly the video i was looking for, thank you!

[@margotl9756]

Two happy guys being happy about worms & citrus trees

[@inbloom2006]

Hyped to see the orchard getting started!

[@layaclode6363]

You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for all the info, tips & advice

[@thehibiscusproject1284]

You are a huge inspiration for my channel! I just picked up a Plant Daddy shirt, I am really looking forward to wearing it in the garden. Cheers, Kevin!

[@epicgardening]

Appreciate you!

[@zroreaper]

i just bought a new home and want a orange tree since my parents home had one this was very informative cant wait to plant mine sometime this month

[@Banferti]

Gonna plant my first lemon tree in the spring I just bought : D I'm so excited!!!

[@CynNola]

Thank you! Great details! Going out now to plant a Valencia

[@SDMev1982]

That’s cool you got Cameron. I’ve been a big fan of his channel for a while now.

[@chipaanderson4585]

Your videos bring me joy! 🙂

[@indyw3458]

A very welcomed video and learnt some new and useful information to apply to my Meyer Lemon and Kaffir Lime trees in containers. Thank you both

[@fancymegreen6327]

My momma has an orange tree and it's like 5 years old.. No fruit but it's always been green. So thanks for this video. I'll try to help it.

[@josiehernandez1431]

You asked Cam all the questions I had! Easy to understand all the steps to plant & care for a citrus. One question - do I trim branches when I plant tree? Keep a leader? Thanks for all the great info.

[@mattmcghee1137]

Fabulous collaboration! I enjoy both your channels. I grow citrus in containers.

[@Altaree1]

To dig deep in hard clay you need something called a digging bar. It is a 5-7 ft bar of solid metal with flat chisel blade at one end and a round flat disc on the other. Let the weight of the bar drive it into the ground, rock it back and forth, and they clear with a shovel or post hole digger. Does wonders on Virginia red clay.

[@jacquelinemiles6491]

Thank you guys . Love your videos . I'm learning so much .

[@jeaniemario2093]

Eagerly watched this video even though I am about 4 years away from planting my first fruit tree.

[@e.r.6147]

Excellent video guys

[@BendOver69420lol]

You are really really good at asking questions, btw. I will say, though, citrus LOVE being root bound in the pot.

[@hamfastgamwich]

Very informative video. Thank you

[@veronicaprudencio1854]

Thank you so much! This is great information for a new gardener like me. Greetings from Mexico! ✌🏽

[@mmm70]

Very informative and helpful. Thank you!

[@ObamaoZedong]

If you live in zones 4-7 check out hardy orange (poncirus trifoliata). It's hardy down to -10F. Tastes like lemons crossed with grapefruit.

[@obedakihary4984]

Great vid guys🙏🏼

[@diodiodio222]

This is the best video I’ve seen and I’ve seen thousands.

[@thesaucystingray2542]

I'm so excited. I have apple trees to plant and want to get some citrus trees too

[@richard9827]

Thanks especially for the no need to mix in compost and supplement S and the two X wide and one X deep tips. New to me.

[@athustunccd2130]

As always very informative and nice

[@davidjamgochian]

Thanks for your hands-on

[@michellelynn530]

Wow‼️this was a wealth of information, thank you

[@kana2299]

Great video guys, very helpful thanks!

[@kebunni]

Thank you. Keep on growing, a tree.

[@drewsenthused6079]

Great viddy gents! I'm waiting for next year to get into trees. cheers!

[@rosan9731]

Good evening.Theres a way to know wich pot of citrus tree to choose when you go to the nursery ?How to know wich one will be health and give you more fruits? Thank you.

[@PompomYourkey]

keep up the great videos!!

[@Chris-fx3se]

Exactly what I needed to know. You guys are awesome--Thanks!!! :)

[@persadsanjay]

I learnt so much from this video

[@FknNefFy]

I don’t have a yard to plant mine in so I can’t do this but it does seem like it would make sense to plant it in a hole of native soil without any additional amendments, but I think if you fertilized it in a circle around it it would give the Root some thing to reach towards and then not end up fertilizing it for a couple months anyway don’t you think? Just like a ring of compost or worm tea to give your tree GOALS 🙌🏻

[@smiliewyligator]

so much info here thanx

[@ericpoeperic]

I really am interested in the Australian desert Lime. It can handle salinity, drought, and crazy heat and they can get over 100 ft tall. I guess they can't cultivate them en masse yet but it would be a cool hybrid tree!

[@micro-babe]

Lol I've always wanted to grow calamansi. Filipinos put it on everything and my dad always had one growing inside. Well my dad was a farmer before coming to the states and when I asked him about growing one in my own house, he said I'm not ready for a calamansi plant yet. Hoping this will get me started haha.

[@isaacali8695]

Great video. Thank you

[@TheUltimateGardener]

Awesome video Kevin!!! I haven't done videos on cirtus yet due to the difficulty of caring for one but I think I should! Thanks for these amazing tips! We are ok on our way to 800 subs we are close! Thanks Kevin! Happy Gardening!🌱🌿🌼

[@kimberlyd317]

I’ve just learned so much!

[@alicianneboyle2443]

Hi, I'm in zone 6 I live in Pennsylvania and I grow my 🍋tree in my bathroom. 😊 they love it there..