Hydroponic Citrus

[sideshow1]

I grew a dwarf kumquat tree about a year back indoors. I let it slip away on me. I was going to try to give it another shot. This time I was going to use hempy and use hydro nutes.

Would I follow the nute guide? I was thinking that the nutrients can't be designed for MJ only. So will the same guide work for citrus?

My plan was to put it in my flower room with my MJ plants. They can enjoy the bright HPS light too.

Any suggestions?

 

[geopolitical]

I have a lemon tree in drip setup that's been going for years and years now. I go with a fairly high nitrogen feed, it needs more N than anything else. pH stays around 6-6.2, I've been running GH 3 part lately as someone gifted me with two full gallons, plant seems to like it just fine. Right now I'm doing 15ml micro & 5ml bloom per gallon. I was feeding heavier, but I got waterspouts like crazy and it was a real pain to control.

Citrus is commercially grown in south africa using OHS (open hydroponic system) currently and florida apparently. . .and australia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4j8ud0fZAs

 

[sideshow1]

I have a lemon tree in drip setup that's been going for years and years now. I go with a fairly high nitrogen feed, it needs more N than anything else. pH stays around 6-6.2, I've been running GH 3 part lately as someone gifted me with two full gallons, plant seems to like it just fine. Right now I'm doing 15ml micro & 5ml bloom per gallon. I was feeding heavier, but I got waterspouts like crazy and it was a real pain to control.

Citrus is commercially grown in south africa using OHS (open hydroponic system) currently and florida apparently. . .and australia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4j8ud0fZAs

I read about OHS. I dont have a bottle of GH in front of me. Is that what they recommend? Their normal dosage? Unless you were saying you were going above normal dosage.

I am also going to use the GH 3 part likely.

Do you shift the lights on your lemon like you do on your MJ? Like stimulate veg then shift for flowering?

 

[geopolitical]

afaik there is no recommended feeding schedule from GH for citrus, you could contact them and ask however. I just experimented for a few years.

You can stimulate blooming (at least in lemons, the only one I still have in hydro) by increasing the "off" period for the drip for a week or so. Water stress seems to initiate bloom if the plant is large enough. They're relatively photoperiod insensitive.

I'm growing meyers improved dwarf, bloom started at the end of year 2. Some cultivars will take 4-5 years to start blooming.

 

[sideshow1]

afaik there is no recommended feeding schedule from GH for citrus, you could contact them and ask however. I just experimented for a few years.

You can stimulate blooming (at least in lemons, the only one I still have in hydro) by increasing the "off" period for the drip for a week or so. Water stress seems to initiate bloom if the plant is large enough. They're relatively photoperiod insensitive.

I'm growing meyers improved dwarf, bloom started at the end of year 2. Some cultivars will take 4-5 years to start blooming.

Kumquats start producing fruit around 2-3 years. My dwarf will be 2-3 years.

I am less concerned with forcing fruit as I am to hoping the 12/12 schedule for my other plants wouldnt bother the citrus too much. Which under 150w HPS I figured they would be fine under light.

 

[geopolitical]

I have all the plants in the solarium under 12/12 all winter, light just runs enough to supplement the morning & evening. In summer they're all under 24/0 by default. I am of the opinion that at least lemons are pretty daylight insensitive, I have noticed no real changes in bloom or growth pattern other than having slightly less growth under no darkness and under very low light hours prior to supplementing in winter.

 

[sideshow1]

I have all the plants in the solarium under 12/12 all winter, light just runs enough to supplement the morning & evening. In summer they're all under 24/0 by default. I am of the opinion that at least lemons are pretty daylight insensitive, I have noticed no real changes in bloom or growth pattern other than having slightly less growth under no darkness and under very low light hours prior to supplementing in winter.

So do you think that having them under 12/12 year around would still get a bloom and crop each year? If they aren't light sensitive (don't know the word for when they recognize change in season due to light shift) How do they know when to flower? Cause if they stayed in 12/12 all the time the temp and light would always be the same, but that is how it normally is in the tropics too.

Thanks for the help and conversation about citrus.