Faithful readers of my blog, citrus are crops grown in soils with great diversity of physical and chemical characteristics, having a great capacity to adapt to a variety of soils. Thus, in the different citrus growing regions of the world we have crops in sandy soils and characteristic soils with high clay content.
▶ This does not mean that citrus does not have its requirements. Longevity, health status, productivity and most importantly fruit quality depend in one way or another on soil characteristics.
▶ Credits: cen – [Image of Public Domain]
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When planning a citrus plantation, the soil must be carefully examined taking into account its properties. Soils should have good aeration and permeability and not be subject to waterlogging for prolonged periods which would lead to root asphyxia and a higher incidence of diseases such as gummosis (Phytophthora sp) or foot rot; depth is also important in order to allow complete root development, the minimum depth would be around 1 to 2 meters.
As for the chemical properties, it is of fundamental importance to carry out a soil analysis in order to know how the mineral elements are in terms of their availability since we are in the presence of crops established for many years and that need a permanent supply of nutrients to meet their nutritional needs and allow an adequate harvest of fruit each year.
It is evident that soils rich in nutritional elements should be preferred in relation to those that are very poor. The chemical analysis of the soil will tell us in what proportion are the essential indexes for plant nutrition, such as organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and micronutrients.
NOTE: Reference material.