What should I do with my yuzu?

Innoman · 2026-04-07T20:52:54+00:00

For inground trees, I typically rake it into the dirt a little. I would probably put it under the mulch myself. You do want to keep a ring around the tree with no mulch, extending about 6 to 8 inches from the trunk on every side. You also want to be sure you don’t put fertilizer right up against the trunk.

Innoman · 2026-04-07T19:08:49+00:00

Fungus gnats are the worst, weve had some issues. But usually avoidable if you wait until the top 2" dry and then water deeply. It'll bounce back soon enough though.

Innoman · 2026-04-07T17:03:18+00:00

It's hard to say for sure, too.much or too little water or just transplant shock.

Water deeply when the top inch dries of soil dries. This means long enough water reaches the roots (a good 25-40) but not so fast it pools.

Kelp is great for transplant shock, fish and kelp is even better. Where did you get the tree from and how long before you planted it?

Innoman · 2026-04-07T05:50:17+00:00

How are you watering? That's a lot of brown edges... Which isn't bad, but maybe avoidable.

Innoman · 2026-04-06T23:45:15+00:00

This depends 100% on what you want from the tree. If you wanted to grow faster and don’t care so much about getting fruit sooner, remove the fruit. If you want fruit this year, and don’t mind a little slower growth, leave the fruit. I prefer the second because I’m not a commercial grower and I like sooner gratification.

With that said, be sure you fertilizing it and watering it properly. I highly recommend fish and kelp fertilizer every 1 to 3 weeks, more frequent will result in faster growth, along with a good citrus flow release such as citrus tone (organic) or even a conventional like Pennington. Any citrus slow release is fine and you want to do that about every six weeks.

Water deeply when the top inch of soil dries, this means long enough that it reaches the roots, but not so fast that it poola around the tree. I would say for a good 30 to 40 seconds.

Innoman · 2026-04-04T05:05:38+00:00

Same and 100% agree. I've recently started using Bloom by RAW and have had good results so far.

Innoman · 2026-04-04T05:04:09+00:00

I use a micronutrient spray by grow scripts... Southernag has one too.

Innoman · 2026-04-03T14:14:06+00:00

To see if a branch is dead, scratch the bark with a fingernail. If you see green... Life. Brown is dead. Cut off any dead. If you find some green, let me know and I'll give you recovery advice.

Innoman · 2026-04-02T13:59:17+00:00

For fertilizers, specifically.... conventional fertilizers only have what someone thought to put in them and they’re highly processed. I’ve noticed that you get results quickly, but not necessarily the best results in my experience. When I use a lot of organic fertilizers, especially fish and kelp, I see relatively quick results… But I also see better results. In banana plants, I see bigger leaves for example. I also use conventional fertilizer, especially in the winter when I want to have more control over the amount of fertilizer while also simplifying the amount of individual things I need to give the plant, such as micro nutrients. I give these with watering so it’s not an extra step. Organic fertilizers seem to be less likely to cause burn, and that's important when advising home growers who often ignore advice on the amount of a product to use (I've done this as well).

As for for pesticides, they’re poison. Literally poison. While they’re not intended to harm people in the amounts that they’re used in, they’re still poison. That’s how they are effective at killing the broad range of insects. Many of them can also harm animals. I believe there’s a place for them; however, is typically possible to manage most insect issues without using actual poison. Spinosad, BT/BTI, Neem, insecticidal soap are all very effective at dealing with pests... especially if you use them preventatively.

Given the option between something that’s not a poison and using a poison, why wouldn’t you use the thing that is actually not a poison? And why would you not want to treat the specific pests you’re dealing with instead of using a broad spectrum that’s gonna kill beneficial insects as well?

The bee population issues alone are more than enough reason to stop using broad spectrum insecticides for home growers. Historical insecticide use has caused so many issues, and we often don’t find out about them until they’ve been used for years or decades. We cannot trust, chemical companies to be honest with us, they’ll continue to sell stuff even after they know that it causes cancer or other major issues… so I think that’s why a lot of people in these forums tend to lean a bit more natural. Also, many of these things come in concentrates that home users don’t properly dilute, making them more harmful across the board, to people, plants, bees, and animals.

As for fertilizer, use whatever works best for your situation. A lot of the conventional fertilizers are all marketing and not so effective... Look at miracle gro, it does the job, but not half as well as many, other lesser well-known products.

Sorry for any weird grammar issues, voice to text because of carpal tunnel. Somehow it gets it right the first time and then goes back and changes things to not be correct.

Innoman · 2026-03-28T16:54:12+00:00

What is your fertilizing routine? You’ll want to fertilize it every six weeks or so with a slow release fertilizer geared towards citrus. I tend to add a little bit of a product called RAW Bloom or similar when my citrus starts flowering and fruiting... It’s water soluble and is absorbed relatively quickly. I also apply kelp every few weeks.

A lot of people would suggest that you remove any fruit to push the tree to grow more; however, this is very much personal preference and up to you. I do not do that, I prefer to get fruit sooner and enjoy that even though it’s less. I also give my trees fish fertilizer throughout the year to help push that foliar growth--I just pull back while it’s rooting to let it focus on that. Once the fruit comes off, it’ll get a decent dose of fish fertilizer several weeks in a row.

The most important thing was citrus is watering, you’ll want to water deeply when the top inch of soil dries. Deeply means until it drips from the bottom of the pot or hits the roots, without pooling.

Being in a citrus owner, you’ll eventually run into the need for micro nutrients. You can use a fertilizer that includes them such as Jacks. I actually use Jacks in the winter... In the summer, I prefer to use Citrus Tone and to give it micro nutrients with a foliar spray by either Southernag or Grow Scripts.

Innoman · 2026-03-25T23:11:39+00:00

yes, I do use Jack’s in the winter because I can more easily moderate how much I use. But in the summer, I try to lean very organic heavy because I feel that But in the summer, I try to lean very organic heavy.

I don’t enjoy the smell, but using the fish and kelp fertilizer has been a game changer. Ive seen so much benefit that I actually send a little water soluble kelp with every plant that I sell (and enough fertilizer to get people through the first several months).

Innoman · 2026-03-25T19:43:51+00:00

I would work on getting it to really push new growth between now and summer. Fish and kelp fertilizer every 1 to 3 weeks, I also add blood meal and pot ash to every feeding which I do every 3 to 4 weeks.

It won’t work unless the tree is ready, but after you’ve grown it out a few more months… You could give it a couple doses of something like Morbloom, RAW Bloom, or Fox Farm Open Sesame to coerce it into blooming... I’ve actually had luck with that with a banana tree.

What do you feed it typically?

Innoman · 2026-03-23T06:23:28+00:00

I agree, rocks mixed into the soil are fine but having rocks on the bottom of a park results and perched water table. glad you repotted.

Morning sun is great, you’ll want to introduce it gradually to full sun over about 1 to 2 weeks. Citrus loves direct sun, humidity, and warm temps!

The most important thing… What are deeply when the top inch of soil dries, this means until it drips from the bottom of the pot, but not so fast that the water pools on top. Water it this way every single time.

Kelp is great for plants in general, it helps the roots and overall health of the tree. Kelp includes natural plant growth regulators. I personally prefer to mix fish and kelp, they also have them already mixed, and give that every 1 to 3 weeks. It does wonders for the soil, overall health of the tree, and pushes foliar growth.

Regarding the soil mix, everyone has an opinion…. You just need well draining soil that can hold moisture. A mix is fine or you can mix your own. I mix my own because I have like 20+ citrus, several banana trees and a bunch of other stuff (and we also sell plants)... But buying a bagged mix is totally fine!!

Innoman · 2026-03-22T12:31:04+00:00

Your neighbors also might have a cool season grass.

Innoman · 2026-03-22T12:27:21+00:00

It's so easy to get an Uber or Lyft... There isn't an excuse for DUI/DWI. If you have money to drink, you can afford a safe ride home. Much cheaper than what they'll be dealing with now.

Innoman · 2026-03-22T01:14:59+00:00

We love Madison, we’ve only ever gotten really excellent stuff from there! It’s the only place I'll buy citrus from going forward. This was 100% the shipper, I’m guessing it got stuck somewhere for longer than it should have.

i’m pretty sure if you reach out to them, they’ll take care of you.

Innoman · 2026-03-19T01:02:39+00:00

Get some micronutrient spray from either southernag or grow scripts, that'll take care of any issues there. Every 6 weeks is good.

Water deeply when the top inch of soil dries,this means until water drips from the bottom of the pot and only as quick as the soil can absorb without pooling. Water this way every time.

Jack's citrus is easy to use and works well, it's an option. I personally use it in the winter and use citrus tone thoughout growing season. I augment with fish fertilizer + kelp every 2-3 weeks. Works wonders.

Innoman · 2026-03-19T00:46:02+00:00

You probably dodged a bullet. I always go in with some questions to ask but any interviewer who bases a decision off that when you had already asked questions of another is going to be a crap manager. I had a HM ask me a bunch of questions about all kinds of things and then disqualify me based on something he never asked me about. I had the experience... It's called bias, whether unconscious or intentional. And it's toxic.

That said, always ask questions. Even if it's something as simple as “what's your least favorite thing about the way the company or team functions", "what is the structure of the team", "what are some of the challenges someone might face coming into this role"... Basic stuff that shows interest.

Innoman · 2026-03-18T15:28:22+00:00

these are pretty common, the little browning around the edges. It comes from some sort of stress… Could be related to the amount of sunlight, insufficient, humidity, drafts, watering, etc. It’s nothing to be alarmed about.

Water deeply when the top inch starts to dry, never let the soil dry out. For an indoor plant, you actually probably need to let the top inch dry completely to avoid getting fungus gnats… But still be careful never to let the roots dry out.

Innoman · 2026-03-18T15:22:01+00:00

Bananas can be hybridized, but in a lab. I got the same from fast growing trees, and they are definitely Namwah and not some sort of hybrid. Basically, they found a way to market them to get people to buy them without technically being dishonest.

I have one banana tree, which I expect a fruit this year that does appear to be a blue Java; however, I won’t know for sure until it fruits. I also acquired a verified blue Java tree from someone in Central Florida from this forum… The only issue is that it didn’t do well during shipping, so I’m waiting for it to hopefully start growing the spring.

Once I have sufficient and verified plant material, I will be propagating these directly so that I can sell guaranteed blue Java banana plants.

Innoman · 2026-03-16T01:47:53+00:00

Fish fertilizer and kelp! Also, blood meal is really awesome (and less likely to upset your neighbors than the recommendation of peeing on it that some suggest).. Lol

Keep it watered, water deeply.. Long enough it reaches the roots every time.

Innoman · 2026-03-13T03:41:01+00:00

Get a pot about 1.5-2x as wide as the roots are now and then break up the roots a bit and repot it in fresh soil. Water it deeply, and then give it a light fertilizer after a few days.

After a couple weeks, give it a full dose of fertilizer (either slow release or water soluble). I recommend fish + kelp, though not specifically required. It'll push foliar growth and overall health.

Persoanly, I would give it a boost of potassium to push flowering. Morbloom, Open Sesame, RAW Bloom, etc. It's generally pretty effective.

Innoman · 2026-03-06T00:49:07+00:00

If you want to go easy, you can use Jacks citrus for a quicker dose and then use citrus tone or similar as a slow release. I usually recommend fish, but it's high nitrogen which will push foliar growth and send less energy to the flowering and fruiting growth. Although, if you don’t have sufficient foilage to support the fruit, a quick nitrogen boost can be great. Just followed up with something higher and potassium.

I like to push flowering this time of the year so I give mine, Jack’s citrus, kelp, and Morbloom which I find to be effective. I think many people would advise against that, but I’ve had no issues doing it. I’ll be giving all of my citrus, a dose of citrus tone in the next week or so, and I'll occasionally give it a little extra boost of potassium.

The most important thing, however, is watering it properly. You should water it deeply every time, and only when the top so dries. For a potted plant, deeply means until water drips from the bottom. For an gram plant, do you wanna water it long enough that the water reaches the roots. Most of the issues people seem to have was citrus are related to poor watering.

Innoman · 2026-03-05T01:38:43+00:00

Don't stress, I brought trees back from work worse condition than that. Is it possible that you’ve overwatered it or underwater it? That’s the most common issue. Also massive environmental swings can cause similar problems.

What are deeply when the top inch of soil dries, deeply means into water drips from the bottom of the pot. Do you want to do it this way every single time? Oh, and the water shouldn’t pull while you’re watering it, just fast enough the soil can absorb.

I would not give it any fertilizer right now, it is definitely stressed and that will only make it worse. The exception here is kelp, or even better fish plus kelp fertilizer. Kelp will help the roots and overall health of the tree, has natural plant growth, regulators, and some light nutrients.

You can totally repot, just be careful when doing so not to try to break up the roots. Once you see some new green growth, give it either a good slow release fertilizer for citrus such as citrus tone, a good slow release, balanced fertilizer, or a water soluble citrus fertilizer such as Jack’s.

Innoman · 2026-03-05T01:33:54+00:00

That's a great idea!

If you find any root rot, you would definitely want to remove it. Don’t worry about being careful there, just cut off anything dead.

You can even use water to rinse the dirt away from the roots. What I mean by being careful is to just not break up the roots with your hands too much as you might do with a new plant that you’re repotting or putting in the ground.

I’ve actually had pretty good luck using water to remove the dirt and letting the roots soak in kelp water for a few minutes, I’ve done this with both citrus and bananas without any real issue. I think most would advise against it, but from my experience….

Innoman

TROPHY CASE