Hi,

I'm located in Ojai, CA, and I'm growing some dwarf citrus (Bearrs Lime, Rio Red Grapefruit, and Navel Orange) in an area of my side yard. Currently, there is grass on the ground in that area. The grass is coming out, but I would like to know if the area around the trees should be mulched. In addition, if mulch is recommended, what kind of mulch: organic, gravel, or recycled rubber?

Any and all advice is appreciated.

Thanks.

This is a great question that I have been struggling with myself. I planted my first trees this spring, so when I bought them I asked the nursery person tons of questions and took notes. She told me to put mulch down because it would keep the ground warmer, thus making the tree grow faster, keep weeds away, and retain water. So when I planted my trees I put down a layer of mulch about 2 inches thick, completely up to the the tree trunk.

But since joining this forum, I have seen numerous threads saying that mulch is not good to use under citrus trees because it can cause root rot and a bunch of other problems. I've also read that if you do use mulch, to keep it at least 6 inches away from the trunk.

I completely removed the mulch and just have bare dirt under my trees now. I removed it this past Sunday, so I haven't seen any difference at this point, but I was told I was overwatering, so maybe the lack of mulch will keep the water from being retained so much.

I do think that the mulch made from recycled tires is pretty cool, but not for under a citrus tree.

Good luck!

Yep, in my travels throughout the Internet, I've seen all kinds of info about growing citrus too.

I definitely know that anything touching the trunk of citrus is a no-no.

As for mulching, I've seen many conflicting accounts. The choices range from no mulch, mulch up to the drip line, or mulch to a foot or so away from the trunk. 2-3 inches deep seems to be the norm.

I'm also trying to get an idea of what to mulch with. From what I've seen, there's not really a preference, but I'd like to know more about the pros and cons of the different choices before investing time and money in this project. I can always leave the ground bare until I get more info to make my decision.

I have found a very good resource for us California backyard citrus growers:

homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/citrus.html

The irrigation info is really good for making very efficient use of water.

I'm still looking for the straight dope on mulching, but I'll post here if I find out anything more (mulching or general info wise). I hope you'll do the same.