Irrigating Citrus Trees
Irrigating Citrus Trees
Irrigating Citrus Trees
PUBLICATION AZ1151
ag.arizona.edu/pubs/
crops/az1151.pdf
This information
has been reviewed by
university faculty.
2/2000
Introduction
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
At a Glance
The first noticeable sign of water
stress in a citrus tree is leaf curling.
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.6
0.4
0.3
0.1
0.1
0.3
0.4
0.9
1.3
1.6
2.1
2.4
2.2
1.8
1.0
0.4
0.3
0.7
1.0
2.1
3.0
3.6
4.7
5.4
5.1
3.9
2.3
1.0
0.7
1.2
1.8
3.7
5.3
6.5
8.4
9.6
9.0
7.0
4.1
1.8
1.2
10
1.9
2.7
5.7
8.2
10.1
13.1
15.1
14.0
11.0
6.4
2.7
1.9
12
2.7
3.9
8.3
11.8
14.6
18.9
21.7
20.2
15.8
9.2
3.9
2.7
14
3.7
5.4
11.3
16.1
19.9
25.7
29.5
27.5
21.5
12.5
5.4
3.7
16
4.8
7.0
14.7
21.0
25.9
33.5
38.6
35.9
28.0
16.4
7.0
4.8
18
6.1
8.9
18.6
26.6
32.8
42.4
48.8
45.5
35.5
20.7
8.9
6.1
20
7.5
11.0
23.0
32.9
40.5
52.4
60.2
56.1
43.8
25.6
11.0
7.5
22
9.1
13.3
27.8
39.8
49.0
63.4
72.9
67.9
53.0
31.0
13.3
9.1
24
10.8
15.8
33.1
47.3
58.4
75.4
86.7
80.8
63.1
36.9
15.8
10.8
26
12.7
18.5
38.9
55.5
68.5
88.5
101.8
94.9
47.0
43.3
18.5
12.7
28
14.8
21.5
45.1
64.4
79.4
102.6
118.1
110.0
85.9
50.2
21.5
14.8
30
16.9
24.6
51.7
73.9
91.2
117.8
135.5
126.3
98.6
57.6
24.6
16.9
Avg. Pan
Evaporation
(in./day)
0.11
0.16
0.21
0.30
0.37
0.45
0.44
0.41
0.32
0.22
0.16
0.1
Dec. - Feb.
Mar. - Apr.
May - Jun.
0 - 1 month
2 to 3 days
2 - 3 months
3 to 5 days
Jul. - Sep.
Oct. - Nov.
4 months to 1
year2
14 days
7 to 10 days
5 to 7 days
2 to 5 days
5 to 10 days
1 to 2 years
14 to 21 days
10 to 14 days
7 to 10 days
7 to 10 days
10 to 14 days
3 years or older
21 to 30 days
14 to 21 days
14 days
10 to 14 days
14 to 21 days
Modified from Chott, G. and L. Bradley. 1997. Irrigation needs of citrus. Maricopa County (Ariz.) Publication No. MC17.
Mature trees under drip or microsprinkler irrigation should be irrigated at these intervals.
Salty Water
Salty water presents some special problems when
irrigating citrus. Citrus is moderately tolerant of salty
water, but salts can accumulate in the soil or on the foliage
and can cause root dieback or leaf loss. Salinity will
always be more of a problem on poorly drained clay or silt
soils than on permeable sandy or gravelly soils.
When salty water is a problem, trees should be basin or
flood irrigated. This is because leaching will be required
(See below). Trees may also be drip or microsprinkler
irrigated, however care should be taken so that water will
not contact the leaves, since salt may burn citrus foliage
(Figure 2). Salts may also plug emitter orifices. Frequent or
shallow irrigations will lead to salt accumulation on the
soil surface (in the form of a white crust), and
accumulation in the root zone.
Application Methods
There are several acceptable application methods. Basin
irrigation is often the easiest for the homeowner. Construct
a 4 to 8-inch high dike around the tree that is at least as
large as the tree canopy (Figure 3). Since the roots actually
extend beyond the canopy, a basin that extends about one
foot past the canopy is preferred. Then fill the basin as the
tree needs water. Do not bank soil around the trunk. Water
can touch the tree trunk safely if the trunk is not damaged,
and if the tree is not planted too deeply.
In older Arizona neighborhoods, trees are flood irrigated. This is very effective, but if you have grass around
the tree you may need to apply additional water to wet the
entire root zone. Citrus trees may also be deep irrigated, if
grass is around the tree, in order to get the water to the root
zone.
Bubblers, drip emitters or soaker hoses are commonly
used. Be sure to buy enough bubblers or emitters to supply
the tree with enough water, and distribute it around the
entire base of the tree, during the period of greatest need
(see Table 1). Be sure to design the system so that it can be
expanded to provide more water further from the trunk as
the tree grows. For drip emitters, two to six emitters per tree
are sufficient. Two may be installed at first, but add more as
the tree gets older. For bubblers, one or two per tree are
sufficient. Insure that most or all of the water applied
saturates the soil where there are roots. Do not surround
citrus with concrete since this will limit the roots ability to
grow.
Mulches
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
James A. Christenson, Director, Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture, The University of Arizona.
The University of Arizona College of Agriculture is an equal opportunity employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and
other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to sex, religion, color, national origin, age, Vietnam era Veterans
status, or handicapping condition.
Any products, services, or organizations that are mentioned, shown, or indirectly implied in this publication do not imply endorsement by The
University of Arizona.
2. E = ETo x Kc
Where:
ETo = the pan evaporation in inches per day. This can be found on the web site for AZMET, the
Arizona Meteorological Network. The web page address is: http://ag.arizona.edu/azmet/.
From the first page, choose Yesterdays Weather Summary, and then select the ET value for the
AZMET station closest to you.
Kc = the crop coefficient for citrus. This varies by month as shown in the following table:
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
Jun.
Jul.
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
0.50
0.50
0.80
0.80
0.80
0.85
1.00
1.00
1.00
0.85
0.50
0.50
Example: For mature orange tree with a 16-foot diameter canopy, the daily water requirement in
August, with an ETo of 0.4 inches per day, and a Kc of 1.00 would be:
Area = [(16 ft.) 2]2 x 3.14 = 201 ft2
E = 0.4 inches per day x 1.00 = 0.40
G = 201 ft2 x 0.40 x 0.436 = 35 gallons of water per day
For the same tree in January, with an ETo of 0.1 inches per day, and a Kc of 0.50, the water requirement would be:
G = 201 ft2 x 0.05 x 0.436 = 4.3 gallons of water per day