Watering Flowering Citrus vs. Fruit Bearing Citrus

Question

I have a dwarf lemon tree in a container (18 years old), and a Bearss lime in a container. My luck with the lemon tree had been spotty until I read a few years ago somewhere that flowering lemon/lime trees need a lot of water; and when it gets to fruit bearing stage, it needs less (twice a week vs. once a week/approx). I didn’t write it down and now I’m worried it may be vice-versa! I don’t want to mess it up, and I’m starting to wonder if I have it backwards. My lime tree started with 14 baby limes and now just has 8. My lemon tree has a ton of blooms on it and I don’t want to loose whatever babies I get.

Answer 1

When growing fruit, citrus trees do need quite a bit of water. I would not cut back water for them when they are fruiting, especially when they are in containers. In the ground, they can access water from deeper depths, but in containers, you are their only water supply and it is just best to keep them well supplied for best growth. I would suggest regular water while flowering and more water while fruiting, especially early on when fruiting.