How to use chicken manure on citrus trees | Easy Guide

Apply pelleted chicken manure to citrus trees for a nitrogen boost to encourage strong stem and leaf growth. Put 2-3 handfuls of pelleted chicken manure around the root zone of your citrus tree and water it in well. Lemon, lime, orange and mandarin trees all love chicken manure in the growing season.  

How to use chicken manure pellets on citrus trees

Here is my step by step guide to using chicken manure pellets on citrus trees without burning the roots.

1. Use a rake to rake back mulch from underneath the citrus tree.
2. Sprinkle 2-3 handfuls of pelleted chicken manure around the root zone.
3. Cover the pelleted chicken manure in a 1-2 inch layer of compost.
4. Cover the compost mix with mixed tree mulch that was raked back or top up with new mulch.
5. Water the chicken manure in well with the shower setting on your hose sprayer nozzle.
6. Sprinkle 1-2 handfuls of pelleted chicken manure around the root zone of citrus every month during the warm growing season from spring to fall.

How to use home made chicken compost on citrus trees

If you have chicken manure from your chickens at home follow these steps before placing it around your citrus trees. Use this method if you have picked up chicken manure from a farm or side of the road.

1. Place the chicken manure with a 50:50 mix with straw in your compost bin.
2. Mix the chicken manure with the existing compost.
3. Water the compost in well.
4. Allow the chicken manure to break down over 6 months, stirring the compost at least every 30 days. It should look like dark, rich humus or soil.
5. Rake back any mulch underneath the root zone of your citrus trees.
6. Sprinkle 2-3 inches around the root zone of your citrus.
7. Cover the compost with the old mulch or top up with new mulch.
8. Water it in using the shower setting on your hose sprayer nozzle.

Best ways to use chicken manure on citrus trees

• Sprinkle 2-3 handfuls of pelleted chicken manure around the root zone of the tree in spring
• Dissolve pelleted chicken manure in a watering can and water around the base of the citrus tree
• Compost fresh chicken manure in your compost bin for at least 6 months then add to the top of the soil
• Mix aged chicken manure with worm castings and place around the base of the tree.

Mix together pelleted chicken manure, compost and worm castings and place it around the root zone of the citrus trees. Cover with mulch and as the rain falls or you water the tree, the nutrients will be washed down to the feeder roots near the surface of the soil.

Benefits of chicken manure pellets for fertilizing citrus

• Good for leaf growth
• Fast stem growth
• Dark and healthy leaves
• Easy to use
• Affordable
• Slow release
• Contain a mix of nutrients
• Can be bought pre-mixed with seaweed solution to improve soils
• Can be used on a wide range of plants including vegetables

Why chicken manure is good for citrus

Chicken manure contains nitrogen which is great for leaf and stem growth in your citrus trees. Pelleted chicken manure can be used during the growing season in Spring, Summer and early Fall. This will help with leaf growth.

Chicken manure has a much higher concentration of nitrogen that other animal manures like cow or sheep. The ammonia in the manure breaks down to a nitrogen source that the plants can absorb. When the chicken manure is composted, it will break down the nitrogen to a safe level for the plants.

Chicken manure fixes yellowing citrus leaves

Citrus leaves will start to turn yellow if the plant is not getting enough nitrogen. Add pelleted or composted chicken manure around the root zone and water it in well to give your plants a nitrogen boost.

The amount of chlorophyll in the leaf is proportional to the amount of leaf nitrogen. The chlorophyll gives the leaves their rich, green color and is needed for the plant to absorb carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into a carbohydrate for the plant structure and food.

Chicken manure help citrus to grow fast

I bought a small lemon tree and fertilized it monthly using chicken manure and it has now tripled in size. The tree was only around 6 inches tall when I first bought it, costing only around $15. It tripled in size in 3 months even though the weather was cooling down.

I trim the ends off of the lemon tree stems to keep it to a small bush size but it is still growing rapidly. I have planted this in Fall and it is now settling in to a slow growth period for winter.

When Spring comes I will add handfuls of the slow release chicken pellets each month to speed up its growth and it should reach 5 feet tall by the end of spring.

How to use chicken manure on citrus – Summary    

Chicken manure is a great natural fertilizer for citrus and the main thing to remember is to compost any fresh manure first. Leave it to break down for 6 months in your compost heap, turning it regularly so that the ammonia can break down and will not burn your plants.

For the easiest option, buy pelleted chicken manure. It is affordable, easy to use and can be used on other plants in your garden.

Happy gardening.