newbie needing advice

Hi
I am a new member from London in the UK I have two mandarins in pots one Satsuma which I have had for about 3 years and one tangerine which I have had for two years, they both behave completely differently despite being fed and watered in the same way at the same time. The tangerine is at the moment covered in bloom and fuitlets and has previously given me fruit, although it is not growing any leaves and the leaves it has are not dark green. The satsuma is very leafy and is growing lots of new leaves all of which are a lovely dark green. The Satsuma has never given me any fruit since I've had it. Is it possible that I will still get some flowers on my Satsuma and some new leaves on my tangerine this season. Some advice will be much appreciated.

Jo

Myself I found that Manderines flowers in the early spring only. Manderines is a good choice for Northern growers.

I read somewhere that the lack of flowers could be because the pot is to large. Can anyone tell me if this could be the case. Do citrus tees need to be slightly pot bound before they will flower.

lack of flowers depends on the age of your tree and if it's grafted, Your tree may be in a low light area, cold conditons will also delay flowering, as will erratic watering and lack of fert's.
Citrus does like to be a bit pot bound, but not to the point of twig die back. it's best to pot up slowly using a container a bit larger. I try finding a container that is 1-2 fingers larger than the root mass.
I have a number of citrus 5-6 years old grafted and has been in a 5 gallon container for the past few years
My soil mix is CHC and peat, and I flush the container about every 2-3 months to remove salts. This can also be done using a soil mix that drains well. Citrus planted in a soil mix should be repotted once a year the fine sands in the soil will rest at the bottom of the container and may cause problems.

I agree with the above.Out of the two trees,which is the most established?
Could it be the satsuma by any chance? The fact it has not flowered and fruited could actually be a good thing,as it will have put all its effort into canopy growth and not had the strain of cropping.Its important you know the origin of the tree eg dwarf,semi dwarf,seed grown,cutting etc? The first two are lightly to grow to type.A seed grown could take 6 or 7 years to fruit.
How old are your trees.You mention the tangerine has pale leaves.That can often be caused by soggy roots or lack of nitrogen but not just those but its common.
I think you said you were from the uk,.I am from there originally.So,its summer there now.
So,all your trees should be actively growing.If it was me,i would remove the top two inches of your soil,add some blood and bone to fresh potting mix with some slow release fert that high in nitrogen with a npk close as possible to 5-1-3 plus trace elements.Doesnt have to be exact but close.This is the ratio citrus absorb nutrients.You could use at recommended rate and water as needed and that could be all you need or you could use at half rate and liquid feed at half strength too with a soluble fert high in nitrogen,same as for slow release(once a week in summer).Make sure you water pot before you feed with soluble feed solution so you dont burn roots. The slow release chemical fert will work synerjistically(i know i spelt wrong!) with the organic blood and bone.
Its best to wait 2 to 3 years at least before letting a tree fruit,you want a strong canopy and structure for the future.
Growth flushes comes in unusual ways eg root growth,flower only,root growth,flower and leaf growth,root growth and leaf growth only.The tree can do any cycles (flushes of these).You could use potassium to encourage the tree to fruit or you could let it suffer drought stress for 10 days or more to induce it to flower but i would let it make up its own mind when to flower.
Only water when needed to avoid root rot and feed when actively growing,dont feed when no growth and you should be sweet.Good luck.
p.s nitrogen is the growth promoter and is needed for the green leaves.An occasional dose of epsom salts helps for the magnesium too which works sinerjistically with the nitrogen to green your leaves.Citrus often suffer magnesium deficency in pots.Dont over do it mind.God,my spelling sucks!