The size/mass of the material and soil type/composition determine both the upper & lower limits of appropriate container size. Plants grown in slow soils need to be grown in containers with smaller soil volumes so that the plant can use water quickly, allowing air to return to the soil. This (smaller soil volumes) will cause plants to both extend branches and gain o/a mass much more slowly. Rampant growth can be had by growing in very large containers and in very fast soils where frequent watering and fertilizing is required - so it's not that trees necessarily rebel at being potted into very large containers per se, but rather, they rebel at being potted into very large containers with a soil that is too slow.

We know that there is an inverse relationship between soil particle size and the height of the PWT in containers. As particle size increases, the height of the PWT decreases, until at about a particle size of just under 1/8 inch, soils will no longer hold perched water. If there is no perched water, the soil is ALWAYS well aerated, even when the soil is at container capacity (saturated).

If you wish to grow in a large container - please do. Just be certain that your soil supports no, or very little perched water. You have all the tools you need to make an excellent soil. Now all you need is the confidence and the materials. ;o)

Al

Thanks for your answer. I didn't understand it though. I googled perched water, and it is too deep for my shallow mind. PWT? What is THAT? It's some sort of stock financial thing. How does that relate to this?

I assume PWT is plant with tenure (in the pot). I assume you mean that the plant should be watered and fertalized in whatever size pot?

Again, I appreciate your response.

PWT = perched water table.

Sorry my offering is a little difficult to understand. If you'd like to learn more about the relationship between container size, soil, and plant mass works, you can start at the link I left. If you're not that interested, I'll just wish you luck and success with your growing efforts. Take care.

Al

Here is a link that might be useful: More if you care to ....

desertdance, I hope you will take the time to look up the link and heed the recommendations. This information is not available at most sites which are full of misinformation likely to lead you to poor performance. Al

I read all the posts and even jumped to the ARID thread because I am in the Citrus loving So CA desert. We have a very high water table. This is the Coachella Valley. We were under water for thousands of years! There is a big water line on our mountains. This is why golf courses and agriculture abound! It's hot here with plenty of water. We have some pretty thick clay soil, so I will do what I can to ammend both the containers and the ground. I doubt I'll find any pine bark, but I'll look! I have 3 new baby citrus trees which are going in the ground, but my fig, guava, olive, guacamole...er..avocado, and pomegranite will all be in containers.

Of course I want my citrus to grow perfectly in the ground, but they grow wild here! All over the place. Like weeds. You can drive and see fruit all over the ground at this time of year. I think they like the clay and the water that is naturally here. But, I'm listening!! I just don't want to overdo something and wreck the naturalness of it all.

Thanks for the explanation! I apologize for my lack of understanding, but somewhere in all those posts I got it!!

My question was for container plants, and I appreciate all the advice! I have my list of what goes into your mix, and I'll be on the lookout for it!

Thanks again!

The water table Al talks about is INSIDE the containers :)

Think of it this way. You do not want your trees sitting in a container full of wet potting mix that doesn't dry out for a long time. This will lead to poor performance and possibly even death over time.

You want a planting mix that requires you to add water regularly. A planting mix that requires you to add water means it is drying down and oxygen getting into the root area (watering introduces fresh oxygen, but 'old' water displaces oxygen).

There are suggestions and even recipes in Tapla's posts to help you. If you can't find an ingredient in your area there are other ingredients that can do the job.

Assuming you end up with a potting mix that drains well and doesn't retain water for days-weeks on end the issue of container size isn't important. The common advice against choosing a container too large for the plant is based on common potting mixes that hold too much water and not enough air. In this case the larger the container, the more potting mix. The more potting mix, the more water retained. With a fast draining potting mix you can start with the final container instead of progressively moving up in size if that is your desire. With a slower potting mix you are risking the plant's health with a pot much larger than the roots require.

And the advice given was for CONTAINERS. When you water your container the excess water will drain from the bottom and create a vacuum effect on the soil surface drawing air into the spaces between the soil particles. If the soil particles are too small the size of the spaces will be too small and will retain too much water as in clay. While you may be able to grow your citrus in the ground with a large clay component the ground has no bottom and is able to drain through a large depth of soil. If this concept is difficult to grasp I suggest you experiment for your self with a container trying different soil mixes. There are sevreral ways you can measure the amount of water being retained by any soil. It is an eye opening experiment. Al