Hi Casey,

If you do a search on your questions, you will find that these questions are asked all the time so there is an abundance of information, so you'll get lots of info by reading some of the old posts.

In short here are the basic answers:

On repotting - if you pull it out of the pot and it is rootbound (roots are circling the outside of the container) it needs to be repotted. Choose a pot only a little larger than the last one. Its better to repot citrus gradually, they like a small pot for their size, where their roots can dry out between waterings. Choose a well draining soil mixture. Add lots of perlite, sand, pine bark, etc. Everyone has their own favorite combination - but make it very well draining.

As for fertilizing - careful not to burn the roots but choose either a citrus / avocado fertilizer that has "micronutrients" in it, and/or use Camelia/Rhododendron fertilizer, such as the MiracleGro "Miracid" (this is a fertilizer for acid loving plants which is what citrus are). I use a slow-release citrus fertilizer to get micronutrients and suplement with the Miracid to keep the pH level acidic enough. They seem to like it. Just follow the directions on the box for whatever you get. You can actually fertilize in winter (though not as heavily) as long as the plant will stay indoors and won't be exposed to cold. Also, Key limes are EXTREMELY cold sensitive. Don't let them stay out anywhere near freezing temperatures.

As for light -- the more the better. Citrus like LOTS of light - the more the better, but they will still do ok in partial sun. If you don't have southern exposure through your windows with lots of sun, then the growlights are a good suplement and will help.

Hope that helps. Good luck with your tree!

Pelham

Thanks, Pelham. I'll check out the info on this forum. I had no idea that they were acidic growers. Also, I didn't know about the pot. Thanks for that info. I was going to go buy it a BIG pot.
Casey

I've been reading the posts and checking out pictures and my lime doesn't look like everyone elses lime trees. It looks more like a shrub. Should I prune it? If I knew how to put a pic on here I would.
Casey

Casey, some citrus are shrub-like, others are trees..Yours happens to be a shrub..Pruning won't help..they begin growing tree-like from the time it's a baby..Also, trees are usually grafted on another type of tree (rootstock) to get it to look like an outdoor standard tree.
If you're looking for tree-like plants check out the trees at www.harriscitrus.com I buy my citrus from them and www.briteleaf.com They sell trees that look like trees. Bushes are nice, too, though to be honest I prfer the tree=like citrus and other tropicals.
Good thing you didn't buy the big pot you were talking about..in fact, unless your citrus is totally rootbound, there's no reason to repot this late in the year..especailly in IL..But if you find roots growing atop soil and out the drainage holes, maybe it's best you use a pot 1-2 sizes up..Check the diameter of the pot and figure out that way.
Pelham gave great info..follow his directions. Because we're in IL, I really don't do much feeding in winter. IN fact, for years I didn't feed citrus at all in winter, but I found, if days are sunny, a bit of fertilizer won't hurt.
I use a Citrus fertilizer that lasts up to 3 months..then Miracle GRo for acidic plants every month..I also add Superthrive and just started using Epsom Salts..the ES is something new and haven't noticed any difference, but it may take time..I stop feeing Miracle GRo in Sept..In Oct I give them one more dose of Citrus food and spray the leaves with Fish Emulsion..Fish Emulsion is an organic fertilizer, but it also works as an insect repellent. I was told this secret from the owner of a citrus nursery..they've been using it since the 60's..
Key limes are really cold=sensitve like Pelham said. I wouldn't bring indoors any later than Oct. If temps drop below 42F, I'd bring it inside. I usually get my citrus in around SEpt. Since I'm north of you our temps drop faster than yours. Are u zone 5 or 6? Toni

Toni,
I am in zone 5. Thanks for your info on the type of fert's you use. Do you worry about build-up in your pots from fertilizers? How do you take care of that if you do? We have hard H2O here. I had a real problem a couple years ago with H2O soluible ferts and our hard H2O. By the end of the summer the pots were almost white from the build up. I fertilized with the recommended dosage every 2 weeks. I am really interested in using organic fert's because of that problem.

I will check out those websites you listed. I am not looking for any tree-like citrus. I just noticed a difference between mine and some others.

I saw something that looked really neat on HGTV today. Gardening by the Yard had a little thing about container grown citrus. They talked about putting a trellis behind the plant and tied the branches to it. Can I do that with this plant I have?

How wide is this lime going to get? It might be 3' diameter right now.

It is still in the pot that it came from the store in. I won't set it bad too bad if I go ahead and pot it up in a pot just bigger than the original, will I?
Thanks
Casey

All great info above for growing citrus trees in general, however, Key Limes prefer slightly ALKALINE soil. A small addition of dolomite or other lime preparation to your mix will help, although soil pH is difficult to maintain consistently in a pot. The exception to this is if your Key Lime is grafted on some other root stock, then the acid directions are valid.

Florida crackers grew Key Limes quite successfully in south Florida by simply tossing the seeds in limestone potholes that had a small amount of organic matter in them. Fully-grown Key Limes don't have an extensive root system to speak of, so a large tree could be maintained in a 20-gallon pot. Most Key Lime orchards in Florida were destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, because the minimal root balls blew out of the ground easily.

35F is pretty much the bare minimum they should be exposed to, and then only for two or three hours. If you have a hand-truck it makes it easy to move a heavy pot into the garage on cold nights -- and also avoid the thorns if you have the thorny variety.

Hope this helps.

Bruce C.

Casey, I don't have problems w/salt buildup because I leach my plants..(run water through soil) In summer this is done w/a hose and rain, in winter, citrus in the house are leached via the shower.
You fertilize every 2 wks? What type of fertilizer are you using? Do you divide in half?
Most fertilizers, (not all) require once a month feeding, but if you desire to feed every two wks the dosage has to be divided in half.

Maybe organic fertilizer will help your problem..How about a water softener? Would that help? I have a friend who lives way north and she has the same problem you do..She finally got disgusted after killing plants; she decided to buy bottled water..It's an expensive way to water plants though.

Tying the plant is called escapilar..I'm not sure of the spelling. The problem with doing this indoors is you can't move the plant around. It'd be difficult repotting, too. Or if you wanted to shower foliage.

It might get a little wider than the 3', but it'l grow taller. But don't expect much growth in winter, not here in IL.

If you're careful, there shouldn't be any problem repotting..does it need to be repotted, or do you want to use a different container? Normally, it's best repotting late winter, early spring..this way roots will have space to spread out.

Can you post a pic of your tree, Casey? Toni

Thanks, guys for the info.

Bruce C. -- How do I know if it has been grafted? I read somewhere (I think on here) about the seedlings in the holes. Very interesting. The little guy is going to have to live in the house. The new house we are moving to has a garage, but my husband has said it will be a plant-free zone. He thinks we live in "Wild Kingdom" in the winter time when everyone is inside. Plus, we will have an extra room. And I really need to get rid of some of them. Some? 1? 2? HaHaHa

Toni -- I can post a link to a picture. I will get that done ASAP. I checked the pot today and it is a 3 gal pot. I have a plastic pot I may just set it in until its a better time to repot. I was worried about washing out too much soil. The holes in the nursery pot are a little on the large side. I potted outside plants in plastic this year. Seems to have done the trick. There is nothing for the extra "stuff" to get stuck to because the inside of the pot is slick. I was using 1/2 strength fert. I too like to "bathe" the plants in the tub. This is something else the hubby complained about. *laughing* He would go to take a shower and the tub is full of dripping plants. Poor guy!
Casey

Hi again, Casey --

I bought a very small thorny Key Lime this past March (probably 18" high or so), and potted it up into a 20-25 gallon container. I used a very light sandy mix, with a healthy addition of Perlite. In the bottom 4" are a loose jumble of large chunks of styrofoam I cut from packing material. The nursery where I purchased it couldn't answer my question regarding the type of rootstock, although it's probably a common citrus root. Even still, I added about a 1/2 cup of horticultural lime to the mix, for a few reasons. Number one was the alkalinity I mentioned. Even though the rootstock doesn't require alkalinity, I'm of the belief that the green growth, flowering, and fruiting does. Also, the addition of lime helps make some minerals bioavailable that are locked up in more acid soils. Thirdly is the benefit of the extra dosing of calcium and magnesium.

I've also fertilized a couple times with the Sunniland 6-4-6 Citrus/Avocado/Mango fertilizer (I highly recommend this type for all citrus -- micronutrients!). The tree is now a about 28" tall, and has doubled its diameter and at least tripled in overall mass. It's had two large flushes of blooms, and I've cut off perhaps 50 fruits so far so they won't overtax the plant's resources (I've left six on there -- cant resist!) I'm actually a little concerned about the tremendous growth, and hope it can harden off acceptably before cooler weather arrives.

The pot is set into the ground within a slightly larger plastic pot, with a layer of bricks inside and underneath to make sure there won't be any standing water problems after heavy rains. This keep the roots cool, and will make it easy for me to lift out and carry inside when frost is a danger.

About the graft -- I'm no expert, but the link below has some good pictures of a PRETTY citrus graft. Most do not look like this, and are usually a horizontal graft three to six inches above the ground (somewhat higher on other citrus varieties). They can be very faint depending upon the amount of growth following the graft, but you will see a transition zone on the trunk if one is present.

Hope this helps.

Bruce C.

Here is a link that might be useful: Citrus graft

Below is a link to the picture of my lime tree.

Thanks for the info, Bruce. How much soil did you mix with the lime? I have some sand I will mix in the soil I use when I repot. I never thought to use styrofoam to fill the bottom of the container. I have 2 big pieces I will have to save and use.

WOW! That is some good fertilizer! It doesn't look like my tree has bloomed this year. There is nothing on it but some new growth.

I checked the bottom of my tree and I can't see anything that looks like a graft. It is all the same color with no strange bumps or nicks or cuts. No graft? I looked at the link you provided. I didn't see anything that looked like that.
Casey

Here is a link that might be useful: My key lime tree

Hi again, Casey --

Given the size of your Key Lime, the fact that no graft is obvious, and also that it hasn't bloomed/fruited this year tells me that it's very likely you have a seedling. Seedlings may take a few years to begin fruiting -- one of the advantages of getting a grafted tree. Another possible clue to help identify what you've got is the presence/lack of thorns. If it's thorny that doesn't necessarily mean it's a seedling, but a thornless Key Lime can only be commercially reproduced by grafting.

I didn't mix any soil when I potted. I didn't remove the gallon or so of soil that surrounded the root ball, and carefully moved that into the larger pot. I wasn't exact with my measuring, but I'd guess that I added a 60% sand/40% Perlite mix into the 20-gallon pot. (There may be a small amount of clay in my sand, but not an exceptional amount.) WalMart has an inexpensive bag of Schultz Perlite they sell in the Garden Center. Not the nice chunky kind, but it serves the purpose.

Drainage is really important with Key Limes, hence the large quantity of styrofoam I used. We planted a number of trees in our yard this year, and quite often I noticed as I removed the trees from those black plastic landscape pots that the roots near the edges and especially the bottom were rotted because of the extreme wetness in those spots. A larger pot size with good drainage helps maintain a more consistent moisture level within the mix, without the danger of wet spots that will kill roots. Care must still be maintained with a larger pot, though. Depending upon temperature, air movement, sun, humidity, etc., make sure you don't overwater -- especially when your tree is indoors.

I'll have to set up a photo account somewhere so I can post pictures sometime.

Bruce C.

Casey, your poor husband..lol..but the same thing happens here..especially in winter..I'll place citrus, palms, dracaenas, gingers in the shower and leave them to dry..the next morning I hear &^(&*&(..LOL..Toni

Thanks, Bruce. I replanted it this past weekend in a plastic pot with rocks in the bottom. My 'foam got carried to the trash w/o me knowing. I mixed in a bunch of sand the new pot to help with drainage. It does have thorns!!! And it likes to bite ya!!

Toni -- YEP! It kinda funny, though. Its a way to get back at them for leaving dirty socks and smelly shoes around the house that you have to go along and pick up! :-) I told mine tonight that I gave away one potted plant and that it wouldn't look so much like "Jungle Fever" this winter. Then I told him I only had 73 more to go . . . I'll let you guess what his reponse was to that!!!LOL
Casey

Casey, 73 plants? I remember when I had 73..LOL I'd have a lot to 'give away' before my house looked empty. But you're right, they throw dirty shoes and socks, etc, everywhere. Why is that? Well, if they can do such things we can buy more plants..LOl..that's all there is to it..
BTW, how's your key lime doing? Toni

Toni - I don't think I have that many. I need to count, I guess. It is one of those unexplainable male phenominons. Like the sudden and profound hearing loss for no aparent reason. But you mention buying a plant to a friend and they can hear that a mile away through a wind storm!LOL
N E Way. . . My lime is doing good. The new growth is getting bigger. I think I burnt some of the leaves. YIKES! I had it out where it would get direct sun (it had be getting that for a good long time before it was given to me) and I read on here where some people put theirs up next to the house to get more heat and light. I put mine on the porch next to the house and now it has gotten white, paper thin spots on some of the new growth. Is that what caused the damage or is it a bug? Haven't seen any creepy-crawly's but I don't know what a "citrus bug(s)" looks like.
Casey

Casey, it's possible the leaves were burned, but usually sunburnt leaves turn brown and crispy.
I've seen leaves as you described..to be honest I don't know what causes that to happen..
There are several plant bugs in the world, but the thing is being able to ID them so the plant can be treated.
Spider webs/pale leaves/ = mites; white, cottony patches = mealy brown or tan armored bumps = scale; white flying insects = whitefly; silver/black bugs in soil = fungus gnats; Green and other color flyers = aphids. There's a lot more but those listed are the basic bugs that attack plants. Some are worse than others. For instance, spider mites can be terminated w/some to little effort, but if left without treatment, they can devour a plant..I've seen it happen when I first started growing plants..I didn't know what a spider mite was. I checked the plant, a Croton, and found webbing everywhere. I immediately read an old plant book and discovered what mites were..unfortunatly, the mites were in plant heaven, within a wk, so was my Croton. At the time I didn't know u could rid mites w/dishsoap and water, so all I did was mist. That wsn't enough. And I was so proud of that plant..So, it's best to check plants thoroughly, so one doesn't experience what I did.
BTW, don't confuse the common spider webb for mites. Supposedly, spiders are good for plants since they eat plant bugs, though I fear spiders and haven't any problem taking care of the problems myself..lol..Toni

Thanks for the info about the bugs. I'll have to check my lime out closely. The spots on the leaves haven't turned brown, I don't think.

Do you know of any good books for citrus gardeners/growers?

Also, when should I be able to expect blooms on this plant? I think we have determined that this is a seedling since it doesn't show any signs of previous blooms, has no graft, and has thorns. When I removed it from the pot, it was not root-bound in the pot. There was still a good bit of soil around the very bottom of the pot that didn't have any roots in it.
Thanks
Casey

Casey, what type of spots are you seeing on your leaves? Do they move? What's their color?

The 3 citrus books I have are: All About Citrus by Orthos, Citrus, by Sunset and Citrus by Lance Walliem. I also have an old black and white pic book called Citrus. Haven't read that book yet..You can buy any of these books at Amazon or Ebay..Why not get them used?

Of what I read on seedlings, it states they can fruit from 7-14 yrs old. Do you know how old your plant is now? Maybe you should consider buying a grafted tree..lol..They start fruiting from 1 yr old..I don't have the patience, u know? Toni

I'll take a pic of one of the leaves and post it. I looked at them today and picked one of the leaves to crinkle the spot. It isn't dry. The spot is soft. It is white and it doesn't move. No moving spots here. I never realized the leaves have a smell to them!!! NEAT!!

Thanks for the book info. I'll see what I can find. Yeah, buy them used. I have never bought a used book this way before but I am sure they are in great shape. I have heard that the Ortho books have good info in them. True?

That's about my luck!!! I don't know how old it is. I still have the pot that it came in. Think there would be any info on the tag on the pot? I know it has some of the growers info because I think it came from Texas. I don't know of many places around here now that have any citrus for sale. Any suggestions on internet dealers? Since it was a gift, I don't mind that it will have to be older. I am with you on the waiting game. I have some orchids that I just bought this summer. One of them I have I found out has to be like 5-7 yrs old before it will bloom. :-( I couldn't wait so I now have 2 that are in full bloom now. They are LOVELY!!
Casey

Here is a link that might be useful: My key lime tree photos

Casey, yep, I too notice citrus leaves are fragrant, especially after you hose them. I really notice this scent w/lemon.
One time I sowed citrus from store-bought seeds..the tree grew fairly quick considering..Those leaves were super fragrant. If you rubbed a leaf w/finger and thumb, you could detect a hint of lemon.
After finding out it would take 7-14 yrs before fruit or flowers, I gave the plant to a friend who had a lot more patience than I..LOL. This was Pre-computer days and the only citrus I could buy locaally were Calamondins.

Casey, the Orthos and other plant books detail fairly adaquate information. I wouldn't say it'd be a great book for professional growers, but it's got more than basic data.
I normally buy new books, but when I saw the used books on Ebay and Amazon, I couldn't pass them up. Some ppl buy books, decided they're not interested then want to rid them. I keep my books for reference.

I wish I could help w/that brown spot, but I really don't know what it is. Sorry..Maybe someone else can ID it. How many leaves have these spots? I'd remove them from tree.

What type of orchid did you buy? Wow, that's along wait..lol..I don't have the patience either..especially w/orchids. I only have a few orcids like Phals, dens, dancing lady, ludisa Jewel Orchid, vannilas bean, (don't know if that's an orchid or not) and one hanging type that bloom several times throughout the yr. I think that's it for orchids. The Phal flowers seem to last forever. Toni

Toni - The little-more-than-basic info is good for me. I took Zoology and Biology in college but I don't remember that stuff. Plants are very interesting, and you can certainly have more of those than you can dogs or horses. :-) Thanks for the info about the books.

I must have burnt the leaves. Since I first started noticing the spots I moved it from the front porch to the backyard and no new spots have developed. The new growth leaves that were on it when I got it have grown and it is beginning to put out more leaves.

The orchid is Blc Dr. Joe Walker 'Ray Mishima' Our lowe's store has 2" pots of cattleya orchids for $6. I have been buying those to start my collection. I am still very new to the world of orchids -- I only have 8. Catts, Dens, and Phals. The dens I bought in bloom and one of the phals I bought last year in bloom and the others are all young plants. I post a few(really a bunch!) questions on the orchid forum.

This is such a great site!! Everyone on here is great about helping out and answering your questions. BTW, Thanks for answering all of mine!
Casey

Casey, you're darn tootin' you can have more plants than pets..even though there's been a few cases.............
Anyway, if you're looking for good, basic books, try the 3 I mentioned. Actually, they discuss more than basic requirements..it depends how much a person knows about citrus to begin with.
Orchids are fantastic when they're in bloom..the flowers are certaninly gorgeous. I've been reading Orthos Orchid book recently and learned quite a bit just from the few pages I started. To grow orchids properly, it's important knowing where they originated, which leads to their care..some like cool temps while others prefer warm. Some like sun where others prefer semi-shade.
I can't believe your citrus were burning..did you recently take them outside? or were they out since spring? They usually acclimate if taken out early enough. That's amazing. Though it's important soil dries between waterings, your citrus weren't drying out too much did u? Toni

It may have dried out too much and then I over watered it. I put it in a tub and watered the plant and let it sit in the tub for a day or two. Could this have caused it harm? I have not done this since because I have been watering it as needed now. It was just sooo dry that when I watered it the water just ran off the soil and didn't really soak in.
They have been outside for a good long time before it was given to me, so I don't think it was too much sun. It may have been too hot for it on the porch.
It looks great now!!! The leaves are all nice and green and growing. When do they normally start to flower? Spring? Summer? I read somewhere that citrus flower as a response to stress. Dry season or cool season(winter). Is this true?
Casey

Casey, when you let the plant sit in the tub, was the tub filled w/water? Sometimes I'll let my plants sit in a tub for 24 hours but w/o water. I let them dry out..plus there's a big west window so it was still getting light.
Since my Key Limes haven't bloomed yet, I can't give you an answer, but I'm sure someone will know..out of all my citrus, the limes are the only that havent yet bloomed. I don't get it..they get the same care as my other plants..Toni

My key lime is two years old. It blossomed a bit last summer and had two limes when we brought it in in the fall. Then 3/4 of the leaves fell off, but those that stayed on look fine. And now suddenly there are buds everywhere--especially on the branches that lost all their leaves. Should I pollinate the blossoms with a paintbrush or Q-tip since it is still winter and no bugs inside? Should I let all the blossoms set fruit (assuming they will indoors) or reduce the number?