Congrats Mary

anything you get from Mike will be great. He is a wonderful mentor. In general kumquats will require the same basic care that most all citrus do. There is vast amounts of information available on this forum that will keep your tree healthy and happy.

Mike

Yes!

I will make room for many here to give you helpful advice and I will work on getting that tree for you!

Hi Mike:-))))

I will be back later to see what comes of this thread my Mary!

Have a great day to all

Mike

Hey Mike and ...ummm Mike..LOL

Mike meyer..I am gonna start calling you MM (my Mike)LOL:)

I will search best I can but my eyes are not to good on the comp for to long so if anyone can point me to some thread that would help instead of me having to try to find my way around then not being able to read it..I would be so grateful.

Mary

Mary

I refer to meyer mike as the original mike. Although I do try to take his credit once in awhile,LOL

The info is quite cluttered so Ill do my best to give you some good cliff notes

Most important to a healthy citrus are the soil, watering habits, light, fertilizer and of course heat. You want to be sure that the soil(not dirt) drains the water well and still holds enough for the tree. Things like potting soil, topsoil, compost and anything that contains a large amount of peat or something similar will hold the water way to long and not allow oxygen to the roots leading to root rot. There are some good recipes that most of us use and have had good results. A few are known as the 5.1.1 and the "gritty mix" Mike is a master of these and can help you out there.

Water needs be done so that the root zone has a chance to dry out a bit but not get bone dry. This is one thing that most people struggle with and takes time and experience to get right.

Citrus are evergreen and need a good light source for at least 8 hours per day whether from the sun or artificial during the winter. A sunny window or florescent lighting is what most do in the winter.

Your trees root need to be around 55 degrees F to function properly. This is no problem during late spring and summer but can be a bit tricky during the fall and winter. Even for me with a greenhouse I have to be sure that the roots are getting warm. One thing that can happen is if you put your tree in a hot window to get the light it needs if the roots arent warm and functioning you could have winter leaf drop. This is where the leaf surface gets hot and because the roots are too cold the tree will simply drop them because it can transpire water to cool them.

Fertilizing can be tricky also. Everyone has their favorites ways and times to do this so I cant really bombard you with routines. I can say that they need a good source of all the major elements plus minors. When i started out I used plain Miracle grow all purpose once a month at half strength during the peak growing season( spring and summer) and added a slow release that contained minors, such as magnesium, calcium, iron, etc. Your conditions will dictate what you need to do and we will help you figure out a routine that works.

This is by no means the absolute way to take care of citrus just a few things I have learned from here.

Man I dont think i have ever typed that much on this site. LOL.

Okie Mike.

Hello Mary and the Mikes! ;)
Well said, Mike!

Josh

Oh Mike!

A job very well done! Are you sure you weren't drinking? That is the most I have seen you write here! lol

Seriously, Bravo my friend!

MIkw

Now Mary!

Call me what ever you want..lol I like MM...

I must say that Mike along with a few others here have been wonderful! I think you will be just fine knowing us and asking questions as you go along.
I will even send some instructions for you along with the plant so you can get a true grasp on the care of potted citrus!

You have been missed and I hope you see your thread soon:-)

Mike

Haha Mike, nope not drinking. I just enjoy sharing the knowledge that I have learned here.

here is a pic of My fukushu Kumquat I picked up at lowes for $8. Its in the 5.1.1 because thats what I had on hand when I impulse bought it. Its been flowering of and on but no fruit set yet.

{{gwi:611173}}

Mike: I can only imagine how good it looks!

I have to wait till I get home to have access to that pic on my computer. I will though.:-)

Mike

Mike: I cheated..lol

I used by bosses computer because I just had to check it out!
Are you kidding me? You got that nice looking tree at LOWE"S?! I wish I was that lucky man.
That tree is abosolutely beautiful Mike. Look at how green it is and I even love the shape. You hit a gold mine on this one.
I also noticed that your mix looks very nice. Such a great job on making that batch. I think you will be quite pleased with this tree and it's performance.

How often are you fertilizing?

I would suggest something Mike. Try and clip away those bands around the trunk as soon as you can and make a label for it identifying it and when you bought it if your into being more organized than me.

Bravo Mike

Mike

Hey everyone!

Sorry I have not posted I have been SOOOOO busy. I am painting several rooms of my house before it gets to cold this fall plus keeping up with my yard/garden/hobby plants..and helping at my moms house. So things have been a bit hectic.

Thanks for all the great advice/help! I have no doute i will be in the best hands here when I get my kumquat tree! I am so much looking forward to it. I will post for sure when it arrives.

Mary

So, do you have your mix ready to go?

I was going to ship it today but it rained so hard last night and today that the pot was soaked and I feared it would rot your plant by the time you got it.
So I took it out form the rain in hopes it would dry out for the shipment in a few days.

I am thrilled to see your enthusiasm and your patients will pay off:-)

Mike