the citrus bug has bit baaaaad

13 years ago

I was in the process of getting my indoor winter location set up for the Meyer Lemon I bought in the spring when I realized, that hey! this table top has room for 2 trees. So ... I got a Key Lime. And I keep reading posts here about 4 Winds so I went to their site and found a Mineola Tangelo that sounds wonderful. So I'm thinking that I can just use a slightly larger table and a second light fixture and I'll be all set. But as long as I'm going to do that I would have room for a fourth tree.

I have *not* gotten the tangelo. Yet. And I have not figured out a 4th. I have not completely thrown all caution to the wind.

I have lots of room outdoors come springtime. Zone 5 central NY. But for the months of April & Sept and maybe parts of May I'll have to be hauling these trees in/out/in/out/etc because of temperature drops at night.

So before I go too far overboard with all this glorious greenery and hope of fruit, I have some questions:
- Which of these trees will succumb to the incidental battery caused by going thru doors?
- And which are are going to stay small enough for say the next 5-10 years (assuming they survive) so I can continue to haul them in and out? (I don't want to admit to an age, but social security is rapidly approaching and I can't imagine being able to lift these when I hit my dotage.)
- Also, any suggestions for the possible fourth tree?
- And finally, Am I out of my mind to do this without having gone through a full year with just the first tree?!?

Becky

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Comments (3)

meyermike_1micha
13 years ago
Umm, you've not gone out of your mind, you just caught the fever..lol

Before I invest in any big purchase like Four Winds, what I would do is try a first winter with the one you have, and once you have seen you succeeded and your confidence is built up, try more!

Spring is a great time of the year to get your trees used to your care, climate and change in environment..Fall is pretty tough for most folks....

I would for sure get this one under your belt, then move on to far and better things..I know, patience is hard to come by, by I KNOW you can hold out.....Just stay away from here..lol

Nice to meet you

Mike
poncirusguy6b452xx
13 years ago
As long as you are getting grafted trees you can control the size to what ever you want. If you want a bush like plant make sure that the added light is bright at the low level as is up top. This can be done by placing white objects around the tree at base level to catch the light that misses the tree and is bright to invite low level growth. If you want a tree shine the light from above with many dark objects around the base,say about 1 foot radius so it is "dark" at the base. Other than that I would follow mikes advice on waiting a year.

Steve
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anddoggies2
Original Author
13 years ago
Mike, Thanks for the gentle words of reason. You're right of course: getting a new tree in spring when I can put it out is the reasonable thing to do. It's just that it's so much fun watching these trees bloom and produce fruit. I suppose once I bring them in for the winter I'll have a whole new set of concerns, and better to practice on two than four. It's just hard to be patient because winter lasts soooooo long.

Steve, What great insight about lighting. I had already been to a hydroponics store near me to talk to them about indoor lighting and had been planning to have lights overhead and a reflective surface under the plants. But I hadn't considered that the more crowded the trees the less light that will get thru to be reflected upwards. And no one had mentioned that lighting from below will encourage lower growth. I never made the connection - even after starting seeds indoors and knowing I have to keep light close to the seedlings to avoid the tall spindly plants you get when they have to stretch for the light. Just never made that jump in thinking.

So the voices of reason & experience prevail. I will be tapping my toes and counting the weeks, but I will wait till spring to add new trees. BTW my husband picked Clementine to be tree #4 so now he's pacing and waiting too ;-)