Have you thought about putting a stake in the ground and trying the pot to it or tying it to a fence or railing. I also turned a plant stand upside down and set it in between the legs and that made it much more stable. I tried the gritty, but I need to bring my trees inside in the winter and the gritty mix pots are just too heavy for me to move by myself. Another it would be to surround the base of the pot with other plants in pots to help hold it up

Cory

You can also use pots that have more vertical walls as I am doing. I would not switch back to gritty mix. Your plants will love you even more. You will have to re-pot and root prune your trees every 2 years and that would be much harder in gritty mix. You will also break a lot more roots re-potting with gritty mix. There is no advantage to gritty mix unless you can leave your tree out 24-7-365.25

Thank you everyone so much! Very good advicice and I have time to consider all of it.

I do like the idea of just getting heavier pots, aside from the fact that I am already in 10-12 gallon pots and am pretty sure my mandarin and grapefruit have decided they love FP and are about ask me for an upgrade come spring. When I came home yesterday, even the furniture outside had tipped over! So I'd need some pretty hefty pots. I'd like to stay with either heavy pots and 5-1-1, or plastic pots and gritty mix; not both.

I can't tie them to the fence because the best place for tie them to receive 8+ hours of light is the back porch for now, which is about 1/3 an acre from the fence line. Unfortunately all the circumstances will change when I move down the road a bit.

Steve,

Can you tell me a bit about the pot in your picture and how you went about potting? You've piqed my interest!

R....Just so you know, I and many others break no roots when repotting out of the gritty mix, as the mix just falls away and no need to root prune as often as suggested...I have been using the gritty mix for years and never a problem other than a forgetful watering or two...In smaller pots at first because it requires you watering more often in certain cases until either the weather cools down, less sunlight, or the roots grow into the mix..

As for weight, I find that it much easier to use plastic pots with the gritty than clay or ceramic since they can be heavier moving up into 10 gallons and beyond...) I can't even lift the big containers other than plastic filled with peat..

I also know to that there are many that use the 5.1.1 or similar for various reasons, but ones that do not or ever have used the 'original gritty mix' are not the best ones to take advice from.....Check out the 'container forums' for the downsides of using the gritty mix and it won't be as bad as some are saying...

MIke

Thanks, Mike!

I've been following your posts for a while and know you wouldn't suggest anything that would cause harm to my trees. :) People have different luck with trial and error. I know I do, as you saw with my first Meyer lemon, which in pretty sure died. They sent a replacement for free.

I have already made contact with the seller on eBay about getting a larger quantity. They are quick at responding. After looking at the pictures I really don't think I am up for the task of making my own so I really really appreciate that link!

Perhaps I could try out three of my plants in a taller pot as Steve does, and keep the 511 and try the other three in the gritty mix and see what I like. I'm getting married in March, ironically the same time as when my trees get to come out of prison (the greenhouse) and I can't take all of them with me because I am moving into an apartment. I am just moving down the road so I can check them quite often. I'm going to leave several here with my parents until we buy a house where I can have a more fabulous greenhouse. I'm just taking the Meyer lemon with me since it seems to prefer being inside more than the others.

I seriously do love the 511. You probably would have gotten a kick out of my eyes when I saw how fast the pot drained in comparison to how it drained from the mix I had it in! I thought to myself "can I have too much drainage?" Haha!

Anyway, before I make that decision I will look at the container forum as well. You know it is so hard to make a change when the trees are loving something so much. I am just really not a fan of ceramic pots so I am leaning toward the gritty mix really hard right now.

Hey, Mike!

Cruising around, saw your name, and just thought I'd pop in and say hi... and after reading some of the thread, add another recommendation for using the more porous mediums. I, too, use the gritty mix and 511, depending on varying variables... with much success, I might add. I don't necessarily grow citrus, but I do grow amaryllids and other bulbous plants, trees, orchids, and other assorted plant materials in renditions of the aforementioned mediums.

There's a lot of information to be had at the Container Gardening Forum, not to mention a lot of very helpful, good people... like Mike, for one.

I also think there's a great article on a thread about growing trees in containers, and that's loaded with great information, too. I'm certain someone there can point anyone who might like to read more in the right direction.

Happy Growing, Everyone!

Hey Reice...Congrats on getting married...Bet you can't wait? Enjoy your freedom while you have it..lol

Listen I hear you about trying different methods...People that love growing plants, especially Citrus are usually obsessed with them and are passionate..Many people try different mixes and learn along the way...Some use soils that are more convenient for their own needs and wants , while others for go that for more porous mixes that require frequent waterings which benefit our trees tremendously in many ways.

Roots like to breathe oxygen, and I suppose if any of us had the money for a an extravagant set-up, we'd invest in Hydroponics and squirt water and nutrients at them all day while they dangle..lol Have you ever seen the perfect plants hanging from rafters with bare roots in Disney World? Soil is just a product to anchor roots..

The further away we drift away from what plants love and need, the bigger the chance we risk on poorer performance.. The gritty mix is closer to that need while the 5.1.1 is further away but works well too. So I choose to use both although I would prefer to grow everything I own in the 1.1.1 mix knowing that every plant I own would perform to it's greatest potential...

Jodik, hey, it's great to see you back) . Please, keep cruising by since you have so much to offer here

Hey Mike!

Single days are coming to a fast end!

! Yeah I truly am up Obsessed with my trees. One thing I have noticed is that with the 511 Mix, I have to water a lot more frequently. One reason is obviously because mix is more porous, but another reason is because I was a little stubborn and did not saturate the bark. Shame on me! Also, for my first attempt at it, I screened pine bark mulch. Several of the pieces are too large. Sometimes you gotta use what's available. But hey. You are definitely right that we learn as we grow (see what I did there?), and luckily this is a community full of great advice, and now I know better.

I know after the wedding I'm going to be able to pay a lot more attention to my plants, so the 1-1-1 is not** going to be a bad idea. It is going to be what my plants need and I'm going to be able to give them my full attention. I am just wondering how much I need to buy from the eBay link you posted, if I have six trees that are currently in about 10 to 12 gallon pots and I think I need to move at least two of them up to about 15 to 20 gallon. So maybe I will at least put those two in the gritty mix? I will take a better picture of just my two largest trees if we can even tell based off of a picture if they'd benefit from a larger pot.