Are these the new trees you just bought? If so, it may be that the graft line/bud union is buried. I would dig down to where the root flare begins; and then you will find where the Meyer begins. Some retail sellers are infamous for planting their products too deep to make them appear stronger.

Yes, this is the smaller new one. I'll dig around tomorrow but I do see some feeder roots at the soil level which is why I was confused about the graft line. I don't know who the grower was but it came from TX. Thanks John.

Meyer with multiple trunks are mostly rooted cuttings. And yours look like that.

What they do is put a bunch of cuttings in a pot and whatever roots stays and whatever doesn't gets pulled out.

I can't buy trees from Texas because supposedly the state is quarrentined. Are you positive Texas? If so i want to contact Brazzos and try again.

Thanks pip. I guess they've been rooted for a while because I gave 13 lemons on the larger tree.

Are grafted trees still the ideal ones?

this is the tag that was on the tree.

I believe it, it's just I was told I can't order from there. Maybe the person who told me was wrong.

Anyway grafted is better but not by much if your just going to keep it in a pot. For Meyer. Other citrus you might not want to be just cuttings. Meyer does good.

You should cut off that dead branch though.

Okay. All future trees I will make sure they are grafted. It's funny though because I asked if they were grafted. I think people just tell you what you want to hear (lol). They also called it a bush vs tree so I wonder if that makes a difference (?). I don't know.

i do know I want a satsuma in the spring not sure if I will go local or order from Harris.

I'm excited about these Meyers though because one lemon (still green) is the size of a baseball. Let's see how long I can keep them going. I had my favorite Eureka for 3 1/2 years :-(

Oh I just thought of something. If there is no graft line, I'm assuming I don't have to worry about suckers??

No graft line, no suckers; it is all the same. The reason grafted is better than rooted cuttings is that the Meyer root is not very strong and is susceptible to a lot of soil issues that do not occur in container growing. Aside from that, if a cutting is from a fruiting age tree, it will produce fruit quickly as it is a clone.

Ok so I removed very little soil to try again in finding the graft line. No luck but look how compacted this poor tree is and the feeder roots don't look that great. I know it's a bad time to transplant but should I seeing the condition it's in?? Thanks.

You can transplant it now, if you do it carefully so as to lose as few roots as possible. You might even find that you have 2 or more trees; then your bargain becomes even better.

lol - true John! Thanks, I'll let you know if I do.

Just last month someone separated 3 meyers from 1 pot. They looked small and honestly pitiful but I'm sure this time next year they will have filled out. Remember multiple trees in one pot will each have lopsided growth because they will only form one canopy as if it was one tree.

Long story short the sooner you separate the better.

I couldn't tell if they were two trees in one pot because the roots were SO compacted that I didn't want to tug at it too hard and damage roots. Hopefully it won't go into transplant shock. I watered it with foliage pro and added super-thrive to the water as well.

Also, I still couldn't find the graft line. Ugh!!!

Well, if it is a rooted cutting(s) there will be no graft line; because there is no graft. The simplest way to unpot your tree is to "water" it out; keep applying water and put the pot on its side until it literally floats out of the pot; then you can keep rinsing the roots until they are clean and/or separated. Just have your new pots and mix ready to put them into and carefully fill around the roots and then water in well to get out any trapped air.

What does the super-thrive do? I saw it in the hardware store when I asked the salesman for a citrus fertilizer. He said it was pretty good, but later on said he didn't know if it was for citrus or not.

Good luck on your new trees! I think you got a great deal.

Thanks. I read a lot of good reviews that it helps with good rooting and can help prevent transplant shock. It's not a fertilizer it's just nutrition so you can add it to your water and fertilizer.

What does the super-thrive do.

Absolutely NOTHING

Steve,Z - really? It got so many good reviews and people on the Hoya thread really like it.

My dogs go nuts over the smell. I guess it must be from the kelp. lol

Should I just stick to the foliage pro?

Yes I can't get it so I use miracle grow 24-8-16 along with an 8-0-4 or a 28-04 since my soil is inundated with phosphorus and calcium. some people add up 2 a tablespoon sugar / gallon or add bear to help with nutrient uptake. I used Dawn dish washing soap until John told me it was not good because it is a detergent.

Thanks John. That's a good tip on how to remove a plant from the pot and bare root at the same time.

The sandy soil of my tree was pretty dry so by gently tapping the sides and placing the pot on its side the Meyer came right out. The roots did not look all that healthy to me even though the tree looked great and flowering. The roots were compacted and more brown in color than white.

i repotted in the 511 mix and went up one pot size.

Monica, can you take a pic of the bottom of the trunk where it meets with the roots after you have scraped the soil away and then one of the whole tree from a distance?

Great thinking using a 5.1.1 mix and I hope it holds up well considering this is not exactly the best time of the year to bare root)

Hi Mike,

pic of the little Meyer

Pictures of the 2nd Meyer (large - 15 lemons)

Doesn't look like she bare rooted.

its not nessisary but keep in mind your not getting the full advantages of 511 either.

Are you willing to repot again? This time physically washing the soil off? You could reuse the 511 but your tree will be healthier with all of the original mix gone. You could also separate the trees at the same time. And don't worry about ripping roots, they would recover just fine.

Thanks, Monica.

Surely a rooted cutting; are you sure you don't have multiple trees?

I didn't want to mess too much with the fragile roots so i didn't bare root her I just gently shook off as much of the sandy soil she was in.

i didn't want to attempt to repot the large tree because it has so many lemons I was afraid I'd knock them all off.

Understandable. It's fine how it is.

I'll bare root her in late spring.

There is no need to damage roots if you just whoosh it around in a bucket of fresh water or spray off the soil with a good stream of water)

When you bare root, since you have to keep the roots wet at all times, it is best to sink the root ball into a bucket and lift up and down letting the pressure of the water wash the roots off and then leave it into the water until the mix is ready for your tree is ready to be covered with your new mix) Make sure always to get the mix in between all the roots..I use a wooden stick with a point of something similar.

That still will tear some roots. Although not many. Monica, don't stress over the roots though. It's no big deal to lose a few.

Okay, thanks. I will still wait until late spring to repot. The large tree also has two "trunks" and as long as there aren't too many lemons on it in the spring I'll repot that one as well. I may end up with 4 trees for $34. !! Now, that would be a great deal! lol

I chose the best tree and separate in a way that the best tree is damaged the least all the way down to the weakest that is damaged the most as it is the sacrificial tree

With care and time and a bucket of water, I'm sure she can untangle the majority of the roots.

back when I grew pot for my Crohn's disease I rooted cuttings in a ez-clone. The roots would tangle but after "dancing" the roots while submerged they mostly separated. I would loose very few roots.

Pip

You were a pot grower? Who knew? I might have been kinder to you.

I am the creator of Dox Blue...California... Dox, the Greek word for God, Blue because of the color at maturity. The modern " Blueberry" is very similar.

I have Crohn's disease and was legal in my state until I had to choose my card or a good job. I picked the job.

2 pounds dry indoor. Not bad huh?