Good news You got the spring acclimation schedule correct. Because the sun is so low in the fall you can move your tree inside in 1/3 the time. 5 days, 5 days, in the house Your lighting setup sounds good. N-P-K 5-1-3, 5-1-2, or 3-1-2 I use a 24-8-16 Miracle Gro and I add a little grass feed at 28-0-4 to up the nitrogen to a total 5-1-2.5 ratio. I can't help on the other questions.

Steve, thanks for the info!

I almost forgot to ask...are citrus trees hungry pants (heavy feeders)? How often do you fertilize? 1/2 strength? Full strength?

I use ProteKt,it provides 0-0-3 and adds silicon (has kept my orchids and hoyas looking spectacular and helps curb disease and pests...at least in my experiences...could be anecdotal, though). Would that harm a citrus?

If you cannot answer, that is fine! I am sure others will chime in!

Citrus are heavy feeders Feed at full strength though out the outside months and half to full strength inside as long as your trees get the heat you stated above.

my tree get 24-8-16 at 1/2 strength 2 time as often as instructions.= full strength. I am not familiar with ProteKt,it but 0-0-3 would be good for your trees.

I'd recommend looking into 5:1:1 or gritty mix soils listed on the forum. They seem to work well for lots of folks. I live in the desert, and have modified 5:1:1 to retain a bit more water, and this has been working well for me. I use foliage pro once a week at full strength after drench watering and keep a healthy supply of Osmocote Plus in the soil as well. The results have been good so far, but my trees are a bit small yet (though are starting to become of medium size).

Best citrus fert. is organic 6-2-4, (3-1-2). I question the use of dolomitic limestone as a Calcium source. Dolomitic limestone will not fiz when treated with dilute HCl, meaning that it is too stable in the solid state to dissolve and go i to solution as Ca++ ion with that strong an acid. Many rec instead to use gypsum which is CaSO4 whitch is sparingly soluble.

Hi Tantanman..How is an organic good for container trees? How do they work when there is no beneficial microbes like in the earth in considerable amounts on a regular basis reliably doing the job of breaking down the organics used without sacrificing a good porous mix?

I myself use Foliage Pro and have never had an issue with it for years. Organics have always given me a problem..

I grew up on the remnants of an old orange grove in LA. Up the road was the man who had maintained the groves for decades, he was in his late 70s when I knew him. Do you know what he used to fertilize our grove and all of the others he had managed? Ammonium Nitrate, 34-0-0. Citrus needs nitrogen, I don't think it cares if it's organic.

Mike If I remember right you planted a Meyer lemon tree in ground inside your greenhouse. How is it doing. Would the organic fertilizer do well in this tree's case.

Kent, I am sure 'organic fertilizer'does wonders for in ground citrus trees and every other plant...I wish I could have micro flora like that in my pots year round but it's just not possible..I have heard that resting your potted trees on the earth might help for those that can leaves potted citrus out all year...

Steve, it's doing great! Yes, I do use organic fertilizer for that tree along with chemical and it's doing great..As soon as I am not too lazy to get in there and snap a few pics, I will...Thanks you

Kent Mike is correct with letting the potted plants sit on the ground to send their roots deep. I grow figs in 5 gallon buckets and they send roots out the bottom into the ground. I can get 50-100 figs per tree this way. when frost is coming I cut the roots and let the figs put energy into the bucket contained roots and bring them in and out to build strength before final frosting and storing them away for the winter. This will not work for citrus trees if you have to bring them in every year. It is too disruptive to tree that grow year around and flower on new wood at the tips. All my veggies are done by the bucket method and this raises the plant above the weeds.

I have no opinions about and no experience with container grown citrus. I do have an opinion about treating plants like fragile, delicate infants that can't exist without the constant helicoptering presence of a neurotic parent micro managing every second of its existence. I'm against it.

Then Ken, I don't understand..What's your point?

The person that started this thread grows containerized trees...I thought you were here to offer your kind assistance...I don't see anyone here 'neurotic' as you say, unless you are just kidding...)

steve, z, Tell me more about your bucket method for growing figs.

Awesome idea about letting the fig roots grow into the ground Steve! I'm going to try that this year in super rich composty soil. I just tried my first air layer, on the fig forum.

Hijack over!

Mike, I'm not joking but I'm not being entirely serious either. If you can't use wild hyperbole in an internet comment where can you? I thought my point was pretty clear but I'll try and rephrase.

Plants have been growing on their own for millions of years without a human nanny. Their needs are pretty simple: temperature, water, nutrients (mostly nitrogen) and sunlight. If you provide that in the correct amounts they can pretty much handle themselves. Container plants might need some extra care but hundreds of thousands of them are grown and thrive each year in nurseries and stores with pretty much the same basic requirements. The guy comes down the rows with a water wand, probably laced with some liquid fertilizer, they stand in the sun, they grow and flourish, no human hovering required.

Give your plants the basics. (Edit: I'm not talking to you personally here Mike but to the general audience.) Learn how to tell when you're watering too much or too little. Learn how much light your plants need and recognize that even a bright room is magnitudes darker than open shade outside. Learn what the fertilizer requirements are for your plant and soil and provide what it needs. Don't obsess over NPK numbers that have small variations, a few percentages are not going to make any difference. If you want to buy expensive, exotic fertilizers with untested claims online go ahead and waste your money, but something generic on sale at Walmart is going to do the same. You might have to spray if pests get out of control but a few chewed or wrinkled leaves are part of nature. Once you do that just let them grow, then take a walk, play some golf, read a book, learn how to graft, do something else and just let them grow. Most of them, including citrus, are tougher and more self reliant than you would ever guess if all you read were internet gardening fora.

I have a large number of holes in the bottom of the bucket and around the lower edge I set the bucket 2 inches deep in the surrounding .soil. This year I am going to only provide side holes so the roots can be easily cut when it is time to come in.

Good point about the side roots and the extra holes in the pots Steve. I was thinking of trying your 5 gallon super holey bucket system this season.

Kent, relax! Everything you said about growing plants is true... if you live in California or the like. Growing container citrus way out of the appropriate zone takes a lot of babysitting and trial and error to figure out what works for your growing area/microclimate.

Agreed that if you have a greenhouse and/or once you have your systems down pat it gets a lot easier, but you still have to keep a keen eye on things.

I'm about a year into my avid citrus growing and I in no way have my systems dialed. They look pretty good but it's still a lot of work!

Kent,

All living things in our care, outside of their 'natural environment' need to be baby sat at times in a sense, but hovering over them can be extreme as stated in certain circumstances..

There is a fine balance, and for many finding that can be from trial and error and a whole lot of patience.

Taking everything you said into consideration and using the 'right' fertilizer and methods will ensure that ones containerized trees grow to their 'full' potential)

Okay, thanks for the info, all!

Here's what I'm doing:

*replanting (when they arrive) in the gritty mix (as I have all the ingredients)

* keeping them inside when night temps are 55F or lower, then following my original plan to harden off when bringing them outside for late Spring/Summer.

*when inside, they will be in my sunroom, where all my house plants are for the cold seasons. Temp does not fall below 55F (I keep it at a constant 80F during the day, 60F at night.).

*I will stick with FolagePro (love that stuff!) as my fert. but still need to know how often to apply. I plan on enriching my gritty mix with Osmocote Plus, so would I use FoliagePro as a weekly weakly fert., flushing the pot once a month? Or, since I'm using Osmocote as an extended release, should I just apply the FoliagePro as a foliar?

*skipping dolomitic lime

Look good so far?

kentc, in no way do I helicopter or hoverparent my plants. But since I cannot grow tropicals, orchids, or citrus year-round outside, I am always careful with what I plant them in, how I feed them, and how I treat them, should they get pests, fungi, or bacterial infections. In no way are they fussed over. They are potted up in a medium that allows for fast drainage, while still providing necessary moisture for root growth. They are fed at their scheduled time. During that time, each one is examined for overall health, and treated, if necessary. Other than that, and a trim here or there, they are admired for their beauty and left relatively undisturbed.

The reason why I asked the questions I did, was not to fuss over my new arrivals, but to make sure I provide them with the best environment and nutrition so that I DON'T have to fuss over them!

What's that saying, again? "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"? While I prefer the metric variety, you have the right idea, AuroraWA!

There have been a few recent posts about how often and when to fertilize, but I usually do 3-4 mL per gallon most waterings.

As for temps, those sound good. They can handle the 40s (F) too, since the root balls tend to cool off slowly overnight (as long as the sunlight is strong during the day). That's totally up to your discretion.

-Tom