2 gallons is way to small. I usually jume my trees from 1 gallon to 5 gallons to 30 gallons because I have those sizes. You will probably be OK doing a 10. I plan to use a reciprocating saw to root prune my 30 gallon trees at 2 inches from the pot's wall surface. this should promote root branching. A 10 gallon pot will be much easier to handle for you. Here is a picture of my 30 gallon tangerine tree going into the ground.

Cuban shaddock · More Info

Gritty is awesome but it really holds back the growth of you don't water often enough.

Yes I can see the watering being tricky with gritty which is why I went 511.

Actually I have some turface left from when I was deciding whether to go gritty or not... Can I just add it to my 511 as say a 5111 just to use it up?

It's not really tricky just water every other day to every third day.

gritty is not potting mix it's hydroponics.

hobbyartisan, are you having problems finding the pine bark mulch in S'toon. It is my most difficult product to find for the 5:1:1.

When I say potting mix I meant a 5:1:1 potting mix I made myself. I filled the pot half up last night and then ran out. If I mixed some more today do I have to wait 2 days to use it or could I plant the tree immediately?

Hi ubro... yes it is impossible to find!! Thank you for confirming you are having the same issue. Garden centres carry the dyed nasty stuff but no one has the natural fines. I was going to try Wilsons in their bulk dept but I gave up and just started buying reptibark at pet stores. It is super expensive but so much easier.

I guess you could make a special order at a garden centre for the natural fines but everyone just stares at me blankly whenever I ask.

Oh good Andrew, nice work. Why would you have to wait, not sure on that, since I use reptibark I just make sure it is soaked overnight minimum before potting.

I don't think you need to wait two days. Just water very thoroughly after the tree is planted. I've soaked the reptibark just before planting, watered thoroughly after, and the trees have been totally fine.

hobbyartisan, I used pine bark mulch from Lowes. I thought the pieces were too big but after filtering out the big pieces, I managed to get 6 gallons of usable bark from 1 bag. I was still concerned that the pieces were too big but was advised by people on this site that they were fine.

I'm starting to second guess myself now. The bark I bought had no mention of color or dye on the bag and the lady in Lowes told me the bark had not been dyed. I also tried soaking the bark in the sink and no die came out but I'm concerned that the bag didn't say it was all natural.

I think you are fine then. Usually it will say the fake color on the bag so no mention of it means it is probably the plain stuff. I wouldn't worry sorry to freak you out! Your U.S. Market has way more selection on everything than us in Canada it's ridiculous. Must be a population thing.

ya same problem here in Toronto area. after a lot of search found a company (gro-bark.com) that's has composted pine bark mulch. now I utilize it for container mixes and regular garden mulch use

The purpose of waiting a few days after making up the 5-1-1 mix is to allow the lime time to increase the pH of the mix, not just to soak the mulch. See: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1378483/taplas-5-1-1-container-mix-in-more-detail

Over sized containers. I plant beet, lettuce, kale, Purslane, lambs quarters, or spinach around the perimeter to use up the extra moisture. Works very well and the foliage shades out lower trunk rootstock suckers. Onions are worthless for lower trunk shading.

We bought a wood chipper to help chop our brush, it cuts to the most beautiful finger nail sized mulch. Now the problem is finding the pine or fir to chop. Every place I have checked it is a mishmash of woods. Maybe I could get some branches from up north, we do have a lot of pine in the boreal forest about 2 hours away. Wood chipping is a really fun activity actually!

you cannot use wood chips. They will heat up in rotting and cook your tree.

Beets and purslane shade the rootstock leaves while every citrus leaf gets full sun.

Sure you can you just let them break down for a while before potting so they aren't hot anymore. That way they won't tie up the nitrogen in the mix either. So you are right that you can't use them fresh.

I have been using the same kind of chips as mulch on my other beds not even broken down and it hasn't been tying up nitrogen that I can see but I still wouldn't risk it with my citrus.

hobbyartisan, Why I asked is because I was in S'toon a few weeks ago and at the Landscape store ( I forgot the name ) that is across the road from Costco, they have big bags of small and large pine bark mulch, all natural no dyes and actually bark, no sapwood included. It was only $16.00 per bag but the small sized stuff is still a little big so I put it thru my mulcher and then screen it. Seems to work pretty good for the 5:1:1. Watch out for small rocks though.

Thanks ubro I know that place! I thought I had seen the pine or fir mulch there but I thought it was too shreddy and I am worried it will jam up my chipper shredder, so it worked for you? We tried to shred leaves in it several times and it kept jamming. Interesting maybe I should try a small bag. Thanks!

My mistake, they are called Bark Nuggets not mulch. They are chunks of bark not shredded at all like the mulch is. I posted a few pics if it helps. I put them thru my leaf blower/vacuum they seem to chip up pretty well.

Vladimir, I had no idea that was the other reason to soak the mix. I have never soaked it all, only the bark. I then make a witches brew of the dripping bark, and other ingredients and plant. So far, I've seen no adverse consequences. If you do that, doesn't the perlite just float up to the top?

I learn something useful here every day. I too did not know the real reason for soaking the mix, now I will make sure not to miss doing it every time.

Laura, if you use Repti-bark, it is a good idea to soak it first before combining it with the rest of the ingredients to make sure that it is saturated with water. Pine bark mulch, at least the kind I use, comes damp and does not need soaking. Regardless of whether you use Repti-bark or mulch, once you combine the ingredients you want to end up with a moist mix to allow the lime to react. I doubt it makes much difference whether you use it right away or wait a few days because if you use it right away the pH will be above optimal for at most a few days and the tree will not be taking up all its required nutrients.

Vlad, thanks so much for the reminder about the lime needing time to go to work. I had read some time ago but forgot. Also, really liked Steve's large pot idea for space for growing leafy greens. May keep the soil cooler, too.

Thanks Vladimir. I can probably manage to mix some of it up and then let it sit, moist for a day or so. It is difficult because I am not always sure exactly when an order is coming. Well, I only have one outstanding tree - the finger lime. Nature Hills has been very slow to ship - probably because of the July 4th holiday. It is coming from Four Winds and I should get a shipment notification. A couple of nights ago, I dreamed about that tree....lol!

Steve - nice idea of planting edible greens , I usually put white clover they tend to fill up the bare soil and act as living mulch + since its nitrogen fixing hopefully it adds a positive effect plus I have noticed they droop much earlier than the citrus n i treat it as kind of a watering indicator esp when inside in winter months.

Laura- Its looks like u have an endless stream of new plants :) , how many did you add to your collection this year

Too many! I started the year with the Persian lime, key lime, Meyer lemon, and a guava tree I've had for years .....the rest are new!! The guava tree is loaded with tiny guavas, I just have to keep the squirrels from getting them now.

Oh, and just now I cancelled my finger lime order....they were not going to ship out this week again. I think Stan McKenzie has them, so I'm going to call him.

Laura, will the trees be as much fun once you stop acquiring more? Isn't a great part of this hobby the thrill of discovering and getting new trees? I collect and refurbish old tube radios. I stopped getting radios but have fun refurbishing the many radios I have. The same cannot be said about our citrus hobby although I suppose watching them grow and making fruit is rewarding.

Yes, Vladimir, that is indeed a problem. I do like watching them grow. Almost the first thing I do in the morning is go see them and check in them. I love to see how they've grown overnight! I think once they all start producing fruit it will be fun to harvest and cook with them. Looking up recipes is great fun and I'm teaching my kids to cook. That said, there's no comparison to the thrill of anticipating a new arrival! I hope that will all my varieties I'll have citrus at most parts of the year for years to come. I'm calling Stan McKenzie now ....;-)

"Isn't a great part of this hobby the thrill of discovering and getting new trees"

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Picking fresh organic fruit is where the excitement lies. Buying more trees is time consuming and expensive. It also greatly increases the death rate of the trees you all ready have. Bth in missed care and crowded winter windows with spidermites.

You know what I love MOST about having so many varieties?

I love the blooms most of all and the fragrance..I never have a period that not one of my many trees is not in bloom...It's delightful and to add to that the different fruit I can share with friends and family..

It is pretty much easy to care for them because of this website...I wish I could of learned from here when I acquired my first one and lost many from that moment on until coming here)

There is always room for one more tree in my eyes and I always make it work room space, even if it means keeping my trees at manageable sizes...I would love to grow them many feet tall in which many would, but I am always cutting back to make them easy to store, carry, and care for.

P.s...Container size has no bearing when using a well draining mix, but does make a difference if using a mix that holds moisture to long. Usually one would or should only go one size up that the root ball if using a mix that favors staying wet and re pot frequently.

Does anyone here have an 'Agway" store around them?

I have an Agway nearby where I get my mulch. Why do you ask?

I agree, as long as you've got the right soil that is flushable, a big pot should work.

I think having many kinds of citrus "spreads the risk" in a way - you can find out what you are good at raising that way (perhaps due to your climate or resources or time?). Laura has the greenest thumb! Me, not so much.

I have only 2 Meyer lemon and one (unknown) lime and have learned much from noticing their differences. I think I'm one who needs to go slowly building my collection so that I can do the best possible job with what I have. Rather than invest in more varieties right now, I'm going to try my hand at rooting cuttings. I have to be pretty frugal right now and see what Steve means by his comment. I would like to get my own yuzu one day or a mikan (tangerine?) because we use them a lot here. Mikans are ripe in December and are a great vitamin c snack and we use yuzu in cooking (yuzupon sauce).

Don't intend to hijack thread, but if you like mushrooms, here are the ingredients for yuzupon mushrooms. Clean and slice the mushrooms (discard stems of the shitake) and coat in the wet ingredients. After baking/broiling or microwaving briefly, top with seseme seeds to serve. May want to cover lightly to "poach" if you prefer a moister dish. Please credit the authors. This works with any mushroom -- I use this as a starting point. My favorite mushroom is the flat "maitake" mushroom. You can fake yuzupon sause using lemon juice, soy sauce and a bit of rice vinegar. I also like this on asparagus.

Thanks Suzu! I understand what Steve says, and do enjoy picking the fruit, but I still love the excitement of getting a new variety....I just can't help it! Mike, I hope I have that also with the blooms. When my Meyer lemon is in bloom during winter, my whole kitchen/dining room area smells of blossoms. It is incredible! I cannot wait for the Oro blanco to bloom...I hear those are spectacular. Vladimir, that is a great hobby. I have hobbies that I have neglected in the past years - art/photography, and things I want to learn, but I don't have enough hours in the day! I am content tending to my citrus, raising my kids and teaching them, reading, and knitting a hat or scarf once in a while. Suzu, I saw a recipe similar to that one with mushrooms that looked incredible. There were tons of uses for the famous yuzu juice, which is why I decided I want one! ;-)

A hand full of trees

#1 Fukushu kumquat from seed · More Info

Few trees lots of attention leads to good growth.

Thanks ubro, we have one of those leaf blower shredders too... we will try it! Funny enough just yesterday we were driving by the Co Op up on Circle Drive and I saw bags of those bark nuggets! I will grab a bag to try.

I can't decide on my fave citrus growing moments.... I agree I get wicked excited when a new one arrives!!! Nothing like imagining your own future success to get you pumped!

I also love the first moment I see a little bump of green growth about to burst after repotting or as spring nears... definitely cause for celebration that you are on the right track and are doing something right. Now I am only waiting on one last tree from repotting this spring to show a new growth spurt....

Mike I completely agree with you about bloom time.... the different fragrances are incredible and it so amazing to have them all going at different times.

I have barely had much fruit yet to really enjoy a "harvest" so I can't imagine what that will be like, I will definitely be over the moon.

I agree Hobby...seeing them sprout makes me very happy! I love to see the buds grow up and it occurs so gradually that I have started to take pics so that I can compare as the time passes.

Back to container size. 18 by 18 by 12 inches with screen bottom for 100% muck control. It worked very well