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shebabee

1st Time (Finally) Repotted Meyer, Please Advise!

8 years ago

Hello, again, Citrus Mavens,

First, sorry, this post has become so long! Apologies and hope you can bear with me! (Should I saw "bearss" with me?!)

About a month ago I consulted with you about re-potting my young Meyer lemon tree (http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3934693/newbie-here-with-meyer-questions). Got some great advice and information from several of you. It's taken me until today to finally do the deed, and I find that I have yet more questions.


I did my best with the re-pot and I hope I did OK. (I've been reading lots and lots of old threads on this forum, which have been very educational.) I dunked the root ball in a bucket of water and tried to remove as much of the old potting mix as I could, spraying with the hose and trying to gently loosen with my fingers and a chopstick. The good news is the roots looked great, no sign of rot or softness. They were pretty tight and somewhat coiled, though. Especially tight right up at the top closest to the trunk. I tried to loosen them up and uncoil as best I could, and I'm afraid that to make any progress, I had to be somewhat less than gentle. And I wasn't able in the end to remove all the soil, but most.

In my first post, several of you noted that my lemon tree was planted much too deep and that upon re-potting, I should fix that. Once I had it out of the pot, I saw the problem (and you will see in the photos I'll attach here): my poor lemon has basically no trunk. Well, the trunk is only an inch or so, and then there are just masses of roots.

Please see the pix of the re-potted plant. I did what I could to plant it a bit less deeply--but the result is that then there are clumps of roots above the surface of the planting mix. I did cover them up for now--but please let me know if I should keep them covered OR if it's better for those roots to be uncovered.

Also, when I was shaking off the old loose soil, I discovered, ick, lots of centipedes, or millipedes--I didn't stop to count. I haven't dealt with these before at all and I'm not sure how bad that could be. There was also a really enormous and happy looking red wriggler in the pot. : )

I took a bunch of photos through the process: Meyer in old #5 pot; first new leaf growth, yay, finally!; several pix of the root ball with most of the soil washed off; pix in the new #7 pot; closeup of the very short stem and roots above the soil line in the new pot.

Oh--after taking the photos, I did put my tree into a little alcove in my tiny garden where it will be pretty well protected from the elements. This is the first day we've seen the sun here in 7 or 10 days, so sun protection is sadly not usually much of a problem, but there's plenty of wind almost every day.

Thank you for any advice or comments you care to give. I so hope that my little tree didn't suffer too badly from the experience. I'd hate to see much leaf drop. I know it's best to get it into the new pot and new mix--there's some leaf yellowing going on, which I thought might be from over-watering. I think it will be much easier to know when to water with the new potting mix.




Comments (29)

  • 8 years ago

    My photos didn't post--I'll try again here:

    Meyer in old #5 pot

    Meyer after re-pot into #7 pot (and in 5-1-1 mix):

    Meyer roots/tiny short trunk:



    In new pot, roots above soil:


    And, just because I was so happy to see these, finally, the first new leaf growth since I brought this tree home in May. And just yesterday I noticed several other stems with tiny tiny leaves just starting. There are also many flower buds, but I was eager to see leaf growth at last.


  • 8 years ago

    Well welcome back and how kind of you to report what you did)

    You did a good job with the roots! It even looks like you used a very bark mix)) Did you? What exactly is it? It l;looks good.

    I would bury it just like it was in that pot. It looks like it grew VERY well in the depth it was at. I would not expose those beautiful healthy roots and spare them from drying out....

    Fantastic work!

    What is your long term plan for winter through the growing months? What fertilizer do you plan on using? How will you know when to water?

    What state do you live in? Your weather sounds as crappy as mine. It been nothing but drizzly here and cold. I feel like I live in England of should I say the farthest north in Canada along the very cold ocean you could go. Horrible. All my trees are limp from the cool temps just to get shocked ny very hot temps over night next week.

    shebabee thanked myermike_1micha
  • 8 years ago

    Not sure if you know this, but dropping lower leaves is very common on most trees as they age and the trunk grows bigger...Don't worry about it as long as your new growth is looking fine and very active)

    shebabee thanked myermike_1micha
  • 8 years ago

    Your tree looks beautiful and very healthy! I've been through repotting like that recently and I realize how stressful it is. You did a great job! You will see how quickly your tree explodes with growth in the new mix!

    shebabee thanked Laura LaRosa (7b)
  • 8 years ago

    Your tree is obviously happy with your hard work! Lovely tree!

    shebabee thanked suzuchan
  • 8 years ago

    Thanks, everyone, for your speedy and encouraging replies. I am eager to see how my tree does in the new mix. It looks to me like it's sulking a bit today, in its little shady alcove. I hope that's the worst of it. There are finally some very tiny new leaves, first new growth as I'd said since I brought my tree home (which was actually April 21, not May). Laura, I see you name your trees--well, this is the Meyer lemon tree known as Prince. I went to the nursery the day of Prince's death, feeling very sad. Brought home the Meyer and thought this would be a nice tribute to him.

    Mike, I re-potted Prince into 5-1-1 mix. I've spent many hours since April reading the container and citrus forums late into the wee hours, and I've been making batch after batch of 5-1-1, putting all my plants into it. So far, everything is doing very well, and I assume it will be great for the Meyer. I followed Al's recipe -- I sub scoria for the perlite, as I dislike perlite and was able to get the lava rock at the same bulk landscape supply place where I self-bagged all of my compost and mini fir bark. I am using Foliage Pro each time I water. I added Osmocote Plus CR and garden lime to my mix, as directed. And I've started adding a bit of vinegar to the water.

    I am concerned, however, about the yellowing leaves. (BTW, no leaf drop as of yet.) You might not be
    able to see in the photos, but it's actually the NEW growth, the upper
    leaves, that have yellowed. The older leaves are darker green. These
    yellowed leaves are not new since I brought the plant home--as I said,
    there are only now the very first new tiny leaves coming since end of
    April. The pattern is yellowing with the green in the center, in the
    shape of a pine tree, which I'd read is often magnesium deficiency.
    Having read many posts about this on the forum, I decided it could be
    that I'd been over-watering in the old nursery mix and instead of just adding more nutrients, it could be that my tree just wasn't able to access
    those that were there. That seemed to be the advice of some of you serious citrus growers, so I thought I'd go with that. Now that I've re-potted, what do you guys think?
    And will these leaves possibly green up, or is this now permanent for
    them? Will they fall off because of this, or will they remain on the tree?

    As for those top exposed roots . . . well, sadly, I didn't see your replies until late yesterday. And I had thought I'd covered them up--I intended to, after taking the photos for you--but unfortunately, I hadn't. When I went to cover them in the evening, they looked pretty badly dried up. I hope this didn't do too much damage! There are a lot more healthy roots below, so I'm hoping for the best. Do you think my new baby leaves will be sacrificed from the trauma of the re-potting??

    Mike, I live in "sunny California" -- NOT! I am in San Francisco itself, in the foggy windy western area. Climate change has actually been kind to us here, and the past few summers have been much easier (as in, not always miserably damp and cold); we had gorgeous weather for most of May and June--that means highs of oh, 68, maybe 70 some days). Then real summer arrived, and we've had our "normal" weather: temps of 51 to highs of maybe 56; 100% cloud cover all day long; winds 12 to 19 mph. No warmth, no sun--the sky looks the same at 6 a.m. as it does at noon and at 6 p.m. -- a wall of white/gray, with wind. Across town, there can be some clearing and temps 5 or so degrees higher, and just outside the city, 8 or 10 miles away, there will be beautiful blue skies and temps into the 70s. On Saturday we finally had a bit of a break, the wind died down, a bit of sun came through, and Sunday was beautiful and "hot" -- maybe highs of 72. So I did a ton of work in the garden this weekend. This is a very challenging climate, but then, no worries about winter freezes and such. So, Mike, my citrus can be outdoors all year, no worries.

    So that's the (long-winded) report from San Francisco. Appreciate your comments, and any suggestions very welcome about my yellowed leaves!

  • 8 years ago

    Hello)

    Give the vinegar time to work but what concerns me is those very cool temps! Citrus need at least highs of 60's by night and 80's by day to actively take up nutrients and grow very green...I think in a week or two, once those temps rise, you will be getting new green growth based on your now good care and good mix while the older yellower ones will just stay that way. I usually pluck those off after the newer green ones have filled in..My Ponderosa Lemon tree does that all the time when temps are not warm enough..Now it's growing like crazy, newer greener leaves while the older green and yellow ones hang on.

    You are doing every thing you are suppose to do except the temps could use improvement....Just be careful not to let those roots dry out on top..Keep them moist at all times...That is the only good thing on your side with those cool damp temps...)

  • 8 years ago

    Thanks, Mike. Well, we are stuck with the weather we have, unfortunately! We did have a couple of much warmer days--yesterday was gorgeous! (highs maybe 73? and low winds), but now we are looking at @ 52-67 for the next week/10 days. And that's for all of S.F.--I'm in a cooler, foggier area; more sun elsewhere. That being said, Meyer lemons and roses are grown all over the city, though they certainly do better in the warmer zones, and they don't tend to reach the size or productivity of those you will find on almost any street in Berkeley, just across the Bay, or towns just north and south of here.

    Our warmest weather is usually in Sept/Oct, and often there's a short heat wave in February. But 50s-60s is pretty much our climate here. At least no worries about freezing! I'll try to protect my tree from the wind as best I can, and move it around to try to chase any sun we might have that day, but that's about all I can do. : (

    Those little roots at the top got pretty well dried out the day I potted up. I covered them when I saw your note, as I said, but I don't know if that means they'll recover. Just hoping for the best here.

    How long should I keep the tree in the alcove after re-potting? It's out of the winds, but I'd sure like it to get the benefit of any sun we might possibly have this week!

    Mike and anyone interested, this is what our weather looks like--with a lot of variation around town. Here in my area, the cloud cover can be at 100% often doesn't break for days--or we'll finally see a patch of blue sky round about 6 p.m.

    https://www.wunderground.com/us/ca/san-francisco?MR=1

    Thanks everyone for your help and inspiration!

    Sheba

  • 8 years ago

    Oh my God, and I thought ALL California weather was beautiful...I get days like that, just like last week for 4 days while everyone else basked in a heat wave. I hate living along a cold ocean shore...I now appreciate that I get more sun and heat than you do although you are lucky not to get the cold like I do)

  • 8 years ago

    I am absolutely shocked by your weather too!! That's crazy. I'm from Vancouver above Seattle and it is way warmer than that even there. Yikes! I know it is beautiful in San Fran though. Maybe my weather isn't so bad after all. Tree looks gorgeous though.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Yes indeedy, folks. "If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear a flower in your hair" -- but more important, be sure to bring your warm thermal layers, fleece, etc. -- especially in summer!

    Hobby, yes, each time I've been to Seattle area, I've been surprised by the lovely weather! Much better than people seem to think. It rains but there didn't seem to be complete cloud cover 24/7 day after day with wind. And the beautiful spring and the AMAZING lilacs--my favorite of all!

    Mike, I don't envy your cold winters! But my family went to Cape Cod many summers when I was young, wonderful. New England is very beautiful. Here, you cannot swim in the Pacific without a wet suit (well, some very determined fierce people do without . . . ) and I miss swimming in the warm Atlantic waters. Sounds like you are in a very cold spot, though.

  • 8 years ago

    We finally had a break this afternoon--3 or 4 hours with mostly blue skies and some sunshine. What a pleasure to be working with my plants in the warm (64) weather. They all looked much happier! Expecting more of the same tomorrow, YAY!

  • 8 years ago

    Good for you! Happy to hear it.

  • 8 years ago

    Nothing like some warm sunshine!! Enjoy!

  • 8 years ago

    Update on my Meyer! It's been just 15 days since I potted him up, and about five days ago, I saw that there are LOTS of tiny new leaves coming in (plus a lot of baby blossoms). SO exciting! You probably won't be able to see the baby leaflets unless you can blow up the photo a lot, but here's a pic anyway.


  • 8 years ago

    That is wonderful! Give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy!

    shebabee thanked Laura LaRosa (7b)
  • 8 years ago

    Next time when you do another repot i would use a wider container and not as deep.

    shebabee thanked Monyet
  • 8 years ago

    Bob, could you expand a bit? I am a newbie here and am learning from all of you as I go. Tree came from nursery in a #5, and I potted up into a #7. I wasn't aware that width was more? important than depth for citrus; anything more from you or the others here on this would be helpful. I've just potted up my second citrus plant (calamansi--I posted about it yesterday w/pix, link below), and moved it from I think a #3 to #5, same shape standard black nursery pot. Did I do wrong by her, also? Both are in 5-1-1 mix. Thanks again.

    http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/4049747/citrus-tree-2-calamansi

  • 8 years ago

    Persimmonbob, why a wider container and not as deep?

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Laura, any success thus far and down the line is mostly a result of everything I've learned from first, the people on the Container forum (Al and others), who taught me how to make my own mix, and from you and others--John, Mike, Vlad, and more--here on the Citrus forum, who inspired me to take another chance on a Meyer and have given me the knowledge I need to care for it. I've wanted a Meyer, and roses, for so many years, but felt it was impossible here; my first Meyer, some 4 years ago, was miserable almost from the start and died--I didn't know what to do for it and was terrified to re-pot it.

    I would never have had the nerve before to mix my own planting mix, or to bare-root a tree when re-potting, for example, and I've done it now with all my formerly sad potted roses and my two new citrus, thus far with great results! I've read both forums for days (mostly nights) at a time! and admired your beautiful healthy citrus trees--yours are gorgeous!--and learned so much from your experience. I hadn't gardened in years, and I have a very small very challenging spot, but these forums (also Antique Rose forum, where I'm spending a lot of time now) are the reason I am gardening now. My dreary little space is already transformed, since April, with herbs, strawberries, blooming and budding roses, flowering/scented perennials, and my citrus trees, and already I find many bees and butterflies visiting. It's incredibly rewarding and a great little retreat for me. THANK YOU ALL for your inspiration and help!

    Sheba

  • 8 years ago

    Citrus has no taproot and feeder roots are close to the surface and they prefer to go wide especially in container culture, just take a look at picture above.

    shebabee thanked Monyet
  • 8 years ago

    Sheba, thank you for your kind comments. I would love to see some photos of your "dreary little space".

    Vlad

  • 8 years ago

    Here is a picture of some larger containers i use for citrus and figs. The containers for figs and pomms has very large square drain holes for roots to enter in the soil.

  • 8 years ago

    Where do you find such containers?

  • 8 years ago

    The cheap flimsy squat containers could be bought from A.M.Leonard.

    A 10 gallon squat set you back $42.00 for 10. The one you see in the picture is a 20 gls one $68.00 for 10.Sometimes shipping is free. Lowe's got some nice one for $ 14.95.Maybe they go on sale around this time.

    shebabee thanked Monyet
  • 8 years ago

    I saw #7 squats yesterday at OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware). I think they cost around $9.00. Didn't see any larger ones but they may have them.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Persimmonbob, you had me thinking about what you said that citrus have no tap roots. Then I remembered that a small key lime and a Poncirus trifoliata I looked at recently each had a tap root which led me to investigate this further on line. I found this article that says that most citrus planted in ground have tap roots: http://www.fao.org/nr/water/cropinfo_citrus.html. But I have not noticed tap roots on my older trees! Perhaps they lose the taproot as they age in containers but not in the ground??????

  • 8 years ago

    All inground tree's grow longer roots because of moisture availability,roots will follow water source especially in drought condition in summer months .It is favorable to grow in wider containers because of more even moisture condition. You might promote more root circling with deeper pots.

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