Hi Atheen...I'm Mary. I remember following your posts last year. I learned a lot from your questions. Although I have no advice to give you ( I leave that up to the experts ) I just wanted to say how great your trees look. You've done a tremendous job!!! Happy to hear your husband is doing better and you're on the mend. Take care of yourself and I can't wait to hear all the advice...I learn something everyday!!

Atheen!!! SO GOOD TO SEE YOU BACK.. I was just wondering about Dave...Your trees are so beautiful...man, have you come a long way and man do you do a great job! I am totally amazed to be honest))))..

Ok, now that I got that said, let me go back and see what else you had to say)

I would say that the greatest benefit to using the 'gritty' mix is that is will far outlast any other mix..You can use that mix and not have to re pot for at least 3 to 4 years unless the roots have out grown the pot. It practically impossible to over water in it..But it does require more frequent watering than the 5.1.1 and according to some weighs a bit more.

The 5.1.1 I make in which I substitute peat for pumice and or turface far outlasts the 5.1.1 with peat and does just as good as a job as the peat does..I like the way it drains better and every plant from Hoya's to Citrus trees I use that mix for thrive in it..I think I got this from Josh...

Thank you Mary! I'm glad you could learn something from my blunders last year, lol. I must have ran into every possible newbie wall, from root rot, to mites and scales, completely defoliating one of my trees with alcohol and figuring out the 511... It's a testament to how resilient Meyer lemon trees are that mine survived :)

The people on these boards are phenomenal. They are just always there when you need them, you know? And trust me, my appetite for questions must have seriously tested their patience at times!

I can't believe how much my trees have grown this year. The Tbsp of FP and the tsp of vinegar I give them every other day really made them bust with growth, I honestly think they more than doubled their canopy over the summer. I'll post a before and after summer pic before I bring then back in for the winter.

Where in Jersey are you? We used to live in Jackson NJ, until my husband got bracked from Ft.-Monmouth.

Edit****

HI, MIKE! Cross post, LOL! My trees wouldn't be there without your patience and advice! :)

Atheen...I hope you are both feeling better soon! I am also happy to hear your trees are well - they look fantastic! I am glad I helped you with the pruning issue...it is not as traumatic as it first seems! I am interested in this as well, however, I do find the gritty mix to be incredibly heavy...I have some big pots, although this year I invested in a dolly...;-)

Atheen, I'm in northern nj on the ny border...near all the malls and I hate shopping unless it's for pots, plants,bark etc. lol

Do you use a Tbs of fp every other day? And again I'm learning something new...a substitute for peat in the 511.

Laura I've used some gritty mix for smaller plants and they've really taken off. I do worry about the weight with larger plants tho. Have you put any of your bigger trees in gritty?

Mike, as always, thanks for the great info!

A Tbsp of FP, a tsp of distilled white vinegar in half a gallon of water, per tree, every other day. And then I water very well the next day, to take care if build up. Then a day off both water and fertilizing, and I start again. I fertilize in the late afternoon and I water in the morning.

I started to do it that way, realising that what I was originally doing, i.e. watering and then fertilizing 10 min after, resulted in most of the FP draining out with the water.

I worked up to a Tbsp of FP very slowly, increasing by half teaspoons, over at least a month, to make sure it agreed with my 511 soil/trees. I was so afraid to burn them, but then Mike assured ne it was really hard to burn potted Meyers in 511.

I don't know if I broke any cardinal rules by doing it the way I am right now, but it seems to be working for my two potted Meyers.

Hope that helps!

.

Atheen

Mike, just a question, isn't perlite and pumice essentially the same thing?

Thanks Atheen...it does help! I guess it's too late in the season, but I'll have a better plan come springtime.

Fascinating Mike! I hadn't idea! You are a wealth of knowledge! Thank you! Atheen, I do something along those lines, but do not fertilize quite as much. I'll try upping it a bit now.

Laura, I've actually checked my measure spoon this morning, and it's a 2.5 tsp measure, so only 3/4 of a Tbsp every other day.