Ok looking forward to it.

Good morning, sunshine! Picture time!

Figs, you are too sweet..Thank you..It's nice to see people like you who have an appreciation for others..That my friend is so rare these days, especially on sites like this...I wish I could give you a huge hug.

I will post probably this weekend and explain how I have been caring for it!

Mike

I am following also! Many of my raised beds (outdoor) have MGGS in them (and plenty of other amendments). All my potted trees are in 5-1-1 ish mix though (ish because I don't precisely measure).

Waiting for pics here also!

Take a look at the tropical fruit forum. It seems that Millet's MG garden soil has more pine chips than what is sold in the east and one poster says he lost half his plants in MG. So, it all depends on which part of the country you buy it in. The soil I bought does have pine bark but maybe not as much as Millet's (or Silica's).

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=21505.0

That's interesting, Vladimir. It would explain a lot. The MG sold at my nursery seems to be almost all peat with some perlite in it. It would be unthinkable to grow citrus in it, at least for me. But if not all MG bags are made equal, I can see how some would consider it a suitable medium.

Hey Mike! Let's see your little tree!

Hey Figs, so good to see you...Mom has been very sick and my father not so good..It's been pretty stressful around here at home and then I was sick..So a triple whammy( I saw that you posted on your thread too and I can't wait to read it when I get some quality time maybe later today//

I took some pics yesterday and I sure will show you all..

This stuff about MGGS being different all over sure lets one off the hook for anyone to pushes that stuff on any of us unsuspecting people that we should use it because it was touted s being the best stuff..If my plants do lousy, it is because the one I used is not the same..)..Im thinking that the one that encouraged us to use it should of posted pics of his and made sure that his was the same as everyone else's before telling everyone to use it. Besides, that same person at one point said he does not add any perlite at all in it, just straight from the bag and then within the same week said he does use perlite. PLus it was said that is was used all over place as in all over the country or so I thought..So I am glad I only used one guinea pig tree in it and thus far, it's doing ok_))

I have only had to water it once in every two weeks or so and it's starting to flower..Maybe the bag I got is a good one? I don't know..Time will tell..I can't wait to show you all...

Figs, I have an idea....Can we post what our bags contain and post a close up pic of what the soil looks like? Maybe ours is the same and if not we will know which one does the job right for our areas...? I think it will help many folks here!

Trying to stay warm.

Mike

Hi Mike. It must be very difficult for you to care for your two loved ones and to care for yourself, too. I hope all three of you get well soon. Where do you get the physical, emotional and spiritual energy to do it?

Mike Take care and best wishes for all three of you.

Steve

Oh Mike, I just read on my own thread that you weren't doing well. I'm so sorry and I wish you guys a speedy recovery. Yes, sometime in the next couple of days, I will post soil pics here so that you can see what mine looks like.

pete_powell I do not like big opportunistic corporations ether

I would have quadruple liked your post but they erased my first like on my second click. Just to let you know that I like your post 5 times even thou it shows only one like from me. I use sand from my street gutter, Compost from my compost pile, topsoil from my back yard, and use rootstocks most resistant to root rot.

I also use a lot of used potting soil others throw out at the end of the season. I am an environmentalist but mainly I am thrifty with money.

Do you have any citrus trees. I am hoping that I am not the only citrus'er in Ohio

6b Steve Cincinnasti

You got a major like from me too Pete Powell!

Hey, don't underestimate the power of Vacuum cleaners..Steve could probably get away with this stuff...lol

Steve just think, if the stuff you use is better than this stuff. you might be on to something buddy..lol

Some good points made, but guess what, what if this stuff does a good job, then you might have to retract the part about it being crap..ha..You guys are al too much..Pics to come soon now that I am feeling better and thank you guys for wishing me the best..It's been tough but than you for your concern and good hearts!

what makes my stuff so superior is it cost me nothing, it recycle, no gas or time shopping, it hold water well in summer, it doesn't suffer from the hydrophobia blues. it can go 6-8 weeks in the winter with out watering, but you must draw fresh air through the mix.

6b Steve

I feel the need to slam Scotts one last time. A good friend's company hired a lawyer who used to work for Scotts. The motto of her boss at Scott's was "if we aren't getting sued, we're doing something wrong".

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ScYaPV56Lfk

There is so much resources free for the taking to waste time and gas on shopping besides the money. Drawing air though a heavy mix to prevent root rot and stimulate growth.

This works wonders but is not attractive in the living room.

I know, you probably thought that I finally posted my pics....(

Would someone please send me a reminder to post my pics? ugh!

Hopefully tomorrow...)

Well, so far so good, but not sure how long it will last before the mis falls in around the roots and suffocates them. I shall see. But it seems this little guy is happy thus far.

Nice flowers.

I have been checking in here now and then to see how the experiment is going....sure looks like a healthy tree now for sure!

I know potted plants are a totally different world from in-ground plants since the pot is such a micro-habitat and the nutrient, moisture, pathogen levels can change over night. I have in-ground trees growing in soggy clay for months at a time during the wet seasons. I'm really amazed my trees haven't all fallen to root rot and trunk fungal diseases but.....there they stand. I believe growth is slowed way down and I have my problems but they do live there.

With that as a concept, I wonder if there is a way to seed potted citrus with beneficial bacteria/fungi that normally compete with the disease-causing microorganisms in a more natural in-ground setting?

Need new picture of Mike's citrus tree planted in MGGS.

Mike, your tree looks good so far...nice blooms! Silica, I was just thinking of you and wondering where you had been...

MGGS tree picture time please

Hey Silica, been sick and my Mom has been ever worst. I was wondering how you have been. I will take pics soon again and thanks for asking)

Hope you guys get better soon. We've all been sick also - and I'm rarely sick. Stinks. Get better!

Hope you all get better soon. I am just getting over a three week cold.

I tried unsuccessfully to find the ingredients that they use in the citrus boxes at L’Orangerie du Jardin du Luxembourg but do remember that the medium was quite water retentive and that they put blocks of (I think) plaster of Paris at the bottom. I believe some of these trees have been in these boxes for more than a century.

I have not seen a report on Mikerno_1micha's citrus tree growing in Miracle Grow Garden Soil. I thought Mike was going to keep us posted with a picture every month. How about an up date please.

It's not doing so well...The leaves are turning yellow and the mix has a hard time drying out more than once every two weeks if that. I think I have watered it about 5 times now. I will take a pic if I remember. I have been sick a lot this winter. Sorry

Thanks for sharing mike. I wish you well with your tree. This may be a good time to

mike it may be time too break out R2D2. This really works. My plants in heavy soil need watering 1 time every 1-2 months. If I did not pull air through them they would be dead. You can use the coffee can setup shown in the video.

6b Steve

Wow, Steve, that video is awesome. I think I will try it on my kumquat seedlings.

Mike, hope you get a second to take photos. Just post them when you get a chance.

How is the experiment going?

The medium being wet/moist is not a bad thing, it a good thing. You must remember the moisture in the root zone is not the problem, the lack of root zone oxygen is what causes the damage. All the food that a citrus tree requires for life is supplied to the tree as a liquid solution -- citrus trees don't eat, they drink -- and they drink a lot. Under watering is one of the biggest causes of tree stress (and some times the "grower"). If the tree is growing in a medium with good drainage, it would be an effort to kill the tree with water. Most nurserymen strive to grow in a medium that contains 25 percent aeration.

Here is my tree 9 months later treated the same way as all the rest. The only one turning yellow even though fully nourished is this one. Anyone have any ideas?

Should I re pot it even though it's only been in this mix since October?

Thanks everyone

Mike, I would repot that tree headed into winter before that mix compacts too much. I don't know about the yellowing, but I would repot it if it were my tree. Take note of when you repotted it though so you can have as much data as possible.

I would also re-pot now. In 2 weeks summer season is half over. 2 weeks to set roots in new soil and the rest of the growing season to grow.

6b Steve

I hear a lot on this form about re-potting before the summer season is over, or never repot in the winter etc. I have never kept records but I certainly have repotted a tree in every month of the year if not every week of the year, and with no difficulty to the tree. I used to repot a tree on every New Years day as a New Year's gift to the tree. I grant that there might be some sort of advantage in the spring, but a person that knows how to re-pot a tree with out damaging the tree can do it at any time. Monrovia nursery which could be the biggest commercial nursery in the USA, says for zones 4 through 8 the best time of the year to plant a tree in the landscape is not in the spring nor summer, but in the fall of the year. The rule in the commercial nursery business is to either sell the tree sometime during the first year, or if not sold re-pot the tree and keep it for an additional year or throw the tree away. Lastly thanks for showing a picture of your MGGS tree, I appreciate seeing it. It looks very healthy, Mike you have done a good job growing it, the tree must appreciate it. I plant all container trees in MGGS and try to repot them approximately every two years. I grow container trees less and less as they just don't produce the quantity of fruit for all the work given to a container tree. I have been giving most of my efforts to in ground trees. One in ground tree produces about the same amount of fruit as 400 to 500 container trees and probably more than that..

read all through the posts (or almost ) until I read somebody got a blood lemon tree. That totally threw me of the loop and now don't know how to live without one? Where to get? Yup, trouble in paradise Mike and if you suspect something wrong with the roots, repot and investigate.

Experiment over. Repot it! It's heading down the path that my lemon tree was on!

A well cared for properly root pruned and up-potted citrus tree will produce loads of fruit. An in ground tree will produce much more but size for size of the tree I don't think that a factor of 3 times would be expected. I don't have the Patience to root prune and trim to that degree of care that would be needed for a top producing container tree. Having the infinite size pot offered by in ground planting I will do fine outside.

6b Steve

Poncirusguy, I would politely disagree on "Loads" of fruit. In my life time I have never seen a container tree with 'loads" of fruit. Even the VERY best of Tintori's trees might have 20 - 30 +- fruit but normally less. As of July 2. 2017 I'm still picking fruit off of an in ground Cara Cara, and I have been picking fruit from the tree since last fall. However, that is neither here nor there. I suspect most container growers are actually doing it for the joy of growing a tree and not for 'loads' of fruit. Don't mean to be disagreeable but I believe these are the facts.

Meiwa kumquat tree in 36 inch tapered box. Fruits 2 time a year

LOADED WITH FRUIT.

Similar size tree LOADED with fruit but not quite as much.

6b Steve

Ps These are not my trees

beautiful trees. I so would like to have a greenhouse like that.

I would also call Brian's container trees "loaded" with fruit. Perhaps the term "loaded" is relative to the trees' size... If a tree is mostly covered with fruit I would be pretty happy with that result!

Mike, I am following this thread since last year, when you repotted the tree in the soil mix. If it is not growing well, I would say repot it in 5-1-1 and let the tree take advantage of the summer and let it grow the way it did before.

Poncirusguy, thank you for the photo. That tree is indeed loaded, but is also grown in a greenhouse in a container so large as to assimilate being grown in the ground especially because it is a kumquat. However, more importantly, ninety nine percent (99%) of the time when we are talking about a container grown tree, it is rather small and growing in a 3 or 5 gallon pot, producing few fruit. You tried to find the exception. Any way it was indeed a well grown tree. I also have a tree growing in a large container. It is a New Zealand Lemonade tree growing in a 3.5-foot wide X 3.5-foot Long and 3.5-foot tall container. Presently I would call it a medium size tree, but should grow much larger. My 3 and 5 gallon container trees are nice but I'm sure you can visualize their size and production. I also have 8 in ground citrus trees and a in ground pomegranate tree.

The picture I posted was to be my personal growing objective. $$$$$$$$$! It just was not doable for me so I went to in ground growing. My 5 gallon Hardy Chicago fig trees produces 50 figs per year and I am assuming that the similar size fruited kumquat tree would do the same. Approximately 50 kumquats at 1 inch diameter has the same volume of an orange with a diameter of 4 inches before pealing the orange. It seemed silly to me to grow an orange tree in a 5 gallon bucket when I can buy oranges at 60 cents each. I am growing my citrus trees for real fruit production that will put a nice dent in my grocery bill. I am also growing 'expensive to buy' foods that contain nutrition that is on the rare side of foods.

I am aware of what you meant comparing in ground to container and I just wanted to share my goals and practices that I would like to see others adapt to. I am in the beginning stages of getting exactly what I wanted. It has been very difficult.

6b Steve

Silica I would like you to keep us posted on your NZL in the 3.5 by 3.5 by 3.5 box. This is what all of us need to do if we want more than a few bites from our hard labors.

In ground Meiwa will put out about 200 flowers of which most will fruit.

6b Steve