Questions about future Meyer lemon tree.

9 years ago

Hi All,

I am interested in raising a Meyer lemon tree in a container. I am in zone 7A (SE PA). I have a few questions and I keep reading old threads and there is so much info it's hard to take it all in.

1. Should I repot right away? If I get the plant April/May and it is in standard soil should I repot. I know that drainage is a huge issue and I don't want to drown this thing right off the bat.

2. Sun. I can sit the tree on the deck with no coverage and let it have full sun all day or it can sit just under an awning and have a bit of coverage midday.

3. Dwarf variety or no? Is there a huge difference beyond size? Can I prune a regular tree and keep it smaller(without harming it)?

I'm sure I'll have more....ty!!!

Featured Answer

Sammers510

9 years ago

1) I would say yes, start it off on a good foot in a new pot with fresh medium. Most of us in the citrus forum use 5-1-1 or gritty mix you can search for that and it will tell you how to make it. Some use a more standard MG type soil mixed with lots of perlite but I am in zone 8b and find that it holds too much water and causes rot for me its how I lost my 1st lemon tree, since I've used bark based mixes I've had 100% success so far. It may drop leaves after the repot but that's normal. Make sure you wash as much of the old mix off the roost as possible, it it has too much stuck on them it could cause trouble with the roots getting too much or not enough water. Dont pick too large of a pot, if its too big it will hold more water and cause rot. Aim for something similar sized/width to the canopy of the tree with good drainage holes.

2) If you repot keep it in partial shade for a few weeks then move it to full sun over time. If it goes straight to full sun it may burn or shock the leaves especially after a repot. If no repot it could probably handle full sun quicker since it probably had that or similar at the nursery.

3) For a pot, Dwarf would be easier, you wouldn't have to prune branches and roots or repot as often. Plus most citrus is grafted onto hardier root stock so that could help with cold hardiness for you growing in z7a

4) be careful about watering too much, citrus don't like super wet roots check the soil by pushing your finger a few inches into the pot if its damp don't water if it almost dry do.

5)Lemons need to be fertilized often, I fertilize mine every 1-2 weeks with a product called Foliage Pro 9-3-6 It has micro nutrients that your tree needs, people also have luck with other types by this is what works for me and is very popular in the Citrus forum.

Lots of other info that is good to know but that should get your started. Check out the citrus forum too if you run into any problems. Good Luck!

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Comments (6)

Katie Battista
Original Author
9 years ago
Great response! I've been going crazy trying to aggregate info and this thread should help me a lot. You hit on a lot of things I have been thinking about.

I have been leaning heavily towards 5:1:1 but I've seen comments about how it requires much more frequent watering. It's a little scary making my own medium when I usually dump it out of a bag.
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Sammers510
9 years ago
I totally get it, I was so overwhelmed when I tried growing citrus and took months trying to find a guide or something to give me a sense on how to grow the things but ended up just stalking the citrus forum and reading all the posts in hope that osmosis would kick in and let me learn how to not kill my tree. I am still new at this and I am sure others have better advice but this is what worked for me so far. My current Meyer Lemon (my first successful tree) was a birthday gift from my grandma and has a lot of sentimental value to me, she loves it when I show her pictures of the lemons growing on the tree. I now have that, a persian lime, a new zealand lemonade tree and a calamondin. I hope to get a Santa Teresa lemon and Australian finger lime this summer. For me at least its been an addicting hobby and I've always felt I've had a black thumb so now that I have a handle on these trees I just want more of them. What i want to learn now is root pruning and maintenance. so i am tring to gather info on that, I I wish there were lots of videos to watch.

For the 5-1-1 I ordered everything on Amazon, I have prime and it was the easiest way for me to go and took a lot of the stress of hunting down the ingredients away, though now I have more trees I will be doing that to hopefully save cost. I got Reptibark, course perlite, sphagnum peat moss, garden lime and Osmocote + and mixed it up in a big Rubbermaid container. I have a bunch of potting soil left from when I didn't know better and am trying to find ways to use it for growing other things. Hopefully you feel more equipped with knowledge on how to get started. Its been a bit of a learn as I go for me.
Katie Battista
Original Author
9 years ago
Exactly. I've been bouncing back and forth between here and Citrus. It's quite an education. Good to know about Amazon!

Do you have issues with the perlite migrating to the surface?
Sammers510
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Less so with the course perlite, but yes over time it moves to the top of the pot. Its very slow though so I don't consider it a big problem. if I recall correctly the 5-1-1 lasts about 2-3ish years before its suggested you swap it out. But when you have growing trees that go up pot sizes that's not difficult to do. I plan on trying gritty when they are a bit older and in a more permanent pot size so I don't have to change the mix as often.
Katie Battista
Original Author
9 years ago
What's the verdict on lighting? Can I use a cfl specifically for plants?