Thanks Evan. I did try last year to contact the company that home depot brought them in from with no success. I will remove the stake, I wasn't even noticing it anymore. It's taking on the heat well. Before I cracked the door open even more it read 103F. Hope yours are doing well!

Matt, you should get some good composted manure and use that as a covering for your free, Maybe bury a small fish next to it or anything like crabs left overs of fish related. Throw in some used coffee grinds and crushed egg shells..You would be amazed at what that will do for that tree!!

Also, try and leave the door open at all times during summer. That heat will eventually exhaust it. Use and acidic fertilizer or keep your tap water if not rain acidic when watering and it will turn a rich green. Great job@!

Update, it really filled in

Matt - your "baby" is looking good!

Your little tree is growing really good, Matt! The ground is where they want to grow, job well done in zone 5b :))

Mike, very sound advice. Thank you for keeping sharp eye on our trees!

Sunshine, thanks for acknowledging that! You are very thoughtful and kind as always!

MIke

Thanks guys! steady temps between 90-95F everyday. The meyer is starting to grow again and the bananas are loving it.

Beautiful Matt! By any chance, do you know the variety of the mandarin? I have the same as you but don’t have any clue about what it is! I bought it at home depot last year and it starts to have blossoms now

Amy, you might have some fruit to taste from your unknown variety, update us on the taste.

Congrats on the buds, Yes sushine is right on that waiting to see what the fruit looks like. How big is your plant now? I tried to contact the company in FL last year and no response. Keep us updated please.

Here is a picture of my trees. I am notcsure if I will be able to get any fruit because I have a lots of ants poking hole in the blosssoms and doing damage.

Oh my God, Amy, I have a problem with ants under my pots right now, they are not on the branches though, I am going to spray the pots with cayenne pepper and soap mix, last summer it worked well for me. I hate ants!

Oh I hate ants too! I am pretty sure that they are running all over my trees doing some kind of nefarious things! Thanks for the tips, I will try your mix. I tried to put some diatomiceous earth but I can still see them on my trees so I am not sure it works

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon dish soap to 1.5 litres of water, mix well and let the red mixture settle (otherwise it will clog your sprayer).

Sunshine, do you spray just the pots and the surrounding ground and not the leaves and soil? I see so many ants running all over even though not many are actually climbing the trees but I'm afraid that sooner or later they will be transporting aphids and scale to new feeding grounds.

I spray the containers' sides and bottom, the soil and also have sprayed aphids on branches. Sprayed them after sundown.

Is is cayenne pepper powder that you use and that's why you let it settle? I was thinking of pepper flakes, maybe I can let it sit overnight then strain before spraying. Thanks Sunshine.

Cayenne pepper powder. Be careful to not touch your face or eyes, I learned it the hard way :)