Awesome thread on keeping trees through the winter. @Silica your post on temp/light/irrigation is definitely worth a read for a lot of people getting started.

Mike, I too am puzzled where the adage "don't disturb the roots" comes from. I have found that as long as you work quickly and don't let the roots dry out, you're fine. Obviously if you destroy a bunch of the root ball trying to get the old mix off you're going to have problems, but I usually loosen or even eliminate the old mix when I repot and most of my plants do fine.

I was a lot more cautious about touching roots before listening to everyone on this forum. I wish I had known some of these things sooner. But, such is growth ;). I should try soaking the root ball. I usually try and use a combination of hose and chopstick, which I'm sure is less gentle for the tree.

Mike, you used the female pronoun for Silica, and I realized I used the male pronoun in one of my posts above. Highlights one of my blinders. I'm sorry Silica for assuming! That was thoughtless of me.

If you are doing root work then nothing beats a root rake. There are a few kinds and sizes but these two here cover most cases: https://www.amazon.com/BambooMN-Brand-Piece-Root-Pick/dp/B01KYLQ3UU/ The three prong one is useful for small plants and finer work and the larger single prong is useful to untangle larger roots and pry out curving roots. You use it like a comb to untangle roots. Untangle/comb a few roots at a time. Have a hand spray handy to keep the roots wet and occasionally dunk the root ball in a tub of water to shake of some of the soil. A hose on mist setting also helps to wash off the soil.

You do not have to hurry this process - just make sure the roots are wet all the time. Do it in shade, preferably cooler days. Some of the difficult ones can easily take more than hour or two. If I get too tired I will leave the plant in a bucket of water and do the rest the next day.

Use clean tools and make clean cuts. Having sharp clean tools is a must. A sharp root saw is also useful when you have lots of roots near the bottom.

my seedings are responding well for I'm using a 1/2 of teaspoon of bleach and my young trees are starting to send out new roots

How do you see these new roots growing? Is it clear clay your using as a medium?

I'm using a small pot of decaying leaves as a medium now and I check the roots

Howard, are you using tap water to water your seedlings? Yes chlorine is a necessary micro nutrient but If you are using tap water it has more than enough chlorine in it as plants only require a very small amount.

but I must be using the right amount because I've got only a1/2 teaspoon of bleach in 32 ounce spray bottle with my fertilizer and I'm having good results in my pot of decaying leaves I'm using for a medium right now

and it seems like some insects are leaving them alone but not all

I checked the roots and right now they aren't in clay but pure leaves that's is decaying right now with no clay

Howard, how old are your seedlings in that picture? These can't be the seedlings that you had last March that survived the cold and then had a whole summer to grow. Can you please post a picture of those lemon trees?

this is the most recent one most are about to months and I removed them from the clay about a month ago the one in the center is the one from March and it started to grow soon after I got miracle grow plant food it wasn't growing at all me using a 1/2 of a teaspoon teaspoon of bleach is starting to help some but not much it seems like they are slow growing . but my patience is low but I'm not giving up on them

but I admit I don't know what I'm doing

Howard What is the bleach for in your mixture

for some chlorine and it not much only a 1/2 of a teaspoon added to my fertilizer and just kills off some pathogens and that gives my seedlings some extra root growth it a safe amount because it not harming my trees

Samantha this is super straight forward. Its Autumn. You don't have enough enough sunlight. Indoors it will get worse. The condition is called Yellow Vein Chlorosis. Here is an artical that explains it in detail. https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/2018/06/26/citrus-yellow-veins-on-green-leaf-in-winter/

Don't add iron, fertilizer, or foliar spray at this time. If you do WLD will get worse, faster. You can't replace sunlight with Chemicals.

Better to repot in the spring, repotting in the fall is not a good idea. Best method is to soak potted citrus in a large bucket of water. Slip off the container. Pump the roots up and down to remove all of the loose potting media. This does a number of things. It protects from introducing pests and it removes the risk of a barrier between the growing media in the root system and the soil in which the tree is now planted.

if you need iron put some nails in the medium

Howard. Will you stop. Nails in a pot ???? By the time they even give off iron, well. I wish you would stop telling people to treat their trees like in ground ones. Please.

I put used roofing nails, and chicken wire scraps in a vinegar bath and added the juice to my feed water for great results. I don't have access to micros here in Cincinnasti. Mark Twain once said that if a neutron star exploded and flooded our planet with lethal levels of gamma rays he would move to Cincinnasti because every thing comes to Cincinnati 40 years later and behind the times.

Lemon lime , good info. Thanks for your kindness in helping out.
Steve , great idea. Hour you are well buddy. Getting ready to build your add on greenhouse ? The big chill is coming next week while the west roasts.

that is how I know to put Iron in the medium

I got a question : as small as my lemon trees are can I use a breed wrapper as a greenhouse

No It is so small that the temperature would rise to well over 150F and cook your tree but would give very little cold protection in the winter. Let me think on this and i'll be able to give you a way that is free and safe.

Steve

right now they are in a shady location and I can't place them in a sunnier location

all I can do is have them in the shade my location don't get as much sunlight in the fall and winter as it does in the spring and summer

here there's a micro climate

"Better to repot in the spring, repotting in the fall is not a good idea"

The above statement all depends on the person doing the repoting. I, and many growers, have repotted in every month of the year, with excellent success. Actually, the best time to repot is when the plant needs to be repotted, and not delay 1 to 6 months until spring arrives.

I can't afford to repot every month my trees are facing north out Side in the parking lot aera

Howard Your trees are fine in their currant pot.

Steve

but my location has become more shady and that is the only out Side light they get for they not getting as much sunlight as in the spring and summer I'm trying to increase the rate of growth and sunlight by putting a bread wrapper on top with this microclimate they might not need too much cold protection

Here are care tips from Americas largest online plant nursery.

https://www.naturehills.com/blog/post/care-tips-for-citrus-trees-in-pots

"The #1 Mistake in Growing Citrus in Pots Never, ever, ever repot trees that are being kept indoors during the wintertime. Wait until they are outside during the growing season to repot."

Sigh...

I still don't agree. A well re-potted tree shows no damages. I have never lost, nor damaged the growth of any tree that I repotted. Never. If I had a tree in November that was badly rootbound, I would not think of withholding the needed re-pot until April.

WLD is super simple to understand. You have 3 key temperatures indoors, soil, air, and leaf. The 3 temperatures should be as close together as possible. Here are some quick and easy ways to trigger WLD.

1) Water with cold water

2) Allow leaves too heat up in the window

3) Raise air temperature so VPD is stressful.

4) Blow too much air on leaves so they dry out

5) Growing in the wrong VPD

6) Place grow light to close to the plant.

Citrus, Cacti, Succulents, Photography · More Info

Citrus, Cacti, Succulents, Photography · More Info

Aim for as low a VAPOUR PRESSURE DEFICIT as possible, keeping the soil, air, and leaf temperature constant. If you can do that you can grow any citrus indoors with ease.

thanks

@Lemon Lime Orange Zone 6a

thank you for the information! it's becoming more yellow as the days go on it's sad to look at :'(

If some leaves have fallen off, would you prune the area? I'm still a little new to caring for plants I wasn't sure if I should leave the little stem where the leaf fell off or prune it. thank you again!

put the tree on a pile of stones in plant saucer that where you place the pot and moisture will come up around the plant with normal air temperature

Hi Samantha

Definitely don't prune. Nitrogen is mobile and the plant can use and relocate nitrogen from a leaf before it drops. The plant will continue until it can manage the remaining leaves.

I believe Samantha is asking if she should prune off an empty stem or if leaves will grow back in that space. I don't know the answer to that, but in my limited experience, I get new shoots rather than regrowth on bare stems.

I seen on most plants the branch grows back but many more branches come back

Lemon, I know what you are trying to say that the growing season for us up north when trees are the most healthiest is usually the prime time to re pot, but then again for many folks the best time to re pot is when they need an emergency re pot and that can be any time of the year.

Like Silica said, even I re pot when ever I think my trees need it and they do fine, but I prefer to do it in the later spring just because for many good reasons.

A re pot for a tree in decline depends on the care taken to help prevent it from getting worst. By the time many realize they should re pot their trees, it's usually too late for a quick recovery. That is why anyone growing citrus trees should know the proper care before their trees turn for the worst.

Travis, I get you.

Silica, thank you for your expertise.

Samantha, if the roots are not happy usually the first thing to appear is sick leaves. That is why it is vital you examine the roots and determine if a better mix is in order.

If not then I check my fertilizing regimend and what I use.

If not that I check the pH of my water and use vinegar to acidify my watering solution if needed

If not that then I see if my trees are getting enough light.

If not that, then I see if I should treat for pest issues.

Usually fixing any of these in this order for me keeps my trees from doing what yours is doing. Good luck

Basic gardening 101. It's May, you buy a plant at the garden center. The cashier asks if you would like to buy a transplanter fertilizer with a root stimulator to overcome transplant shock.

Fast forward to Autumn and you reverse the process. You don't disturb the roots because if you break any it will lead to leaf drop. Roots are not going to grow back quickly indoors. You don't want transplant shock because if you add fertilizer when roots are dormant it would stimulate growth when there is no sun to support growth.

Those in zone 6 have a very tiny margin of error to play with as they have to overwinter for 8 months and go through periods of extreme heat and dry air indoors.

Pro tip from a Nursery Manager in the UK- John Innes Compost No. 3 is #1 choice in the UK for growing citrus and roses.

The number one problem with citrus on Houzz is not enough light. The second problem is treating them like Bonsai.

Professional potting mix has the perfect PH (it even rhymes).

Lemon, nice points made.

What I don't understand is why you like to work alone rather than a team here. I said much needed points that everyone should consider and it seems as you just skipped right over what I had to say and made your points. Don't you ever agree with anyone, even if these same people thank you for what you have to say and agree with you on many things?

Why not add a nice comment to another persons good comment so we can all feel like we are a team helping others here?

There are many reasons why many should not re pot at certain times and why many should. There is no ONE SIZE fits all in the re potting process because there are too many variables and reasons why one may have to do one not at the optimal time of the year that's all. It's not that difficult to understand or make sense.

Like I said, I would much prefer to do mine at the optimal time of year, being later spring for my area, like around Fathers day, verses the middle of winter, but if for some reason I never got around to it, like a death in my family, I will not put off re potting anything even if it's in the middle of winter or right before they come in for the winter when I finally have the desire or time. I have to clean the roots off completely on certain plants to make sure they are free of root mealy bugs. It has to be done. It's the risk I'm willing to take and I have yet to fail at it.

My care and extreme knowledge about caring for citrus indoors, here in Zone 6, New England with very short days, allows me that opportunity where others might fail or learn from me. So we are all here to help people to understand the process in different ways, not so inside the box, with the end result being successful. You can not be so limited that one can not go outside the box in order to encourage good vitality in their trees when it is needed, even in winter. One must not be so limited to such a small window of time like my area, that is it.

Sure, when our trees are very actively growing and healthy, is the optimal time, but not one does not take care of sick and dying trees after that period for the long haul of winter. Better to do something then than nothing at all.

The big question is, 'how is it that many can have their trees arrive in the dead of winter and still see much success with them after arriving bare rooted and planting them'? That is what we need to do. Help others to be successful at what they trying to achieve even if it's not the best situation or time.

Lemon, what do you mean the second problem with citrus here is treating them like Bonsai? Who does?

The first problem with citrus here is the soil mix they use, so I politely disagree with you on the light issue. Many here provide enough light and are very conscious of using extra lightning..

I live in an apartment and right now I can't find professional mix

right now I got them in some other that clay

Howard I have no idea what you mean?

If your clay was mud, would you still use it ? Is your clay different from the one we have here? Everything in it outside drowns and if that is all I could afford or had access to I would not use it.

I offered you a free soilless mix at my expense, and you in around about way said you would not use it. You had a chance to find professional mix even in your apartment.

When you post, why not post all your sentences in the same post instead of several one after another, It puts to many alerts into my e-mail and drives me nuts.

If you write all your thoughts into one post more often it would really be appreciated.

sorry about driving yu nuts because I'm going to be moving to Washington D. C . soon and can't take my lemon seedings with me with out going bare root method of trans pot on the plane