Just got two Meyer Lemons from Logee's. They look nice and healthy and look like they were pruned for shipping. They are in 2.5 inch pots, and the roots are just starting to come through the bottoms. Should I re-pot them soon into a 3 or 4 inch pot? I'd like to hang them (we have pets) in front our south-facing sliding doors. That room usually stays around 61-63 degrees in the winter, which should be OK for temp I think, although it might be a bit warmer right in front of the window. Any advice? I really want them to do well.
Just bought two Meyer Lemons
I would repot them if the roots are coming out of the bottom. I have one that is only about 18" to 2 feet tall in a pot. I picked several full size lemons from it a couple months ago. They were the best lemons I ever had. It had about 10 all season to pick. You have a great citrus tree. Enjoy!
I love meyer lemons. I would grow them just for the flowers alone. They have the best smell !
Yes , pot them up. With container gardening it is important to do the bump up gardening method. You can always make macrame hangers for hem. In summer you move them outside of course. Here in Fl. they stay out, did bring them in last few nights though. Mine is blooming and has set fruit. Helene
I potted them up in December into 4 inch round pots and they are doing well. They have put out new leaves and seem pretty content. Also, for fun I planted a bunch of Clementine seeds and one actually sprouted! It's just starting it's second set of leaves. I don't expect fruit from it, but it will be fun to grow it as a houseplant.
Yes, so now you check if the roots hit the walls of the pots they are in , if they do move them to 3" larger pot than they are in now "Bump Up" then of course stop "bumping up" when you think your plant is large enough to your liking. and let it set fruit from then and forever. Or you, as here in FL put it into the ground.Always keep in mind that the root systems determines the canopy of the leaves, keeping in mind, however, the growing habit of the particular plant. Helene
I ordered a 4" Meyer from Logee's last fall. (Is it pronounced Lo-gee's or Lo-jeez?) It grew well all winter as I put it under one cool and one warm flourescent. About 10 days ago I got 5 blooms! They only lasted a couple days but I managed to pollinate them with a Q-tip. I wasn't sure if I needed to repot but I did anyway since it's that time of year. I also pruned one branch back as it was getting about 12" taller than the others.
I've heard it's a good idea to pinch back the fruit in order to keep the plant growing well. Or should I pinch them all back but one so that one will grow? I plan to wait and see how it responds to the changes. Anyone have any suggestions?
I'm so happy with this plant, now I want a calamondin! I have to at least wait until the weather warms up so I won't have to spend $40 to ship a $10 plant. :)
The flowers before they opened
Tigerlily, Logee's sends out small plants. I would remove all the fruit for the first 2 years so that all the energy goes into getting established and to plant growth. You might also hold back on the pruning. The more leaves the plant has the more food it can produce and the faster the plant grows. You can always prune later.
Bettydee, I may not be able to find citrus fertilizer locally (not much citrus grown in NH, lol). Do you recommend ordering it, or is there another type of plant fertilizer that will work?
If you have a Home Depot, you might be able to find it or get them to order some for you. I prefer using citrus fertilizers because some sources of nitrogen can cause a fatal disease called Biuret's Syndrome. I lost an irreplaceable grapefruit tree to that disease and it's made me shy about using other fertilizers. The advantage of using a citrus fertilizer is that it comes with the micronutrients a citrus needs. Miracle Grow's Miracid can be used or Osmocote. Since citrus grow in spurts, it's important to fertilize just prior to those spurts. Citrus use a lot of nitrogen, but don't use use a very high nitrogen source because nitrogen can quickly become a pollutant. I hope you find these links useful.
http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/solver/fertilizer.html
http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/growing/containers.html
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/PATIOCITRUS/containers.html
http://www.midcitynursery.com/fruits/containers.htm
http://www.maineboats.com/online/home-features/citrus
thanks! :)
Thanks for the tips, Bettydee. My plant is pretty small. Recently the leaves started yellowing and the gal at my local garden center recommended Miracid. I'm worried it might make the soil to acidic but it sounds like you've had good luck with it. Hopefully my plant will build up its root system now that I repotted it too. I put the branch I snipped off in water. Has anyone else been able to propagate from cuttings?