Bagged potting mix will diminish as it ages as it is decomposing, so will need to be topped, up but other wise it will last for years. Remember that the fertiliser in any bagged product will only last a few months, so re applying a slow release fertiliser regularly is important if you want your plants to stay healthy
Kathy, I inherited a lemon tree off of Craigslist a couple of years ago. Someone had grown it from a seed and it was about two feet tall in a 7 gallon pot, filled with nothing but potting soil. I picked it up in the middle of winter and there was no leaves on it. I put the pot in the back of my truck and tipped it on its side with a plastic bag over it. In the middle of the trip home, the bag loosened up and I had to stop to check on it. I found the plant came loose from the soil and there was only about a quart size of root structure. I had to laugh, here this tiny root structure with a half dead plant was in this huge pot. I lived in Florida for 8 years, and have been around citrus groves. These plants love a sandy loom soil, probably more than 50% sand. I transplanted the tree into a one gallon pot with nothing but a gritty sand. I watered it with a tea I make from Comfrey, Bocking 14, all the main stems had died off, but the top three inches of the main stump started to grow small shoots. I cut everything back to the new growth, and the new shoots are now 3 feet tall. I came to your site thinking you are a pro, but believe me, the best soil for citrus is better than 50% sand. I watched all of the ad's to give you a perk. You are doing good with only 300+ subscribers and over 100 thousand views. Citrus loves sand, not knocking you, but there are many ways to grow stuff. Would love to connect with some crazy ways to grow stuff. Wicking pots Barrel garden's Grey water Subterranean watering Good stuff!!! The ad is guidetowildfoods.com I'll check it out, sounds interesting!!!
Very educational. My calamondin tree had so much flowers last July & now Oct only few tiny pea size fruits. Been in this 5 gallon for 2 yrs. will I repot in 15 gallon pot now? Glad I found your channel. Thank you.
5:16 did I hear it right? What is the advantage of repotting into a similar-sized pot? If it's new soil nutrients, won't adding fertilizer just do that?
The point of the repotting is to trim the roots back. The tree will naturally want to keep growing but a pot limits its size, thus it will eventually get root bound. Every few years you need to remove it from the pot, cut back it’s roots, add some fresh soil and fertilize and repot it. You’d then trim back some of the canopy not to over stress the new shorter roots.
By trimming the roots you are promoting the growth of new feeder roots which will absorb more nutrients. once the roots are trimmed they will then fit back into a similar sized pot with room for new root growth. putting them into a larger size pot will allow more root growth but if this is done every couple of years the pot needed will become huge plus there is the cost of buying the new pot and large amounts of potting mix
Great vid and thanks for extra info in the comments section. To clarify, to repot a well established tree in a pot, you'd take it out, trim the roots and repot into same pot or same size pot then back fill with new soil? And the tree will live even with the root trimming? Thank you
I recently transplanted my citrus tree and it dropped all the leaves and some stayed on dried. Is the tree dead? I have read that the tree can go into shock but at this point im not sure its going to make it!
Yes they can go into shock but will usually not drop all leaves. Keep watering it for a few weeks then break a small branch, if it is brown instead of green then yes it is dead. If green, continue to care for it and it should re shoot.
@@kathyfinigan3495 So the main branches are green but the lower thin fruit branches are going brown. I must have broken off a main root or something. Its been like 2 weeks like this and i have not seen any new growth.
Unfortunately, potting soil is too expensive in my area so we all use garden soil. Problem is, it would never slide as smoothly as the one in the video. Any advice on that?
Hi my lemon tree is not blooming now for about 2 years and lately even after strong winters..now leaves have also fallen off? I am scared if it has died? Since this winter accompanied sudden rains; now it is March springs in India Delhi. I checked 4 days back if truck is brown...i scapped the bark towards the end of tree. In order to help the nutrient deficieny i added vermicompost and fertilizer NPK of 20:20:20. Kindly suggest?
gently scratch the bark to see if there is any green under it. If yes then it is still alive . Apply a seaweed/fish emulsion fertiliser to restore leaves and increase general health of your lemon tree.
If it is in the ground (not in a pot) and more than about 5 years old then I would not advise moving it. If younger than 5 years, then it would be best moved in the autumn.
Autumn is the best as the warm soil allows the tree to establish before the following summer. Winter is the next best option but you will need to ensure you keep the water up to the tree during the following spring and summer and apply a seaweed solution weekly to encourage good root development.
Sorry for the slow response Roselyn. Best not to repot when flowering as it may drop the flowers due to the stress- but often citrus are flowering on and off all the time so it can be difficult to find a good time- so best time is in mid to late autumn regardless if they are in flower or not and give it several doses of seasol, following instruction on the container, over the following weeks.
@@kathyfinigan3495 I had my tree in the container that I bought it from the nursery took a 55 gallon drum and cut it in half and put it in there someone said that that was too much of an upsize is there any truth to that in other words the repotting should have been in a smaller pot
@@hungnmiami I also planted mine in a larger pot, about two feet in diameter, and it’s been happy for the last three years! It got stressed due to extremely high temps outside last summer, and when I was reading on how to care for it, that’s when I learned that many people would consider the pot I chose to be way too large! However, it really hasn’t been a problem, you just learn when to water and the plant seems fine. This video is the first I’ve seen with a lemon in a larger sized pot. Feeling much better about my initial choice, and would love Cathy’s input on this topic.
This particular tree was planted into the ground about 12 months ago at my daughter new house. She needed some more advanced plants to get her backyard food production started quickly. But it was great in a container for about 5-6 years
Kathy Finigan how awesome! I just repotted mine for the first time so she’s still little, wish I could plant her in the ground but it gets too cold where I live I need to bring her indoors in the winter
Hi Cathy. Great video, but my only comment would be that you should be wearing a facemask when using any sort of potting mix compost or any bagged manure as it may contain bacteria related to legionnaires disease. Not being overdramatic but older folk and some people with respiratory problems are susceptible to such bacteria. Off to do my Lemmontree now, with my mask.
