Sunday, June 10, 2012

Growing Citrus in Containers


Growing Citrus in Containers

Dwarf citrus trees are especially suited for container growing as they can be kept at manageable sizes. Container growing allows gardeners to overcome poor soil conditions or limited space in a landscape. People enjoy their trees in decorative pots on a patio or apartment balcony. Many customers have cold winters and bring their citrus indoors during freezing weather. For some pictures of successful container plantings take a moment to view this slide show.
These tips can help you on the way to successful citrus growing in containers:
  1. Select the right size pot with adequate drainage holes. A 2-3 year old citrus tree typically wants to grow in about a 12” diameter nursery pot (commonly referred to as a “five gallon”.)
  2. Use a soil mix that is lightweight and drains well. If the mix contains a large proportion of dense, absorbent material, such as peat moss or worm castings, amend with 1/4-1/3 volume of 1" cedar or redwood shavings. Water in thoroughly, using Vitamin B-1 rooting tonic in the first few applications, if desired. Once the roots have settled, we prefer using slow release fertilizers applied to the soil surface, rather than mixing fertilizer into the soil or using plant stakes. This avoids any risk of burning the roots.
  3. When shopping for the perfect citrus soil mix, please avoid those that contain chemical wetting agents or fertilizers.  Soil mixes formulated for outdoor use are preferable to potting mixes for indoor plants, since the later often contain chemical wetting agents, causing tree roots to remain too wet after watering. You can start with a good rich organic soil and amend with about 1/3-1/2 volume shavings, perlite or coco fiber. Mixes for Cactus/Citrus have a lot of sand but can work. Use your judgment to amend as needed.
  4. Develop a watering schedule so the roots maintain even moisture, but are not waterlogged. Water before leaves show wilting, and when roots have reached about 50% dryness. Elevate pots above standing drainage water.
  5. Provide 8 or more hours of direct sunlight per day. If less than 6 hours of natural full sun is provided, supplement with grow lights. Usually an unobstructed South or Southwest facing window is ideal. See grow light tips here:littlegreenhouse.com
  6. Plant the tree so the root collar (crown roots) show above the soil line and the top of the fibrous root mass is just below the soil surface. Make sure that soil or mulch is not pushed up against the trunk of the tree.
  7. A moisture tester can be an excellent tool to help determine when roots are in need of a drink. Because most commercial moisture testers rely on an electrical conductivity method, however it is possible to get miss-readings due to high salinity or other conditions. An alternative method recently shared by a New England citrus enthusiast simply employs a plain wooden dowel about the diameter of a pencil. Sharpen it with a whittling method (sharp knife) or pencil sharpener. Then insert this into the pot at varying depths, shallow to deeper, determining moisture using your direct senses (feel, smell, etc.).
  8. As the previous example of an alternative moisture tester shows, indoor citrus trees inspire innovation! There is no one “right” soil mix, except all the ones that now contain happy citrus trees. People over the years and in every state have experimented, using locally available materials and resources to develop methods that work for them.
  9. If the adventure feels daunting you can start slowly with one of these three “easiest to grow” trees: Meyer lemon, Bearss lime, Trovita orange. Order Here
Selecting Planting Containers 
We recommend a 6-9" container for our one year trees and a 10-14" container for our 2-3 year trees. A variety of decorative plastic containers are available at reasonable prices. Clay pots and wooden containers are attractive but less mobile choices. When selecting a container, be sure there are sufficient drainage holes. Drilling extra holes is an easy way to improve drainage with wood or plastic. As the tree grows, increase the container size to a 16-20" diameter pot (the next pot size up). Do not start with a pot that is too large as it makes soil moisture levels harder to control with small trees. 
How to Plant in Containers 
We recommend using commercially available potting mixes. Some experts make their own mixes using wood shavings, sand, and compost. Using dirt (native soil from your yard) in a container is not advisable. We also advise against putting gravel or any other material on the bottom of the pot, as this negatively impacts drainage over time.
The perfect high porosity soil mix can be hard to find, but we have found rose garden soil mixes (formulated for outside use) work well. Soils that are too heavy can be amended with about 1/3 – ½ volume of 1" redwood shavings or cedar hamster bedding. Pine and spruce shavings tend to break down more quickly, so are not ideal. Try to select hardwood chips that will last longer. If necessary, moisten the mix to reduce dust and make it easier to handle.
Once your soil mix is prepared, the container is selected and the tree's eventual location is known, you are ready to begin potting.
Place prepared soil mix in the bottom of your new container. Gently slide tree roots out of the old container, trimming off any dead roots and detangling any circling roots so that growth into the new pot will not be impeded. If planting a bare-rooted mail order tree, gently shake the shavings loose from the roots and mix them with the planting mix.Place the loosened root mass into the new container and gently fill with your fresh planting mix, packing down lightly to remove large air spaces from the root zone. The top of the roots should be just beneath the soil surface, and crown roots (root collar area) should show above the soil line. Water deeply. Stake loosely with green tie if needed. It’s a good idea to repot every year or so, or when you see roots peeking through drainage holes.
Selecting a Location for Outdoor Containers 
Sunny, wind free locations with southern exposure are the best. If in doubt, leave the tree in its plastic container and place it in the spot you have in mind. After a week or two, you should be able to tell whether or not it is thriving. Reflected heat from sidewalks or houses can also help to create a warmer microclimate. Avoid placing containerized citrus trees on or near lawns that get frequent, shallow watering. To reduce excessive heat on the roots, try nesting plain plastic nursery pots into slightly larger decorative pots. This can help roots stay cooler. Be sure the pot never sits in standing drainage water.
Watering 
Consistency is the key with citrus watering. Citrus trees require soil that is moist but never soggy. Watering frequency will vary with soil porosity, tree size, and environmental factors. DO NOT WATER IF THE TOP OF THE SOIL IS DRY WITHOUT CHECKING THE SOIL AT ROOT LEVEL! A simple moisture meter, available at garden supply stores, will read moisture at the root level. This inexpensive tool will allow you to never have to guess about whether or not a plant needs water.  See also: the dowel method, item 7 above.
A wilted tree that perks up within 24 hours after watering indicates the roots got too dry. Adjust the watering schedule accordingly. A tree with yellow or cupped leaves, or leaves that don't look perky AFTER watering can indicate excessive watering and soggy roots. Give your tree water less often.  
Citrus prefer infrequent, deep watering to frequent, shallow sprinklings. Deeper watering promotes deeper root growth and strengthens your tree. Generally, once or twice a week deep watering works well for container specimens. Be sure to adjust based on weather conditions! In general, it is probably best to water in the morning, but if plants are dry or wilted it is better to water them right away than wait until morning. See our watering page.
Fertilizer 
Citrus trees feed heavily on nitrogen. Your fertilizer should have more nitrogen (N) than phosphorous (P) or potassium (K). Use at least a 2-1-1 ratio. Miracid Soil Acidifier is a water-soluble product that works well and is a 3-1-1 ratio. In some regions, you may be able to find specialized citrus/avocado fertilizers. Buy a good brand and apply according to package directions.
Any good citrus formula will contain trace minerals like iron, zinc, and manganese. Many all-purpose products will work. Just add trace mineral supplements if your fertilizer is deficient. We prefer slow release fertilizers in the granular form rather than fertilizer stakes. Follow rates on the package carefully as fertilizers come in different strengths, release rates, and application schedules. We recommend that you fertilize more often than recommended with most slow release fertilizers. Foliar applications of trace minerals in the form of kelp or other soluble fertilizers can be effective. Yellowing leaves indicate lack of fertilizer or poor drainage.
Commercial organic fertilizers can work well for citrus trees. Lily Miller, Dr. Earth and a number of other companies now sell Organic tree fertilizer formulations. Supplement granular applications with foliar sprays of fish emulsion and kelp. Some people brew compost ‘teas’ which can be helpful when applied to plant roots.
Suckering 
Know where the graft union is on your tree. It can usually be seen as a diagonal scar between 4 and 8 inches from the soil. Remove all shoot growth below the graft. These so-called "suckers" take vitality from the top of the tree (the fruiting wood). Especially on young trees, they are very vigorous. Remove suckers as soon as they are observed.See photos.
Thorns 
Thorns are removed from rootstocks when they are grafted. Juvenile fruiting wood will sometimes have thorns; this is a young plant's way of defending against grazing animals. As the tree matures, thorns will not appear as often. Prune off thorns if desired. Double-check thorny branches to be sure they are fruiting wood branches and not from the rootstock below the graft.
Pruning 
Citrus will look fuller with occasional pruning to shape leggy branches, and can be shaped as desired. Pruning is fine any time of year, except in the winter for outdoor trees. Some trees may develop erratic juvenile growth above the graft. If so, prune for shape and balance. Don’t be afraid to completely prune off an erratic branch if it is too irregular or crossing another branch. Other fruitful branches will replace it. Any growth above the graft can eventually bear fruit. Well-pruned trees have higher fruit yields and are less prone to branch breakage.
Pollination 
Citrus are self-fruitful indoors, and don’t generally require pollination to be productive. There is some evidence that pollination increases fruit size however pollination is generally considered optional for fruitfulness. Some people enjoy pollinating their trees, using a small soft brush or cotton swab to transfer pollen among the flowers. A technical article about pollination of citrus by honeybees from the University of Florida is here.
Beneficial Insects 
Most insects do no harm to citrus trees! Spiders, syrphid flies, lady beetles, lacewings, and preying mantids are among the beneficial insects you may see around citrus trees outdoors. You can even buy some predators and parasitic insects for release in your garden. One reputable source for beneficial organisms is ARBICO.
Pest Insects 
It is important to keep your tree free of ants, because they will “farm” scales and other honeydew-producing pests, moving them from place to place, milking their secretions, and protecting them from their natural enemies. Ant baits that contain boric acid may be helpful. A recipe for a homemade ant spray can be viewed here.  Homemade pest spray
If you find harmful insects like scales, aphids, or mites, a household spray bottle of water with some mild dish soap could be all you need. Orange TKO, an organic cleaner, works very well at a dilute rate. You can also find specially formulated Horticultural Soap products at local garden centers. Use a soft toothbrush to scrub away adherent scale insects and recheck in a week to see if another treatment is needed. If scale insects persist, the usual nursery treatment is a 1% solution of light horticultural oil.Learn more.
Frost
Many citrus varieties can tolerate temperatures as low as 32 degrees for 2-3 hours. See this chart for the lower temperature tolerance thresholds of different citrus varieties.
Even temperate locations can drop below freezing so it's good to have a plan of action ready. Old fashioned Christmas lights (that produce some heat) can be effective, either alone or in combination with frost covers. Anti-transpirant sprays such as ‘Cloud Cover’ can also be effective when used according to directions. Straw mulches, cloth covers and even plastic sheeting can be combined as needed to provide the necessary level of protection. See this link for more on frost protection options:http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/319/
Overwintering your citrus trees indoors may be another option.

A little digging

Been doing a little research... Not much though. I still need to do more, but I've come up with some legit pointers.




Nitrogen is an important component of many important structural, genetic and metabolic compounds in plant cells. It is a major component of chlorophyll, the compound by which plants use sunlight energy to produce sugars from water and carbon dioxide (i.e. photosynthesis). It is also a major component of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Some proteins act as structural units in plant cells while others act as enzymes, making possible many of the biochemical reactions on which life is based. Nitrogen is a component of energy-transfer compounds, such as ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which allow cells to conserve and use the energy released in metabolism. Finally, nitrogen is a significant component of nucleic acids such as DNA, the genetic material that allows cells (and eventually whole plants) to grow and reproduce. Nitrogen plays the same roles (with the exception of photosynthesis) in animals, too. Without nitrogen, there would be no life as we know it. 



Potassium In Plants
While potassium is not a constituent of any plant structures or compounds, it plays a part in many important regulatory roles in the plant. It is essential in nearly all processes needed to sustain plant growth and reproduction. Potassium plays a vital role in:
  • Photosynthesis
  • Translocation of photosynthates
  • Protein synthesis
  • Control of ionic balance
  • Regulation of plant stomata and water use
  • Activation of plant enzymes
  • And, many other processes


    It is known to activate at least sixty enzymes involved in plant growth. And, this may be its most important function in the plant. Plants deficient in potassium are less resistant to drought, excess water, and high and low temperatures. They are also less resistant to pests, diseases and nematode attacks. Potassium is also known as the quality nutrient because of its important effects on quality factors such as size, shape, color, taste, shelf life, fiber quality and other quality measurements.
  • helps translocate sugars and starches
  • produces grains rich in starch
  • increases protein content of plants
  • maintains turgor, reduces water loss and wilting
  • helps retard crop diseases and nematodes 


Al's Gritty Mix

Equal parts by volume:
  • (6cups)Pine or fir bark in 1/8 - 3/8" size (no fines) 
  • (6cups)Screened Turface MVP 
  • (6cups)Crushed granite (Gran-I-Grit, in grower size) or #2 cherrystone 

Gypsum 
-not part of the 1:1:1 ratio. Include it in the soil @ 2-3 teaspoons/gallon of soil.

Also add Epsom Salt


Monday, May 28, 2012

Fun Fertilizer Formula

Here's the formula: 1/3 cup epsom salt; 1/3 cup liquid iron; 1/3 cup fish emulsion (hold your nose on this one); 1/3 cup of any balanced water soluable general garden fertiziler and 5 gallons of water.


1-4 cups per plant depending on size.  


I haven't tried it yet. Once I get these ingredients I'll give it a try and let you know how it goes. :)

Friday, May 25, 2012

Hello Old Friend!

I know it's been a minute and I am sorry for that, but I have been a little out of it.

First off, not much growth has happened. I mean, cool stuff is going on like baby watermelons and zukes and stuff, but the plants are all sort of at a stand still.

I'm kind of a little embarrassed about this because my garden is starting to look like a turd sandwich. :(

My Zuke and Squash leaves are all sort of turning spotty and yellow and gross. The Zuke tower thing just ended up being a terrible idea. (Pics later)

All of my herbs are going crazy with the exception of my 2nd rosemary. (we lost the first one.)

I keep having to repot everything... which may be doing more bad than good?

IDK... I feel like I am overwatering everyone, but at the same time I feel bad if I don't want them. :(

Also, I have been making my smoothies and such, but I feel like my plants are getting the right nutrients. I found this little gem: http://www.growinggroceries.com/2008/10/calcium-the-forgotten-plant-nutrient/ It basically says that I suck and need to start eating more eggs so I can give my plants calcium. Otherwise I may need to figure something out. Maybe a small contained bonfire in my parking spot?? I wonder how the cops would feel about that??

IDK... I just am pretty upset about it all and I don't really know what to do about it.

Some good things have happened recently.

I got a job! YAY! That will provide me with the extra moneys needed to buy MORE PLANTS! Just kidding... or am I?


Speaking of more plants... I have been hitting the clearance bin lately. I'll post about those later too.

And, I started my raised bed thing. I mean, I bought 1 piece... but thats a start and good things take time. :)

So, be patient. :)

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Day 36

Today is Day 36! I can't believe this has lasted this long! lol

There are a couple exciting things going on!

1. Thanks to the smoothie, my rose is SUPER happy!

2. Blake's Oregano is sprouting! Yay!

3. My Hibiscus is coming back from the dead!!

4. The Zucchinis and Squash are blooming like crazy!



5. My tomatoes are still growing... painfully slowly.

6. MY WATERMELON HAS BLOOMED!! Look, a little boy flower!

7. My herbs are doing great! That Sage is so much happier now that it is no longer roomies with Basil!

All and all things are being things, doing their thing. :)
I'm waiting on my female watermelon flower to bloom so we can get some babies started! My zucchinis and squashes are growing, but I thought they would be getting big faster... I'm starting to wonder if my veggies are not getting enough nutrients. :-/ Thus are the difficulties of container gardening. 

I think I really just need to go outside and actually spend some time out there. I mean, I have been doing my daily checkings and waterings, but I haven't really been spending quality time out there. 

I am noticing an increase in bug activity out there and that makes me mad. I need to get some organic bug repellent going or something. I think I am going to spend sometime researching these bugs and find a way to safely remove them. 

I also need to prune some of these Zucchini pants as well.. They are going crazy and they are starting to block sun from the other plants. :(

I guess I have the rest of my day planned out, huh?

Day 34

Just a quick update for all you readers out there!!

Things are progressing. Right now we are waiting on a vegetable harvest, a sick plant to get healthy, and healthy plants to get bigger! In this post I will also reveal to you all how my first smoothie experience went!

LET THE PHOTO SEQUENCE BEGIN!

First off, we have a TON of blooms that will hopefully become delicious veggies soon!

My beautiful Squash has 2 little baby squashes that are coming along!

Here are pics of a couple of the several Zucchini plants I have. Most of these flowers are male flowers and won't produce any fruit, but they are needed to pollinate the couple female flowers that I DO have. 

A couple shots of my fabulous watermelon plants! That close up is actually a close up of a Female flower! That means that if it is pollinated by a male flower, we will have our FIRST watermelon!! 
SO EXCITING!

Here are my beautiful Patio Tomatoes! YAY! There are several little tomatoes on these 2 plants and TONS of blooms!! I am noticing that these tomatoes do grow painfully slow. And, thats annoying. :(

Second, we do have a sick plant that is on the mend.

As you all know, I bought it on clearance, so it was to be expected that the plant would have an issue. However, I didn't know that the plant was going to basically DIE! My thoughts are that the Hibiscus got frozen in that last frost we had a couple weeks ago. Most of the leaves have fallen off, but I have noticed that the very tips of the stems are starting to sport some green! Also, I moved the plant out side so it can get some heat and natural sun. Fingers Crossed!

The third thing we got going on is the continued health and success of the plants that are already healthy and successful.

The first pic is of my gardenia bush. It developed some new beautiful buds and blooms and I couldn't be more excited! The second pic is of my rose! Its doing really awesome and has tons of blooms!

Time for the experiment!

So, I don't drink much coffee, but I have gotten on the Green Tea kick! Green Tea is awesome! It tastes great and is super good for you! However, this is not a health blog, its a gardening blog. 
With that being said, I mentioned how you can use coffee as fertilizer, but I didn't mention how you can use Tea Bags! I'll go into all the chemistry later, but for now, know that I have made my first smoothie!

I gave you all my smoothie recipe in an earlier post, but this is what I used for this particular smoothie:
1 banana peel cut up into squares, 2 green tea bags, enough water to cover the ingredients.
I put all of that into the blends and mixed it until it was finely blended. It smelled AWESOME!

Well, I went outside and poured it over the soil of the rose. I got it all over the top of the soil. I wanted to make sure that all the roots were able to get a taste. :) You can see that the smoothie kind of looks like vomit, but what the hey, the plants like it so it can't be too bad.

This is my first attempt at this, so we'll see what happens. 
Until then, thanks for reading!
:)