re-potting question?

I have a dwarf meyer lemon that I re-potted last season in the next size up container.
When I did this I kept almost all the dirt that was compact and the shape of the old pot etc.

-Should the older dirt that is compacted around the roots (is this the "rootball") be broken up and removed before re-potting in the newer next size up pot?

-I posted a water retention of the soil question in the fruit gardening section and wonder if this compacted root ball with new soil around it is the reason for this holding moisture problem?

This is the post that I'm thinking might be related:
"I have a dwarf meyer lemon in a pot that I watered/fertilized with miracid 2 weeks ago. The soil is still very high moisture. The plant was also dropping a lot of leaves, but this has seemed to slow down. The small, not so full tree has about 4 or 5 green lemons that are little larger than grapes.

-I live in NY, and the plant in wintered inside by a south facing sliding glass door. It is now being transitioned outside into full sun and the soil is still wet from 2 weeks ago and no rain water exposure etc. Any ideas?

Thanks"

Does your pot have a drainage hole? If not that could be the source of your problems. And if it does have a drainage hole, are you letting it sit in a saucer that catches water? If so you need to make sure and empty that saucer shortly after you finish watering, you don't want the plant sitting in water.

The rest of this assumes that it's in a pot with a drainage hole, and you're not letting it sit in a saucer of water. Assuming it had been in the old pot for a while, I do usually try to shake off a bunch of the old potting mix so that the plant can enjoy fresh new soil. Potting mix does wear out and lose some of its structure over time. That being said, it wouldn't become so water retentive that you wouldn't be able to water it properly...if your soil is staying wet for 2 wks then it probably hadn't been allowed to dry out enough after the previous watering. Whenever you pot something up, you're going to have more potting mix relative to the amount of roots, so you'll find that you need to water less often than you had been. And if you put it in a pot that's too big for the plant, that makes it very hard to water properly because you've got tons of soil to hold water and only a small amount of roots to take it up, so even if you water on a reasonable frequency you'll find the soil stays wet for a really long time. The leaf drop problem that you were having earlier can be caused by overwatering.

Thanks for the reply,
The pot does have multiple drainage holes. All last fall and winter (after repotting late summer) it was watered on a schedule of about once a week on average.
The plant has never, even in the newer pot, stayed this wet for so long. The new pot is only the next size up (10" to a 12" in the same design/series of pots) to avoid the root to soil ratio problem you mentioned. I use a probe moisture meter and let the soil get dry before watering, but 3 weeks now and the meter is still reading wet. I may have watered heavy and not been prompt at emptying the saucer, but 3 weeks seems like a long time at a water level the plant does not prefer.

I think I might try replanting in the same pot. Loosening up and removing the older potting soil that may be dense around the root ball etc.


This message was edited Jun 14, 2011 4:24 PM

If you transplanted when it was actively growing, it could be in transplant shock right now. Uprooting again could make the problem worse. I would be patient and let the soil dry out.
Is it possible you used garden soil and not a potting mix to transplant? Garden soil generally doesn't have any perlite or vermiculite added to it, so it doesn't not drain as fast and can hold more water.

Another thing to consider...has it just been since it lost a bunch of leaves that you've noticed it staying wetter? The more leaves a plant has the more water it'll go through, so a plant that all of a sudden loses its leaves for whatever reason won't need as much water. Watering more heavily can also make it stay wet longer...and when you say you might not have been prompt on removing the saucer...does that mean it spent an hour or two sitting in a saucer of water, or potentially several days?

I'm more inclined to think along the lines as HydroPinke, it's probably your soil medium that is the culprit. A good potting mix with plenty of perlite and or pine fines mixed in will help with drainage/aeration.

I also think if it were me I'd have bumped it up to a pot bigger than only one size up. If your tree has five lemons on it and is only in a 12" pot you're not going to have proper roots-to-top growth to support that plant.

I'm pretty gently with transplanting issues; if your soil is mud I'd take the chance and repot even though you may lose a few more leaves to transplant issues. Once transplanted water with some kelp or fish emulsion to help it get over any potential shock.

All good suggestions from all here, by the way. Ecrane, you've got a way to cover a lot of the bases with your answers. Good going!

Shoe (off to set out tomato and okra plants)

Thanks's all,
The strange thing is most of the idea's suggested are not the culprit.
-new pot is not much larger
-there are enough drainage holes
-transplant was last summer late
-soil medium was potting soil, not garden or ground

It was wintered inside a south facing sliding glass door (probably not enough light exposure though). The potting soil had slow release fertiIizer from the re-pott and allowed a winter "rest" with just watering and rotating the pot for more even sun. I water/fed the plant for the first time this spring with miracid about 3 weeks ago in preparing to slowly acclimate to full outdoor sun. The pot was most probably overwatered and some saucer overflow left and re-absorbed to a point where I didn't realize it was staying wet. The next week, while still indoors (I usually water once a week indoors), the soil moisture meter tested and was still very high. Now 3 weeks later there is still high moisture. It's currently outdoors and gradually getting acclimated to full sun. I'm taking care that it does not get rained or sprinkler'd on. Hoping the full sun and air breeze will help things dry out. There is no top mulch currently to slow evaporation etc.


I'll take the advice of leaving things be for some more time. At some point I'd like to repott and losen up/remove some of the older mix that may be compacted.
I'm not so sure the replant pot is too small, because when transplanted the roots did not look "root bound" and circling all around.
Getting some fish/kelp emulsion for some other herb plants in pots. The next time I'm able to water the meyer lemon I'll try it.

Additionally, over the winter I saw what is either aphids or spider mites on the lemon. Technically the only place they were seen is on the rim of the pot and in the soil. I planned on using a murphys oil soap spray solution. The weakest solution suggested (1/4-2 TBSP/gallon) was what I'd attempt. But, I don't see the bugs any more and don't want to stress the lemon any more than is needed.

This question was started in the "beginner fruit section" and has no responses. I't is all being answered here.

-Should/can that post from the other section be deleted?

Thanks

"soil medium was potting soil, not garden or ground"

If you're happy with it then I think you have a grasp on things, physeek. The quote above is there to remind you and others there is a big difference between "potting soil" and "potting mix", the latter being the one with amendments like perlite or vermiculite, etc to increase drainage. Potting "soil" is usually nil of those items.

Best of luck and I sure hope you get to taste the lemons, they're delish!
Shoe

Citrus prefers a slightly acid soil, also. Water with a weak vinegar solution occasionally.