Re-pot a Meyer Lemon?? When??

Hello,

Just purchased a potted Meyer Lemon. It is in a one gallon pot and is about 2 feet tall. No blooms. When should this be repotted?? I will be growing it inside under lights over the winter.

Thanks!
DL

Wait until the spring before repotting. If citrus roots stay too wet which is more likely in a larger pot, the roots will die. Will you be overwintering it with enough light to keep it from dropping its leaves or will you be forcing it to continue to grow?

Hi bettydee,

I really do not know what I will be doing as this is my very first potted citrus. The plant will be under a grow light for 8 hours a day because I do not have a window that gets really good light. I guess my answer is I will be forcing it to continue to grow - considering the grow light situation. Let me know what you think.

Thanks,
DL

I should have asked you what kind of lighting you were going to use. The cheapest way to go is to use fluorescent lights especially if you only intend to use the lights during winter. Use a 4 light strip light fixture. Buy 2 warm and 2 cool light bulbs. When you place the bulbs in the fixture alternate the cool and warm bulbs. This gives you a wider light spectrum. Eight hours of artificial lights are not sufficient for citrus. You will have to leave the lights on up to 16 - 18 hours a day. Remember that citrus are grown in full sunlight outdoors. You may or may not see any growth during winter. Don't be alarmed by this. Citrus do not grow continuously. They tend to grow in spirts and may go a month or two without showing any signs of new growth.

http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/hort/g06515.htm
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/indoor/handbooks/landscaping/orangerie.html

oops.

I just repotted my "semi-dwarf improved" Meyer Lemon and drug it into the house for the winter. It's in a south window and must be happy - I did forget to water it, what with the fires and all..... But it's getting ready to bloom.

Thanks bettydee,

The cool/warm lighting is the way I am going. Just found a local hydroponic store and the man who runs the place gave me a really good "class" on the lights. He does not know about citrus trees but what you told me is great info and I really appreciate it.

We just had 3 days of rain and warm temps (low 80's). I left the plants out for that but will bring them in 2 days because we are going down into the 40's overnight. They will be in for the winter. I will set my timer for the 16-18 hours so they get the required amount of light.

Thanks!!!

rosewynd,

Good luck on your flowering plants!! I anticipate flowers on my new plants next year and can't wait to taste the fruit!!

Cheers,
DL

Thanks! I can't wait until the blooms open!

(I hope they open and I really get citrus!)

rosewynd, have a soft brush handy because indoors you will have to hand pollinate. You will have a lot of fruit drop. That is normal. Citrus are self-thinning and will drop what it can't support.

Thanks! I wouldn't have thought of it.

Ok, now it's 90 degrees and we still have bees, so I've drug the lemon tree back outside...

So, hopefully between me and the bees, I'll have lemons!

Well, now the evil Brat-dog has bitten all the branches with leaves off the lemon tree.

So, I have a green stick.

Anyone think it might live?

Yes, if it was healthy before the evil one got to it. The important thing is not to overwater. It should put out new growth. When was the last time you fertilized it? If it's been a while, give it a dilute amount.

I fertilized it a week ago and soaked it good when I set it outside. It hasn't been watered since, and I won't do it now...

Thanks - it's nice to know there's hope.

That is my evil Champion show dog..... My husband tried to blame the rabbits, but I know it's her. Too far off the ground for the rabbits, and exactly the sort of thing she'd do.

It's because I locked up the car keys. If she could've stolen the van, she would've left my Lemon tree alone.

:-) Your evil champion show dog sounds a lot like my DH's mad and disobedient Australian Shepard mix. Her one love centers around cows and calves and gets her in to more trouble. She gets as good as she gives though. She's been kicked a number of times, but she likes to swing by grabbing the cow's tail so she keeps going back for more. I've threatened to learn to shoot so I can kill her, but it doesn't do any good.

I've had two or three citrus trees lose their leaves for one reason or another. They are slow to recover, but they will come back.