Container Citrus

I purchased a Meyer's Lemon and Key Lime plant yesterday. I have no idea how old these plants are, but will try to find that out.

They each have 2-3 small fruits and are quite bushy, more than I would like. I want to train them to be a tree shape rather than a bush shape. I will have to find out at what age I should start doing this.

When I first got them home I placed them on the front porch, which is south facing. Normally I get the morning sun, but yesterday and today have been drizzly and overcast. And since my front porch is covered I thought they might fare better on the back deck, so I moved them today.

I have been reading a lot about the care of these trees. I found out about a good fertilizer to use and ordered some this morning. I read that they like to stay a little tight in their pots, so I guess I won't repot them right away. I will have to find out more about that.

I am really concerned about proper watering. I've read that over watering is bad for the trees. I thought about buying a moisture meter and I would if I thought it would do the trick, but I've read that they don't really measure moisture but rather the salinity of the soil so I'm not sure I want it. I've also read about using a wooden dowel that you put into the soil. If it comes out moist--no water needed, if dry--time to water. This is the method I will probably use.

Another concern is when to bring them inside and how to care for them at that time. That is a couple months away though.

Both of these trees are in 8" diameter pots that are 7" tall. The lemon tree measures about 16"-22" tall from the top of the soil and it is about 22" wide. The lime tree is about 17" tall and 25" wide.

You can see in the bottom picture that some of the lime tree leaves have a rusty color, don't know what that is.

UPDATE: 8.14.13 Today I started using Foliage Pro liquid fertilizer. I mixed 1 tsp with 1 gallon of water. I also added 1 tbsp of white vinegar to the water to help balance the pH, which was advised to me.

Fall Container Garden 2013

I started my little Fall container garden today. I may have waited a little too long to get it going, but we will see.

I have only 3 containers: a 5 gallon bucket and 2 15" pots. I started peas in the 5 gallon bucket, lettuce and spinach in 1 pot, carrots in the 2nd pot.

The last time I started a container garden I had pretty good results with the peppers and green beans. The tomatoes never produced any tomatoes and the lettuce was eaten by some varmint.

The above picture was taken a few summers back. You might also note my lemon, lime and banana trees. Sadly, all 3 of these died.

I am determined to be successful growing a lemon and a lime here in Missouri. I am trying again this year. I have a Meyer lemon and Key lime. They each have 2 fruits on them as of right now.

I actually just bought these 2 plants. I haven't done anything with them yet. I have to do a little research to find out what I need to do. Have you successfully grown citrus in a colder climate like mine? I'd love to hear your advice.

Wish me luck!

UPDATE: 8.30.13 Ok here's the scoop after about 3 1/2 weeks. I used last year's seeds and I guess I did not store them correctly as the germination rate was terrible. I sowed the seed heavily because the seeds weren't fresh.

I had only 1 plant sprout in the entire container. I'm not sure if it was lettuce or spinach as a cutworm ate it soon after it broke the ground. I had only 1 pea plant to germinate. Something is nibbling on its leaves and I did find a cutworm in that container too. I put a cardboard collar around the plant and hopefully it will survive. One little pea plant won't go very far but I will consider it a lesson learned. I had the best luck with the carrots, a good many of them sprouted.

I will be getting prepared for my spring garden as time allows. It's a learning experience for sure.