Hello!

I'm new here, and very happy to have found this group. Hope some of you will find time to answer some very basic questions for me. (Though I know a fair amount about home gardening, horticulture, and plants, this is my first foray into the world of citrus, and I'm hoping to get it right.)

My dear husband gave me beautiful little dwarf satsuma (owari) in a 15 gal. container this past weekend for mother's day, along with a lovely (but very large) ceramic pot for the new addition. I was hoping to post a photo of the tree and pot, but can't figure out how to do so. FYI, the tree is about 38" tall from base of trunk to top of leaves; the trunk measures about 1.25" across a few inches above the base. The pot is about 24" across at the top, and 23" tall (outside dimensions)
I've read most of the posts in the "container citrus" forum/group, and its wonderful to find such a knowledgeable, passionate, and generously helpful group of people (often you find the first two traits, but not the third!)

My questions so far:

Any guess as to how old this tree is? Does it look healthy? (To my general purpose gardener's eyes it does, but perhaps those in the know about citrus see something I don't?)

Is it correct that I can go ahead and repot the tree now, or should I wait until some later stage in the tree's growth cycle? I can't really tell if the tree is rootbound at all, but definitely don't see roots/fibers growing out of the 15 gallon pot's drainage holes. All things being equal, I'd like to repot now, so as to get the tree in its (hopefully) permanent home as soon as possible.

When I repot it, should I try to shade it for a few days at first? Of course, the pot will be too heavy to move easily, so I'd have to rig up some sort of temporary shade.

Any guidance re: potting mix? I've thoroughly confused myself by reading all I can find about this subject, on this forum, other forums/groups, and in books. Basically, it seems like CHC/coir mix is one of the best options for the plant, but not necessarily for me! Seems like a whole lot of trouble to obtain the CHC, coir, and "cation" chemicals, as well as large containers to hold and drain the soaking CHC. Normally, I'm definitely the type who would do all this, but it just seems like a whole lot of work when I have just the one tree and not a whole lot of free time! So, any suggestions on a good commercially available mix (and any beneficial amendments) will go a long way. Cactus mix?

Any preferences re: materials to use in the bottom of the pot for drainage? I usually use pot shards (but a lighter-weight alternative would be good!)

Finally, about this pot! I like it a lot, but I'm slightly concerned about its size relative to the 15 gallon tree. I like the idea of repotting into something that will be big enough "forever," but don't want to compromise the tree's health. How do I know if the pot is too large?

Thank you so much, for everything I've already learned from this group, and for any/all replies you might send my way!

Welcome to the Citrus Growers Form. We are very glad that you joined, and hope to see you for a long time. Whatever growing medium you decide to use be absolutely positive it is has EXCELLENT drainage and EXCELLENT aeriation. Do not use a medium that contains high levels of peat moss, as peat moss compacts with each irrigation. CHC, wood chips, cedar chips or other larger particles can be used to give the growing medium good drainage. The biggest mistake usually made is not in the type of pot but by using too large a pot. People think that they are doing the plant a favor by giving it a lot of room. An oversized container comes waterlogged easily and then the plant suffers from lack of AIR, and citrus roots require a soil with very good aeration. When you are up-potting a root bound tree it is usually best not to jump to a size any bigger than 1 or AT MOST 2 sizes larger. A citrus tree in an oversized container is asking for trouble, and many trees have been killed by doing so. My guess (as I have not seen the tree) is that your tree is two years old. I have approximately 50 young citrus seedling trees that are now 15 months old and all of them are 30 to 40 inches tall. A 38 inch citrus tree could easily be grown in a 5-gallon container. - Millet

Thank you very much, Millet. I've already read enough here to know that you know what you're talking about!

I'm a little surprised that my tree could be as "young" as 2 years -- I've seen lots of 2 year old plants/trees, and they looked much younger (much more spindly, not a whole lot of leaves, smaller trunk diameter, etc.) This tree is in flower, and appears to be setting little fruits already. Compared to the 2 year old citrus I've seen in photos on the web, my tree has a much more developed appearance, a much thicker trunk (again, about 1.25 inches across, maybe 4" in circumference). My tree has a LOT of leaves -- very profuse, healthy looking leaves on really nice, drooping branches. So if it's just 2 years old, I'm impressed!

If you were able to get an idea of my pot's size from my initial description, do you think it's too big, or okay for my 15 gallon pot? The tree "fills" its 15 gallon container very nicely; the 15 gallon size definitely doesn't seem to large for the tree. How do I judge whether my pot is more than 1 or 2 sizes larger than the current 15 gallon size?

Also, can someone guide me to the best link/forum/FAQ to figure out how to upload a photo?

Thanks again!

Hi Gem & welcome to the forum. The best way to post photos, is to upload them to http://www.imageshack.us/ copy the "direct link" that imageshack gives you after each upload. When posting a message here you will see a bunch of buttons above the text area, click the Img button. Paste the link you copied from imageshack behind the Img tag & then click the close tag link. Thats all there is to it.

Laaz

Gem, Not seeing a picture of your tree, it is only a guess as to the age. I based my estimation only on the height. I have seedling trees that are 40 inches tall with 16 side branches that are only one year, 3 months old. Your tree could be older, it's hard to tell. However, if the tree is not root bound there is no need to up-pot it. - Millet

I'm sure you're right about the tree's age, Millet -- I'm just a bit surprised, given what I see in the nurseries and online. I'll just count my blessings that my husband picked out such a nice little tree!

Another member has kindly offered to resize my photo for me so I can post it here; when that happens, I'll repost. (Thank you, Laaz, for your help with this.)

If anyone feels like replying to my other questions (sorry there are so many in my long-winded original post), I'll be very interested.

Thanks so much to everyone here. This is a very nice group.

Okay, thanks to Betty S/Citrus Canuck, I'm going to try to post the picture of my new dwarf satsuma. After further thought and consultation (thanks Betty!), I'm thinking that the pot is definitely too big. So I'm going to gently check to make sure the plant isn't rootbound, then place it (still in a plastic pot) inside the big pot, supported by rocks/bricks and surrounded by smallish beach rocks. Hopefully this will keep the plant well-drained and happy.



Yay! It worked! Thanks, Betty!
Thanks!

I could be wrong but that tree looks like it is grafted and I am almost sure it is more than two years old wether it is grafted or it came from seed.

Thanks! I guess I must confess to another confusion -- I thought all dwarf satsuma trees are grafted???

Gem, you can transplant a citrus tree any time of the year. If you do not damage the roots, or over stress the tree during transplanting, AND IF the tree had previously been conditioned to the sun, then you do not need to shade ithe tree. however, if your not sure then a little shade would not hurt. Now that I see the tree, I would agree with Benny on the tree's age. Perhaps 2 - 3 years old. Millet

Thanks, Benny and Millet.

So far, so good. The little tree is doing well. It was placed in full direct sun as soon as it came home from the nursery, and shows no sign of sunburn or stress, so hopefully all is well.

Thanks to everyone; you've been very kind and helpful, and I'm learning a lot.