Hi,i can give you my two cents worth=No doubt you have damaged the roots
a fair bit.Did you disturb the rootball at all?
I would water the plant,let it drain and 30 mins later remove gently from
pot.Check the health of the roots,are they brown and mushy or light brown
or whitish? Healthy roots look light brown/whitish.
Assess the size of the rootball,are the roots twisted and circling?maybe root
prune any unhealthy mushy roots.If the roots look healthy and you dont need to prune.Just tease the outer roots out a bit to encourage them to grow into
your potting mix. I like terracotta pots as they allow the roots to breathe.
Depends on the heat you get there and the rainfall.If its bloody hot and not
much rain,you want the mix to hold water a bit.In new zealand it rains a
lot and doesnt get that hot,so terracotta is perfect.If its the first one plastic
would be better. Try to repot quickly,dont leave the roots exposed to the air
for a long time,they have delicate hairs on them.
Pick a pot 2 to 4 inches all around that is bigger than the rootball.Is this tree
a dwarf or semi dwarf? If its a normal tree,it will out grow your pot pretty quick.Your mix need to drain quick,hold air for the roots and be a mixture
of organic and inorganic components eg bark,potting mix,pummice,perlite,
chc etc.
I have found normal potting mix with perlite to be very good.If you need
it to hold water you can get the mix with water storage crystals in it.Too
wet here,so i dont use. Drill extra drainage holes in your pots 10mm with
masonary drills 3mm,then 6mm,then 1omm. Go up in steps,so you dont
break pot.Mix your ingredients,put a screen of some kind on bottom of
pot.Put your tree at the same depth it was in the ground.Add some slow
release fert,two year is good npk 5/1/3 plus trace or as close as poss.
The mix should drain very quick,water slowly and let drain out.lift pots
of ground an inch to help drainage and air circulate.let pots dry out a bit,
stick your finger down 3 inches,if its wet at all,dont water.Water well and the leave to dry.Dont feed until you see new growth,then feed at half the
rate recommended on the packet.When growing actively,use a high nitrogen fert(soluble),always water plant first,then 30 mins later water with feed solution.Never feed dry roots.Keep in shade a while until plant recovers from repot and starts to show new growth,then gradually expose to sun in steps.Remove all fruit at pea size and let the tree establish itself with leaves etc.If the tree looks sick,remove all fruit right now.
If its not a dwarf,you will have limited time before repotting.They will always be more productive and less fussy in the ground.I am sure there
are people here who would chip in with some advise,i live in a different
climate to you but there are some very experienced growers here,who will help you.Im no expert.Good luck
