Hi everyone,

I have been reading about using chcs with great interest, and I have a few questions:

For those of you who use coconut husk chips, do you completely remove the soil that the cirtus tree was planted in?

And can anyone comment on root pruning? I have previously re-potted a couple of small trees ( into cactus media base with extra perlite), pruned a few roots off and trimmed a litte from the canopies. In one instance the tree was pretty rootbound--it came that way from the nursery--and the soil was so tightly wrapped with the net-like roots I had a lot of trouble shaking/rinsing it free and root-pruning so that the new media could cover the roots. The second tree was not rootbound. However, the trees basically didn't recover very well and just sit there for months.

They didn't demonstrate any acute shock like drooping leaves, but they tend to drop a few leaves over time, and send out a some blossoms (which I am certain are stress-realated). The small fruits already growing do continue to enlarge, though very slowly. Is this typical citrus behavior with any root disturbance?

Ultimately I want to keep the trees small and not have to pot up.

Thanks for any input.
CM

Just my 2 cents worth here. I potted in chc's but not enough of them. I recently checked the roots on some plants & found they were on verge of root rot from too much soil being compacted, I then repotted into much more chc. Used 1 part old soil to 3-4 parts chc.
If your roots are getting rot, sook them in 1/4 bleach water for few minutes (5-15) & rinse & repot into 1/4 part of your old soil & 3 -4 parts chc's.
Flush the chc's well, &... last soaking , put epsom salts in it & maybe some ferts. I'd say 1-2 Tbls epsom per gal water.

Thanks for the reply.

Sounds like you did not initially wash the roots clean of their old soil? Hmmmm. Because that is what I did--albeit as careful as I could--and unless they rotted in the chc's I don't think rot is my problem. They don't look root-rotted, just...scrawny. I have been reluctant to unpot and check b/c it is messy and b/c I am concerned with disturbing those roots any more than I already have. So, back to the drawing board. I soaked and washed the chips many times, but I didn't have anything to add to the soaking at the time and so maybe that is the solution (no pun intended ) My fertilizer program has been with long-acting granules mixed in and light doses of MG acid formula, occasional iron chelate and MgSO4...though I didn't add any dolomite either. If I can get this right I can see why chcs would be a great medium, with their sponge-like quality.

Do any of you root prune your potted citrus? How do you deal with the root-bound tree?

Thanks again.

Hi Charlie, I have transplanted citrus into CHC's by removing all the soil until the tree is basicly a bear root tree and than planting into colonut husks. I have also removed most of the soil from the root system, leaving the tightly held medium in the center of the root ball so as not to damage the roots by trying to prey out 100 percent, and I have transplanted citrus trees without removing any of the previous soil. Trees transplanted by the first two methods seem to adjust and grow in the CHC's about the same. The last method takes quite a bit longer for the tree to grown into the new CHC medium, I know longer use this method. Just be sure that when you water a newly transplanted tree that the water doesn't avoid the tighter soil of the original roots system and just run down the more free draining CHC's around the side of the container. I have never root purned a citrus tree, I have always transplanted them into larger containers. However, I have root purned other plants, by cutting away one inch all the way around the circumference of the root ball and then puting the plant back into the same container and filling in with new potting soil. I also purne the foliage back if the the plant is very large, otherwise I sometime just leave the foliage alone. On citrus I really never prune, as it really cuts back on fruiting. - Millet

After reading the above posts, I decided to follow Millet's suggestion when performing a 'repot', today. I removed about 75% of the soil from the root system before transplanting to chc. Most was removed by sticking a finger into the rootball and gently shaking my hand. After doing this a few times, I'd splash some water on the root ball, then start the process over, again.

Of course, I would generally think such treatment would be sure death for the tree. I've done this several times without any problems, but it always scares me. This is the first time I've done it simply to repot. Other times, I had trees which seemed to be suffering from root rot and taking the roots bare was part of the 'cure'.

The chc (1/4-1/2" chips) was purchased a year and a half ago. I dumped it in a kids play pool and washed it out multiple times (including several rain storms) over a 2 week period. When the water got clear, I used most of it and stored the rest. Since then, I've tossed some compost in with it.

BTW, I repotted 6 trees in chc 1.5 years ago. They all survived, but none seemed particularly happy about the change. One has never shown the vigor it showed prior to transplanting. There are lots of variables, but the 'bare root' treatment makes a lot of sense, so I'm optimistic about the tree showing some life in the near future.

The tree is a satsuma purchased last winter. The tree had suffered through a couple of 27 degree nights. It had lost most of its leaves, but there were some new leaves coming out. (This isn't the 'dead tree' I've talked about elsewhere). I haven't done much with the tree, just kept it in the greenhouse and watered it. Unlike my other citrus, this one is currently without any new growth.

After repotting, I watered. The water a 30-10-20 fertilizer (half tablespoon per gal) and epsom salt (half tablespoon per gal). The potting mix was 2/3 my chc/compost and 1/3 sand.

I'll report on how it does.

ZZZ:
I am very curious what happened to your newly transplanted citrus to CHCas I am ready to transplant mine.
Benny

Hi Benny,

Not much to report. No new growth. No loss of leaves.

Mark

That's good news- no leaves dropping. The plant is preparing itself for the spurt growth once the weather tempt comes up. The main activities now are in the root system. It is trying to make new cells and have its roots spread out before the new leaves/blossoms comes out.

That's good news- no leaves dropping. The plant is preparing itself for the spurt growth once the weather tempt comes up. The main activities now are in the root system. It is trying to make new cells and have its roots spread out before the new leaves/blossoms comes out.

Here is an update on the March 5th repotting (3 week update):

I've noticed a few examples of new growth. When comparing the Mar 5th photo against today's, some young growth seems to have filled out.

For almost all the time, it was outside where you see it. This time of year, I only water on the weekends (2 - 3 cups of water). Last weekend, we got 5 inches of rain. At one point during the storm, I discovered the pot filled to the brim with water. I dumped the water out and moved the tree into the greenhouse (a freeze was expected later in the week). I don't know if all the water was helpful, but it certainly didn't hurt.

Thanks for the update zzzz. Looks like the upper left branch got more leaves.

Here is an update on the March 5th repotting (9 week update). This is almost exactly the same angle as the previous photo.

Note the 'droopy' growth on the left side. This puzzles me. I want the tree to grow up, rather than down. I suspect this is caused by my lack of reading here and omission of the 'epson salt soak'. The failure to grow 'towards the sky' is common to my chc potted plants.

I've started watering with epsom salts.

Hi Y`all -

I thought Satsumas were supposed to droop. It is part of their oriental look. I have 3 that exhibit that droopy look - all different varieties.

Bill

Bill, is correct. Satsumas, do NOT have an upright growth pattern. They grow more like a Willow and develop a weeping/drooping habit. Furthermore, magnesium has nothing to do with the type of growth style that a citrus tree will develop. Lastly, the tree certainly has filled out with a lot of new leaves. Take care. - Millet

Sure do... Heres a pic of one of my Owaris.