What Pot Size - Where to next?
When you receive your Citrus tree from us here, at the Citrus Men you’ll welcome a couple of super important details that are crucial to your success with your new tree.
Firstly; the tree is a properly grown tree, it comes in the pot it was grown in.
Secondly; the tree is professionally grown and grafted, we only use virus indexed tested budwood.
Alone, these two elements are major for the ongoing health, vigour and success of your tree.
What size pot should you put the tree into?
We recommend a staged and slow increase in pot size as the best method of approach.
When you’re ready to transplant/pot your citrus tree. If you purchased a tree in a pot that is 165mm, this is a Pipsqueak sized pot. You would be advised to repot up into a 250mm pot, and no larger at this first stage.
Our slightly taller LLP pot that we grow our “regular” and Native Citrus Gems range in, are okay to go up to a 300mm pot, however, we again recommend at this stage that you keep the tree in this pot for a least a year.
When you increase the pot size slowly and incrementally, this will encourage the tree to push out new roots and comfortably fill the pot. Once it has pushed down with it’s “feeler” roots and felt the bottom of the pot and then reached over and touched the sides, your citrus tree will then begin to happily push out plant growth. It will fill out and plump up in rhythm with the root system.
It’s important to note here that your trees will sulk and suck their thumbs if they have to spend all their energy growing roots to fill a large pot, this is why you’ll see an incrementally grown citrus is happier and larger quicker, than one that’s been “over” potted.
In 18months to, two years time, when the plant has comfortably filled that pot, you can then take it up to a 400mm or 500mm pot.
Pipsqueaks, the dwarf citrus, are happy enough to live their entire lives in a 300mm pot or 400mm.
As a general rule take it slowly, increase the pot size gradually, that way you’ll end up with a very fat and happy citrus tree that is truly comfortable in it’s pot.
Tempting though it is to just pot once and never again it’s not best practice, although no will die from this, if you take this pot once and forget route, you’ll need to be super careful with your watering as it’s much too easy to over water and rot your citrus tree.
Always repot using a premium potting mix, there certainly is a difference in quality when it comes to potting mix, buy the best you can afford. Note: Garden soil is not designed for pots, never ever, use garden soil in pots and containers.