OK to re-pot Meyer if buds are breaking?

11 years ago

Hi All,
Our container Meyer needs to be re-potted but I'm not inclined to do so and miss out on those sweet smelling blossoms.

Will the root trim and transplant cause it to drop its buds?

OK to wait till it's done blooming or will this be too close to Summer? I usually begin watering 2x per day in May due to wilt.

Appreciate the advice,
SJ

Comments (7)

johnmerr
11 years ago
I think if you are just potting up and not changing the mix, it is irrelevant when you do it; just be careful not to damage the rootball. I usually break or cut away the original container; trying to save it, usually results in root damage. Be sure to allow the flowers to set fruit before any thinning is done; pea size fruit is the best time to thin. And don't fertilize for 2-3 weeks after re-potting the lack of fertility will encourage the roots to grow looking for food. Of course, all of this advice could be wrong depending on the size, age, rootstock of your tree; and as always, if you post fotos you get more and better advice.
meyermike_1micha
11 years ago
I was wondering why you don't want to wait until the ideal time to repot, usually in the heart of spring?

Unless its for a 911, I would leave it and wait until then:-)

Mike
Related Discussions
No buds now new buds on meyer lemon
Q
Comments (9)
lucyb00ts, in my experience more fruits fall off when the tree is undernourished. Citrus like a lot of nitrogen, so a food with an NPK ratio of 3-1-1 or 5-1-3 is the usual recommendation. I prefer a timed-release formula, but any method will do as long as the tree gets what it needs on a consistent basis. Meyers will flower and fruit all year so they need feeding all year. Unfortunately the fruit you get is a result of the feeding of 6 months ago (or more) so it's a bit frustrating. I assume you're planning to move it out in the sun again when the weather cools a bit. Sun is also helpful for fruiting. As far as your 2 branches go, it isn't obvious to me from the photo whether one is a sucker. Do you know the tree was grafted? Sometimes Meyers are grown on their own roots. If the growth on both sides looks the same (same leaves, bark, flowers, etc.) it may actually be the same. You will know more when you finally get some fruit. Sorry I can't help more!
...See More
Meyer Lemon - re pot now? prune the roots?
Q
Comments (8)
I would do one of two choices. I would put it in a bigger pot filled with mulch or soil, the pot in pot method so the bottom of the planted pot will rest on or be in contact with the soil or mulch and the water will be tricked to come out of the planted pot with a wicking action....This way the perched water will sit in the empty pot filled with mulch rather the your potted one... Or I would push a nylon or cotton wick into the bottom of one of the holes of your pot and set the pot on a stand so that the wick dangles...The water at the bottom of your pot will continue to come out and dry in the air leaving you with virtually no perched water at the bottom.. This is just to hold you over until the best time of the year to root prune and bare root being around Fathers Day when your tree is actively growing...This way it gives it a chance to recover much more rapidly..
...See More
Anyone else here worried about early bud break due to extreme temps?
Q
Comments (25)
Alana, I'm colder than your zone so some of my experience might not apply, but once the roses (and bulbs) start growing, there's nothing I can do to convince them to stop. They might get a bit frost nipped here and there, but unless you get weather returning to the 20's for several days in a row (and that's all day, not just a brief tip in the night), you should be fine. Apparently roses when they first start growing in spring have nature's equivalent of "antifreeze" in their canes and they're more insulated against cold snaps than they are later in the season. Roses like the rest of the garden are reading a multitude of factors that you may not be aware of (e.g. day length, soil temperature, moisture), and they usually know what they're doing or can recover from it if not. As for pruning, I prune off obviously dead wood as soon as the crocus and such come up, which is before the official forsythia blooming start to pruning season. Dead wood is dead, and the rose doesn't know you've cut it until you get into live cane. If you're worried that it's too early to prune, leave an inch or so of probably dead wood on the tips, and it'll just be a haircut to the rose, not a stimulus to start growing more cane. Once you can tell that the rose has indeed given up on that cane, and you feel better about stimulating growth, you can do a second round of pruning to get rid of those stubs. In my zone, we always have to do 2 or 3 rounds of pruning to get rid of cane that was only temporarily alive in the spring, so this isn't unusual for us. Bottom line for me is I prune off dead wood as soon as I feel like being out in the garden, and then do a more detailed prune once the leaves are definitely emerging. I figure if it has leaves it's going to be subject to weather variations with or without my pruning, and I want to get it done before planting season starts. Cynthia
...See More
How late is too late to re-pot a soggy Meyer Lemon tree?
Q
Comments (21)
Update, six weeks later. The tree doesn't want to go on the cart... Red arrows point to one sucker branch and one sucker bud(?). Purple dashed line is what I believe to be the graft scar. Green arrows point to what I hope are new growth above the graft. These appeared all within the last week; maybe due to the days getting longer, maybe due to a few degrees rise in temperature inside as some other inhabitants were running fevers. I have read on this forum that sucker branches are usually not desirable. Are they worth letting grow for a while, if they are the only source of active chloroplasts on the tree? My hunch is yes, but I admit knowing very little about the regrowth tendencies of Meyer lemons. My next question is whether the old branches are actually dead,or whether they have some hope of rejuvenation: Most of these branches used to be green, but are now brown or near black. Some show hints of green near the branch collar. Is it worthwhile to prune back branches which look brown, if that might encourage growth from the same collar? Or do brown branches ever return to green, and it's worthwhile to wait? Thanks, all!
...See More
jakkom
11 years ago
>>usually in the heart of spring?>>

Just curious, Mike, when is that for your area? In zone 9 depending on the proximity to the coast, 'heart of spring' can be in late February where I live, or as far out as May further north or east.
aslan89
11 years ago
Without perfect conditions I would imagine the added stress of a transplant would cause more buds to drop than typical. If you don't mind babying the plant and/or losing some buds and fruit then i'd say go ahead. I live in zone 9b in Texas and there was actually an article in the paper two days ago here that said now is the best time to plant citrus for us.

On a side note, what happened to winter? Seriously, not even a light freeze this year and its been in the 80's all week here :(
sun_junkie
Original Author
11 years ago
Sound advice Johnmerr, thanks. I've had this Meyer growing in a ~20 gal stone pot for almost 4 years. Flying Dragon root stock. Roots were trimmed last year, I think it needs new dirt though because 5-7% of leaves continue to show FE and Manganese deficiencies despite adding soil amendments.

I re-potted our two ROT Orange trees last month but didn't get to the Meyer before its budding. They're all patio trees, growing for fragrance and training for ornamental appeal. Haven't allowed any to fruit yet. Maybe next year. They're finally reaching a good height.
johnmerr
11 years ago
IMHO if you consider the "normal" phenology of the Meyer, the best time to plant/transplant/re-pot would be at least 2 to 3 weeks before what you would expect to be "Spring", or the first new growth. By doing that, you give the roots 2-3 weeks to grow looking for food; then you could give it a shot of fertilizer to boost growth and flowers. If you wait until it starts its Spring flush; and then replant, you should wait 2-3 weeks before fertilizing; so your tree will be trying to grow at the time that the roots should be trying to grow and that would result in a slower and weaker flush/bloom.
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
11 years ago
I agree with the advice given.

Best time to re-pot is in *your* particular Spring (as Mike said),
and between flushes of growth (as John said). Unless the roots are in bad repair,
you might not need to do much pruning at all.

Josh

OK to re-pot Meyer if buds are breaking?

Comments (7)

johnmerr

meyermike_1micha

Related Discussions

jakkom

aslan89

sun_junkie
Original Author

johnmerr

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

OK to re-pot Meyer if buds are breaking?

Comments (7)

johnmerr

meyermike_1micha

Related Discussions

jakkom

aslan89

sun_junkieOriginal Author

johnmerr

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

sun_junkie
Original Author