Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to edit my post. I wanted to add my blog address for the pictures. Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: My blog

Hi Sub! It's nice to meet you.

This just happened to my Moro Blood tree. I decided to repot it ahead of spring because I found the mix it was in to all of sudden collapse and got worried. Well within days I lost ALL the leaves on that one , but it still held on to its flowers.
It is now growing new growth everywhere and it is going to be a fuller tree than it was before.

What exactly did you do during the repotting process from start to finish?
Did you bare root?
I find that certain trees don't like repotting until the latter part of spring when in prime condition. If for any reason it was starting to loose its vigor before you repotted it, which can be difficult to know, that happens.

In my view, it will be just fine as the roots start to function properly again and in fact take very well to the new mix if you repotted properly.
Lots of new growth is a great sign, but don't be surprised if you loose a branch or two as I did if it decides to rebel at first.

Mike

Thanks Mike. It was looking great until I decided to change things up a bit. The old soil was hard to get out; I ended up dunking the root ball to clear out the soil so I essentially replanted it as a bare root. Should I have left the soil around the soil intact and planted it in the new mix as is?

I can't get over how great it was a month ago until I decided to mess with it. Maybe I should have left it alone. At least with bees I can figure out the problem...
Do the Meyer Lemons always react this way to repotting?

Hey Sud.

By the way, your chicken looks nice and content.:-)

I would of waited until around May or June unless it really needed it. I only do a repot when it's a 911 this time of the year.
I have found Lemon Meyer can be very finicky even when left alone. So a bare root might of thrown it for a loop. But then again, it could of been caused by a precondition set in motion with the re-pot. Aren't they so hard to figure out?lol
I always do a complete bare root as you did into the entirely different mix.

You could of gotten away with just a pot up into almost the same exact mix, but I think your aim was to grow them in much more durable porous mixes than what they were in. Good job:-)

Mike

Ah, gotcha. I'll have to keep that in mind next time.
I can't remember what I used as the original potting mix for the tree but it clearly did well. Unfortunately, the mix seemed to break down super quick. I hope the tree does just as well with the new mix, if not better.
I haven't been able to grow anything indoors due to a plant-eating cat. Outdoors has been much easier, despite the pests! Thanks again Mike. I really appreciate your help and words of encouragement :)

Hi suburbanrancher (and hi to you, Mike!).

I wanted to reiterate Mike's encouragement, and I also felt I had to jump in given my similar issue in repotting my Meyer Lemon last year which did EXACTLY what yours has done. I think a bare-root planting into the 5.1.1. mix shocks the Meyer to drop all it's leaves. Again like yours, and as you can see from my pictures, all my leaves dropped too leaving only the flowers. And then, within a couple months new leaves set in. I've yet to experience a growth flush of new leaves, but it's otherwise healthy and I'm expecting new growth to set in this spring.

Meyer in nursery soil (tree was already starting to decline)
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Meyer within 1 week of planting in 5.1.1.
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Meyer 7 months later
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I would recommend leaving out the granular fertilizer and just using the 1/2 - 1 tsp/gal FP + capful of vinegar, since the FP has all essential and micronutrients that your tree needs. But I agree with Mike that you should be fine given all your new growth. We'd love to see pictures as soon as you're able to post some!

Tim

Hey Tim! That was very kind of you to share your experience!

Can I give you a suggestion to get your tree to fill in?

Let me know. I would love to help:-)

Mike

Sub. Yes. Please share a pic with us once your tree takes off. I would love to see the end result in time:-)

We are here for you.

Mike

Hi Mike,

Yes, there seem to be so relatively few here with experience of MLs in 5.1.1. mix that I had to chime in. And yes, of course I'd love to hear your suggestion!!! How can I help it to fill in better when the new leaves come in this year?

Tim

Thanks guys. I almost wish my tree had dropped leaves more quickly after repotting so I could be sure it was the new mix throwing it off, now I just second-guess myself. I wish trees would talk.
TimSF how did you pot pictures?? I thought only gallery forums allowed pictures. Did you use a link?

Hey Tim, I e-mailed you and I promise to get back soon. We can do this in secret and then share publicly once it works, which I know will:-)

Sub, you're so welcome. I wish you all the luck on this one. I know how much our trees mean to us and how much we wish they could talk.

Mike

It's actually quite easy to post if you use Photobucket. You'll want to copy the HTML code of the picture directly into the body of your GardenWeb message. Then when you 'Preview Message' your picture should come up, prior to you submitting it for the rest of us to see.

Hi Mike, thanks for the e-mail, which I'll have to get to later due to some technical difficulties. Can't wait to read!

Tim

I haven't been using vinegar with the Foliage-Pro when watering. Do I have to use the vinegar when watering? If so, how much do I use?

I'm asking this because I'm truly curious - I believe all of the people who have posted on this thread grow your Meyers in pots, so indoors in winter.

So - do Meyers on the 'indoors/winter' regimen ripen on a different schedule than in-ground ones?

Mine are in the ground (coastal Northern CA) so your repotting issue made me wonder. January thru April is my heaviest harvest. The usual rule of thumb in gardening is that you repot/replant when a plant is dormant, or in the case of an evergreen, after flower/fruit flush. As Meyer_mike says, that would be May or June for a Meyer.

Even here, really cold weather slows down ripening, but our UV index overall is so much stronger than most regions, it doesn't stop the plants. It's the winter rains that help 'push' production here - but in most regions, it's the opposite. Most of you have dry (snow or not) winters, and wet summers. So the Meyer doesn't go outside until temps warm up.

But since being indoors might not be optimal for lemon production, does a potted Meyer then give a later harvest than an in-ground Meyer?

jkom51: I don't know if there are different blooming schedules for in-ground versus container citrus though it would certainly make sense. I know of one other person that has a container tree and we do the same thing: outside when it's over 50 degrees, inside when it's cold. When inside, his is by a bright sunny window, mine is under lights. From what I've seen, he will have both flowers and maturing fruit at the same time, so I don't know when a good time to repot would be...
That was part of my dilemma too: do I repot when it's flowering or when there's fruit on it? From what I've seen so far, I have flowers pretty much all the time: once it started, it just kept going...

Hi Sub..

It all depends on what the pH of your faucet water is. I assume you are not using rain water at all times?
Is the pH of your water high? You could test it. Most likely it is.
Mine is at 8.0 and vinegar in the fertilized water temporarily lowers the pH every time I water. Just enough to make all the necessary nutrients in my potting soil available at all times.
Vinegar mixed with tap water = well fed healthy green plants:-)

Jkom..

My Meyer Lemon trees flower and fruit all times of the year in pots. I get fruit just about every month and I tend to think they ripen more so from spring to winter.
Funny thing is I just picked two ripe meyer lemons and have another to pick. I will snap a shot tomorrow.

Sub, I just saw your last message and I will be back to address that is no one else does:-0)

Mike

suburbanrancher, it's advised that the best time to repot (since, as you say Meyers seem to always be in some state of flowering) is during a dormant period just following fruit set and just before the next flush of leaves. This usually corresponds to early summer (around June or thereabouts).

jkom, what an interesting question you ask about in-ground vs pot ripening times for IMLs. I actually have 3 Meyers in the ground and one that's potted, and I had every intention of (taking it a step further and) making this a full-time houseplant. After all, I'm able to successfully flower both a Cattleya orchid and a plumeria (no longer alive) at an East/Southwest facing window so I'd hoped to successfully fruit the Meyer at this location. But I've chickened out (and my potted Meyer is now an all-outdoor plant), as nobody's seemed to have done 100% indoor cultivation of a Meyer and gotten it to fruit - if anyone has evidence otherwise, I'd love to know! Maybe I should just do the experiment to determine the answer for myself...and also answer your fruit-timing question.

Tim

Tim! You incredible.lol

I too have a Cattleya and I once had a Plumeria, well let's just say a few and now I only have two left.
Would you believe that my Plumeria is growing well despite being in a north facing window? Weird.
I got your message, and I will get back to you for sure:-0)
By the way, it's 60 today!

Update:
It was not the soil, or the fertilizer. Drum roll please, SPIDER MITES! I've sprayed the tree just now with a 50/50 mixture of water and 70% alcohol. Will wipe the tree down, yes, every leaf. I have a feeling a lot of them will be dropping off :(
I sprayed the tree from every angle covering every blessed leaf surface. After I've wiped it down, I will spray it again.

You see, it can always be a 'pre-existing' condition as I stated that almost always we ourselves figure out with a bit of homework!

Cograts and I hope it stays under control:-)

Mike

Yes I'm quite positive it had the condition already and the stress of repotting allowed the mites to proliferate.

What's interesting is that I saw some dark spots under the leaves and ASSUMED it was dirt from repotting. And we all know what happens when you assume...
I should have looked, I should have looked, I should have LOOKED. Ugh.

Thanks for your help Mike. I'll have some interesting pictures later on my blog regarding pH if you're interested.