robinml,

If you are wanting to get fruit I think the biggest problem you will have is making sure your tree gets enough light. Citrus like full sun which is hard to come by in a home. Find a nice sunny, south facing window to place your plant in. You can supplement the natural light your plant receives with T5 fluorescent grow lights.

Since you are growing in a pot you will want a dwarf root stock. Flying dragon is very common. Some varieties that do well indoors include Trovita Orange and almost any type of mandarin. I would try the seedless kishu if you can. They are very small fruit but very sweet and delicious.

Regarding potting mix, 'Al's Gritty Mix' works well. It provides for good drainage and lets your plants roots "breathe". You can make it by mixing equal parts:

Pine or fir bark in 1/8 - 3/8" size (no fines)
Screened Turface MVP
Crushed granite (Gran-I-Grit, in grower size) or #2 cherrystone

and 1-2 tbsp gypsum per gallon of material. Make sure to wet your material before planting and screen the material with a bonsai screen to remove the smaller particles.

Growing citrus is a lot of fun. When you get your tree be sure to post some pictures!

Honestly, they are the worst pain in the but these days to grow indoors. They can be like spoiled brats, don't provide just one thing for them in the right way, and they are goners.

If you are up to the challenge and ready for more success than disappointments, then this is the place to be:-)

Mike

For what it's worth, I have a Meyer lemon that's over 15 years old. It's in a 16" pot and I just use good potting soil. During the winter it's in an unheated sunroom that may occasionally get down to the upper 40's if it's really cold out, but that's rare. It generally blooms in February or March. I pollinate with a small watercolor paintbrush and it will set a few fruits. When the weather warms it goes outdoors all summer. It then blooms very heavily again and the bees take care of the rest. I feed it regularly with good plant food and water well, especialally when it's outside. The only problem I have is scale when it's indoors, but when I catch a mild winter day, I take it outside and spray with a neem oil/detergent mix. Otherwise, it does fine.

Good luck with whatever you try. And since you can find small plants that aren't too expensive, just go for it as long as you have a good, sunny spot indoors.

{{gwi:5901}}

Scale indoors is pretty easy to deal with, just take them off by hand when you find them; and a plant that is watched every day has died and gone to heaven. I personally look at every one of my garden Meyers every day; for my field trees, someone looks at every tree every day; I look at them twice per month. Things like molds, diseases, insects, etc. are quite easy to control when you see them at incipience...much harder after they have had a chance to take hold

Make sure your heating vents do not blast them with warm, dry air.

Mine did fine on our sunporch last Winter. We had the room renovated and the better sealing made it warmer. Great for us, but it blasted a couple of my flock and they had some leaf drop.

Here are some do and don'ts for you to get you started:-)

Do: Plant them in a very porous mix that drains rather quickly and dries out evenly.

Do: Use a mix that allows you to water with out fear of salt deposit build up or root rot.

Do: Take on a regular fertilizing routine all year long if using a porous mix, and watch your fertilizing if you use a heavier peaty one.

Do: Provide as much sunlight as possible.

Do: Make sure that when buying a new tree, you inspect the roots by carefully pulling them out of the pot. They should look a nice whitesh brown and not gray of dark in color at all. Also inspect for possible hitchhikers, pests so you don't introduce them to any other plants at home and have a tough one to care for to begin with. That is where your magnifying glass comes in handy.

Do: Invest in wooden skewers or wooden dowels for moisture testing.

Do: Use clay pots over plastic if you can, since they are very porous and tend to regulate root temperatures much better, especially in very hot sunny weather.

Do: Provide a place for them in the winter where you can provide cool bright conditions all winter, or warm and very bright conditions.

Do: Keep on hand pesticides and insecticidal soaps just in case.

Do: Wash the leaves off with a good spray of water at least once a month.

Do: Pinch off any sucker growth below the graft line.

Do: Water only when the mix is barely moist.

Do: Buy yourself a bottle of white vinegar just incase your water solution is a bit high on the pH side.

Do: Call for an analysis of your local tap water.

Do: Use rain water all you can.

Do: Invest in a magnifying glass to check for spider mites, your usual culprits for bud and leaf drop, dehydrated looking leaves and or leaf curl and drop. Usually followed by death.

Do: Keep coming here with anything you want to ask.

Don't : Ever let your trees dry out to the point of wilt.

Don't : Ignore their needs and that of possible pests.

Don't : Overwater, and that is where your dowels and or chopsticks come in handy.

Don't : Ever put your plants into direct sunlight after a rescue from the great indoors, since drastic change in light levels are not appreciated by them, but slowly acclimate them.

Don't : Over fertilize and if you are using a mix that does not drain well.

Don't : Forget to flush with fresh water at least once a month.

And last but not least!!

Don't : Get discouraged. You can meet all the needs of your plants with practice and it will become second nature to you in time. People here a wonderful and they will have your back!

Mike:-)

Robin. You were given excellent advice from everyone who responded, especially MeyerMike.

Mike,

Mike you really went out of your way answering Do & Don't answers. Must have taken a lot of time?

I've seen your Citrus..they're beautiful, healthy trees.
If anyone has a Citrus question, Mike is the guy to ask. Not only does he listen, he's willing to assist by answering each question, individually, until his reply is understood and a problem resolved..great advice, Mike.
You sure helped me w/my Citrus trees.

Mike, you forgot one more Don't. lol

Don't: over-water if you're using a mix that doesn't drain well. :)

Mike, thanks for all the hard work you've put into this thread, and I wish Robin the best of luck, Toni

Awww..Thank you Toni.

That is so sweet of you. I really appreciate the kindness you display here and the appreciation you have for those that try so hard to help others.
It would be nice is everyone was like that, but let's be real.

I hope that somehow the poster who started this thread learns from all of us and has success with the info dispensed here. It is great to see such a bunch of kind hearted individuals jump at every opportunity to help others and even including you.

You have taught me much here and I hope to keep mine going healthy as long as you have with yours and happy!

You are a gem and so are few others, kind enough to acknowledge the generosity of others.

Mike

Mike....EXCELLENT list!

Mike, aw shux, 'Toni lowers head, foot cris-crossing against the floor.' LOL

Mike, there's many here who are very helpful. When I first joined GW, several people on GW gave the best advice, and still do to this day.
Like Rhizo, 'above poster,' Hi Rhizo!! :) Who helps/ed me numerous times. Correcting my mistakes, etc.

I too hope the original poster reads her thread..and all advice given her. Toni

Seriously,

I second that Toni, about Rhizo!

She has been more than a help with my plants after all these years, but a wonderful friend to both my mom and I.

Seriously:-)))

Mike:-)

Thanks for all the great advice guys. I haven't fully decided yet if this is a path I am going to travel down or not but now I have the resources to make my decision. I have a very sunny warm room in my house that I would love to have full of plants but haven't decided what to put in it. I would like to have a tree in there so citrus was my first thought. Guess I should just cross my fingers and hope for the best. :) Thanks again

Robin

I started last fall, with just this sort of great support. Thanks to all! And my Meyer lemon did drop both the buds and the tiny lemon it came with as it adjusted to my house. IT now has two new tiny lemons, more buds, nice healthy leaves and I am going to start prepping it for the great outdoors - with tips I got here! And love the chopstick suggestion - far preferable to jamming in a finger.