Congrats!

You might as well re-pot now, before the season gets too far along.
After you receive the tree, let it acclimate for a few days in bright shade -
I put all new plants on the north-east side of my house.

The size of the container should be determined by the size of the tree.
If the tree is small, a 12x12 inch could work. If you want a larger
crop of fruit, give the roots ample room to work.

After re-potting DO NOT put it into direct sunlight right away. Give it
a week or so to recuperate in a protected location. Often the leaves will
wilt for a while, and then they'll perk back up. This is an indicator that
the roots are working again and that the tree can be introduced to sun.

I fertilize two weeks after a re-potting. I always incorporate some
4-month Osmocote when I make my mix.

Prune roots that are circling the container or causing congestion. I
wouldn't do any top-pruning at the moment.

Josh

I am with Josh on this..:-)

Mike

thanks so much for the info! Ive got another question. When watering, do I just water enoughto rehydrate the "soil" or do I really flush it? If Im using the gritty mix and foliage pro, do I still need Osmocote and do I need to fluch for salts periodically?

Thanks, Megan

Megan,
Yes, flush it each time you water. I'll not comment on the Osmocote, I use it but then I don't use FP. On the Osmocote, I would follow Mike's, Andrew's, or Toni's advice. They know FAR more than I do. They have been extremely helpfuL and very sharing with their knowledge you can't go wrong following their advice.

Charles

Hello Megan..

Charles you are too kind...

Megan, I personally do not use any slow release in my containers because I faithfully feed at every watering each time I do so. So my plants are very happy always...

I know that Josh does, and his plants look just a beautiful as mine..He might have a different reason for using a slow release and FP..maybe he will chime in. His plants attest to the fact the he knows what he is doing..Have you seen the picture of his citrus?

Mike..;-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Josh's citrus tree

Thanks, Mike! I really appreciate it! ;)

Megan, I toss in a small amount of 4-month release Osmocote as a supplement to the
Foliage Pro I use. It's mild, warm weather activated, and neatly consumed by the time I
replace the soil. It isn't necessary, though...especially if you're a faithful fertigator (like Mike).

Josh

Thanks so much. I have a front porch I will keep in on for a while after repoting. The front of my house is morning sun, the back is afternoon sun. Here in Baltimore, it can hit near 100F some days in the summer. Soemtimes for a week at a time. I was thinking of keeping it in the front of my house so if it gets too hot, I can put it in the garage or move it to the porch. If its on my back deck there is no easy way to protect it. 90+F is a bit much isnt it? We also get periodic high wind thunderstorms in the summer.

Hey mamasas! Congrats on your first orange tree. I live in MD too and I just bought my first lime tree. Do you have any other citrus trees?

It will be my only citrus tree Ive ever had. I really want to know as much as possible and be as prepared as possible before it comes. Its due to arrive next week.