Hi Westgirl. There's 3 ways to tell if a plant needs repotting..1. groups of roots grow from the drainage holes. 2. roots can be seen atop soil. 3 plant dries too quickly and you find daily watering is needed.
If none of the above qualify, and since your tree is fruiting, I'd let it be until next spring..
A great place to buy the perfect citrus pots are at www.treequest.com They sell four sizes, narrow but deep for roots to grow downwards.
I can't help you on the CHC's since I use soil but of what I read, by using these chips even if a pot is too large it cannot be overwatered.
If you feel yor Meyer's need repotting, then I'd check out the trees at treequest, and plant in the plastic pots they've available.
Just be very careful when repotting..Try not to disturb the roots too much. I'd wait until the soil is semi-dry, then w/a knife loosen soil at sides. Remove tree from old pot and set into new.
Oh, if you decide to wait until next spring, you can always add new soil atop old. Make sure it's well-draing. Good luck, Toni

Any one wanting to purchase the narrow and deep "tree pots" you would be better off buying them from Stuewe & Sons, Inc.. Stuewe is the actual manufacturer of the pots, while Treequest is only a retail outlet. Treequest does not manufacture anything. Here is a price comparison... 8-Gallon tree pot Stuewe $3.74 ea. - Treequest $6.95.........3-gallon tree pot Stuewe $1.11 ea. - Treequest $1.85..........4x4x14 "Tall One" seedling grow-on pots (the container most citrus trees come in from on line nurseries such as Briteleaf, Harris and ect.) Stuewe $0.33 cents ea - Treequest $0.85 cents each. Even though Stuewe & Sons is the manufacturer, their minimum order is one container. I always purchase in full cases, and the order is usually shipped same day or the next day. Here is their web site www.stuewe.com - Millet

Needed to move a meyer lemon from the middle of my yard to the side. 8 weeks later the leaves have all fallen off and the tree looks dead. How long should I wait before I throw in the towel? I know it wasn't a good time to replant since it was fruiting, but I had no choice. I would be grateful for any input.

Depends on how bad you damaged the roots. Give it time, Meyers can be frozen to the ground & will come back the next spring. Make sure you keep it watered well & let it do it's thing.

Raster, I'd wait until next spring. The tree probably went into shock..Patience is the key..If by then you see no new growth, then as you say you can 'throw in the towl.'
When you bend stems/branches are they flexible or break? Toni

Laaz is absolutely correct. When you moved the tree the roots must have been pretty badly damaged. It really takes a lot of attention to detail when transplanting a tree from one place to another. Your two choices are: 1). Nurse it, and nurse it, and hope for an eventual recovery. 2) Get rid of it and just go out and buy a nice new tree - problem solved. My wife keeps some of her old run down house plants around, she never throws them out. She looks after them and nurses them, for what seems like FOREVER. They usually either die or take a long time to recover. I always tell her "For God's sake, toss the things out, and go buy yourself some good looking plants and get them replaced. She never does?????????...Uggggh - Millet

Millet..You should listen to your wife..Uggggh..Dale

What Millet says is quite true. I used to raise a lot of roses and believed every one of the sickly bushes would magically "come back to life" if given enough care. But for one reason or another, some plants just wouldn't look as good as the others. Give a plant/tree six months or so to perk up. When the time comes, give it a decent burial (shovel prune, as my Dad would say) and move on. On the other hand, if every plant you touch ends up as compost, READ Just my two cents,
Mike

Hi Millet, I have not been around for a while. Some time ago you posted your "recipe" for potting mix using three different sizes of coconut husk chips. Would you mind doing so again? Thanks. Rocco

Thanks for all of the great input. So let's see, I've been watering it diligently since I transplanted it because I felt pretty bad about (possibly) killing the thing. Not to mention I just want some lemons. Last week we did some more trimming since the small stems WERE brittle. I think the main branches still have some moisture and can bend pretty well. The tree was about 4ft tall with a 6ft diameter and I obviously couldn't dig all of the roots out, so I comprimised as best I could by cutting a circumference as big as the tree. I ended up cutting quite a few roots in the process. I have purchased a small Washington Navel as a replacement, but I haven't been able to bring myself to chop the poor lemon tree down yet.

I tried to post some pics of the lemon tree, have a look. The first 2 show the tree 5 and 6 weeks post transplant, the next three show the tree in the course of transplantation.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lemon Tree Pics

Rastar, it sure looks dead to me:(.

My Meyer that I transplanted into the ground promptly dropped all leaves and fruit, but is alive and has leafed out since. The fact that your tree is covered with brown leaves makes me think it is dead. Have you scratched the bark to see if there is ay green under it?

lisa

I would cut it way back to the main branches & leave it til spring. Don't overwater it or it will surley be dead.

I don't have a picture to show you, but in fact I just finished trimming it back to the main branches this past week. The major branches do still retain moisture. Mastiffs, how long did it take for your tree to lose leaves and leaf out again? What time of year did you do it and did you have to cut any roots in the process? On mine, ALL of the dead leaves from the pictures have since fallen off as well. Now it is just a shadow of its former self (sigh), not to mention an eyesore in the yard. Anyway, Laaz is still holding out hope so maybe I will wait until spring if I can find a different spot to plant the Washington Navel I purchased.

rastar, a friend of mine has a meyer way out in his back yard. I have seen it frozen to the ground & thought for sure that was then end of it. Spring came & it grew back like crazy. It took two years to fruit again, but is back now bigger & better than ever.

Hello All,
I once had a large Myers lemon and it did well for me,but I was hardly in high school and unable to get it through the winter very well,so I donated it to my Horticulture teacher.I have three coming today and I can't wait!!!! I grow lots of other things,but no citrus since that lemon.My question is:
what is the difference between the improved myers lemon 'standard' and the dwarf?Aren't Myers a semidwarf variety in themselves?I am using my trees in my melleri chameleon enclosures and was told to get the standard for their branching and height,which is useful for large chameleons and I have them in 7'tall cages.How well will the standard stay maintained at a size that allows for it to be housed indoors with standard ceilings?I had originally ordered the semidwarf,improved myers,but switched to the standard...wondering if I made a mistake.Thanks

Lemon, are your citrus trees going to be planted in pots? If so, I wouldn't worry whether or not they are dwarfs or standards. Citrus will grow only so tall then halt. (in a container)And in your zone.
It also depends on light..how much light will your trees be receiving? Temperatures make a difference too.
I'm not one to prune citrus trees, but if it's mandatory because of space this can always be done. Toni

Thanks Toni.They will be in pots and will b elit by Mercury vapor grow lights in the winter(165 Watt).They will be kept cooler(78F day and 68F night) and will be watered and fed by the chameleon excrement that will fall into the pot.I am not so worried about fruiting.If pruning is needed,do I need to root prune to keep them in say a 25 gallon pot?I am not one to prune for size,but will try to train the plants to grow out,instead of up by using ties to redirect the branches.They have about 6.5' they can reach in height and unlimited width.I plan to use coco coir,CHC,laterite,LFS (long fibered spahgnum),and a bit of vermiculite for media.I use the spahgnum in the mix to wick standing water away from the roots and hold it for dry times outside,then it can release the water tot he roots as needed.I may add some shredded mulch as well to help it retain water,when I get busy in the summer.I use organic ferts,like bat guano and the chameleons poop in the pots to.I here bone meal is good also and will probably plant with that added to the mix as well.

Lemon, your setup sounds terrific..I'd love seeing a pic of it. How many chameleons do you have? How big do they get? Do they munch on the plants?
Do you have other reptiles? Lights? Is it near a window?
With your pets I'm sure you have to be careful what you use, say fertilizers, insecticides.
Do you have a picture of your setup, Lemon?
My son has an iguana, but he's in and out and free to roam son's room, even though he likes his tank and lights. Toni

Sorry it took so long to reply,but I forget where I post and it takes me a while to find the respnses LOL.
I have 7 chameleons right now,but that is down from 13.I am soon to be adding to my collection.I have 5 melleri chameleons and 2 veileds.I like working with chameleons from cool,montane conditions and many are very difficult to acclimate.I enjoy th challenge and sense of accomplishment I get from taking an emaciated and brutalized animal and making them healthy again.The melleri get about 2' long,but there are unconfirmed reports of them reaching 38''.Melleri are unique,in that,they communicate with infrasonic vibrations and appreciate social conditions in captivity.They know me and eat from my hand,where a new person will cause them to show stress.They are housed in a 20'L X 6'W X 6'T cage in my basement with mercury vapor bulbs providing all of their light needs and the need of the many plants as well.There is one window,but it is shaded by the house above and allows very little light.I recreated a montane jungle for them by running an automatic mist system throught the cage and supplying lots of suspended branches and plants.I am VERY careful about what fertilzers and pesticides get used in or around them.They are very sensitve to toxins,b/c the have tiny kidneys compared to their size and are easily poisoned.The temps are around 78F with warmer basking spots and night drop to 68-70F,which they like to have.A tentative list of plants that are in with them include,2 ficus 'ali',a florida strangler fig,banjo leafed ficus,fish-tailed palm,schefflera,draceana,pothos,mistletoe fig,and numerous other small plants.The chameleons are in that set-up during the cool months and are outdoors in warm months in custome cages, I built with shadecloth.I do have pictures,but I am a victim of Kodak's software that will not let me share,except via e-mail.I will be glad to send pix to anyone interested.The chams don't eat plants,but occasionally get the notion to browse a leaf or two.They will accept hand-fed greens like mustard and turnip though.I breed 9 types of tropical roaches for them to eat,as well as my own crickets,stick insects,and other fare.They also get silkworms and hornworms on occasion.They are a lot of work(this species),but I enjoy them and they complement my plnat keeping by having the same or similar needs to the plants.E-mail me at extensionofgreen@yahoo.com for pictures and visit www.melleridiscovery.com to learn more about melleri.That site is run by my friend Kristina,and I have two of her captive bred babies.It is a great site.