Humm...I think you may be right, I was at the garden center a few weeks ago and my citruses actually looked better than theirs. Since then I've brought them inside and they've lost some leaves due to the adjustment. Plus my existing citruses have buggie issues (scale, aphids, and mites) which I treat with cotton swab treated with alcohol as well as occasional Neem sprays. When they came indoors the bugs went nuts so I've done a major cleaning but there has been some leaf drop. They are covered with blossoms though. They are also kept away from the plant for my brother. Your comments about the different feeding probably explains the Key Lime being smaller than the Meyer. I figure I'll do the transplant and hold onto it until it's ready to move. My brother's place will have a nice sun room, no bug infected neighbors, and he's local so I can/will provide any major care. I just wish I could get rid of the bugs once and for all. They came with an ornamental tree I took over from a friend who moved over 8 years ago. Alcohol is my friend...

I started my Key lime from seed about 5 years ago. It grew quickly and had a few blooms the third year but did not set fruit. the fourth year it bloomed a few more blooms but the fruit fell off. This year it bloomed and I had a bunch of fruit but many fell off when the tree went into stress when I couldn't water for about 3 days. I may have 24 limes remaining. I am not aware that ethylene gas will help it bloom. Keep it watered, feed it regularly with low nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer. I also feed with Superthrive to give it a boost for blooming. My Key lime has grown as a tree. Some limbs tend to grow fast and long but I trim them back. Mine is about 7 ft tall in the pot and 4 ft wide. It sits in a cool green house in winter. I only heat when the temps are predicted to go to or below freezing. Citrus need lots of light. That is the biggest problem with citrus indoors in winter. Buy a dual or three light halogen garage stand light. Go to your local big box home improvements store or local auto parts store. THese lights stand on a tripod base and have 2 or 3 halogen fixtures on the pole. These will provide warmth and SUPPLEMENTAL light. Nothing can replace natural light. I've linked an example for picture purposes only. Here is a link that might be useful: Light

Why would you minimally water a citrus tree? There is no season to "cut back on watering" for citrus. You want to provide adequate water all the time. Use your finger to test your medium to make sure you need to water. Be sure you have well draining potting mix (search for "511" mix on our forum), and continue to fertilize frequently. The cutting back of fertilizing during the winter is for in-ground citrus. The thought behind that is to prevent your citrus trees from pushing out tender new flush during winter, when you may risk having some frosts or even short periods of temps below 32, which would damage tender new growth. Container citrus that are moved indoors during the winter are managed differently. I would recommend DyaGro Foliage Pro. Used quite a bit on this list for our container citrus folks. Patty S.

At this time of the year i mix up fertilizer at 1/3 strength and I folier feed.. To rich in the pots can cause problems. If the soil is also warmed it will probably help to lightly water. Just make sure the soil mix does not dry out. To see a seed grown key lime at 14 months old click the link below and scroll down 12 entries. It shows what is possible. Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/citrus/msg092200095651.html