Your plant seems to have reacted very well and BRAVO for taking the plunge. By the way, I could of never of had the courage as you did unless I had prodding, to chop that plant down. Mike

Wow, puglvr. What a find at Walmart, who would have known. Great tip. Now, all this being said, Mike and all you other container citrus folks, since I live is such a warm and very dry climate here in N. San Diego county, I use smaller bark pieces in my EB Stone Cactus Mix. I actually want/need some water retention or during the summer I would have to literally water my container citrus twice a day. Here's what it contains (I don't know if this is in order of highest to lowest quantity - I need to run out to my potting area to see what the label says exactly), but this is from their web site: Contains Fir Bark, Lava Rock, Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, Sand, Redwood Compost and Mushroom Compost. I know it has sphagnum peat moss in it, which I'm not thrilled about due to the non-renewability of that product, but all other contents seem to be pretty good, and I will post some pics of my little Ortanique tangor that is coming back from death's door. It is very, very happy in this mix, along with some Osmocote. I have to really keep my container stuff in the KISS line of thinking with my very full time job, or they'll die from neglect :-) I'll also snap a photo of the mix so I can get some opinions. So far, I've got 2 citrus in pots that are really, really doing well and have come back from a bad start using this combo. Patty S.

I've been using a 50:50 base mix of perlite/ turface for many years. You can easily modify this mix for different needs. Most mesembs benefit from the addition of a clayey component. For me, I just dig beyond the topsoil in my yard for some good dirt. I also substitute perlite for some lava rock and small pebbles. It's a heavier, longer lasting mix which works when repotting infrequently for mesembs. This same mix is my preference for small cactus species like Aztekium, Blossfeldia, tricky mamms like luethyi, etc. "bigger" plants like some Crassula, aloes, aeonium etc. you could add more perlite to lighten big pots. It also makes it safer to leave outdoors all spring/summer/fall with rain. My palms, plumeria and cycads live in this mix too. Floating perlite is not an issue. But it does easily displace with high water pressure like from a hose. Some form of fertilizer is a must. I'm also a fan of submerging small pots with small plants into bigger, deeper containers to help stabilize root temperatures. Practically any healthy plant I've ever had to repot always has roots circling the bottom. I really don't understand the concept of shallow or regular pots. I think the deeper the better. I haven't really noticed any exception. For some species it's mandatory. Haworthias, many cactus plants with tuberous roots. Even Lithops which tolerate a shallow home will grow much better in very deep pots. Pleiospilos too. For anyone unsure or unconvinced, try an experiment. Take a pot with any plant you want, and bury it into much deeper pot for a growing season. Pull it out later and see what you find. Bury an Aloe, pachypodium or most any strong Echeveria or similar in the garden and watch it take off. We would all be great at bonsai, plenty good experience with root constriction and limiting growth lol!

Great tips! Al