I recently bought an olive tree from the local store which is about 2/3 ft high and I'm going to re-pot it with a decent potting mix. Has anyone got any good recipes suitable for an olive? I've got fine sand, coarse sand, bark chips, perlite, vermiculite and some peaty general purpose compost. Oh and im in the north west uk, which can be damp most of the year :) Suggestions appreciated. Nick

The limits of my citrus growing experience extend to rearing a couple of meyer lemons for a few years as potential bonsai. Later, I grew a couple of flying dragons. I gave the plants away because I didn't think the growth habit was appropriate to the quality of form I look for in my bonsai. IOW, I had concluded that the growth habits of citrus as a group make them difficult and not particularly attractive bonsai subjects, though I know there are some exceptions. Citrus growers - please don't take that as a slight. There are many 'groups' of trees that don't make good bonsai subjects, and that has nothing to do with what you folks are doing. I was just offering my 'citrus' background so you can readily see I'm not an expert on citrus. I am, however, well versed in tending a very wide array of trees in containers. At this point in my 20+ year journey growing trees in containers, I have about 75-100 tropical trees, and somewhere around 200-225 temperate trees. By necessity, I repot more than half of my (a guess) 300 trees each year. I say by necessity, because we can tell within a couple of months when our trees need repotting. Whether we repot them at that time is a different5 issue, but at the point where the root mass has become congested to the point the tree can be lifted from the pot with the roots and soil mass intact, the tree needs repotting. This is a much more reliable indicator than any other method, and has been scientifically verified many times in tests by nurseries that have a vested interest in maximizing growth. They know that the growth rate begins to slow at that point, and that it continues to slow as congestion worsens. Not only does the potential for maximum growth within the limits of other cultural factors evaporate with root congestion, so does the possibility of peak vitality. Tight roots are a stress, and that stress affects the entire organism - even to the point of increasing the likelihood of insects infestation and disease. You CAN pot up before the tree reaches this point with no ill effects or decline in growth/vitality, but if the tree HAS reached that point, potting up will only allow a PARTIAL return in vitality and growth, and will set the tree on a gradual slope of decline. Soil - No plant like any portion of the soil to remain saturated for more than a couple of hours. Deprived of enough O2, metabolism and root function is negatively affected and fine roots begin to die. The longer the deprivation, the larger are the roots that are killed. When O2 returns to the soil so normal root growth and metabolism/function can resume, the tree then has to go about the business of allocating either current photosynthate (food - energy) or stored energy to regenerate lost rootage. For this reason, you should always use a durable and well-aerated soil. You automatically sacrifice potential growth/vitality when you choose a water-retentive soil that supports any significant amount of perched water. Repotting - use your own judgement, but I have repotted my own citrus by removing the bottom 1/3 of the roots and then 3 wedges equal to 50% of of the remaining roots with no problems. I also have several friends in CA and 1 in TX that uses the method religiously. Use whatever method you choose, but removing the old soil and root pruning is imperative to best growth and vitality. Once a tree has been allowed to remain in the same soil/container beyond the point where the soil/root mass can be lifted intact, growth is permanently affected until the time that the limiting factor of root congestion is eliminated. This even applies to trees that are severely root bound and are then planted out. I have worked on trees that had original soil so compacted that the soil was harder and stronger than fully lignified (woody) roots. You guys recognize the growth spurts in your trees. Repot as a growth spurt is winding down, or early in the spring. These are the periods of most rapid root growth. Adopt your own methods if you like. I just explained the 'whys' of it and how I proceed. There's no reason it shouldn't work as well for you as it does for me, but you don't need to follow my advice or my procedures exactly. I suppose what I want to leave you with is: Your soil IS the foundation of your planting, and can certainly determine whether you'll have an easy time of it or a difficult time. The roots are the heart of your plant. You look at and fuss over the foliage, but it's the roots that are REALLY in charge. Roots come first - before the foliage, so if you keep your roots happy, the rest of the plant will be happy. Al

Following up on some greenhouse questions- Westgirl - I did design it myself, I wouldn't call it easy but, you can certainly do it yourself. One recommendation - if you do build your own start in spring, this way you have a lot of time to work out the kinks. My watering setup is a simple timed based automatic irrigation system, normally off until the summer, When they need watering every other day. In the winter I just water by hand as needed. Mike - The frame is 2'' PVC. its strong and flexes a little, its available and not that expensive if you mess up a cut. The plastic is called greenhouse film, 6mil bought from a greenhouse supply store online. Heating is electric with a backup gas heater, just in case. Mksmith - Dimentions are roughly 30ft long 12ft deep and about 9ft at the tallest spot in the center, its a decent size. Heating is a challenge sometimes. Like I mentioned above, Heating is electric with a backup gas heater, just in case. The good thing as its fairly well insulated but, last night when it dropped to 16F it struggled to keep it above 40F, but it did :)

I would have to disagree that you can't grow citrus indoors or that it is a futile quest. Rather I would say that it takes some careful observation and some consideration. (All three of my citrus are indoors and most of my struggles are in trying to figure out how big I can let them get before I take the clippers to them). For humidity, at least in my experience, using an over sized drip tray and pot feet works just fine. As for light, with modern LED grow lights, even a darker home can work to grow a citrus tree or two. Where I would agree is that a citrus is not a standard houseplant in the usual sense of the word. Put in a better way, they won't be a snake plant happy in a darkish corner in a home that averages 74 in winter with no drop at night. So if you like to keep your home on the warmer side, then I would suggest finding a houseplant that doesn't mind it warm and dry. If, on the other hand, you keep your home on the cooler side, say between 68-70 during the day and a drop to 64-66 at night (which can translate to between 60 and 62 by some insulated windows, less if not). And you observe light. And you take care to look to the watering needs of your, specific, environment, (this can be different even for people in the same city), and use a mix that works for where you live. And you take care not to overfertilize, but only give your plant what it needs. And don't worry your plant to death. Then you will do just fine. Without a greenhouse I wouldn't suggest getting multiple trees, as that can become expensive quick. But a tree or two in the brightest and most temperate room in your home won't be impossible. Again, though, it takes some time to determine if the tree will survive. Better to find a cheap houseplant with similar needs and try to keep that alive and thriving, learn what that needs, and then move on to the more expensive tree. As for the houseplant, it may take some trial and error to get it growing right, and you may kill a few before you strike on the right mix of potting soil, light, humidity, water, and fertilizer.