Story of how I got my 2nd citrus, plus 2 questions
Bottom line: After my yard is treated again and again for ants, I'm going to take my in-ground Eureka lemon tree and move it into a container. Then, I'm going to put a Meyer lemon in its place in the ground.
As some of you already know, I'm cleaning up my in-ground Eureka lemon tree area from ants and aphids. On Tues, Terminix is coming and I've been washing/spraying with water and neem, plus sprinkling cinnamon to get rid of the pests. It is working!
However, today my husband and I went to run some errands. Along the way, we stopped at a huge local nursery, very reputable and knowledgeable owner with acres of plants/trees for sale. For the record, I stopped because I was looking for another avocado, and not a citrus since I said I would get rid of the ants first! Anyhow, I briefly mentioned wanting to buy another citrus once I got my pests under control. When the name "Eureka" came up, he said, "oh, you have an in-ground lemon and it's *not*(!) a Meyer? I told him I'd like a Meyer for a container one day. His suggestion was to take advantage of that space and pot the Eureka, but to ABSOLUTELY put the Meyer in the ground; that the difference of it reaching its full potential and thriving would be in the ground instead of container.
Little did I know that my husband wanted a few goodies from Best Buy on the way home, so at the nursery, he was more than happy to buy a Meyer on the spot (ha ha, works for me!). The nursery owner wrapped it up (pic below) and we took it home.
Here are my questions:
1) In your opinion, will the Meyer thrive THAT MUCH more in the ground? I'd hate to go through the move if the difference won't be noticeable. BUT, I'm more than happy to do this if in the long run, the Meyer is a backyard star one day.
2) Is it possible to plant a Meyer in the ground using the 5-1-1 mix in a raised bed like the one in the pic below (minus the plants on the surface)? Internet photo, not mine. I'd like a raised bed so that the grass stops growing around the trunk of the lemon tree (see pic of how the lawn grass always grows so close to the Eureka trunk).
3) Not a question, just a final thought. I'm so nervous! I don't want to mess this up. I have several fruit trees, both potted and in the ground. I'm not nervous making decisions for my other trees and plants. BUT, I've never had problems with any of them, especially the way I have with my Eureka.
Thank you if you're still reading this long post. This is going to be a project.. I'm thankful for any guidance!!!
New Meyer below:
Current in-ground Eureka:
Raised bed idea from Internet:
Comments (11)
Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years agoLaura LaRosa (7b)
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Round 2: My 2nd KD came in at $166- my budget was $100.
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figsinhawaii
7 years agoThanks Laura!! I'm so happy to have this new tree. I know... it seems like such a huge task to pull that Eureka out. But, I'll definitely try. I'll hire someone if I need to!
No, that is an avocado next to the new Meyer. Now, that one is in a huge pot. I have two avocados, one in this huge pot and another smaller avocado that will eventually go in the ground in another area of the yard.
However, I do have a young mango in the ground. I'm working on removing the grass that surrounds it, but the mango is doing well.
Potted avocado:
In-ground mango:
Laura LaRosa (7b)
7 years agofigsinhawaii
7 years agoLaura LaRosa (7b)
7 years ago
myermike_1micha
7 years agoLaura LaRosa (7b)
7 years agofigsinhawaii
7 years agoAww, I wish you guys had this gardening climate year round as well. I pretty much have all of my family's favs now (Laura, my son is like your kids in that he loves to garden-participate with me and he's my taste tester/reviewer for all fruits!). My husband wanted dragon fruit and avocado. My daughter wanted pomegranates (I wasn't sure that they'd grow here as they aren't tropical, but a lady down the street has a fruiting tree, so I got two). My son likes papayas, but because they're so cheap, I just buy those regularly (the *good tasting* kind!), and then both my husband and son wanted bananas; we have tons of those and the most productive of any of our in-grounds so far (especially since the mango and avocados aren't mature yet). The mangos are my thing and I think I'm going to get a second one to put in the ground out in the front yard.
No Laura, I don't have a key lime yet. Do you prefer that taste over the Bears or Tahitian lime?
figsinhawaii
7 years ago
johnmerr