meisocal, for the "black mold", that is most likely sooty mold, and could be an indication of aphids. I would give your tree a good hosing down, and make sure you control for ants, to keep them out of your citrus trees, and from farming the aphids (or possibly citricola scale, cottony cushion scale, mealybugs, whiteflies, or other phloem-sucking insects that excrete honeydew on which sooty mold fungi grow. Most likely aphids in our area, though.) Hose the tree down with a hard blast of water, paying particular attention to the tender new growth where aphids like to attack. You can also use insecticidal soap to kill aphids, which will not harm beneficials. For your tree in the grass, you do always want to remove any grass out to and a little past the drip line of the tree (edge of canopy). I would consider mulching with wood chips or bark, and not stones if you can. It will provide organic materials as the mulch breaks down. I do fertilize my citrus, and especially my new citrus on a regular basis, about 4 times a year with a good quality citrus fertilizer with the proper NPK ratio and micronutrients. For me, on my thin soils (DG), it is important for my citrus to get a good start. And you should water your citrus on a drip, and not via your lawn sprinklers. Citrus do not like to be hit by sprinklers, so if this is the case, I would find a better place to plant that tree, so it's not being hit by lawn sprinklers. This can eventually kill a citrus tree. Deep water about 18 to 24", frequently enough to keep that amount of soil moist (but let the top about 6" dry out between waterings to reduce soil-borne fungal infections from setting in), but not wet. The "deep watering" philosophy has been modified recently, as citrus feeder roots only extend about 18" below the surface of the soil, so watering any more deeply that that is simply a waste of water. This is UC Riverside's current teachings from classes I attended last winter (Tome Shea and Dr. Tracy Khan). I just use one of those cheap green plastic covered stakes, and periodically check my trees to make sure they are moist enough, deep enough. Now, the only exception to this would be areas with high salts in their soils (near the coast). In this case, an occasional very deep watering to help leach out salts that can build up in the soils is helpful. I find I do not need to do that with my citrus, but I DO need to do that with my avocados, as I'm only about 6-7 miles from the coast. Questions & Answers to Citrus Management: http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/files/140618.pdf Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: UC IPM: Diseases & Disorders of Citrus Leaves & Twigs

Plant roots behave differently within the confines of a container than they do when planted in the soil. You CAN use a deeper container, as long as the potting medium is very porous. John is describing, correctly, how plant roots develop when properly planted outside. As soon as the roots hit the sides of a container however, they'll seek 'accomodations' elsewhere...and DOWN is a good direction to go as long as roots have access to oxygen. That, by the way, is a primary reason why root systems in the ground stay close to the surface...oxygen. Evapotranspiration is the term for the combined loss of water from plant surfaces (transpiration occurs from leaves) PLUS evaporation from the soil surface. In the case of clay containers, evaporation occurs from the top of the planting medium as well as through sides of the containers. Evaporative cooling can occur, but it has never been anything that I've been concerned about...at least not any more than other containers. Conductive cooling can be a problem for plants, as well. Taking care of the root systems of our containerized plants can be something to think about for sensitive plants, whether grown in plastic (or other non porous material) or clay. I much prefer to use clay pots, as I feel that the benefits of oxygen infusion and moisture evaporation far exceeds any issues with evaporative cooling. Of course, I am speaking from the south! The benefits of evaporative cooling are very important in the long hot days and nights of a spring/summer/fall. Speaking of cool temperatures...that's just one more reason to be patient about your plant's recovery. Though you've used a good fertilizer, plants are slow to absorb and utilize elements when it's cold. In a native soil system, dissolved nutrients remain locked in the soil and aren't even available to uptake until it warms up.

I live about 30 minutes north of San Francisco where the winters are short. Our first frost is typically in December and our last frost is on average sometime in February, I fertilize my in-ground citrus about 4 times per year with Rhododendron fertilizer. The first is at the end of the February in preparation for the first growth flush in March. Then I fertilize them twice in the summer (usually May and August). In the fall, I hold off fertilizing in preparation for the cold weather to return. I don't want to induce a growth flush in November. I perform one winter fertilization, typically in December, when it is consistently cold. In my experience, the leaves suffer some yellowing during the winter in the absence of this single winter fertilization. This does not induce growth, but keeps the leaves a nice dark, green color. In the past, I didn't perform this winter fertilization. Since adopting winter fertilization I have noticed no other difference in the behavior of the citrus. It doesn't affect the timing of any growth flush. The 3-6 year old trees get about a cup of fertilizer each time (including the winter) spread evenly in about a 5 foot radius. The older trees get 1.5-2 cups in a larger radius. -Brett

Thanks for your response Silica. My plans are to transplant the two older Meyers into slightly larger pots and transplant the two newer trees into their pots which gets me to my other questions on growth, pruning and feeding. After the Foliage pro and Citrusgain the older trees growth took off, but they did not flower with the exception of one which within the past several weeks produced two. So I guess my question is did I over fertilize or are the lack of blooms from something else. Since the branches and leaves took off so, should or could they be pruned back to better control their shape. These are photos taken on 6-1-17 before they were fertilized and on 10-9-17 in their current state. 2,3,4,and 5 are the Lisbon. 1 & 8 1st Meyer. 6 & 7 the 2nd Meyer. Some of the growth seemed as if it might be wild shoots I am not sure. How would I go about pruning and how could I determine between what is good or bad growth. Questions for new plants in next post. Thanks for your time, response and advice on my tree issues.