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Citrus Container Gardening

Looking to find a good pot for my 3' tall dwarf Meyer lemon.

4 years ago

I bought a pot before I received the tree, and vastly overestimated the pots height. In short, I'm in need of a taller pot.

Where do you find containers for growing your citrus? I've tried amazon, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.

Any good recommendations for finding well-draining, relatively large, but not insanely expensive planters?

Most "tall" pots I find are not even half as large as I would need.

A lot of pots that are tall enough won't work because they're either self-watering or have no drainage wholes, so I'm worried about root rot.

I'm also worried about some of the pots I'm finding because they're just so massive.

I love the look of simple terra cotta pots, but I'm starting to open up my search due to utter desperation.

For background, the tree I purchased is about 3' tall and came in a 4"x4"x14" nursery pot (tall and skinny) from Brite Leaf in Florida. I live in DC (Zone 7b) so I want to repot asap to give the tree a chance to grow its roots in a new pot before bringing it in this winter.

Any help is appreciated!

Featured Answer

Denise Becker

4 years ago

Michael, I understand your frustration as I have been there done that many times. I suggest your using a 14" wide pot if you want your plant to get the best growth ASAP. I typically get mine at Walmart and get the cheapy plain type that comes with a drip pan attached. They are about $10-12 and you will need the bottom to protect your floors in the winter. They do carry the more decorative fake terra cotta as well which is pretty.

A 14" pot is definitely too wide, but your alternative is to manipulate the roots to fit into something smaller which may shock the roots for a short time. I did that with 3 trees that were in the same sized sleeves as yours almost a month ago and they are just showing new growth. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on pots so I went to the Dollar Tree and got cleaning buckets ($1 each) that were equal to 3 gallon pots. Yep, I am cheap and would not have any use for the pots after this batch so why spend a lot of money? The other 2 trees (same sized sleeves) I had were planted into 14" pots, with minimum manipulation of the roots, adapted much faster into the new soil and put out new growth within 2 weeks. I suggest your using a potting medium that has a lot of bark and perlite when using a 14" pot or 5 gallon bucket.

To avoid trees that come in a 4x4x13" sleeve, buy older and larger trees. Those typically come in 3 gallon containers and you'll get fruit sooner too.

Comments (8)

Julian H
4 years ago
Hey Michael congratulations on the new Meyer Lemon Tree. I actually purchased a Dwarf Cara Cara from Brite Leaf last November, I would recommend building a wooden planter 14”x14”x16.5” and it should set you up good for the first year.

Julian
US 897 Cara Cara Navel Orange · More Info
Michael O thanked Julian H
mindshift
4 years ago
Just because your lemon tree came in a tall, skinny pot does not mean that is the only shape it should ever be planted in. Even tap-rooted trees have the majority of their roots near the surface. Young trees produce long initial roots that are more for anchorage, and feeder roots emerge from the sides. The majority of trees have wide, not deep, root systems. I realize your tree will be in a pot, and the soil will be light and well-drained. Nonetheless, you will eventually need a wider than tall pot.

For right now, look for a pot that is 18-20" tall. That will give your plant more depth than its current pot. Large pots are heavy by themselves. Fill them with soil and they get really heavy. Add a growing plant and over time, as it grows, the plant and pot can become unmovable. Large pots are lighter when made of polypropylene plastic, polyurethane foam, fiberglass or resin. You can drill a hole in the bottom for drainage.
Michael O thanked mindshift
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Thank you! That's exactly the type of advice I was hoping to get... that maybe something I'm doing isn't right. Perhaps I could tell you about the rest of what I'm doing, and let me know if you think I'm doing something wrong! Since I brought the tree home, it was leaning to one side, and all the growth seems to be on that side too - leaving the other side "flat" (I tried to show this in another pic from a different angle). I read that you shouldn't stake trees, but rather encourage them to straighten out by turning the tree so that it grows towards the light. Well, I've had it turned to "encourage" it to straighten and grow towards the light pretty much since August, and I haven't noticed a difference. I've also been fertilizing every 3 months with the only citrus fertilizer I could find at my local Home Depot (picture attached) - but I've been breaking them in half (I was thinking that these were made to be put in the ground, where the nutrients would spread out over a larger area, so since mine was in such a small pot, I thought I should break it in half). I've been watering about 1/2 a gallon every week or 2 (I haven't been very systematic on when I water - I'm always worried that I'm over or under watering, but I don't know!)... some of the leaves are starting to turn a little yellow, and they have always been slightly curled. My mother suggested that I mist the leaves since it's inside, so I started doing that today. The tree produced lots of blossoms in the fall, and we now have 1 lemon growing as a result (which I heard that was normal for a tree this young, to only have 1 or 2 survive). It blossomed again a couple months ago, but none of them survived. There are 2 more buds getting ready to blossom now.
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Your tree looks lovely. How your plant will respond to your repotting will depend on what you do. If you bare root it into a completely different medium like 511, it may go into shock. If you just upgrade it into a larger pot, lightly loosen the roots and add fresh growing medium, I don't think your tree will drop too many fruits. Maybe none because your tree will be happier. It may even drop some fruit naturally in the future because it can't support them all. Fruit drop may occur when you put it outside and something triggers it to drop some more for whatever reason. Meyers bloom all year if the growing conditions are right. If you lose a few with the repotting, you may get more blooms later after it settles down. Don't put so much emphasis on keeping the fruit, but rather on the health of the tree. I would repot it now and let it settle into its new environment. Spring is almost here and soon you will put it outside. New blossoms will be sure to be forthcoming then. I repotted my 15 year old Meyer lemon 2 weeks ago. It was severely root bound and blooming as well. I pruned 2" of roots off the bottom and even removed some around the sides. It has shown no adverse side effects. I admit that I live in middle GA and did this when we had a 2 week warm spell. I have also been taking my tree in and out of the house for some sun and fresh air since the repotting.
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bklyn citrus (zone 7B)
4 years ago
a 2 gallon or 3 gallon paint bucket should suffice
bklyn citrus (zone 7B)
4 years ago
A 4" x 4" x 14" tree does not need a very big pot: A 3-1/2 gallon white paint bucket ($12)with holes drilled in it however you like(make your own rootmaker) is 10-1/2" deep and 12" in diameter, too large. A 2 gallon should be about right, and trim anything overly long. My condolences on getting a meyer.
Michael O thanked bklyn citrus (zone 7B)
bklyn citrus (zone 7B)
4 years ago
bklyn citrus (zone 7B)
4 years ago
I got this for a upgrade for a tree in a 2 gallon pot but seems a bit too big for me
mindshift
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Sorry, I had to do something else for a while. Your question was about where to find a taller pot. First, expect to pay more for a tall pot. You may end up paying $50 or more. My Home Depot had tall pots in the indoor plant section. Lowes has a good pot selection and they also have pots both outside and inside the store. Look at local nurseries to see what they have. There is a home decor store call At Home, and some of their stores have great selections of pots in multiple sizes and shapes. As for ordering online, search-engines look for every word used, so "20-inch tall pot" also brings up pots that are 20" across the top. Look for the shape you want, then double check the height before buying. This applies to Amazon, Wayfair, Overstock. Some sites have filters to narrow the search.

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