I will give you the link below. I encourage you to read Al's whole opening explanation to understand why he makes the mixes they way he does. But, here are the recipes quoted directly from that post: The 5:1:1 mix: 5 parts pine bark fines, dust - 3/8 (size is important 1 part sphagnum peat (not reed or sedge peat please) 1-2 parts perlite (coarse, if you can get it) garden lime (or gypsum in some cases) controlled release fertilizer (if preferred) Big batch: 2-3 cu ft pine bark fines 5 gallons peat 5 gallons perlite 2 cups dolomitic (garden) lime (or gypsum in some cases) 2 cups CRF (if preferred) Small batch: 3 gallons pine bark 1/2 gallon peat 1/2 gallon perlite 4 tbsp lime (or gypsum in some cases) 1/4 cup CRF (if preferred) I have seen advice that some highly organic (practically speaking - almost all container soils are highly organic) container soils are productive for up to 5 years or more. I disagree and will explain why if there is interest. Even if you were to substitute fir bark for pine bark in this recipe (and this recipe will long outlast any peat based soil) you should only expect a maximum of two to three years life before a repot is in order. Usually perennials, including trees (they're perennials too) should be repotted more frequently to insure they can grow at as close to their genetic potential within the limits of other cultural factors as possible. If a soil is desired that will retain structure for long periods, we need to look more to inorganic components. Some examples are crushed granite, fine stone, VERY coarse sand (see above - usually no smaller than BB size in containers, please), Haydite, lava rock (pumice), Turface, calcined DE, and others. For long term (especially woody) plantings and houseplants, I use a superb soil that is extremely durable and structurally sound. The basic mix is equal parts of screened pine bark, Turface, and crushed granite. The gritty mix: 1 part uncomposted screened pine or fir bark (1/8-1/4") 1 part screened Turface 1 part crushed Gran-I-Grit (grower size) or #2 cherrystone 1 Tbsp gypsum per gallon of soil (eliminate if your fertilizer has Ca) CRF (if desired) I use 1/8 -1/4 tsp Epsom salts (MgSO4) per gallon of fertilizer solution when I fertilize if the fertilizer does not contain Mg (check your fertilizer - if it is soluble, it is probable it does not contain Ca or Mg. If I am using my currently favored fertilizer (I use it on everything), Dyna-Gro's Foliage-Pro in the 9-3-6 formulation, and I don't use gypsum or Epsom salts in the fertilizer solution. Here is a link that might be useful: Container Soils - Water Movement and Retention XVIII This post was edited by Ohiofem on Thu, Mar 20, 14 at 16:39

First off your friend should have never sent you the tree from Florida. There is a ban on exporting citrus out of that state. Sure it happens all the time and i doubt its an issue spreading the diseases that have caused the ban to Illinois, but it would do us and the law no justice if we dont educate people of the law. I have heard of some rumors that nurseries are being able to ship out but for now its still the law. Ok, now for the tree. First thing Dont panic, meyers tend to get yellow leaves during the winter and will drop some. Your tree looks pretty good right now. Second get rid of the glass ball. You need to control the watering not something else. You are correct that they want to get a bit dry before watering again. You dont mention what kind of soil you used but it very important that it does drain well. Third, keep the roots warm, above 55-60 degrees if possible. It appears your tree gets good light. Good light equals the tree wanting to grow which means you need to keep it warm. I wont comment on the fertilizer because I have never used it but i will say the most container growers go with a water soluble type in a 3-1-2 ratio, and add minor elements, calcium and magnesium if the fertilizer does not contain them mike

I may be wrong about this, but I was told the flowers have to be pollinated in order to set fruit. I had a Meyer indoors that kept dropping blooms, and when I moved it outdoors, it started setting fruit. And indoors it was in a bright room with a huge east-facing window, and it thrived other than no fruit. That was years ago- these days my Meyer (the same dwarf tree I got 8 or 9 years ago!) is in a very large pot (about 36" across and 30" tall) on a dolly in my yard. If it's going to freeze or frost I roll it into my garage until it warms back up. I got a sturdy furniture dolly from Tractor Supply for $15 and it is a lifesaver! This was in central Georgia; I recently moved to the Florida Panhandle and have no concrete on which to roll the dolly, so it's now living next to my well house, I drape a tarp over it and the well house when it's going to frost/freeze. So far the warmth from the well house, water tank, and heat lamp in the well house has kept it fine. I get literally 100+ lemons per crop off this tree now, and the tree itself is maybe 3 feet tall by around 4 feet across. It often has mature fruit (HUGE lemons often as big as a baseball!), green growing fruit, blooms, and buds at the same time. About every 3 years (it starts doing poorly when it needs it) I pull it out of its pot, shake all the soil out of its roots, repot in fresh citrus potting mix, and pray I didn't kill it! I do it when the tree has no fruit on it, because doing it while there are blooms or fruit causes it to drop the blooms and fruit. I also only prune as needed to control unwanted growth. I just nip a branch or bud occasionally, never a lot at once. I thin the lemons it sets. I wait till they are marble-sized, then remove any that are scarred or misshapen. Then I remove some if it has what I decide are too many in one spot, because leaving too many on the tree results in smaller fruit, and I like BIG lemons! I fertilize pretty haphazardly- usually I toss a handful of 10-10-10 on it when I'm fertilizing something else. I have used "citrus fertilizer" as well. Finally- I have accidentally left it out in the freezing cold, and the result was it dropped all the leaves the frost killed. It also dropped all the blooms it had and buds that were forming. However, I took better care of it the rest of the winter and in the spring everything grew back. Meyers can be tricky to get the hang of, but are totally worth it!! I have fresh lemons 9 months out of the year most of the time, thanks to its habit of setting successive crops of fruit throughout the year if it's happy.

Well, the roots look pretty good, too I wonder about the brownish section in the middle, though. How do they smell? If they smell rotten, then the roots were too wet in that section, and you've got root rot going on. If so, you can rinse the roots with a 1:20 bleach to water solution very gently, prior to re-potting. I would try to re-pot and mix up something that is well draining. You can search the forum for "gritty mix" or "511 mix" for some good indoor potting medium recipes. I would water very well so the water runs out, and I would be fertilizing with every watering. I would use a water-soluble fertilizer that has as close to a 5-1-3 NPK ratio as you can find, along with all the micronutrients. I have no idea what "cross fertilization" means. And, I would try to find a fertilizer that uses a non-urea nitrogen source. If you look at DynaGro's Foliage Pro (can be purchased online at many different sources): http://www.dyna-gro.com/Website%20pdf%20Files/Foliage-Pro%20Sht%202014.pdf And, not a bad idea to supplement your water soluble fertilizing with a time release granular product. I prefer to use Osmocote Plus (must be the "Plus" formulation to get the right NPK ratio and all the micros). Since you're in Florida, I think it's not a bad idea to keep your citrus inside. Just to reduce the chances of contracting Citrus Greening disease. If you can keep your tree inside, and all psyllids outside, you're safe :-) Rotating the tree is a great idea, it sounds like it's getting lots of sun, so that's great. Lastly, watch for pests such as scale and spider mite, the two big bugaboos for indoor citrus, and treat accordingly (and repeatedly), if they pop up. Patty S.