Hi Jerry, Are you near Aurora? Is that how you found Schaefers? Did you ever shop at Jamacan Gardens..there's one in Morton Grove and another in Libertyville. They both sell citrus and a million other tropicals.. 12.99 is a good price, especially compared to many other citrus nurseries around. My brother bought me a small citrus 2 yrs ago, (don't know name of nursery) up north for about the same price, but it's only 1-1 1 1/2' tall..It has baby lemons growing though..I imagine it's a dwarf. I should check if it's the same nursery cause Schafer sounds familiar, even though I've never been to one..As far as Lowe's, there aren't any nearby, not here, sw of Chicago. I think most are up north and west. Thats too bad about your Kumquat..I feel they're one of the easist citrus to grow..and fruit often. You're doggie was a bad girl, huh? LOL..nibbling on fruit..shame on her. I've never had luck w/4winds citrus. I admit, I ordered from them some time ago, but what they sent were 2 bare-root citrus that were super small. They didn't last more than a few months..they didn't look well upon arrival, but perhaps 4Winds are now sending better looking trees. Meyer's seem to be ever-flowering and fruiting..I grow all my citrus about the same way..as much light as possible, well-draining soil, citrus fertilizer, a summer outside. In winter they're kept on the cool side..in other words, a room that is semi-heated..No heating vents. South windows, w/some west. Artificial light at night. Before bringing plants indoors I spray foliage w/Fish Emulsion..it prevents scale and since it's sold as an organic fertilizer, used as a last foliar feeding. While plants are indoors in winter, mine are misted daily. Better yet, if managable size, taken to sink and hosed or showered..No fertilizer in winter.. Since you're in Il, you know humiidty decreases once the heat is turned on..Buy a humidifer..they work fantastic, Jerry. And like I stated above, humidity is also the reason I mist foliage..If your tree is small, you can also place a humidity tray under pot..Place stones/rocks on a larger saucer and keep filled w/water..don't let water touch roots though... To check if soil is moist or dry use the finger method..stick finger in soil as deep as it goes..if it comes out dry, then it's time for a drink..if your finger comes out wet then wait a few days and recheck. Or you can test by lifting pot..dry soil ='s a light weight pot..if heavy it's still moist/wet. I wait until soil looks crumbly before watering. One problem in winter is bugs. Do you use insecticides? I don't believe in using (most) chemicals so make up my own concoction for mites..But that's jumping the gun.. I believe you said your citrus are outside now, right? Keep out till temps are about 40F. Before bringing indoors, hose off thoroughly. You can either bring in gradually, to adapt to lower light conditions or all at once, as long as you have a bright window, and heat isn't yet turned on. Because of the change, a few yellow leaves are inevitable, just pluck them off. Anyway, Jerry, like I said, I grow all citrus the same way. The only citrus I've yet to get to fruit is my Orange Navel..I believe it needs longer summers, something we don't have here in IL. I can't keep a Buddha Hand either.. I planned on ordering another this spring, but w/the ban in Fl, the two places I order citrus from cannot ship..Briteleaf and Harriscitrus Their trees are fairly tall, bug-free, and inexpensive..15-20.00 per tree..Well, there's always next yr..hopefully by then the ban will be over. That darn canker has caused so much damage..u know? What is number 5? LOL You don't use Citrus fertilizer? I don't see any problem with it, and most here who grow citrus use some form of time-release citrus food. What type of Osmocote do you use? Does it contain nutrients like iron, mag, etc? Also, isn't Osmocote a form of time-release? I think I'd look into citrus food if I were you..though, Jerry, don't think I'm telling you what to do..okay? This is what I'd do w/my own citrus. I don't knowi if Hoffman has a website, but that's the brand I use..check it out when u have time. I also picked up a box of citrus food at Jamacan Gardens..Price wasn't bad. I'm sure Ebay sells citrus food, too. Are u going to buy the Eureka? Good luck Jerry..Toni

back on topic, could very well be the hard freezes we had this past winter. here around the Houston area we had several nights of mid 20's. my two young navel oranges planted in ground suffered frost damage, and lost tips to most of their branches, and this year did not produce any blooms. my potted meyer was safe inside the house with grow lights, flowered early spring and allowed produced 7 nice lemons, still have 2 on the tree right now. it flowered again about 4-5 weeks ago and have set quite a few small fruit(which i've already thinned out). i watered regularly during our drought this summer and fertilized weakly about once a month. you could construct a cheap pvc structure around your tree and cover with clear 6mil plastic sheeting. we got two nights of freezing temps already this winter. more freezes are predicted. over on the tropical fruits forum, some of the florida people growing mangos wrap christmas lights around their trees, or place a halogen lamp near the base of their trees and cover with a pvc structure. also seen a few using sprinklers all night, to create a thermal ice cover on their entire trees. i've also got potted mangos, papayas, and pineapples, some cacti and succulents, all must be protected one way or another, either bring them in, cover them, wrap them, etc.

I have a lot of containerized Citrus which like you, keep outside most of the year then protect over the colder months. I do grow both Meyer's and Key Lime. I would not say one is more fragile than the other or more or less productive but there are differences. Key Limes are more compact but much thornier compared to a lot of Citrus (though there is a thornless variety I believe). They are also somewhat more cold sensitive. Their tart flavor is unique in recipes, but I do prefer the Persian Lime (a bigger tree even when immature). A nice thing about the Meyer's is the incredible fragrance of flowers (not as intense on Key Limes). As a containerized grower, I do prefer the relatively dwarf Kumquats. They offer good to excellent cold resistance, are thornless and productive. There is even a lime X Kumquat hybrid. If do go with a Key Lime, just be sure to avoid frost it. Good luck!

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.