Patty S.

looks like you have a young grafted meyer tree. be patience

2) Yes, your plant looks to be about 1 yr old. No, your pot isn't big enough for much future growth - but you may want to keep it small, for example if you live in a rental.

3) Potting soil isn't optimal for container-grown citrus. The Meyer will be much trickier to grow than in the ground. In the ground they're pretty much idiot-proof, at least in coastal CA. What's your Sunset zone?

4) Meyers bear when young - very young. Prolifically (they're bred to do so). Under optimum conditions they'll live 50-70 yrs, but most people (even when the Meyer's in the ground) don't feed them sufficiently. Meyers, like roses, are born hungry. They are voracious feeders and mine get regular feedings of citrus fertilizer, epsom salts, humic acid, and liquid iron.

5) They need regular deep watering; the soil should dry out between waterings; and container plants should be flushed regularly. They are a winter crop fruit and the season of major harvest is right now through early May. Mature plants (10+ yrs old) will give a smaller harvest year round.

HTH! MeyerMike here is the leading expert on container grown citrus. He has VERY healthy plants! Johnmerr is our only commercial Meyer grower, with a plantation down in Guatemala. Do a search and you'll pull up a lot of threads; Meyers account for around 40% of the traffic on this forum.

To be sure, post a picture of the trunk going into the potting mix.

Many low priced Meyer trees are rooted cuttings.

If you bought it in California, it is definitely grafted... leave it at the same soil level, but in a bigger pot with better medium... again, the container folks here will give you the best advice.

Depending on the rootstock...most likely semi-dwarfing; it should make flowers and fruits in about 2 years... maybe sooner.

Patty S.

Patty S.

And, if you had our climate... Yesterday we harvested half pound lemons from trees that were planted in August 2011; some will go to a big ice cream maker; others will go to Panama for market trials.
Next week we are sending lemons again to Berlin for the Fruit Logistica Show; Meyers were the star of the show last year, and interestingly the most novel thing was the fair participants walking around sucking on the peels... not bitter like Eurekas.

And, if you had our climate... Yesterday we harvested half pound lemons from trees that were planted in August 2011; some will go to a big ice cream maker; others will go to Panama for market trials.
Next week we are sending lemons again to Berlin for the Fruit Logistica Show; Meyers were the star of the show last year, and interestingly the most novel thing was the fair participants walking around sucking on the peels... not bitter like Eurekas.

Since you asked for a picture, here's one of my Meyer Lemon. I got it last April as a 1 year, grafted plant in a 4" pot from One Green World so it's less than 1 year older than yours. I potted it up(12" pot) with a 5-1-1 mixture combined with some Osmocote 19-6-12 slow release fertilizer and just let it go. Right now, it's on a second flush of blooms and one lemon just may stay on the plant (first time around, everything dropped).

What is this 5-1-1 mixture and Osmocote 19-6-12 and can I get this in Canada.I just purchased a meyers lemon tree this summer.it , I had lemons grow this summer , should i prune back the steam the lemons grew on there no leafs on it.

Thank you

Yeah! Looks like it's starting to grow again. I've never used cow manure in a potted plant and I'm hoping that by soil, you're talking about a well draining potting mix but depending on growth I think the pot size will do for a good while.
Maybe someone with a little more experience on Meyer lemons can chime in to give you another opinion.

When it comes to root-health, you must build aeration into your mix - that means durable, stable
ingredients with a fairly uniform particle size. Pine/Fir bark is a favored ingredient because it
is a relatively economical and durable "filler" that helps balance moisture retention between the
peat, perlite, or porous grit such as pumice, scoria, or turface.

5-1-1 is an exceptional soil, and requires LESS watering the larger the container is.
It is a common misconception that 5-1-1 needs to be constantly watered. And if you
happen to live in a terribly hot, dry location, simply tinker with the ratios to arrive
at the moisture retention and drying-interval you desire. For example, a 5-2-1 of bark:peat:perlite.

Josh

When you say woodchips, do you mean chipped up trees/branches?

Bark is the outside bark of a tree, not the sapwood. The inner wood, sapwood,
of a tree should be avoided. It decomposes rapidly, binds nitrogen, and loses structure
as it decomposes. There is also the potential for heat spikes during the decomposition.

Woodchips, dry leaves, pine needles, manure, coffee grounds....all of that stuff
is fantastic in the garden/raised bed, and that's where it works best.

Josh

Devin... I agree with Josh. Please consider what he is saying. He knows much about the 5-1-1 and how it works and how well your plants will do in it.

These mixes you are trying to use just aren't meant for containers and spell certain doom for your plant. I spent years trying these same types of mixes only to lose plants. Couldn't even keep one lousy tomato alive.

I now use 5-1-1 or gritty for everything. And my plants love it!!

you mentioned above that your roots are smaller. that may be due to the mixes you are using. No air, and too much moisture , they could be rotting.

You also mentioned wanting it to be organic. What is not organic about pine bark, peat moss and perlite. ? I'm not nit picking, but wanting to learn . I don't know much about organic, and to me the 5-1-1 does seem organic.

Your tree, if it is going to stay in a container, needs a free draining, aerated mix like the 5-1-1 or gritty. You need to be able to flush the soil regularly! This will remove salt build up and allow air in.

also, organic fertilizers, do not work very well in containers. They really need all the little goodies, and micro organisms found in the earth to make them work.

I'm including a link that explains all about the 5-1-1 and gritty . It's a lot to read but worth it!! I hope it helps.

There are many examples here of people using the 5-1-1 and how beautiful the plants do!

Makalu posted a beautiful tree above!!
Very nice makalu! I love the snow in the background!!

Also google Josh, here in Citrus or houseplant forum and MeyerMike.

I hope this all helps. :-)

No, that mix is not what I would call "good" for Citrus.
It has none of the properties of a good Citrus mix described in this Thread.
Off the shelf, options are limited. Fafard's offers a couple heavyweight mixes
that are very good, but not available in most parts of the country. The next closest
thing, and the most commonly available, would be a barky "Orchid Mix."

The fertilizer is adequate, but you will need to supplement the Calcium/Magnesium
most likely - unless the bottle specifically indicates those elements.

Josh

Josh

Devin

Now that the leaves are firmer, increase the light exposure.
Yes, you want light for good flowering and fruit-set. Just remember,
one beauty of a containerized plant is that you can control how much
light it receives; so move the plant if it reacts negatively.

Josh

Josh

Josh

Josh

Patty S.