Don't put any rocks in the bottom They actually slow down draining and increase the surface area that dirt to pot rot can develop. As for other concerns someone else will have to answer those questions. Ceramic is awful heavy and it breaks easily.

Steve

Meghan, Steve is correct - rocks in the bottom of the pot are a myth. They do not increase draininage. EB Stone's Citrus Fertilizer is great for in ground citrus, but most container citrus folks here on the forum prefer using something water soluble, such as Dyna Gro's Foliage Pro, as well as a time release product with as close a 5:1:3 ratio as possible. The potting mix will be crucial. You need something well-draining. I use a combination of a high quality cactus mix, small pine bark chips (I use a reptile bark you can purchase as Petco or Petsmart), and perlite, 3:1:1 ratio. You can also find great recipes for potting mix on this forum, search for "Gritty Mix" or "511 Mix". And Steve again makes a good point - although ceramic pots are great for container planting, they are awfully heavy. I use ceramic, but mine stay outside all year 'round. If I have to move my trees inside and outside, I would use resin pots. They last almost as long, and are a fraction of the weight. And temps in the 40's and 50's is just fine for citrus. I would keep them inside if your temps are going to drop below 40.

Patty S.

All of my supplies for gritty mix are on Amazon, and with Prime, they'll be here in two days! I also bought some Foliage Pro 9:3:6 concentrate. I love the Internet.

Thanks so much, Patty and Steve!

Any other thoughts? These are my two lovelies.

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This works great.

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About 300 holes 1/8 inch diameter worked well all summer. When I brought the trees inside I drilled about 400 holes around the lower 1/ 3 side so that the bottom soil would aerate and not rancid on me. Come summer I will use packing tape and cover side holes to hold water longer in the high heat and sun.

You don't have to use an ugly bucket. This can be done on any container, You trees are very nice looking. I hope they do well

Steve

Just an update on my plants:

I repotted both my clementine and Eureka lemon in the gritty mix. I didn't have quite enough to fill both pots, so I ended up mixing some cactus soil in with the clementine since I read that it tends to like a little more moisture than the Eureka. The gritty mix certainly is well-draining, and I lost a few leaves after letting the Eureka dry a bit too much by watering only once weekly.

I'm on an every-other-day watering schedule with the Eureka since it's getting full afternoon sun with temperatures in the 80s. The clementine is retaining a bit more moisture, so I'm only watering it weekly.

I fertilize using the 9:3:6 FoilagePro at half strength after flooding the pots, and they are thriving after only a month!

You just can't beat eureka and Lisbon lemons for the look. Stunning. Good job urban.

Brian

Your trees look so healthy. Guess Foliage Pro is a good way to go.

urban

the sooner you can remove the stakes the better. Allowing the trunks to sway strengthens them. If i have to stake mine after a repot I tie them loosely so the can move a little then remove it completely after the roots have grabbed the soil.