Oh, I should add that price isn't my number one factor, quality is. That said, brighterblooms.com tree is 4-6 ft tall and 3-4 ft wide. They have a free shipping promotion now, so it would end up cheapter than lemoncitrustree.com. And lemoncitrustree.com website looks a bit shady to me anyways.

Meagan (your name is spelled just like my daughter's!), you might want to check www.gardenwatchdog.com on all of these names. I think you leave off the "www", but enter in the rest of the URL for the company name. You'll see some less than stellar comments. The owner of this outfit did post to our forum a while back, defending themselves, and blaming one of the companies they contract with. But, it is sort of a "Caveat Emptor" issue I think. Four Winds is a highly respected grower, they use semi-dwarfing rootstock, and their trees are excellent. That anyone can tell you on this forum.

Patty S.

For a container Meyer I would say buy it from Four Winds; the quality and reputation and customer care are excellent.
I have bought a lot of their trees as gifts for family and friends; if you buy their best tree, you should get fruit in a year or two.

My philosophy of trees is start with the best you can find; it will be with you for many years.. sort of like buttoning your shirt... if you get it wrong at the start, it doesn't matter how careful you are after that. And, no, I am not a sales agent for Four Winds; but they are one of the original creators of the Improved Meyer Lemon.

The original virus-free clone of the Improved Meter Lemon (IML), from which all current IMLs are derived, was discovered by Don Dillon of Four Winds Growers back in the 50's. The University of California Riverside certified it as virus-free and released it to the general public in the 1970's, and the rest is history.

You can't go wrong by purchasing your Meyer from the original & premier grower of the IML (and many other dwarf citrus).

Tim

I would stick with four winds and save some money and at the same time get some excellent trees. The other three websites seem to be the same but with different names. The trees are pretty pricey as well. Four winds has every citrus tree you can think of (not all but alot) and they are the best in the business.

Well... I have dived into the world of citrus. I have ordered a 3-year old Improved Meyer and a Moro Blood Orange from Four Winds! Lord help me and those citrus trees.

So, I am trying to figure out what to do as far as the planting medium. I see recommendations for gritty mix, 5-1-1, Als mix, etc. I will probably need to work with what I can get. So I do have on hand coconut husks/chips (both fine and medium) that I have for orchids. I also have vermiculite and peat moss. So do you think a mixture of Miracle grow cactus/citrus with vermiculite, peatmoss and coconut husks would drain efficiently enough for citrus?

I guess I'm more thrifty. My Myer was purchased at Home Depot a few years ago for around $25, and it's producing lots of delicious lemons. The biggest problem I have is snails.

I'm surprised citrus trees are still being shipped out of state (CA).

Here is a link that might be useful: My myer lemon tree

If Im not mistaken I think certain companies can still ship out of state. Their stock has to be certified virus free. Im not sure but I think thats how it goes. And once they get into any state they are first quarantined and checked for pest/disease. And not every state has citrus regulations. The few I can think of are Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California. Im not really sure how it works though.

Megan that mix sounds good enough but Im sure the pros will have better advice for you. As long as the mix can drain well and is Ph neutral or acidic you should be OK. I know how you feel though. Im the same way as I work with what I have available...hehehe

Hi Meagan,
I just wanted to weigh in on this one - congratulations for buying from Four Winds. Prior to this January, I'd only purchased citrus from FW and had great experiences with them, but then it was my birthday, and on a whim I thought it would be great to have a big improved Meyer Lemon, so I ordered one from meyerlemontree.com and in my impulsive buying mode, added a Key Lime too. Oy. Terrible mistake. Zero communication from the company - not even a confirmation of my order! The short story is that the trees finally showed up, with no advance warning, and consequently spent the night on my doorstep. I'm in Seattle, so it wasn't a freezing night, but still, I'm sure it did them no good. When I opened the boxes, both trees looked awful.The lime immediately dropped all leaves and most of the branches died until it resembled a stick. The Meyer fared only a little better. Dying branches, most leaves dead. I had to severely prune both, and hope for the best. Surprisingly, the Key Lime has come back and now looks good, although it's half the size it was originally. The Meyer is still struggling and is aesthetically challenged due to the pruning and the way it's starting to get some new growth. In comparison to my experience with Four Winds, who are so communicative, and ship trees so well, it was a nightmare, but a good lesson learned. I'll never make the same mistake again, and I hope others don't either. You definitely made the right choice, I hope you're loving your new trees!
Westgirl

I'm someone with less experience, but when I started, I used the Miracle Gro Citrus/cactus with coconut husks, it was too moist ( fungus gnats and yellow leaves, but you could say I watered too often...even though I thought I was letting it dry between waterings). I'll just say I don't think the mix needs any more peat or vermiculite, because they both have the potential to hold more water, not less. Maybe add a fair amount of perlite...? I'll defer to the more experienced but no, I personally would not add peat or vermiculite.

Thanks for all the imput. I need every bit. Maybe some perlite wouldn't hurt. I was thinking I could also add in some diatamaceous earth (napa floor dry).

The Meyer lemon and Moro blood orange arrived from Four Winds. They both look really good! Now I am thinking I should have ordered a lime tree as well!
Will a 3-year old tree blossom and set a few fruit?