Glad you found the FP - the neem oil I use happens to be packaged by Dyna-Gro, too. I hope you find it locally. It works outdoors, too. Just remember there's no immediate knockdown - unless you mix it with rubbing alcohol. It's a pretty good prophylactic fungicide as well.

I hope you get that 'spontaneous irrational impulsiveness' under control, or it might be YOU in the shed. ;o)

Al

Al-
Thanks for the neem info, very helpful.
How would you compare/contrast neem vs a horticultural oil approved for summer use (ultrafine or parafinic).
Last fall I prepped my plants (that were going to the basement with lights) with 2 rounds of Ced-a-Flora brand cedar oil. I still battled pests in the winter, especially mealy bugs.

Kyle

I think I'd reach for the neem before the perfect oils, or I might even experiment with combining them, though I would feel comfortable applying neem at 2 week intervals, but not the PO. You'll get some of the suffocating properties of the PO with neem, along with the other benefits mentioned above .... as long as the azadirachtin levels haven't been compromised by the extraction process.

Al

Granbury:

While flowering/fruiting would be nice, just keeping them alive would be fine. This will be their first winter.

Options:

1) Sunporch- they would get sunlight for about 6 hours. Night temps are cool but not freezing. I was thinking a heat pad for the soil and a supplemental grow light. Drawback: they would near a heat vent, but the heat is not very powerful in that room. Space is also at a premium by the window.

2) Basement- No heat in the basement. Cooler than sunporch, but again, not freezing.

a) Set them up under growlights and pads.

b) Just put them in a dark corner and leave them alone until spring.

I know not what to do.

:(

Sunporch sounds heavenly. Just deflect the air from the heat vent, with a piece of cardboard, for example, so that the hot dry air doesn't blow directly on the plants. Even if there is not enough direct sun for all the plants, you probably have a lot of bright light which should be adequate at those low temperatures. I wouldn't think that you would need a heat pad for the soil.
I grow mine at the windows of a walkout basement which runs about 60 to 65 degrees (they are happier at the lower temperature). The last few winters I have been watering every 1 1/2 to 2 weeks instead of every week and have found they are "happier" - less leaf drop. The most difficult time for me, and them, is just before they go out in the Spring. This causes me to set them out on the early side in direct sunlight and sets them back for a month or two. They are in extra heavy 22" clay pots and, all things considered, this is the best I can do for them. They have adapted.
Cath

I am with Cath on this....Took the words right out of my mouth..

If you use a heat pad, then you should consider providing at least 14 hours of sunlight to compliment the roots in action..

Mike..:-)

LOL Al: I am doing my best to stay away from plant sales at least until I figure everyone's winter quarters out.

Jacklord: this will be my first winter too, so any advice I might give is the blind leading the blind or to be more PC, the newbie leading the newbie. That said, I would be all over the sun porch as long as you can deflect the heat. See above for preparing them with virgin neem oil so you wont have pest problems and forget about the heating pad and grow lights, maybe just a shop light with a "cool daylight" bulb for any that don't get enough light from the window.

I read that in California where they have citrus orchards, the nights get down to 32 regularly in winter and the trees are fine, so if your porch doesn't freeze you may not have to do anything else besides water when the soil gets dry using the wooden dowel test (correct me if I am wrong guys). I think if you can just monitor things very closely the first year you will be able to tell if the plants are happy or not and go from there.

I am in the same zone as you and last year with the really cold winter and several nights in the teens, my in ground Improved Meyer Lemon and Mexican Lime died to the ground (despite my covering them with Christmas lights and blankets), but they came back, so I know they can handle some cold - although it will be a year before these two are back to the size that they were before.

Thanks folks.

If I wanted a hands-off approach, could I just set them somewhere in the basement and leave them alone?

Nikki

Where did you find the Foliage Pro and the Neem oil? I was unable to find FP in Fort Worth and shipping is pretty high. I go through Granbury now and then so if there is a place that has it there I will stop on my next trip to pick some up.

Thanks
Kim

Jacklord, I have read where some people say they have done that successfully but I wouldn't go that hands off on your first year especially if you are worried about the chance of losing a plant. My parents went "hands off" many years ago with my pet hamster when I was at boarding school, put him in the basement with a few water bottles, a salt lick and a food dispenser...didn't end well.

Hi Kim, I found this retail store on the Dyna gro site:

Hydro-Expo
2929 Altamere Blvd, Unit A
Fort Worth, TX 76116

Phone: 817-377-4600

but they have yet to return a call and I haven't had time to drive out there. There are several stores listed in Dallas too. Go to: http://www.dyna-gro.com/ and click on dyna-gro dealers then click on Texas for a list.

I got impatient and ordered from Dyna gro directly. 10% discount for mentioning garden web offsets the shipping cost a bit.

Nikki

I think their storefront burned down. I believe they are rebuilding. They will order for customers. I was hoping for a place to just go in and purchase. Thanks!

Kim

I procured Foliage Pro off of Ebay.

Jacklord,
The citrus overwinter without much work; no fertilizing until the end of January at least and they can easily go another month or so here. I use one of those indoor coil hoses. Mine is 50' and I stretch it like mad. If I had it to do over again, I'd get the 75' which also has a bigger diameter. They have adapters so can be used with both indoor and outdoor faucets. This has been a useful purchase for other things too, for example, we used it to wash the dog a few days ago.
I do flush the citrus with distilled water once in January (when they are starting to look weary), a gallon for 16" pots and up, a half gallon for smaller. I have a lot of limestone dissolved in my water and this gets rid of a lot of salts. Someday I may even do this twice a winter but that hasn't happened yet. The last few years I have been watering every 1 1/2 to 2 weeks and that's at about 60 degrees. If your sunporch is colder, you'll be doing less watering. I have the pots set on bricks which sit in galvanized feed pans so the water can run out of the pots but not on the floor and the plants don't sit in water.
Just curious - What is a guy who is trying to avoid work doing raising plants - indoors yet?
Cath

The info from the Florida citrus belt is that citrus will show significant damage when the temperature drops below 28* for more than 2 or 3 hours. With frost, even above 28*, you will probably see significant leaf damage and leaf drop. The lights I mentioned above will provide light and a significant amount of heat. Halogen lights generate a lot of heat. If you can build a plastic curtain on top and on three sides of your citrus tree inside the shed with the door replaced with a clear finish, the halogen lights might provide all of the heat you will normally need except for the coldest nights.

tsmith, thanks for the temperature specifics, I have been looking for that!

I have read this thread twice and I can't find where you mentioned lights. Which lights are you referring to? Are these lights in addition to or instead of the fluorescent shop cool day lights?

What does the plastic curtain do? Is is for heat/insulation or humidity control? Would you place the lights inside the curtain with the plants or between the curtain and the shed roof/walls?

Thanks
Nikki

Tsmith,

I was hoping you could give specifis on heat too.

At what temp will a tree start to suffer nutritional and growth problems while in a container if above ground?
For those in containers such as clay? And for those in plastic, black. Those in clay. I suppose the hot sun would over heat the roots to a harmful point if in black plastic?
If in clay, can they handle temps in clay if the temps outside are in the 90's if in full sun?
You get what I mean right?

It seems that when I get a stretch of very hot weather, my plants which are in clay, start to loose their dark green color no matter what I do.
But when the temps come back down into the 80's or lower and the nights cool, they return to a dark green once again after a few days..

I think many don't attribute heat and cold temps to nutritional defficiencies..

Thank very much..

Mike

Too hot, too cold, too moist, or too dry will impair Calcium (and Nitrogen) uptake, I believe.
In general, I'd say the optimum potted Citrus range is between 50 - 90 degrees F.

Josh

Just to mix things up a bit, I remember a thread (I believe it might of been on the citrus.forumup forum) which depicted how potted citrus were kept in a dark, cool European basement over the winter, and then brought outside for the summer. Supposedly, the trees did fine in the basement and suffered little leaf drop. Citrus leaf drop in the winter (when they are kept outside) predominantly occurs when the leaves are exposed to the sun, but the roots are too cool to transport water. I will try to find the thread when I have some time, but I really enjoy these concepts which question those things we take for granted.

-Brett

Brett-
Yes, those things were posted on forumup.
The European story mimics the experience I had in my garage stairwell last year.

Kyle

Just curious - What is a guy who is trying to avoid work doing raising plants - indoors yet?
Cath
------------------------------------------------------

LOL! Not trying to avoid anything. Simpy trying to ascertain the best way to get my plants through winter. Were benign negligence "the best", then so be it.

Newbie to this forum. A couple of weeks ago I purchased a Meyer Lemon seedling (?) from one of our local Lowes for $9 plus. Brought it home and set it on the picnic table where it gets full light and it is flourishing. Today I went with my husband to the same Lowes. While he checked out something else, I wandered back to the garden shop. Lo and behold, these same plants, along with Mexican Lime and some type of orange, were reduced to $1 each. Oh, I would have loved to have grabbed them all, but restrained myself. I bought one more Meyer Lemon and two of the Mexican Limes. May have to go back tomorrow and get a couple of the oranges. In fact, since we are considering buying a place in Florida after Christmas, maybe I should by the whole lot and give them a good start before starting my own mini orchard down there.

Now, what I'd like to know is how long does it usually take for the Meyer Lemon to produce fruit? They are only 7" - 12" tall right now so I assume it will be quite a long time. I've enjoyed reading all the information on this thread.

You can get them to flower within the first few weeks if a cutting from a mature plant.

Usually, any bought grafted, such as the one you speak of at Lowes, will blossom as soon as you bring it home, already have blossomed, or on the next bloom cycle..Then comes the fruit at these ages..:-)

Mike

bcskye

I have the same trees, the orange is a washington navel. got mine back in april and all three have flushed growth twice since. You might double check Florida's laws regarding bringing in citrus and other plants.

Thank you, mksmth. I forgot about the fact that Florida probably has laws against bringing them. Guess if we do move down there, I'll just have to gift them to my sister who could care less, or friends. I didn't get back to pick up a couple of the oranges today, but will try tomorrow. Your reports on the flushed growth you've experienced since April is very encouraging. I've learned a lot from this thread alone.

(smile) If I found citrus for $4, I would get impulsive, too. And $1? Who cares if there is any place to put them; I'd take them all.

If you have to add heat to an enclosed wooden shed, I suggest an electric oil filled radiator. They give a very steady even slow heat. When it is on, the heater feels hot, but you can put your hand on it, so there is a lot less fire danger.

I've JUST discovered this forum after attempting, often unsuccessfully, to overwinter Meyer lemons in Connecticut. My success rate (which was pretty poor) improved considerably after I read an article correlating winter leaf drop to light levels and soil temperatures. Apparently citrus root systems totally shut down when soil temps. drop to 55 deg. or below. In my sunroom, the cool floor area would drop the temp. down fairly low, especially in Jan. & Feb. Then, the very cold night would be followed by a very bright day, with lots of sun and high temps. in the sunroom. The roots would not be able to keep up with the evaporation rate, and to compensate, the plants dropped leaves. The study I read noted that leaf drop was minimal when plants were kept in cooler, shaded rooms since the transpiration rate from the leaves was significantly lower. By putting my citrus pots in a "hot box" where the pot only was kept warm with a thermostatically controlled light bulb, the leaf drop diminished considerably. Unfortunately I had been unaware (until now) of Al's "gritty mix", and I'm hoping that makes an improvement as well. Anyone know if chopped pine needles would substitute for the fines?

Hi Tanksalot...

I am thrilled you are learning how to avoid leaf drop...I have been saying this for a very long time although it took me years to get what you learned..Last year I didn't have any leaf drop one any...It felt good to see the leaves stay green all winter and pest free..

For me, pine needles I would not use.
Pine needles are high in a couple of substances known to inhibit growth of many plants, specifically known as methanol and terpenes...Over time these compounds will diminish, usually as the needles get older, that is usually when the smell of the pine is gone, but then too when this diminishes, the needles can break down very quickly, something you are trying to avoid in your mixes that you want to use, especially in containers.. Maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong..Al in particular would be the best judge on this one..

Mike

Mike:
Thanks for the response! I thought I had sent you an email through this forum, but maybe I messed up.

I saw that you're in Massachusetts. Are you saying in your response that, using Al's gritty mix, you've succeeded in overwintering Meyer lemons in New England without ANY leaf drop and without bottom heat? If so, that's TERRIFIC!! We're heading to San Jose, CA in two days to see the kids, and if the gritty mix will solve the leaf drop problem, I'll bring back a citrus forest! Probably look for pine fines as well. I'd much prefer not to use the bottom heat approach, but it's been all that I've found (until now) that works.
Even with bottom heat, I still lost quite a few leaves, but it wasn't as devastating as without the heat. They survived. I had been using Miracle Grow soil. Found the cactus/citrus mix and used that just recently. Still looking for fines.
Years ago, my father had given me a 5 foot citrus that grew from seed in our back yard. He kept it in the sunny front room at our home every winter and took it outside in the summer. Despite my best efforts it died. Now I'm thinking that my father used a good-draining sandy soil for the tree, and when I transplanted it and "treated" it to Miracle Grow potting soil, I was sealing its' fate.
I had gotten that tree 20 years ago, so there have been lots of citrus leaves on our floors over the years.
Other than the gritty mix, do you do anything else to overwinter your citrus successfully?

Mike:
I just started to email someone on this site and noted that somehow there's an ancient email address of mine as the return address. If you've responded (probably to that address) I didn't get the response. I just changed the setup.

Stan

Tanksalot: Good day...

It is TERRIFIC...It was the first time in years of growing citrus, since intorduced to the 5.1.1 and gritty mixes that I could keep one going longer than one winter...Make sure you invest in wooden dowels until you get use to watering in the mixes..

It is so easy to get ALL the supplies you need to make this gritty mix around here....

I too use to use the bottom heat approach..Then I had to leave the supplemental lights on for at least 16 hours in order to avoid leaf drop.. I was also fighting pests all winter, especially on the new soft growth...HORRIBLLE..The C&S soil was killer of many of my plants..

I will look through my e-mails to make sure I didn't miss yours..

Enjoy this wonderful sunny day...

tanksalot, I hate to comment at the end of a long post since you probably have most, if not all, the info you need. But just in case, the citrus.forumup Forums discusses WLD and prevention quite a bit. It sounds like you already understand the relationship between soil temps, light and WLD. If you are applying some heat to your soil such that soil temps are above 60 degrees and still seeing leaf drop, can you adjust your light with blinds, a sheet, (or anything to filter the direct sunlight)?

Mike hasn't yet answered your question, but I doubt the gritty mix will help solve any WLD issues. I have no doubt the 511 helped his plants greatly to survive the winter. And there are lots of great benefits of the mix, but IME the gritty mix has been significantly more prone to lower soil temps. It's likely the increased aeration and less water holding capacity (in the macropores) is the reason. There is no perfect soil for all situations, but now that i understand this "weakness" (which is actually a benefit during hot summers), I know how to adapt.

Hi Cebury...Hope you are well...It has been slow around here lately..It was good to see you back..:-)

Stan: I sent you an e-mail for test.

Mike

Well with the scare of a cold front coming, I am finally getting my act together, yesterday I cut two 18" by 36" windows in the East facing doors of my 8' by 10'shed and installed Plexiglas.

I have treated all of my citrus with 2 rounds of Neem Oil, 10 days apart, they have been on the north side of the house for a few weeks and are looking pretty good. I will do one more round of Neem if I can before they go into the shed.

I just ordered an oil filled radiator on Amazon that has a GFI plug, thermostat and anti freeze mechanism. I plan to set it to kick on at 55 degrees, it takes an hour to heat up and should the power go out, it will still give off heat for a couple hours so I think that will be covered as far as preventing my babies from freezing to death. I have aired up my dolly's wheels and it's ready for a quick transport mission.

Questions:
With my 3 large bougainvillea hanging baskets taking up most of the headroom, I am not sure where I can put shop lights in, so I am considering making some more Plexiglas windows along the north wall...not sure if the extra light will be worth the loss of insulation there - any thoughts?

I have a small oscillating fan too, should I plan to just leave that running all the time or try to have it only kick on when the heat kicks on?

I am also thinking about draping the Christmas lights around the pots to keep the roots warm. Would that be overkill? I don't want to dry them out too quickly.

I suspect my biggest problem may be humidity (lack of it), given the short periods where the heat may actually be on for more than a couple consecutive hours, should I be concerned about that?

Thanks!

Now all I have to worry about is what to do with all the junk I have been hoarding in the shed!!!

Hi Grandbury!

Summer certainly flew by, didn't it?..:-((

You will probably get varying opinions on this but this is my .02$

I wouldn't worry about humidity since you will not be using the kind of heat most households have..I would think that living in your zone, you may be able even able to open doors to that shed on days over 40..
I have many trees in rooms that recieve no humidity at all. In these rooms and those at my job do just as well as those in my humid plant room at home.

The fans is a great idea. You can keep stagnet air moving, in the helping of preventing molds and fungus, and in the aid of fresh air..I know that pest's do not like moving cold air either..

You trees should be fine even if temps are maintained under the 50's since mine seem to do much better with the lack of sunlight at these temps, meaning less than 8 hours of it this time of year..Don't forget all the cloudy days ahead of us too..

I would not use anything at all to warm roots up..I LOVE the idea of a heater tghat will warm up if electricity should fail..That has always been my biggest concern..That is why all mine get pulled in from the pop up house when temps start to bottom out into the 20's on a consistant basis..

Unless I am on providing more than 8 hours of sunlight, I do not because this would be detrimental to my trees health..Lot's of falling leaves to start with, along with weak growth and infestaton of bugs..

I am sure there will be others who can expound on what I am saying or give many more ideas..

Good luck and pray form a short winter..

Mike..

Thanks Mike,
I am still trying to figure the optimal temp - given i have citrus, guava, bougainvillea and desert rose all sharing the shed. Maybe if I set it to kick on at and maintain 44 degrees? it takes a while to heat up and the bougies die at 40 so I cant risk it going below that. I'll let you know how the oil filled heater works out, i.e. how long it gives out heat after power is shut down. so far we haven't gotten below 40 which is a good thing because the heater just got here yesterday! Good idea about opening the shed doors during nice weather, its working beautifully so far!

bcskye
Lowes in Indiana had citrus? I need to look over their offerings closer.
What is this dowel test people have been mentioning?
Dan

This has been a very informative thread. If you are looking for citrus at Lowe's check in the most unusual places. The folks in Virginia (at Lowe's) have absolutely NO idea where to put citrus. I found lemon, lime and kumquat at 2 of our local Lowe's placed under shelving with marigolds in mid-July. The citrus had just arrived and the folks did not put them in any light. Of course within 2-3 weeks the plants looked dead and the garden center manager put them on the clearance rack.

If you live in an area where citrus do not usually grow - check under, over and around your Lowe's garden center because the citrus may just be in a closet in the dark somewhereâ¦â¦..or notâ¦â¦â¦â¦

Cheers,
DL

Grandburyflowergirl..YW..:-)

Please let me know how those heaters go..You know? I wonder if they make some sort of device that alerts you when your heat goes off from an outage or something while inside or asleep?

Hi DL...I hop-e you find something! Good to see you.

Dan....I will post a picture of wooden dowels if you do not find out what they are...Just go to HD or Lowe's and ask someone in the lumber dept. and they will direct you..I usually buy the ones that have about the same thickness of a pencil..Then I use a utility knife after I break them in half and sharpen both ends to points...

Mike

Mike
I should have asked how do you use them and read the results.
Dan

Hi Dan,
I have been doing this "dowel" test for many MANY years ans it really works well! In fact, my citrus have never looked better for this time of year, though I suspect it is a combo of things. I recently bought a HPS 600watt light for all my citrus, tropical fruits and tropicals. I have never had the kind of growth that I am seeing now! In fact my ORo Blanco grapefruits are flushing and the other is just LOADED with buds, not flower buds but new stem growth.
I do not use the dowels. I use whatever support"stick" I have. Most times, citrus trees will come with a support. Sometimes bamboo, sometimes just a thin green stick. What I do is push it down, all the way to the bottom of the pot. I do that as soon as I get it and then when I want to find out if they need water, I pull out the stick, and press it up against my cheek. Some peeople may grimace at the thought of soil on there face, but cmon, were gardeners! Anyhow, if you feel ANY MOISTURE, DO NOT WATER!! IF it is dry to the touch, then soak it, and your set till it needs watering again.
Like I said earlier, I have been doing this for many years now. I learned this technique from an orchid grower. Most people grow the epyphytes and root rot is lethal for orchids. In the past 6 or 7 years I have been doing this, I have learned that some plants like there soil to go bone dry and some like it to be slightly moist before they are watered. I really think it depends on the quality of your soil. If you use something like the gritty mix, then you can't make a mistake if you use the 'dowel method'. If your using a soil that is heavier, you must use caution as the roots can rot faster in winter because the soil is not drying out like it would if it were in the sun outdoors. this is how I lost my Dwarf Moro blood orange last winter.
What kind of soil are you using? I had a heck of a time making the gritty mix and I had to make sustitutions. What matters most is that you end up with a soil that is at least 90% dry within 2 days. I got very lucky this year. Since I had never used a 600 watt HPS before, I didn't know how hot the light was going to get. I actually am required to run a fan on the ballast! I noticed that when I have my heater set at 65 degrees, the room temp end up around 75. So I have a situation where not only do I have good light, but I also have good light.
I did find a huge drawback though. Because I am growing in these conditions, the bugs are also happy! I have had to all ready spray 4 times for scale, and now hopefully they will be all gone. Good luck and let us know how things go.
Andrew

Thanks Andrew
I am using a mix that's approx 1 part peat, 1 part perlite and 1 part compost (with a lot of sand in it). I assume the dowel test is a variation of what you are using with the support stick. With my beard, holding it to my cheek won't work, maybe if I hold it to my arm or forehead?
Dan

Peat, perlite, compost, and sand....you can almost guarrantee that the mix will be wet.
Unless the pot is small, I'd assume the lower portion of the mix to be wet for weeks.


Josh

I had hoped the perlite would work until I can gather the ingredients for Al's Gritty mix. I'll have to search harder. Thanks for the advice.
Dan

No, it won't work.
Even if you screened the Perlite well, it would still be like adding Perlite to pudding.
The drainage characteristics won't improve until the vast majority of the mix is Perlite.

In the meantime, try inserting a wick into the bottom drainage hole of your container.
The wick dangles from the bottom - not touching anything else - and "tricks" the water in
the container into "thinking" the pot is deeper than it is. Thus, the water seeks the new
bottom of the pot, and draws the excess from the lowest layers of soil.

Josh

Greenman:

You are so right on..It never worked for me in the past..I never knew why until I read some fascinating articles from a very knowledgeable man..

This is an excert from a wonderful thread.

RE: Container Soils - Water Movement & Retention XII clip this post email this post what is this?
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Posted by tapla z5b-6a MI (My Page) on Fri, Nov 19, 10 at 15:10

Todd - most of the people that participate on this thread are interested in improving on the results and minimizing the problems so often encountered when using peat-based commercially prepared soils; others are satisfied with the results they get from these soils and have no interest in changing anything, which is absolutely fine. I've been offered a good opportunity to explain something about the (lack of) efficacy in trying to amend heavy bagged soils by adding some perlite, so I'll expound a little, basing what I offer on science and my own practical experience.
Perlite doesn't change the drainage characteristics of a soil or the height of the PWT. To visualize this, think of how well a pot full of BBs would drain (perlite), then think of how poorly a pot full of pudding would drain (bagged soil). Even mixing the pudding and BBs together 1:1 in a third pot yields a mix that retains the drainage characteristics and PWT height of the pudding. It's only after the BBs become the largest fraction of the mix (60-75%) that drainage & PWT height begins to improve.

You cannot add coarse material to fine material and improve drainage & the ht of the PWT. Use the same example as above & replace the pudding with play sand or peat moss - same results. The benefit in adding perlite to heavy soils doesn't come from the fact that they drain better. The fine peat or pudding particles simply 'fill in' around the perlite, so drainage & the ht of the PWT remains the same. All perlite does in heavy soils is occupy space that would otherwise be full of water. Perlite simply reduces the amount of water a soil is capable of holding because it is not internally porous. IOW - all it does is take up space.

If you want to profit from a soil that offers superior drainage and aeration, you need to build it into the soil from the start, by ensuring that the soil is primarily comprised of particles much larger than those in peat/compost/coir, which is why the recipes I suggest as starting points all direct readers to START with the foremost fraction of the soil being large particles, to ensure excellent aeration. From there, if you choose, you can add an appropriate volume of finer particles to increase water retention. You do not have that option with a soil that is already extremely water-retentive right out of the bag.

Al

Thanks for posting that, Mike!
Perfect explanation.

Josh

myermike: you must not have any wind where that pop-up greenhouse is kept. Otherwise, it looks nice!

Newgen..How are you? Good to see you visit..

That pop up is exposed to some extreme wind actually..Some winds in excess of 50 miles per hour..I just make sure it is tied off very well and staked off to the ground secrurely..So far so good and thank you..

It is the snow I get concerned about which forces me to take it apart..:-(

Mike

Great thread - so glad I found this.
I have satsuma, meyer, baer lime, and an Australian navel orange (as well as an avocado, because I'm crazy like that. . .) on a covered, south-facing deck, which I'm just enclosing with plexiglas. In the meantime, I have lights and row cover over them on cold nights.

The deck will still have some open spots where the wall stops short of the floor, but gets pretty warm on sunny days. Nights can get in the twenties here occasionally, and rarely down to 18.

My citrus have put out some long, spindly branches and look a little anemic - this has been since summer, when they should have been happier. I wonder if the problem is pruning, light, or soil.

I've thought about grinding up some of my kitchen veggie waste and pouring it into the pots, making them sort of worm bins and adding more trace nutrients. Or would this tie up nitrogen? (Just read about "gritty mix", but don't see a reference to the ingredients. ?)

The deck is south facing, so gets a lot of sun, but not from overhead.

Any thoughts? Thanks for your knowledge, all y'all.

Hi Dimiessler: I have linked a few sites for you to help you out with all you need to know about soil mix, and how it works. There are dozens more all connected to what I agve you..

I would keep the food scraps and worm castings out of the pots..Just my 2cents worth..:-)

Happy growing:-)

Sindly growth can be from to little light, and or fertilizer and too litle light combined.
From you saying anemic, I would guess you give your plants little full sun, especially this time of year and no fertilizer?

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