Wow John! Those are beautiful! That Caracara fruit must be pretty heavy on that branch.

I just potted a Caracara today. I hope I don't kill it. :)

You don't mulch your container trees?

When are you going to give that Meyer away? It's gorgeous!

Yes..I agree..John, very nice!

Not only are the trees nice, but so are the pots..I am sure that anyone would be pleased with a gift tree like one of those, even I:-)

Love the set up too. It will probably require more vigilance in the watering department, but well worth the time.

Mike

I'm not new to container growing; in my roof garden I have 7 roses, 3 kinds of chilis, 4 spices, 2 flowering trees, and even a dragonfruit. I am only new to citrus container growing. But of course I do live in the City of Eternal Springtime where you have to go out every morning with a big stick and beat your plants just to try to keep them under control. I also have decomposed volcanic soil for planting; it drains well, is pH 6; and costs me a dollar for 40 lbs.

Thanks for the compliments. The President's tree goes to his garden this week.

John those are really beautiful trees! What is the maximum temperature down there?

Kristopher

Maximum temperature??? I'm not sure. There are no houses here that have heating or air conditioning; some days you open the windows; some days you don't;; some days you wear a sweater; some days you don't. Plants here live in Paradise,... easy to be a gardener here.

Sounds like paradise for humans too :)

Kristopher

john i love your set up. here i think my trees would be cooked on a roof like yours, at least in summer.

my dream would be a green roof like this
http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/go-green/roofing-products/green-roofs-more-than-meets-the-eye/

it would help to keep the house cool in summer and a bit warmer in winter.

we just have to look in the structure of our house and see if it is strong enough to carry the extra weight

Here is a link that might be useful: green home

John, they all look quite happy. You must not get much wind there if you can put your containers right on the edge of your roof. It is not uncommon for me to come home after work to find a pot or two that has been tipped over by the wind.

How is your Meyer orchard doing, I saw the pictures in your old thread, but I'm not sure there's any need to resurrect it. Is the high density planting working well? I have read where they do this in New Zealand with tree spacing of as little as 3x6 ft. Then if necessary, they will thin the trees in years 6-7 after planting.

great job John. One of these days Ill have to find my way there. Looks and sounds like a great place to live and garden.

Mike

Here's a shot of my field trees at 30 months; they are planted about 8 by 9 feet 530 trees per acre.

Very lovely, John, thanks for sharing! Where, again in Guatemala are you, exactly? Sounds so lovely. How is the humidity in your area? That's what really seems to get to me as I get older. Having been born and raised in S. California near the beach, it really has never been very humid until these last few years. We are now routinely getting this crazy "monsoon weather". It is humidity from the Gulf of Mexico that gets pumped up our way when high pressure zones sit over Arizona or the eastern California desert. I just don't remember this kind of weather growing up as a kid. Yes, rarely we'd get a thunderstorm during the summer from this weather pattern, but it was really rare. Not an every summer sort of thing. Very different weather pattern now for us. Not so much liking that it is 55% to 75% humidity in the middle of the day. And, 85 degrees. Ugh.

Patty S.

Patty,

Most of my farms are in the South (Pacific) coastal plain, where it is hot and humid or humid and hot; especially during the rainy season from May to November. My rooftop terrace is in Guatemala City, which, like my garden in Antigua is known as the City of Eternal Springtime... the humidity and temperature are both lower in Guatemala and Antigua because they are at 5,000 feet elevation.

Ah, well that makes complete sense, then. It sounds so very lovely. That's some pretty significant elevation, John. You don't ever get snow up there, do you?

Patty S.

Snow???!! We are at 14 degrees from the Equator!... sometimes in the mountains in the NW of the country they get snow... it always makes headlines.... must be the global warming!

Impressive growth for only 30 months, I bet your trees hardly ever see temps below 55F. How many months from flowering does it take until the fruit are ready for harvest in your climate? I've seen papers that show vastly different lengths of time are necessary depending on the annual heat units of the growing area.

Here is a link that might be useful: Effect of Climate on Fruit Development

Great work, John, how nice to see your roof-top garden.
The new citrus are a great addition.

Josh