If you have the in ground location, they will do better and easier than in a container. Al

No contest

In ground is superior.

Steve

This post was edited by poncirusguy on Mon, Dec 8, 14 at 11:08

Steve is correct, conditionally. You don't say where you live. Can you tell us where you live? Usually zone 9B shouldn't present any problems. You just need to address any drainage issues in the ground, and then water & fertilize appropriately, provide plenty of sun, and manage pests appropriately. Although most citrus cultivars will do okay in container culture, in the ground is the natural place a tree likes to be planted, so that's pretty much a given :-)

Patty S.

It seems like there is definitely a consensus. Thanks Al, Steve, and Patty for the quick responses!

Patty - I live in Henderson, NV and am the same person who made the "bathtub" for my poor Eureka lemon. I think I have the potted citrus thing down at this point (though maybe I'll be proved wrong in the future), and am trying to gauge what plants I should try to put in the ground. I'm trying for round 2 of planting in ground this spring and hopefully will do it correctly this time. I'm actually thinking of doing something I conceptually think of as an "inverted bathtub" which I sketched below (pardon my artistic skills). I would set it up as a raised mound and it seems like water would should channel away from the roots. However, maybe this isn't the best setup.

Zach

Here's the thing about amending your soil, Zach, even in a raised mound - the tree's roots will choose the path of least resistance. You would end up with a tree that has very superficial roots growing in all that nice mulch/quick draining soil. Truly, you are better off simply using your native soil as a mound. You can top with something with high(er) nutrients, such as a couple of bags of GroMulch if you like, so the nutrients percolate down to the feeder roots, like Mother Nature does. But, you need to get out of the mentality that you need to change your soil. Native soil is best, just take into consideration for better drainage.

Also, you can add your location in your "Zone" line, like I have done, so we remember where you are. Zone 9B can encompass an awful large part of the world, and not all zone 9B areas are the same. And, for us in the Western USA, USDA zones are somewhat worthless. Better to use your Sunset zone, which I have right behind my USDA zone :-)

Patty S.

This post was edited by hoosierquilt on Tue, Dec 9, 14 at 10:35

Thanks Patty ... It's really nice to have folks look over ideas and let me know of the flaws before I actually try them out. I'll steer clear of changing my native soil, despite the temptation :). It seems as though something like the following diagram would be more appropriate. I'm wondering how high the raised mound should be to obtain good drainage? I tested my soil for drainage and unsurprisingly it is fairly slow (a little over a 1/2 inch drainage per hour in a 1 ft hole).

The Sunset zones are pretty neat and I was unaware that they even existed until now. It looks like I'm officially in zone 11 although zone 13 is very close by. In the descriptions, zone 13 seems closer to what I've noticed for the past few years I've been here, although I certainly see aspects of both.

Zach