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Franco
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Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 9:21 pm
Location: New Jersey

Help with lemons

I just bought a lemon tree and I have no idea how to do this stuff so I just put it into potting sound with the right sized pot. it's about a foot tall and I used miracle grow, is that bad? what can I do to keep it alive and lush?

P.S. I know pretty much nothing at gardening so please be specific.

opabinia51
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Location: Victoria, BC

Well Grey would be the person to talk to regarding citrus trees but, what you want to do is give you tree the best soil that you can. Compost is great for trees, and it is free to make, but for now you can buy a bag of to add to the post or hole that you put your tree into. Well rotted manure mixed into your soil will make it that much better.

If you do put your tree in a pot, place some rocks over the holes of the pot to facilitate the draining of water that way your tree won't develop root rot.

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Grey
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Location: Summerville, GA, Zone 7a

Hey Franco -

Hopefully you have a HUGE pot later in mind for this tree - lemon trees get to be 10-20 feet tall - but you'll never want it to be taller than 12' (just prune). I know it's small right now though :)

Seems to me it takes about 3 years before you start getting lemons. Do you know what kind of lemon tree it is?

We do try to avoid synthetics like miracle grow. In Florida I know they fertilize about 3 times a year between November and April. I'd look at the organics thread and just keep a good compost pile going for it & apply it every once in a while when it's ready. :)

opabinia51
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There you go Franco!

If you need some help getting a comost pile going, check out the threads in the organic forum.

I personally have several compost piles and a worm bin outside my front door into which go all my kitchen wastes that are of plant or eggshell in nature. I start my worm bin off with leaves mixed with soaked cocoa bean hulls.

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Grey
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Outside your FRONT door, Opa? :shock:

Now you know. Anybody that visits Opa, immediately is aware there is an avid gardener living there. :lol:

opabinia51
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Oh yeah, right outside my front door. And people who pass by, don't even realize that it is what it is.

And you should see how wonderful that compost in there is! A nice earthy smell, teeming with worms, beetles and so on.

Newt
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Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 10:44 pm
Location: Maryland zone 7

Hi Franco,

You might find these helpful too.
https://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_trees_shrubs_fruit/article/0,1785,HGTV_3647_3367487,00.html
https://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/growing/containers.html



I'm off to Op's to see if I can sneak up to the front door and check out that compost pile!! :mrgreen:

Newt

opabinia51
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You are welcome to come by at any time. :wink: It's not actually a pile, it is a worm bin.

Newt
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Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 10:44 pm
Location: Maryland zone 7

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Op, you know what I'd love to find would be a hardiness zone map of Canada that would be easy to read. I have a couple of sites but I find them difficult to use.

Newt

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Grey
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I think I could put one by my back door, but not the front! :lol:

opabinia51
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We've kind of gone off topic here but, what the hey.

Havng mine out front works great, it's right by the kitchen so, it's easy to put the eggshells, melon rinds and all other non meat wastes into. Great stuff!

No bad smell, lots and lots of worms and I don't know how they got in there but, lots of other critters as well. Some ground beetles, springtails, mites and so on. Man, that soil is awsome!



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