Seeking transplanting advice

[Beverly]

I have an Orange Jasmine (Murraya paniculata exotica) new seedling with just the first two leaves. This plant will become large (hopefully) and has a long tap root. I am thinking I should transplant it out of the seedling pot into the place where it will grow before the tap root gets too long and I'd like to do it now. But I am thinking maybe I should wait for the first two true leaves before I transplant? What to do? I haven't a clue. Here is a photo of the little darling as of today. Help would really be appreciated.

[JONA]

Hi Beverly,
It pays to wait until the seed leaves ( cotyledons ) have been outgrown by true leaves. Then transplant by holding the leaf and not the stem of your plant. Damage to the leaf it will tolerate....damage to the stem can be serious on a young plant.

[Beverly]

Thank you John! "cotyledons" thanks for that too, I am always forgetting the name of those first 2 leaves. I appreciate your reply. This is the first question I've asked at THG and wasn't confident that I would receive a reply. I was worried about the taproot, so I transplanted it this morning, taking advantage of perfect transplant conditions, I.e. humid, overcast, and warm. The taproot had just about reached the bottom of the seedling pot. The transplant was so effortless and quick, I doubt the seedling even noticed. I will protect it from direct sun for a few days. I hope it does well. Thank you for the tips. I'll keep them in mind for future transplants

[imafan26]

The murraya can be grown as a container plant that will keep it much smaller and it can even be made into a bonsai. In zone 11 it will be happy enough in the ground. It can become a shrub/tree up to 20 ft tall but can be pruned to be kept short. It is in the rutaceae or citrus family so you can grow it where other citrus trees grow well.

If you do plant it in the ground keep it around 25 ft from foundations, sidewalks, and underground utilities. Citrus trees seem benign but because they originate from areas that are drier, their roots are designed to go deep and seek out water to get them through the dry spells. They do not have a taproot, per se, but an extensive system of smaller roots that extend out.

I keep my citrus in pots to contain them and one of them has been in a pot now for almost 19 years and it is 5 ft tall. It is the only way I could get more citrus in my yard. In the ground they would take up too much space and block too much light. I have had a couple of escapees, but I make cuttings from them and then kill them off.

[Beverly]

Wow, imafan, your post was very informative and I thank you! I am growing it in a large tree-sized container and made the soil out of many ingredients to assure it would drain well. The reason I chose to grow it in a container is that the soil in the garden drains well close to the top of the plant but not down deep, so many of my plants in the garden soil drop dead from root rot after 3 rainy seasons (root rot and I suspect some evil nematodes). Now you have alerted me to a few more reasons why I'm happy this plant is in a container. My seedling does have what looks like a taproot; a large central fleshy white root completely straight down. But it looks like there are other roots starting to grow from the central one. Isn't that a taproot? Of course the plant is very young so maybe the roots start to spread out as it matures. I had read on the internet somewhere that there was a taproot, but don't remember if it was at a reliable source (there is so much misinformation floating around )

You have had the same plant in the same pot for 19 years without transplanting? That is so impressive. I am completely gobsmacked by that. Maybe if I hang out in the container gardening forum for awhile I will learn how you did that.