Lime in a pot

[andr0meda]

I have a Tahitian Lime in a large container. It dosn't do anything at all; any ideas how to fertilize a citrus in a pot without burninng its roots? Andr0

[Dwayne]

We (My wife, that is) have been growing citrus in pots for about 15 years now, and they are moody. My wife usually gets something for citrus plants and adds it. If we keep them inside all the time, they seldom do anything. After taking them out on the deck in the spring, they start setting buds and bloom and make fruit.

You might be located somewhere that you dont have to move it in and out. That being the case, I would try to find a place to plant it in the ground rather than a pot.

Hope this helps. Dwayne

[andr0meda]

Hmmm....this is the problem. I am in Australia, weather is good, etc. But the Lime is in a pot because it is a small patio created from the end of a driveway which I closed off with a fence; therefore no soil - pots only. The poor lime has to stay where it is, I am only trying to feed it but any pack of fertilizer only advises about trees in ground. Thanks for your help, Andr0

[Marcella Tracy Peek]

There is some good information on container growing at this site:

package of citrus/avocado fertilizer suggests 1/4 C four times a year. I sprinkle it around the soil and then mix it in using a little hand cultivator then I water well. The trees seem to be doing ok. Only a couple lemons so far - no limes yet on that tree but it's still pretty small.

marcella

[Loki]

il Mon, 27 Dec 2004 17:18:48 GMT, "andr0meda" ha scritto:

Well I'm in NZ and I have a lime in a pot. It has survived two frosty winters and a lousy summer so far. I use slow release fertilizers, like ozmacote and nitrophos or whatever takes my fancy. And liquid ones too. Nothing specifically for citrus but I suspect it needs some trace elements now. Since the leaves are not uniformly dark green. Magnesium I think it is but I have some epsom salts for that. I may even get a citrus feed. The liquid feeds are good as back up to whatever you mix in the soil.

The pot it's in is 42cm across at the top, and at least that deep. It gets lots of small limes, but these will drop off after cold weather, but usually enough is left. The first year I had it, it had millions, and dropped millions.

Anything is probably better than nothing.

[Fran]

Make sure all the soil in the pot is moist before you fertilise it and then it is better if you give it small doses a few times a year rather than a big feed all at one time.