Should I re-repot my key lime tree?

[sparklemotion]

Back in April, I purchased a thornless key lime (citrus aurantifolia) from a garden center. It was in a 1 gallon pot, and I potted it up to a 1.5ish gallon pot with Miracle-Gro potting soil. I didn't bareroot it, but did the standard rough up the root ball thing.

I had planned for it to live as a houseplant in the winters (zone 4, outside in the sun in the summer).

Then, I got into bonsai, and have learned a lot about soil composition and the like. I am not 100% sure that I want this to be a "bonsai", but even as a healthy houseplant, it could do with better draining soil.

I wouldn't say that it has grown vigorously, but it it has grown some this summer, and seems healthy. I have only done some light pruning of foliage, and pinched all the flowers and budding fruit but 1.

Can/should I partially/fully bareroot and plant it in bonsai-ish soil (I am thinking of Al Tapla's 5:1:1 mix) now? It's the right time of year, I think. The only thing that's holding me back is that it's already had one "insult" this summer.

What if I just slip pot it? Or just kind of shake it really hard to get the loose stuff off before putting the root ?

Regardless, it would stay in a relatively deep pot.

 

[GGB]

As a fellow cold zone citrus grower I find my keylimes like a shallow pot Best. It's easier to keep them from rotting in winter because they do enjoy a highly organic mix. I know that doesn't answer most of your question but you mentioned a deep pot

 

[GSCarlson]

I have two 2-year old key limes. I was planning on pruning the tops and roots when I bring them inside in late September. I am going to use a well draining mix, 80/20 Nappa and potting soil, just to avoid overwatering in the winter.

 

[sorce]

How bout you sparkle some of that motion over the "upload image" button!

Welcome to Crazy!

I kept an orange from seed for about 4 years indoors.
Under regular fluorescent for 16hrs.

Rocking a lemon now.

They are fun as hell!

Cool it's flowering already! If it's not a graft!

Sorce

 

[GGB]

@sorce grapefruit, keylime , and most sweet oranges will be somewhat true to seed if sprouted. I once had an 8" tall grapefruit that flowered, it was somewhere between 18 months and 2 years old. It was short for it's age because I kept it at work in a small pot and treated it poorly. But moral is.. they can take a lot and can really surprise you sometimes

 

[GGB]

Also, food for thought... when I mix coconut coir into my citrus soil the roots go insane. Growth that far exceeds the "tree" portion of the plant. I've heard that trees left to grow in coconut husk "too long" will go downhill. I've stopped using it to be safe but it deserves more research for sure

 

[sparklemotion]

I would bet it's a graft, since it was flowering when I bought it. I'm not really sure what to look for for graft/no graft.

Thanks for the advice about shallower pots -- I might switch it out for the bowl that the pot is sitting in this picture... good idea? bad idea? Regardless, I think I'm gonna go for the "aggressive slip pot" tomorrow (if I get the soil mixed). I'm going to go with the 5:1:1 mix (5 parts pine bark, 1 part sphagnum peat, 1 part perlite)



Here's the chosen fruit (cropping this pic has made me realize that there's totally another one trying to sneak in there...grr).




And the whole tree.

 

[Stickroot]

I would bet it's a graft, since it was flowering when I bought it. I'm not really sure what to look for for graft/no graft.

Thanks for the advice about shallower pots -- I might switch it out for the bowl that the pot is sitting in this picture... good idea? bad idea? Regardless, I think I'm gonna go for the "aggressive slip pot" tomorrow (if I get the soil mixed). I'm going to go with the 5:1:1 mix (5 parts pine bark, 1 part sphagnum peat, 1 part perlite)

View attachment 157576

Here's the chosen fruit (cropping this pic has made me realize that there's totally another one trying to sneak in there...grr).

View attachment 157577


And the whole tree.
View attachment 157578

Wow! You are using Root trapper!?! I guess the secret is out and the patent is up for grabs.
Such a great product.

I would put the Key Lime in some root trapper if you have some.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Tropicals pot most any month of year. Personally have Blood Orange and Honey Tangerine seedlings several years of age in Wee Tree Bonsai mix about 50% non organic 50% organic doing GREAT. At 20 and 27 years neither has ever bloomed. Never been in shallow pot. Currently am using 60/70% non and 30/40% organic for non conifers.

 

[sparklemotion]

Wow! You are using Root trapper!?! I guess the secret is out and the patent is up for grabs.
Such a great product.

Not a Root Trapper -- an Air Pot. I saw them mentioned on another forum as an upgrade to the colander form of air-pruning. And for whatever reason they weren't all that much more expensive than pond baskets at the local hydroponics place, so I splurged. They are a bit too ugly for a houseplant, imho, so the key lime will need to put up with the ceramic straight-jacket.

 

[M. Frary]

Pie?
Did someone mention pie?