Stunted growth on seedlings question

[LemonBonsai]

Hello everybody. So my lemon seedlings took off and started growing really well. But ever since I transplanted them last sunday (august 2) their growth has been stunted. Here is a recent picture I took of them yesterday. Still very green and perky but just no growth. I have two pots. Both have 50% oil dri or turface and 50% perlite for soil. I fertilized one of the pots yesterday just to see if there was a difference in growth between the two and that didnt work. Still no growth or very extremely slow growth

 

[Shibui]

I think you may be expecting a bit much. Transplant usually interrupts growth for a while. 1 week may seem a long time to you but is nothing at all to a plant. Give them a couple of weeks at least to recover from the shift.

 

[Rivian]

Why did you mix perlite with turface for soil? Isnt that like growing your plants in 2 different colors of glass perls?

 

[LemonBonsai]

I think you may be expecting a bit much. Transplant usually interrupts growth for a while. 1 week may seem a long time to you but is nothing at all to a plant. Give them a couple of weeks at least to recover from the shift.

Ok i figured it was shocked because other then stunted growth they looked really healthy. I just didnt know how long they would be in the state, thankyou!

 

[LemonBonsai]

Why did you mix perlite with turface for soil? Isnt that like growing your plants in 2 different colors of glass perls?

The turface is mostly for weight since perlite would be to light of a medium for the seedlings. But I would also normally add 1:4 peat moss and/or compost to the mix. But i have had problems with diseases coming from organic soils so I wanted to see how this soil would work.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Your seedlings are not really "standing still". They are growing roots. That they look so healthy is a good thing. Expect the seedlings to take upwards of a month to establish new root systems before they resume growth. Do not get impatient.

You seem to have them in sun, this is good, citrus need sun, full sun in Canada. Keep them outdoors until temperatures begin to fall below 5 C at night.

Your growth may be a little slower in all inorganic, mineral media mixes than in "organic" mixes. But for bonsai purposes this is good. Slower growth means shorter internodes. Shorter internodes means more design possibilities for the future bonsai tree. Also, inorganic media tends to have fewer disease issues. So your choice makes sense to me.

Don't "over-do" the fertilizer, there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing". Excess fertilizer will cause trouble. Keep your fertilizer applications dilute, or less than the maximum strength suggested on the label.

 

[LemonBonsai]

Your seedlings are not really "standing still". They are growing roots. That they look so healthy is a good thing. Expect the seedlings to take upwards of a month to establish new root systems before they resume growth. Do not get impatient.

You seem to have them in sun, this is good, citrus need sun, full sun in Canada. Keep them outdoors until temperatures begin to fall below 5 C at night.

Your growth may be a little slower in all inorganic, mineral media mixes than in "organic" mixes. But for bonsai purposes this is good. Slower growth means shorter internodes. Shorter internodes means more design possibilities for the future bonsai tree. Also, inorganic media tends to have fewer disease issues. So your choice makes sense to me.

Don't "over-do" the fertilizer, there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing". Excess fertilizer will cause trouble. Keep your fertilizer applications dilute, or less than the maximum strength suggested on the label.

Ah I see ok I have no problem being patient I was just making sure I wasnt doing sometjing wrong.

Yes they get around 8 to 9 hours of direct sun a day on a really sunny day of course. And I use half of the recomended dosage of what the fertilizer calls for. Thanks for the tips and reply!

 

[PA_Penjing]

The above comments are correct, most likely, in that they are re-eastbalishing.
I've grown a lot of types of citrus, never for bonsai. Us cold climate guys have a lot working against us so we have to try to maximize summer growth. Something I've learnd over the years is that there is a perfect ratio of organic to inorganic soil components. I have found that a lot of my citrus hated being in very open inorganic soil. I try to repot in spring just so I can get the most out of the few hot months I have. Then in winter I try to keep the plant "still". Which I have actually read isn't the best, since they don't typically have dormant periods. But unless you have a great grow light situation the winter growth will look like hell

 

[LemonBonsai]

The above comments are correct, most likely, in that they are re-eastbalishing.
I've grown a lot of types of citrus, never for bonsai. Us cold climate guys have a lot working against us so we have to try to maximize summer growth. Something I've learnd over the years is that there is a perfect ratio of organic to inorganic soil components. I have found that a lot of my citrus hated being in very open inorganic soil. I try to repot in spring just so I can get the most out of the few hot months I have. Then in winter I try to keep the plant "still". Which I have actually read isn't the best, since they don't typically have dormant periods. But unless you have a great grow light situation the winter growth will look like hell

I do have a few 400$ grow lights so we will see if that works while they arr inside over the winter.

 

[PA_Penjing]

Oh damn! well then you don't need my advice for winter haha. You could have a pretty cool colection of tropicals. The best part about lemons is they are pretty much pest free this far north, at least they have been for me