Pint-size citrus; gardeners everywhere can find room for these dwarf trees - Garden and Outdoor Living

Sunset, Dec, 2003 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

RELATED ARTICLE: Planting in containers

Pot size: Choose a container at least 18 inches in diameter. Or start with a smaller pot (at least 12 inches wide) and transplant the tree into a larger pot in a year or two.

Soil: Use a high-quality potting mix. If the pot won't be watered by an automatically controlled drip-irrigation system, add soil polymers (such as Broadleaf P4) to the potting mix. As the soil dries out, polymers offer an extra supply of moisture to the roots, helping to prevent the tree from becoming moisture stressed between waterings.

Repotting: If the soil starts drying out quickly and the roots are compacted, you'll need to pull the plant from its container, prune the roots, and repot the tree. Vigorous trees such as 'Lisbon' lemon or 'Oroblanco' may need repotting after 3 to 5 years; very small trees (kumquats, for instance) may go twice as long.

RELATED ARTICLE: Growing citrus in cold climates

You'll get the best fruit production if the tree is grown outdoors in summer and brought indoors before the first frost in fall. Move the tree to a greenhouse or cool, bright location, such as a sunroom.

Supply humidity: Place the pot on a tray of wet pebbles or run a small humidifier nearby.

Watering: Be careful not to overwater the soil. Don't allow the pot to stand in water.