The Tropical Fruit Forum

There is a reason that the Baboon Lemon is not used commercially.  t is a seed factory.  Keeping the lemon is up to you.  I would rather spend my time growing a worthwhile lemon cultivar.

rainman I cannot agree with your statement. "once peat is wet it stays wet".. As time goes by of course it DRYS out, and that is why one has to water again.

The answer is obvious.  You purchased the tree last year and have never fertilized it.   Purchase a fertilizer high in nitrogen and potassium and lower in phosphorous with the trace elements.  Fertilize the tree every third watering.  Your tree is WAY under nourished.

I planted a Sour Orange seed that I received from a Catholic Nun in a New Jersey Convent, and it fruited in its 8th year.  Now it produces more fruit then I can ever use.

you can use anything that kills thrip.  The new leaves require protection from the start of the leaf's life, until it becomes mature enough in order to deter leaf curl.

Actually, it is just two ingredients that causes root rot-----lack of oxygen and fungal infections.  Over watering and soil compaction eliminates oxygen from a medium.  Especially when a compacted soil is  over watered.

Sorry for your loss.

I am using plain peat moss, however MGGS works just as well.  Actually, I would have used MGGS instead of peat, but I was out of MGGS so I just used regular peat moss. My mix is now going on 2 years and works great.  You should not have any trouble with either mix.  About the roots, I would just watch it and presently would do nothing.

The reason that the perched water table did not last long in poncirusguy's containers, is because he sucks it out with a vacuum cleaner.

For a long time it was thought that adding rocks to the bottom of the container helped in drainage.  However, it is now known that adding rocks to the container's bottom raises the perched water table higher into the container,.

Most all coco distributors have already flushed the sodium out of the husks.  Coconut manufacturer's flush with calcium nitrate and water to rid the sodium.  Further, I totally agree with Citrange, that hard wood chips are much much better than husks.  I have used both wood chips and husks, wood chips last a lot longer.  Husks brake down into a texture similar to peat.  However, I have found that Turface MVP and Peat is far superiors as a medium for container citrus trees..

The wood chips, coarse perlite and potting soil make a good useable 5-1-1 blend.  I have many container trees growing in such a blend, and they are all doing fine.  Also, about a year and a half ago I planted a lime tree in a 20 gallon container using a 50/50 blend of Turface MVP and peat moss.  This blend was first invented by Lazz several years ago..  Over the year and a half that the tree has been growing in it  has been EXCEPTIONAL..  It is a great mix, and has not shown one single problem, not even any  compaction.  It drains just as good now as it did on its first day. I really appreciate  all of i its .benefits.  I would point out over the last year and half, it has not broken down at all.  A great blend that I heartily suggest. Amazing.