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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Q's about potted trees
« on: May 06, 2025, 04:58:41 PM »
Hi Gary,
Well, I have 176 trees in my greenhouse, comprising 83 different species, and they are ALL in pots.
The biggest thing, in my mind, is that you have a rapidly draining soil.
People have all sorts of formulas for that (the merits of which are widely discussed on the forum), but for my money, because I have so many trees (some of which are several inches across and have been in the same pots for over a decade), I use 2/3 raised bed/potting mix, and 1/3 Perlite. The thing that will kill potted trees the fastest is root rot.
I don't use any clay pots because they are too heavy if I need to move something, and if I have all the same type of pots it is easier to decide when to water.
That being said, to answer your questions -
1. I only use an overflow dish if the pot is sitting on something that I want to protect. When you water, you want a lot of water to come out the bottom. Then you know the entire pot is well-saturated, and if you have fast-draining soil, no need to worry about mud in the bottom of the pot. You can toss the water out of the dish after the pot is done draining.
2. Finger depth tells you nothing in a 25 gallon pot. It could be bone dry at finger depth and a puddle of mud at the bottom. I like plastic pots because I can just lift one side and tell if the soil is dry by the weight. If I get really curious about what is happening at the bottom, I use my "muddy stick" that I made. See the really terrible drawing below. I make them out of dowels. For that size pot they are 1/2 to 5/8 inch dowels and I cut the slot with a Dremel sanding drum. When you shove the stick down, potting mix does not go into the slot. When you reach the bottom of the pot, give the stick a little jiggle and twist, and pull it slowly out. Anything in the groove is from the bottom, or near the bottom, of the pot.
Cheers,
Carolyn

Well, I have 176 trees in my greenhouse, comprising 83 different species, and they are ALL in pots.
The biggest thing, in my mind, is that you have a rapidly draining soil.
People have all sorts of formulas for that (the merits of which are widely discussed on the forum), but for my money, because I have so many trees (some of which are several inches across and have been in the same pots for over a decade), I use 2/3 raised bed/potting mix, and 1/3 Perlite. The thing that will kill potted trees the fastest is root rot.
I don't use any clay pots because they are too heavy if I need to move something, and if I have all the same type of pots it is easier to decide when to water.
That being said, to answer your questions -
1. I only use an overflow dish if the pot is sitting on something that I want to protect. When you water, you want a lot of water to come out the bottom. Then you know the entire pot is well-saturated, and if you have fast-draining soil, no need to worry about mud in the bottom of the pot. You can toss the water out of the dish after the pot is done draining.
2. Finger depth tells you nothing in a 25 gallon pot. It could be bone dry at finger depth and a puddle of mud at the bottom. I like plastic pots because I can just lift one side and tell if the soil is dry by the weight. If I get really curious about what is happening at the bottom, I use my "muddy stick" that I made. See the really terrible drawing below. I make them out of dowels. For that size pot they are 1/2 to 5/8 inch dowels and I cut the slot with a Dremel sanding drum. When you shove the stick down, potting mix does not go into the slot. When you reach the bottom of the pot, give the stick a little jiggle and twist, and pull it slowly out. Anything in the groove is from the bottom, or near the bottom, of the pot.
Cheers,
Carolyn
