Regardless of where you purchased your trees, from on line / internet garden sites and plant stores or at a local nursery, your baby plants should be potted up in their new homes as soon as possible.

Some basics to know prior to planting your dwarf citrus trees:

Temperature: Citrus plants thrive in temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees

Placement: Citrus light and need sun, but not too much. Outside they prefer southern or western exposure; inside you should place them near a sunny window or under “grow lights“.

Soil: Citrus trees and plants need an acidic soil. Some signs that your soil is off include leaves turning yellow, indicating that the soil needs more acid.

Maintain the acidity of the soil by dissolving 1/2 teaspoon of magnesium sulfate (aka: epsom salt) into 1 quart water. Use this formula once every 2-3 months. Also, every 3 months, feed your citrus trees with an acidic fertilizer.

Watering: Citrus trees like water so keep the soil moist, but not saturated. Test the wetness of the soil by poking down into it with your finger about 3 inches. If the soil is dry tothat depth, water the tree.

Pot Size: Matters! To save on excessive re-potting, start even small plants in a 10-15 gallon pot, this will accomodate a tree for growth up to 8 feet or so. Don’t go much bigger than that or your “dwarf” tree might grow larger than intended. Since citrus trees have shallow root systems, a wider pot will always be better than a deeper pot. Make sure the pot has good drainage.

Planting: Start by layering stones on the bottom of the pot – this will greatly aid drainage. Then use potting soil mixed with perlite*, being sure to cover only up to the top of the root ball, then finish with peat moss.

Re-Potting: Should be done every 3 years or so.

*Perlite: A light and porous substance that helps root development by allowing for better drainage. Natural volcanic rock that is heat expanded to increase soil porosity. Perlite provides aeration and drainage retaining and holding substantial amounts of water and later release it as needed, it is sterile and free from diseases. Encourages strong root development. Has a neutral pH

*Peat Moss. : An additive to improve soil texture. Increases water-holding capacity. Provides natural organic matter to help improve all soils. A soil conditioner used to loosen soil, add organic matter, and improve moisture retention. Enhances a soil’s ability to store and release nutrients. Can be mixed into potting soil to help reduce the impact of over watering.

My next post will talk more about growing citrus, especially dwarf citrus, trees on your patio in pots. We’ll cover ongoing care and pruning.

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Even though I live in a condo, I’m an avid gardener. I have my little front garden and my little back garden. This year I am concentrating on the back garden and patio.

I’ve always love the idea of planting trees. So I set out to find what sort of trees would make sense for my limited space. The answer: citrus trees. That idea really took root, so to speak. Citrus trees grow easily in containers, and while they do need to be taken indoors for the winter months, they emit the sweetest smells and add tender landscaping to your living areas.My next goal was to find out just what type of trees I wanted and of course, who had the best deal. I may be a gardener, but I’m also a bargain hunter. Plus I wanted quality plantings. I’ve had some bad experiences before, so I needed to do some citrus tree due diligence.Here’s some of the information I found about types of trees, quality of bulbs and plants, and naturally, guarantees:

Gurney’s Seed and Nursery offers a “dwarf citrus collection” which consists of 3 trees: lime, lemon and orange. The cost is about $40, which isn’t too bad as you can often also get discounts for spending at least $40 or other internet special incentives. Here’s the guarantee offered by Gurney’s – “We want you to be satisfied. If you’re not happy with one of our products, we’ll replace it, give you a credit or refund your money for the full amount of your purchase price. All nursery stock, trees and plants are guaranteed for as long as you garden. All seeds and merchandise are guaranteed for one full year.”

Henry Fields Seed and Nursery has a bunch of really exotic dwarf fruit trees. While I was sort of stuck on sticking with citrus, I’m already thinking about what I can add to my collection for next season: dwarf fig, dwarf pomegranate, dwarf banana, guava pineapple and even a coffee plant! I do love coffee… And, Henry Field’s Guarantee:“Henry Field wrote the guarantee we still honor today: “Your money’s worth or your money back.” If not completely satisfied, you will get new merchandise, a credit or a refund for the full purchase price–whichever you prefer. We honor this guarantee on plants and nursery stock for as long as you garden. Seeds and merchandise are guaranteed for one year.”

Spring Hill Nursey also had a citrus tree trio, which included dwarf Meyer Lemon, dwarf Navel Orange, and a dwarf Lime. Each costs about $19.99, but again with internet specials, first-time buyer specials and other incentives, you could probably get that price down. Spring Hill’s Lifetime Guarantee: “No-Risk Gardening for You – We guarantee all of our plants to be true to name and to reach you in perfect and healthy condition. If, for any reason, you aren’t pleased with any plant upon receipt, after planting or once it grows, just contact Spring Hill anytime–no time limit–for as long as you garden. No need to return any plant. We will refund every cent you paid for that plant or send a replacement without charge–whichever you prefer.”

Overall, I’ve got to say the choice was a hard one. But I knew I wanted and I just made a choice. Honestly, I could have gone with any of the above suppliers and gotten a great deal on the trees, a iron-clad guarantee, and beautiful plantings. I’ll keep everyone posted as to how my patio citrus trees progress. I know I won’t have fruit for a couple of years, but that’s ok because when my trees do bare fruit, I’ll know I raised them myself!

In my next post, I’ll talk about how to plant and cultivate patio citrus trees.

There are many options when it comes to discouraging unwanted animals in your garden. The 3 best ways to keep animals out of the garden are:

1. Fence them out
2. Scare them out
3. Smell them out

Keep in mind that since every garden is different, and the area surrounding your garden will have its own unique kinds of pests and vermin, you may have to try more than one of the following suggestions in order to find what type of animal repellant works best for your particular garden situation.

Fence them out

Fencing out unwanted animals can be a bit of work, but it is probably your best option in keeping your homegrown vegetables or garden flowers all to yourself. Also, once a fence is built, you need only maintain it and it can last many years.

Fencing suggestion: wire fencing, also called chicken wire, is your easiest and least expensive fencing option.

• Deer supposedly cannot jump any higher than 8 feet unless they have an uphill advantage. Install a fence that is at least 8 feet high – or  at least 6 feet high with a slope outward at a 45 degree angle. The bottom of the fence should be at ground level or below, to prevent deer from getting underneath. They’re wiley, those deer – and smart when it comes to getting free food from your garden buffet. You can also install an electric fence. An 8 foot high solid fence would block the deer’s view from seeing your garden (but they can still smell it).
• Rabbits don’t climb buy they can jump. Luckily, not that high. Rabbits are burrowing animals, but the burrows are rather shallow. Install a wire fence (chicken wire) that rises at least 3 feet high and extends a minimum of 10 inches underground. The 10 inches underground will deter rabbits from digging underneath the fence.
• Woodchucks(aka: groundhogs), like raccoons, are good climbers – but they also burrow. That’s what you call “multi-talented”. If you leave about 18 inches at the top of your fence unattached, it will be ”floppy”, and discourage woodchucks, groundhogs and raccoons from climbing over. Your fence should be a minimum of 4 feet high, and at least 10 inches straight down underground. NO EXTRA CHARGE HINT: Dig your fence trench at least 8 inches wide, then bend the fencing 8 inches forward, making an “L” shape. With the bottom “L” facing outward or away from the gardent, pin it securely to the ground. This is some added insurance to prevent the woodchuck (groundhog) from burrowing under the fence.

Scare them out

• Scarecrows: Fake owl or snakes, also know in gardening circles as “scarecrows”, will work for a while, but eventually animals will figure it out. Then they’ll just snicker as they make off with your lettuce, carrots and rutabagas.
• Beach balls, balloons, reflective mylar tape, pinwheels: Place objects in your garden that will move around as the wind blows. Movement like this scares the hay out of woodchucks (groundhogs) and the like.
• Visit your garden frequently: Woodchucks (groundhogs) are also easily frightened by humans.
• Motion-activated lights, alarms and sprinklers. No one likes that kind of surprise.

Smell them out

Animals depend on their sense of smell to determine what is safe to eat. Strong odors or undesirable scents will deter animals from your garden and encourage them to find another desirable location for food. Here are some of the odors you can actually buy and use to keep animals out of your garden.

Deer:

• Grate Ivory or Irish Spring soap, then sprinkle around your garden. Apparently deer don’t like “clean”.
• Coyote Urine - encircle your garden with it. Coyotes and deer are like oil and water.

Woodchucks (groundhogs):

• Fox Urine or Wolf Urine – encircle your garden with it. If it comes down to eat and be eaten, groundhogs will move on.

Rabbits:

• Collect human hair clippings or hair from your brushes and spread it around your garden. If you don’t have any hair, get some from your neighbor.
• Sprinkle Fox or Wolf Urine around the perimeter of your garden.
• Sprinkle dried blood meal, vinegar or hot pepper flakes around the perimeter of your garden.

For those living in apartments or condominium complexes, cats and dogs might be the pests you deal with. Cats often see gardens, even container gardens, as convenient litter boxes. Not so convenient for the gardener. Click here to see your options for keeping dogs and cats our of your garden.

Click here to let us know if you have a good method for keeping unwanted animals out of your garden. We would love to hear from you. For more information, visit our Pest Control page.

Click here to shop for animal repellants.