On 13/1/08 20:51, in article ,
"Tom" wrote:

Sacha wrote:
On 13/1/08 17:17, in article , "Bob
Hobden" wrote:

"Tom" wrote ...
Hi, I've just bought one of these but the care instructions are in german,
french and spanish, and I can't find anything on the web.

It's a plant with citrus fruit.

I was told to
1) Keep it outdoors from Spring to October, then indoors for winter.
2) Water it once a month with feed every second month.

Does anyone know where the best place is in my flat to place it please? Do
they like direct sunlight? Is dry heat from radiators a problem? Do they
suffer from the cold?

Thanks for any help, I'm pretty new to this.

It's a hybrid between... Fortunella margarita & Citrus reticulata.
Best kept frost free but it does not require or want heat, the coldest room
in the house will do, provided it's light enough. We keep our citrus in a
plastic roofed garage over winter with no heat except anything that creeps
through the walls (and they are cavity insulated). I've noticed today more
flowers on the largest orange.
Water very sparingly in winter but once it's outside in a sunny spot then
water to keep the compost moist but never let it stand in water so don't use
a water tray or if you have to raise the pot up, just let the pot drain
through. All citrus are gross feeders so I feed every other watering with a
good flush through with clean water between.
If you repot, I always use ericaceous compost (with added drainage), whilst
citrus do not need such soil they do prefer it.

I'm endorsing every word you say, Bob. Following his 15 minutes of fame
with the lemons, Ray has received several letters. One was from a woman who
has a lemon tree that has fruit on it but keeps dropping its leaves. The
remaining leaves are turning black at the tips etc. She asked Ray for his
advice and so he rang her today. He said the most common cause of trouble
with such trees is keeping them too warm and over-watering them, not letting
them dry out between waterings. She insists that she doesn't over water it
BUT waters it every Friday and gives it a feed, too. Even now? asked Ray.
Yes, she said firmly. So he told her that our Meyer's lemon is in a cold
greenhouse, in the ground and hasn't been watered since late summer.
After all that she commented that she'd seen lemon trees growing in really
stony, poor soil abroad but persisted in her belief that she is not
over-watering her tree or keeping it too warm, so Ray gave up!
Our 'personal' Citrus medica is about 3' tall and has two huge fruits on it,
a 'Buddha's Hand' fell off a young plant the other day and is now
beautifully perfuming our hall and one of the young orange trees - about 4'
- is bearing around half a dozen fruits.

Hey, THANK YOU both, very much.

If I can just ask two more quick questions.

1) So it's ok to keep it outside during summer? Should I keep it in the
shade or direct sunlight?

Direct sun is fine. As you will have seen nobody advocates heavy watering.
Let it almost dry out between waterings and raise the pot so that it drains
well.

2) I've two choices on where to put it during winter (I live in a flat
so I'm limited)

a) The living room windowledge. South facing so maximum light, cool in
the day and at night but the central heating's on in the evening (20c).

b) The spare room windowledge. East facing so only has direct light
after about midday but still has daylight in the morning. I don't have
the heating on in this room so it's always very cool.

Thanks a lot, it's much appreciated.

Ray recommends a) BUT suggests putting a saucer of water beside it to
counteract the dryness of the CH and again DO NOT OVER WATER. His comment
is that it would suffer fluctuations of heat in its natural surroundings, in
soil, in the winters and summers, springs and autumns etc. but don't shut
the curtains and leave it to freeze on the window ledge, closed into its own
little cocoon of the cold radiator which is the window! b) would also be
fine but it won't get much light which it needs to kickstart new growth as
the days lengthen in its natural habitat, so you would have to move it into
the living room before it's safe to put it outside. I do apologise if I
appear to be shouting about the watering but it is impossible to
over-emphasise the importance of this.
If there is one thing that kills things more often and more quickly it's
over-watering and allowing them to stand in water. I love orchids as house
plants but can I keep them? I don't know what I do wrong but I'm a disaster
zone for them and I'm married to a nurseryman! In his defence - not mine -
I can only say we don't grow orchids here. Just as well with me on the
premises.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'