Hi, I have purchased a small lemon tree today, it was outdoors at a
gardening centre. The mrs is saying I need to bring it indoors into
the house cos it's from a hot country, it is currently in the
conservatory which is not heated. Does anyone please know if I
should indeed bring it inside? The instructions just said that it
could go outside in the summer, but nothing about overwintering
it...

Also i've filled up a recycle bin with compost to put veggies in and
grow indoors. Do you please know if I should drill drainage holes
in this and if so what can I use to collect the water that spills
out in terms of a tray... Seemed like a good idea at the time. It
has carrots and onions in. Many thanks.


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On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:04:08 -0600, aaahBisto
wrote:

Hi, I have purchased a small lemon tree today, it was outdoors at a
gardening centre. The mrs is saying I need to bring it indoors into
the house cos it's from a hot country, it is currently in the
conservatory which is not heated. Does anyone please know if I
should indeed bring it inside? The instructions just said that it
could go outside in the summer, but nothing about overwintering
it...


An unheated conservatory will be warm enough for a young lemon tree
unless the temperature drops and stays below freezing.

Steve

The message
from Stephen Wolstenholme contains these words:
On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:04:08 -0600, aaahBisto
wrote:

Hi, I have purchased a small lemon tree today, it was outdoors at a
gardening centre. The mrs is saying I need to bring it indoors into
the house cos it's from a hot country, it is currently in the
conservatory which is not heated. Does anyone please know if I
should indeed bring it inside? The instructions just said that it
could go outside in the summer, but nothing about overwintering
it...


An unheated conservatory will be warm enough for a young lemon tree
unless the temperature drops and stays below freezing.

In which case it might lose its leaves, but is unlikely to suffer any
permanent damage - unless the roots freeze for a significant period.

One of my friends used to live at a fair altitude in Sith Effrican
mountains, and his lemon tree was covered in snow for long periods
during the winter.

He says it fruited every year.

As for your tub, you should think about drainage, though if you have
aufficient depth between the roots and the bottom of the soil, it
probably won't matter if you don't waterlog the contents.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

thanks for your advice chaps.


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Posted with NewsLeecher v3.9 Beta 6
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"aaahBisto" wrote
Hi, I have purchased a small lemon tree today, it was outdoors at a
gardening centre. The mrs is saying I need to bring it indoors into
the house cos it's from a hot country, it is currently in the
conservatory which is not heated. Does anyone please know if I
should indeed bring it inside? The instructions just said that it
could go outside in the summer, but nothing about overwintering
it...

Also i've filled up a recycle bin with compost to put veggies in and
grow indoors. Do you please know if I should drill drainage holes
in this and if so what can I use to collect the water that spills
out in terms of a tray... Seemed like a good idea at the time. It
has carrots and onions in. Many thanks.


Cold conservatory..yes
Warm/hot house..certain death.
Your shout.

Keep the compost just damp never wet in cold weather.
Never let the roots sit in water, ever. Try not to use a water tray but if
you have to, raise the plant up on bricks so there is no chance of the pot
sitting in water even for a moment.
Get hold of some winter feed (They sell it in tubs) and use it.
Give it as much light as possible and if the weather turns warm sit it
outside in a S. facing spot against a wall bringing it back inside when it
turns cold again.
Ours are still outside.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

In article , says...

"aaahBisto" wrote
Hi, I have purchased a small lemon tree today, it was outdoors at a
gardening centre. The mrs is saying I need to bring it indoors into
the house cos it's from a hot country, it is currently in the
conservatory which is not heated. Does anyone please know if I
should indeed bring it inside? The instructions just said that it
could go outside in the summer, but nothing about overwintering
it...

Also i've filled up a recycle bin with compost to put veggies in and
grow indoors. Do you please know if I should drill drainage holes
in this and if so what can I use to collect the water that spills
out in terms of a tray... Seemed like a good idea at the time. It
has carrots and onions in. Many thanks.


Cold conservatory..yes
Warm/hot house..certain death.
Your shout.


Get hold of some winter feed (They sell it in tubs) and use it.

Are we talking Garden centre or is it a bit more specialized? my recently
rescued trees definately need a helping hand! (I think they may be
oranges as the leaves smell and taste more orange than lemon) Its the
flowers I am more interested in than the fruit.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

"Charlie Pridham" wrote

Get hold of some winter feed (They sell it in tubs) and use it.

Are we talking Garden centre or is it a bit more specialized? my recently
rescued trees definately need a helping hand! (I think they may be
oranges as the leaves smell and taste more orange than lemon) Its the
flowers I am more interested in than the fruit.

Yes, most GCs stock it, certainly if they sell Citrus they should.
The ones I prefer are by Chempak and are separate winter and summer feeds
which you change with the clocks...
http://www.gardendirect.co.uk/chempa...ter-feed-p-131

A dose of Sequestered Iron in the spring works wonders too.
--
Regards
Bob Hobden

On Mon, 3 Nov 2008 16:01:39 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:


"Charlie Pridham" wrote

Get hold of some winter feed (They sell it in tubs) and use it.

Are we talking Garden centre or is it a bit more specialized? my recently
rescued trees definately need a helping hand! (I think they may be
oranges as the leaves smell and taste more orange than lemon) Its the
flowers I am more interested in than the fruit.

Yes, most GCs stock it, certainly if they sell Citrus they should.
The ones I prefer are by Chempak and are separate winter and summer feeds
which you change with the clocks...
http://www.gardendirect.co.uk/chempa...ter-feed-p-131

A dose of Sequestered Iron in the spring works wonders too.

What are the ingredients of the winter and summer feeds?

Steve

Hi - in answer to your question - it is from a garden centre and
it's about 3 feet high with about ten lemons on it already.


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Web @ http://www.newsleecher.com/?usenet
------------------- ----- ---- -- -

The message
from aaahBisto contains these words:

Hi - in answer to your question - it is from a garden centre and
it's about 3 feet high with about ten lemons on it already.

In answer to whose question?

And, your sig-separator's broken.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

In article ,
Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Mon, 3 Nov 2008 16:01:39 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:
"Charlie Pridham" wrote

Get hold of some winter feed (They sell it in tubs) and use it.

Are we talking Garden centre or is it a bit more specialized? my recently
rescued trees definately need a helping hand! (I think they may be
oranges as the leaves smell and taste more orange than lemon) Its the
flowers I am more interested in than the fruit.

Yes, most GCs stock it, certainly if they sell Citrus they should.
The ones I prefer are by Chempak and are separate winter and summer feeds
which you change with the clocks...
http://www.gardendirect.co.uk/chempa...ter-feed-p-131

A dose of Sequestered Iron in the spring works wonders too.

What are the ingredients of the winter and summer feeds?

Well, doubtless there are some advantages, but most of those things
are more gimmick than necessity. Citrus are NOT a pernickety genus,
and grow well in a wide variety of soils and climates. And, in a
reasonable compost and moderate temperatures, why do they need any
winter feed?

My orange used to flower regularly without such treatment (and I had
a lemon that did the same). My kaffir lime doesn't, but I grow it
for the foliage anyway. The compost is 50/50 garden compost (which
includes ALL kitchen waste) and my sandy soil (60% sand, 18% silt,
22% clay), and I feed with Miracle Grow when I remember (in summer
only). Usually Ericaceous, but not always :-)

I am not claiming to be an expert, but merely pointing out that
the solution is probably NOT in the use of fancy feeds.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
says...
In article ,
Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Mon, 3 Nov 2008 16:01:39 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:
"Charlie Pridham" wrote

Get hold of some winter feed (They sell it in tubs) and use it.

Are we talking Garden centre or is it a bit more specialized? my recently
rescued trees definately need a helping hand! (I think they may be
oranges as the leaves smell and taste more orange than lemon) Its the
flowers I am more interested in than the fruit.

Yes, most GCs stock it, certainly if they sell Citrus they should.
The ones I prefer are by Chempak and are separate winter and summer feeds
which you change with the clocks...
http://www.gardendirect.co.uk/chempa...ter-feed-p-131

A dose of Sequestered Iron in the spring works wonders too.

What are the ingredients of the winter and summer feeds?

Well, doubtless there are some advantages, but most of those things
are more gimmick than necessity. Citrus are NOT a pernickety genus,
and grow well in a wide variety of soils and climates. And, in a
reasonable compost and moderate temperatures, why do they need any
winter feed?

My orange used to flower regularly without such treatment (and I had
a lemon that did the same). My kaffir lime doesn't, but I grow it
for the foliage anyway. The compost is 50/50 garden compost (which
includes ALL kitchen waste) and my sandy soil (60% sand, 18% silt,
22% clay), and I feed with Miracle Grow when I remember (in summer
only). Usually Ericaceous, but not always :-)

I am not claiming to be an expert, but merely pointing out that
the solution is probably NOT in the use of fancy feeds.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

All good points, my problem is that I do not know what they are growing
in (and they are too large to consider repotting) they are not looking
that brilliant because they have been out doors with no care or attention
for at least 10 years and were found under a large montana clematis when
it was cut down, so I am keen to get them back into leaf all over and to
make the leaves I have got green all over instead of green with yellow
patches! Once I have got them growing I can prune them back to some sort
of sensible shape.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

"Charlie Pridham" wrote
All good points, my problem is that I do not know what they are growing
in (and they are too large to consider repotting) they are not looking
that brilliant because they have been out doors with no care or attention
for at least 10 years and were found under a large montana clematis when
it was cut down, so I am keen to get them back into leaf all over and to
make the leaves I have got green all over instead of green with yellow
patches! Once I have got them growing I can prune them back to some sort
of sensible shape.

A dose of Sequestered Iron will help green up those leaves.
Can you check the soil in the pots for pH? They prefer acid soil although
it's not strictly necessary, and won't be if you water with soft water,
however if you use hard tapwater it would be best to use ericaceous compost
when repotting .
I understand the old Head Gardeners always repotted a sick looking citrus
into ericaceous compost.

A neighbour left his quite large Lemon tree outside all last winter, by
spring it looked virtually dead with most leaves dead or gone. When spring
came, after a light prune and a feed, it quickly came back into full leaf
and flowered. Tough plants.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

In article ,
Charlie Pridham wrote:

All good points, my problem is that I do not know what they are growing
in (and they are too large to consider repotting) they are not looking
that brilliant because they have been out doors with no care or attention
for at least 10 years and were found under a large montana clematis when
it was cut down, so I am keen to get them back into leaf all over and to
make the leaves I have got green all over instead of green with yellow
patches! Once I have got them growing I can prune them back to some sort
of sensible shape.

A reasonable strategy, provided that you are sure that the current
soil/compost isn't the problem! If it has become compacted or
clogged, that would need dealing with first.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from contains these words:
In article ,
Charlie Pridham wrote:

All good points, my problem is that I do not know what they are growing
in (and they are too large to consider repotting) they are not looking
that brilliant because they have been out doors with no care or attention
for at least 10 years and were found under a large montana clematis when
it was cut down, so I am keen to get them back into leaf all over and to
make the leaves I have got green all over instead of green with yellow
patches! Once I have got them growing I can prune them back to some sort
of sensible shape.

A reasonable strategy, provided that you are sure that the current
soil/compost isn't the problem! If it has become compacted or
clogged, that would need dealing with first.

I've got trained worms doing that for me.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig