The message
from am contains these words:

I would like to hear people's opinions on what compost to repot with,
as I have searched a few web sites and they all seem to recommend
something different!

Ah. This is the problem with websites - you just don't know how expert
the person is - a competently-constructed site doesn't always match the
accuracy of the information on it.

A forum like this is IMO much better, as a misleading statement is very
soon pounced on, and you can accept the consensus of opinion with a lot
more confidence - assuming there *IS* a consensus, of course.

It could be that citrus trees aren't too fussy about the soil, though
they are about watering.

sits back and waits for deluge of posts

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from contains these words:

I am not sure if mine have grafts either. Are citrus plants grafted or
not? Some posts here seem to suggest they are (like the orange that
grew a lemon) but other posts seem to contradict this. I looked at a
grapefruit in the garden centre and compared it with the leaves
growing on mine and the leaves seem the same. The leaves are almost
like two leaves in one: a figure 8 shape if you like. There is a small
leaf at the stem end out of which grows a much bigger leaf. So I am
hoping the leaves are of the same variety, which would imply no
grafting. If I am lucky enough to get fruit, may be then I will find
out.

A lot of citrus leaves are as you describe. I had some lime seedlings
with leaves like that, but none of last year's lemon ones is similar.

The type of fruit can usually be deduced by the flavour of the leaf. (I
'mislaid' a satsuma seedling amongst the lemons, and thought I'd found
it because its leaves were rounded at the ends rather than pointed. One
taste of a bit of leaf confirmed that I had found it.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...
The message
from contains these words:

snip

All this is fascinating :-)

However - how big a pot should I use?

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...
The message
from contains these words:

snip

All this is fascinating :-)

However - how big a pot should I use?

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...
The message
from contains these words:

snip

All this is fascinating :-)

However - how big a pot should I use?

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...
The message
from contains these words:

snip

All this is fascinating :-)

However - how big a pot should I use?

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...
The message
from contains these words:

snip

All this is fascinating :-)

However - how big a pot should I use?

In article , nospam@stepheno
rme.freeserve.co.uk.nospam writes
On Mon, 1 Mar 2004 18:55:56 -0000, "David W.E. Roberts"
wrote:


Is it O.K. to bang it directly into a large pot, or should I pot it on in
progressively larger pots?

ISTR that flowering plants do better if potted on only when pot bound.

However if the lemon was planted in a border then it would be in umpteen
squillion megalitres of soil (how big is the earth anyway?) and would grow
O.K.

I am only a beginner here, so I do not know the right answer, but I
think I have heard only to repot when pot-bound for greater growth.
However I do agree with your reasoning, that this does not happen in
nature so why should we have to do this?

The difference in nature is that the surrounding soil is full of roots
of other plants, worms, bugs and so on - in other words, there's a lot
of activity in there. In a pot, you have a heap of soil in which nothing
much is happening - more likely to get stagnant, waterlogged or
whatever. I don't know if this is the reason, but its the only reasoning
I could work out.

There is another effect, which is that plants have two methods or
increasing themselves - vegetatively (by growing large, or by throwing
out plantlets) or sexually, by producing flowers. Flowers are more
effort, so the tendency for many perennial plants is to emphasise
vegetative growth when there's plenty of space and food, and emphasise
flower growth when space and food is running out, and there may be a
need to cast seeds to colonise a new site. Therefore, many plants will
flower better if they are pot bound and not over-fed.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , email@stephenor
me.freeserve.co.uk writes

I am not sure if mine have grafts either. Are citrus plants grafted or
not? Some posts here seem to suggest they are (like the orange that
grew a lemon) but other posts seem to contradict this. I looked at a
grapefruit in the garden centre and compared it with the leaves
growing on mine and the leaves seem the same. The leaves are almost
like two leaves in one: a figure 8 shape if you like. There is a small
leaf at the stem end out of which grows a much bigger leaf. So I am
hoping the leaves are of the same variety, which would imply no
grafting. If I am lucky enough to get fruit, may be then I will find
out.

The leaves wouldn't tell you anything about whether there's a graft. The
idea of grafting is that you basically make use of the roots of what you
are grafting on, but you don't let it produce shoots and leaves,
otherwise the greater vigour of the rootstock means that it will take
over. So - the only leaves you get on a grafted plant will be those of
what you have grafted.

Unless, of course it has been neglected, in which case you may have
shoots coming up from the base with different leaves - this is what
happens with roses - you get suckers thrown from the base which have the
smaller leaflets of the dog rose or whatever has been used as a
rootstock. Let these grow, and eventually your rose will die off and
you'll be left with a flourishing dog rose.

You can see a graft because it leaves a lumpy part of the stem where the
graft has taken place, either low down, or, in the case of a weeping
standard, at the top of the upright stem.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , nospam@stepheno
rme.freeserve.co.uk.nospam writes
On Mon, 1 Mar 2004 18:55:56 -0000, "David W.E. Roberts"
wrote:


Is it O.K. to bang it directly into a large pot, or should I pot it on in
progressively larger pots?

ISTR that flowering plants do better if potted on only when pot bound.

However if the lemon was planted in a border then it would be in umpteen
squillion megalitres of soil (how big is the earth anyway?) and would grow
O.K.

I am only a beginner here, so I do not know the right answer, but I
think I have heard only to repot when pot-bound for greater growth.
However I do agree with your reasoning, that this does not happen in
nature so why should we have to do this?

The difference in nature is that the surrounding soil is full of roots
of other plants, worms, bugs and so on - in other words, there's a lot
of activity in there. In a pot, you have a heap of soil in which nothing
much is happening - more likely to get stagnant, waterlogged or
whatever. I don't know if this is the reason, but its the only reasoning
I could work out.

There is another effect, which is that plants have two methods or
increasing themselves - vegetatively (by growing large, or by throwing
out plantlets) or sexually, by producing flowers. Flowers are more
effort, so the tendency for many perennial plants is to emphasise
vegetative growth when there's plenty of space and food, and emphasise
flower growth when space and food is running out, and there may be a
need to cast seeds to colonise a new site. Therefore, many plants will
flower better if they are pot bound and not over-fed.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , email@stephenor
me.freeserve.co.uk writes

I am not sure if mine have grafts either. Are citrus plants grafted or
not? Some posts here seem to suggest they are (like the orange that
grew a lemon) but other posts seem to contradict this. I looked at a
grapefruit in the garden centre and compared it with the leaves
growing on mine and the leaves seem the same. The leaves are almost
like two leaves in one: a figure 8 shape if you like. There is a small
leaf at the stem end out of which grows a much bigger leaf. So I am
hoping the leaves are of the same variety, which would imply no
grafting. If I am lucky enough to get fruit, may be then I will find
out.

The leaves wouldn't tell you anything about whether there's a graft. The
idea of grafting is that you basically make use of the roots of what you
are grafting on, but you don't let it produce shoots and leaves,
otherwise the greater vigour of the rootstock means that it will take
over. So - the only leaves you get on a grafted plant will be those of
what you have grafted.

Unless, of course it has been neglected, in which case you may have
shoots coming up from the base with different leaves - this is what
happens with roses - you get suckers thrown from the base which have the
smaller leaflets of the dog rose or whatever has been used as a
rootstock. Let these grow, and eventually your rose will die off and
you'll be left with a flourishing dog rose.

You can see a graft because it leaves a lumpy part of the stem where the
graft has taken place, either low down, or, in the case of a weeping
standard, at the top of the upright stem.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , nospam@stepheno
rme.freeserve.co.uk.nospam writes
On Mon, 1 Mar 2004 18:55:56 -0000, "David W.E. Roberts"
wrote:


Is it O.K. to bang it directly into a large pot, or should I pot it on in
progressively larger pots?

ISTR that flowering plants do better if potted on only when pot bound.

However if the lemon was planted in a border then it would be in umpteen
squillion megalitres of soil (how big is the earth anyway?) and would grow
O.K.

I am only a beginner here, so I do not know the right answer, but I
think I have heard only to repot when pot-bound for greater growth.
However I do agree with your reasoning, that this does not happen in
nature so why should we have to do this?

The difference in nature is that the surrounding soil is full of roots
of other plants, worms, bugs and so on - in other words, there's a lot
of activity in there. In a pot, you have a heap of soil in which nothing
much is happening - more likely to get stagnant, waterlogged or
whatever. I don't know if this is the reason, but its the only reasoning
I could work out.

There is another effect, which is that plants have two methods or
increasing themselves - vegetatively (by growing large, or by throwing
out plantlets) or sexually, by producing flowers. Flowers are more
effort, so the tendency for many perennial plants is to emphasise
vegetative growth when there's plenty of space and food, and emphasise
flower growth when space and food is running out, and there may be a
need to cast seeds to colonise a new site. Therefore, many plants will
flower better if they are pot bound and not over-fed.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , email@stephenor
me.freeserve.co.uk writes

I am not sure if mine have grafts either. Are citrus plants grafted or
not? Some posts here seem to suggest they are (like the orange that
grew a lemon) but other posts seem to contradict this. I looked at a
grapefruit in the garden centre and compared it with the leaves
growing on mine and the leaves seem the same. The leaves are almost
like two leaves in one: a figure 8 shape if you like. There is a small
leaf at the stem end out of which grows a much bigger leaf. So I am
hoping the leaves are of the same variety, which would imply no
grafting. If I am lucky enough to get fruit, may be then I will find
out.

The leaves wouldn't tell you anything about whether there's a graft. The
idea of grafting is that you basically make use of the roots of what you
are grafting on, but you don't let it produce shoots and leaves,
otherwise the greater vigour of the rootstock means that it will take
over. So - the only leaves you get on a grafted plant will be those of
what you have grafted.

Unless, of course it has been neglected, in which case you may have
shoots coming up from the base with different leaves - this is what
happens with roses - you get suckers thrown from the base which have the
smaller leaflets of the dog rose or whatever has been used as a
rootstock. Let these grow, and eventually your rose will die off and
you'll be left with a flourishing dog rose.

You can see a graft because it leaves a lumpy part of the stem where the
graft has taken place, either low down, or, in the case of a weeping
standard, at the top of the upright stem.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , nospam@stepheno
rme.freeserve.co.uk.nospam writes
On Mon, 1 Mar 2004 18:55:56 -0000, "David W.E. Roberts"
wrote:


Is it O.K. to bang it directly into a large pot, or should I pot it on in
progressively larger pots?

ISTR that flowering plants do better if potted on only when pot bound.

However if the lemon was planted in a border then it would be in umpteen
squillion megalitres of soil (how big is the earth anyway?) and would grow
O.K.

I am only a beginner here, so I do not know the right answer, but I
think I have heard only to repot when pot-bound for greater growth.
However I do agree with your reasoning, that this does not happen in
nature so why should we have to do this?

The difference in nature is that the surrounding soil is full of roots
of other plants, worms, bugs and so on - in other words, there's a lot
of activity in there. In a pot, you have a heap of soil in which nothing
much is happening - more likely to get stagnant, waterlogged or
whatever. I don't know if this is the reason, but its the only reasoning
I could work out.

There is another effect, which is that plants have two methods or
increasing themselves - vegetatively (by growing large, or by throwing
out plantlets) or sexually, by producing flowers. Flowers are more
effort, so the tendency for many perennial plants is to emphasise
vegetative growth when there's plenty of space and food, and emphasise
flower growth when space and food is running out, and there may be a
need to cast seeds to colonise a new site. Therefore, many plants will
flower better if they are pot bound and not over-fed.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , email@stephenor
me.freeserve.co.uk writes

I am not sure if mine have grafts either. Are citrus plants grafted or
not? Some posts here seem to suggest they are (like the orange that
grew a lemon) but other posts seem to contradict this. I looked at a
grapefruit in the garden centre and compared it with the leaves
growing on mine and the leaves seem the same. The leaves are almost
like two leaves in one: a figure 8 shape if you like. There is a small
leaf at the stem end out of which grows a much bigger leaf. So I am
hoping the leaves are of the same variety, which would imply no
grafting. If I am lucky enough to get fruit, may be then I will find
out.

The leaves wouldn't tell you anything about whether there's a graft. The
idea of grafting is that you basically make use of the roots of what you
are grafting on, but you don't let it produce shoots and leaves,
otherwise the greater vigour of the rootstock means that it will take
over. So - the only leaves you get on a grafted plant will be those of
what you have grafted.

Unless, of course it has been neglected, in which case you may have
shoots coming up from the base with different leaves - this is what
happens with roses - you get suckers thrown from the base which have the
smaller leaflets of the dog rose or whatever has been used as a
rootstock. Let these grow, and eventually your rose will die off and
you'll be left with a flourishing dog rose.

You can see a graft because it leaves a lumpy part of the stem where the
graft has taken place, either low down, or, in the case of a weeping
standard, at the top of the upright stem.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm