Soggy wet roots are the leading cause of problems with container grown citrus trees. Many of those problems can be eliminated with careful container choices and a moisture meter that can prevent over-watering.
The Deep Watering Method is the proper watering method, directions can be found here:
https://lemoncitrustree.com/store/citrus-blog/2018/10/19/deep-watering-method-for-potted-citrus-trees/

CLAY POTS
Clay pots are classic but heavy choices. If you live in the southern part of the country, you may want to avoid the clay pots, as they dry out very quickly and you'll spend a significant amount of time watering in hot summers. If you plan on using clay be sure the mouth of the pot is as wide or wider than the pot itself, avoid the spherical pots with the mouth of the pot curving inward, these tend to be wide and shallow and don't have the depth needed for the deep root growth and if you ever need to transplant you may have trouble getting the root ball out if the opening of the pot is smaller than the width of the whole pot.

WOOD POTS
Wood containers degrade over time, allowing roots to grow into cracks and have irregular surfaces, making it harder to transplant. While transplanting you may be ripping roots out between cracks to dislodge them, so avoid the wood and look for something comparable like a plastic barrel that you can drill additional holes in. Many plastic barrels look very similar to the wood barrels.

SELF-WATERING POTS
The self-watering pots are NEVER recommended for Citrus trees. Citrus require infrequent deep watering, so self-watering pots do not allow for this. The self-watering type can cause overly wet roots. Also, pots that have the catch tray or saucers attached are not recommended, trees do not like "wet feet" and those types of pots can cause root rot.

CLOTH POTS
Cloth container pots are not recommended. The cloth can become misshapen over time as the soil settles. During the watering process, some of the soil may relocate in the pot, and this can cause the tree to eventually tip out of its container since the soil is not held firmly into place with solid sturdy sides. The cloth pots just do not work well because they are far too flexible allowing the soil to reshape the pot during the deep watering process, which will cause the tree to tip out because it has nothing sturdy to hold the soil in place.

PLASTIC POTS
Hard plastic pots come in a wide selection of designs and colors, making them the ideal choice for citrus trees. When choosing a pot, be sure you can actually see drainage holes in the bottom, if not it is the wrong pot. The sides should be sturdy and the plastic strong enough to drill additional holes in the bottom if needed.
Plastic pots are easier to handle and more lightweight than clay and resistant to breakage.
Four to five large (3/4"-1") holes are the minimum necessary for adequate drainage. Select a pot that makes it easy to inspect your tree or re-pot if needed. Smooth tapered sides with a wide mouth at the top work the best. Avoid shapes that are narrow at the top or other designs that would impede the root ball from easily sliding out.

Do not add stones or gravel in the bottom of the container. Elevate the container pot off the drainage-tray or ground to allow the water to exit the container after watering. Water according to pot size and do not go beyond a 10-gallon container.

For more transplanting information: https://lemoncitrustree.com/store/citrus-tree-care-containers

LemonCitrusTree

Trees will die without the essential requirements. Incorrect watering is the most common cause of issues and tree death.

Deep Watering Method

1. Check the tree with a moisture meter before watering. (The meter's range should be from 1-10)
2. The prong should be deep into the pot.
3. Only water when the meter reads 4.
4. All trees require deep watering. Deep watering is drenching the soil until water pours from the holes at the bottom of the pot.
5. Watering with a few cups is not acceptable, this will cause deep roots to die. Never be stingy with the water when the tree needs to be watered.
6. Once the tree has been watered properly, recheck the moisture level again to make sure the meter reads high (9 or 10) and then do not water again until the meter reads 4.
7. In the winter you will water far less, about twice a month (But always check the tree with a meter weekly because this can vary)
8. The meter should never be left in the pot when not in use.
9. Never water with cold water in the winter
10. Never water the tree with water from a water softener.
NEVER ALLOW TREES TO SIT IN STANDING WATER
A space between the bottom of the pot and the tray that catches the water is required.

LemonCitrusTree

Grow Your Own Citrus & Fruit Trees

Imagine cultivating your favorite fruits at home and relishing them fresh off the tree whenever you feel like it! At LemonCitrusTree, we help you plant dwarf citrus and fruit trees in your own homes so that you can enjoy growing your own fruits while enhancing the appearance of your home.

What We Do

• • We cultivate and deliver citrus and fruit trees in our family owned nursery and farm in Louisiana.
• • We also have affiliate farms in California, Texas and Florida.
• • Since 10 years, we have been supplying citrus and fruit trees to our customers all over the US.

Benefits of Growing Your Own Citrus or Fruit Trees

• • It’s healthy.
• • You get fresh fruits and flowers.
• • They add to your home’s interior décor.
• • They create a pleasant environment.
• • They are ideal gifts for your loved ones.

Varieties Of Trees You Can Get From Us

• • Meyer Lemon Tree
• • Kaffir Thai Lime
• • Persian Bearss Lime
• • Clementine
• • Lemon Trees
• • Lime Trees
• • Orange Trees
• • Kumquat Trees
• • Mandarin Trees
• • Hass Hass Avocado
• • Pomegranate
• • Arbequina Olive
• • Fig Trees
• • Persimmon Trees
• • Fruit Plants
• • Satsuma Trees
• • Tangelo Trees
• • Tangerine Trees
• • Grapefruit Trees
• • Loquat
• • Nut

Why Choose Us

• • We provide you with trees that bear blossoms and fruits even if they are just a year old.
• • You can find popular varieties of high-quality, beautiful citrus and fruit trees.
• • We offer trees at reasonable rates, with a three-year limited warranty.
• • Along with the trees, we also provide black grower’s pot and soil for free.
• • When it comes to tree care, we provide expert assistance whenever needed, via phone or email.
• • We adhere to the USDA guidelines and deliver healthy, vibrant trees.

Sources Of Reference:

http://lemoncitrustree.com/store/index.php
https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/chiwonlee/plsc211/student%20papers/articles00/dwillard/dwillard.htm

Citrus has a certain nostalgic effect, with the fruit associated with both sunny skies and cozy Christmases. Just a few generations ago, access to citrus fruits was a novelty for people in colder climates, but lemons, oranges, and the delightful clementine are standard fare in lunch boxes and kitchens across America today. In addition, more and more hobby growers are taking a second look at citrus. Trees like the clementine are easier to care for than you might think, and there's nothing quite like picking fresh citrus from backyard branches.

What is a Clementine?

Clementines belong to the mandarin orange family. They are small, sweet, lunch-box friendly fruits that peel easily for on-the-go enjoyment. The variety is sometimes referred to as a "Christmas orange" because they are in season right around the holidays and many people purchase them as a seasonal treat. Clementines are very similar to tangerines, with a bright, fresh flavor in a pleasingly poppable package.

Growing a Clementine Tree

Citrus gets a bit of a bad rap as being difficult to grow. Many home gardeners completely write off citrus trees as too cold sensitive. Though the clementine tree is considered a warm-weather-loving plant, they can be cared for in a warm environment. These fun fruits are ideal for USDA hardiness zones 9-11, they can actually do very well in greenhouses and in pots where moving them out of the weather is possible.
For growing zones 9-11 The Clementine’s ability to bear fruit consistently is greatly hindered by unexpected frosts during blossoming, so container planting is recommended if you try to nurture clementines in less than ideal climates.

Keeping Clementines Happy

When planted outdoors in a sunny climate, clementine trees resemble a standard dwarf fruit tree in size. However, container planting keeps them manageable as the tree can't outgrow the root structure in the container, and most will resemble a shrub or bush in their dimensions. A clementine tree in a container should always have sufficient drainage to avoid bogging down the roots, and it will do best when exposed to full sunlight as much as possible. In fact, it's ideal if you can move the tree outdoors when the weather is mild, only bringing it inside when temperatures dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

The clementine tree is perfect for budding citrus growers, as it is more forgiving than other varieties and can survive challenging growing conditions and inexperienced husbandry. With proper care and smart management, most people can successfully cultivate clementines in a temperature-regulated growing space or container, or, if you're lucky enough to live where it's warm, right in your own backyard. If you're interested in growing a clementine tree yourself, take a look at our website, as we offer many trees for you at great prices.

Our company has been in business since 2004. Not a whole lot of people realize that when they visit our website. We were the first citrus farm on the internet. We started as a small family farm and even though we have grown some, we are still a small family farm. We genuinely care about all of our customers, some of them have been coming to us for years because they know we sell quality trees. We wanted to share on our blog a recent post by one of our customers to our facebook page. We hear of horror stories like this a lot and feel genuinely bad for our customers who get tricked by super low pricing and pictures of trees that look nothing like the companies actually sell.

So here is a comparison of one of our customers who purchased a Hass Avocado from us AFTER he purchased from one of our "competitors".

That's ours on the right, just after he unboxed it. Can you see the other "tree"?

We hate that our customers are ripped off by other companies. We sell real trees that are grown by world renown experts that have been doing this for generations. We realize it's time to get aggressive and expose this fraud to hopefully protect others from falling into the same trap.

If you have already purchased one of these trees from another company and are having a hard time keeping it alive, just send us an email at support@lemoncitrustree.com with a photo of the tree. We will try our best to help, just some trees can't be saved when they are raised in such poor conditions.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Take care & thanks for reading!

Crystal

Owner

LemonCitrusTree

p.s. We have a discount till next Friday! Use the code: nosticks for $8 dollars off your order. Have a HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND!

This year you can use those Meyer Lemons that you've grown to perk up the flavor of your Thanksgiving bird! This recipe will work with other types of sweet citrus too or you can use more than one type of citrus to come up with your own version of this delicious recipe. Cooking should be fun and experimenting with cooking makes it even better. I have included substitutes for every ingredient that's easier and/or healthier to find or use.

Our Ingredients:

Approximately a dozen Meyer Lemons (Or your favorite sweet citrus fruit)

8 Cloves of Garlic (You can substitute 1 Clove with either: 1/2 teaspoon garlic flakes; 1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder; I do not recommend using Garlic Salt as a substitute but if that's all you have then you can substitute 1/2 Teaspoon to equal 1 Clove then use half as much salt than our recipes calls for below)

1/4 Cup Fresh Rosemary (You can substitute dry herbs for fresh but you need to use half of what the recipe calls for. So 1/4 becomes 1/8 of a cup)

1/4 Cup Fresh Thyme (You can substitute dry herbs using half as mentioned above)

1/4 Cup of Salt (You can substitute with the potassium chloride if desired)

1 Stick of Butter (You can substitute with 6 Tablespoons of Olive Oil)

1/8 Teaspoon of Black Pepper (White Pepper can be substituted with the same measurements or a pinch of Cayenne Pepper can used)

Directions:

1. 1. Prepare your oven per the package directions of the Turkey that you are using for this recipe.
2. 2. Zest Six of the Meyer Lemons, Finely Chop your Garlic Cloves & Fresh Herbs then set aside.
3. 3. Cut Four of your Meyer Lemons into quarters and set aside.
4. 4. In a medium saucepan melt the butter (or warm the olive oil) then remove from heat.
5. 5. Add the Zested Meyer Lemons, Chopped Garlic, Salt & Fresh Herbs into the butter/oil and mix well. Allow the mixture to cool.
6. 6. Rinse the Turkey and dry with clean paper towels. Rub the turkey with the butter/herb mixture completely covering the entire turkey.
7. 7. Place Seasoned Turkey into a roasting pan, stuff turkey with the quartered lemon pieces. Then roast per the directions on the Turkey label.
8. 8. Use the remaining Lemons to garnish your turkey after cooking is complete.

Additional Tips:

Typical roasting times are 20 minutes per pound at 350 Degrees.

Roasting the Turkey upside down for the first 45 minutes of roasting can significantly improve the moisture retention of the meat.

Adding an inch of Turkey or Chicken stock to the bottom of the roasting pan can improve the taste of the turkey and help maintain moisture in the meat.

Using a meat thermometer can simplify your roasting. Just remove the turkey when it reaches 170°F.

Using Food Service plastic gloves during the preparation of the turkey especially while rubbing the seasoning can keep your hands clean and prevent abrasions from the salt which can be very painful.

All of us at LemonCitrusTree wishes you & your loved ones a very HAPPY Thanksgiving!

Eating citrus and drinking the juice is more than just a yummy treat. The health benefits are immense. In fact, when I looked into it I was blown away by how good for your body citrus really is. Citrus lowers blood pressure. Sweet oranges and tangelos are the richest food sources of hesperidin. Hesperidin helps lower blood pressure along with a vast amount of other benefits. It is also found in most other citrus as it is a Citrus Bioflavonoid.

Boosts immunity, and digestion: Great for cough and sinus issues. Helps with dandruff, acne and overall skin health. All of these can be attributed to the high levels of vitamin C found in citrus.

Reduces “bad” cholesterol: Limonin helps clean out all of the unwanted cholesterol

Good for vision: help prevent night blindness and muscular degeneration. - Carotenoids are to blame for these amazing side effects.

Anti-aging and beauty treatment: Phytonutrients help eliminate free radicals which in turn keep your skin young.

Soluble Fiber: An anti-inflammatory and helps with pain of arthritis etc. It also helps cure inflammation of the blood vessels, providing protection against heart attack, strokes, and heart disease.

Arthritis: The citric acid found in limes and lemons works wonders, helping move pesky uric acid through and out of the body. Uric acid is what causes arthritis.

Muscle spasms and cramps: Citrus is high in potassium, this will help your muscles get some rest.

Hydration: Just like our bodies, citrus contains lots of water and is extremely hydrating.

Weight loss: The acids and vitamins found in citrus work as an appetite suppressant as well as helping break down fat.

These are just some of the vast amount of benefit consuming citrus fruit has on your health. Drinking a glass of citrus water, eating your favorite citrus as a snack or just finding a way to get it into your meals will benefit more than just your taste palate. Citrus is truly one of nature's many magic medicines! It’s so wonderful having fresh citrus on hand!