You can add beauty and interest to your patio with citrus trees grown in containers.
There are several types of these miniature trees that can be grown in containers โ trees that have all the appeal of their full-grown counterparts: glossy green leaves, fragrant flowers, colorful and, yes, even edible fruit.
Mexican limes, calamondins, kumquats and limequats are the most popular citrus for growing in containers. But, you also can grow other varieties of citrus in pots on the patio if you purchase them on a dwarfing root stock that keeps them small.
For example, oranges, mandarins and lemons โ if purchased on Flying Dragon rootstock โ can be grown in pots.
A trifoliate (three-leafed) type of citrus native to Asia, Flying Dragon produces inedible fruits but has a desirable root system that imparts a dwarfing effect to citrus cultivars that are budded onto it.
In garden centers, look for the cultivar label on the side of the pot. It will list both the cultivar type, such as clementine mandarin, and the type of rootstock.
Flying Dragon is the only truly dwarfing rootstock. It will reduce by half the ultimate size of the tree.
So a clementine mandarin that normally grows to a height of 12 feet, will grow no larger than 6 feet on Flying Dragon.
That still might seem too large for a pot, but add the restricting properties of the container itself, and you end up with a small potted tree that's going to stay small.
When choosing a container, select one as large as possible for your situation.
Limes, kumquats and calamondins will need a pot no smaller than 18 inches in diameter. Oranges, mandarins and lemons should be potted in a half-whiskey-barrel-size container.
If you like lemons, try the Meyer or Improved Meyer lemon. It's a cross between a lemon and an orange and is sweeter with more colorful orange-yellow fruit than other lemons.
Purchase a citrus tree whose container-size is smaller than the pot you intend to plant it in.
A newly planted tree should have a few inches of surrounding soil to grow out and into.
Also, when selecting a pot, consider its weight.
Feather-lite pots, made of a foam-like material, are light and easy to move. If you purchase clay or wood pots, you may want to add casters, especially if it will be necessary to move the pot from time to time.
Citrus trees in containers grow best when provided some shade, especially during mid-day. Too much sun bleaches out exposed leaves, causing them to develop buff-colored blotches.
Citrus prefer a rich, but well-drained potting soil. Most potting soils are rich โ high in organic matter โ but most lack good drainage. To improve drainage, mix perlite or pumice into any general-purpose potting soil at the rate of one part perlite/pumice to five parts potting soil.
Use a container with drainage holes. Cover the hole(s) with a coffee filter or piece of paper towel and fill with soil all the way to the bottom of the pot.
Keep the soil evenly moist, but not wet. And don't let pots sit in drainage saucers. The concentrated salts of the drainage water will be reabsorbed and cause tip burn and browning of citrus leaves.
Finally, to keep your citrus tree green and producing quality fruit, fertilize from February to October using a water-soluble plant food or timed-release fertilizer. Water-soluble plant foods such as Miracle-Gro need to be applied every two weeks according to label directions.
Timed-release fertilizers should be applied every other month, beginning in mid-February and ending in mid-October, with the amount prescribed on the label.
a.e. araiza / arizona daily star
ยป May in the garden
"May Yard & Garden Activities" will be the topic of this week's gardening demonstrations. Presentations are slated at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Wilmot Library, 530 N. Wilmot Road, and at 1 p.m. Friday at the Oro Valley Public Library, 1305 W. Naranja Drive.
