I'm not sure if it just needs to be repotted or what, but I recenly bought a dwarf calmondin from a local greenhouse, and its defenitely thriving in its new environment, but i've recently noticed the roots are growing up out of the soil, but it its in a half gallon pot, and only about 18 inches tall. The gardener said that size should be good for a long time, but now i'm not so sure. Does anyone have any ideas?
The proper time to transplant a citrus tree is when the root system just reaches the stage where the roots are capable to retaining the growth medium when the tree is lifted out of the container. Saying the tree is 18 inches tall, really does not provide much information to make an intelligent decision. It depends on how full the tree is and how much foliage in the canopy. However, a 1/2 gallon container certainly would not provide proper room for root development "for a long time." The tree could very easily, and probably should, be transplanted into at least a one gallon container, and perhaps a 2 gallon container (depending on the actual size of the tree). The type of growth medium a citrus tree grows in is VERY IMPORTANT to the life of the tree. Use the search function of this forum and you will find a lot of good information on what mix to use. Lastly, it is very common for citrus trees to develop roots at or slightly above the soil line, this should not cause you any worry. - Millet
