Can anyone help with this? I bought a lemonquat in the summer that was just starting to flower so I have waited until Sept to repot...can I repot now or wait until spring. The nursery pot is really small and with poor soil. I will be bringing it indoors soon so I don't want to over-stress and have leaf drop like last year. I live in a Zone 8 climate.
I would repot now. Keeping it in too small a pot will be detrimental to its long term health. I was visiting our local Citrus farmer (Tom at Tiny Tom's Tangerine Farm) in Delta, BC and will be going back next Saturday to help him repot up to a 100 citrus trees of several dozen varieties. The 1 gallons will go into 2 gallon pots. The 2s into 5s. The 5s into 10s and the 10s into 15s. If we have time and energy, we'll even repot the 60gs into 75g barrels. He's been doing this for well over a decade so I'm assuming he knows what he's doing. If he's repotting at this time of year for his citrus, then it should be similarly ok for yours. Hope this helps. Anthony
The OP's environment is likely much different than that of a greenhouse. A tree in a greenhouse will continue to grow whereas it could be in a low growth state inside a house. Nevertheless my personal gut feel is to repot based on the description of the pot and soil. Alternatively, the tree could be forced into dormancy by over-wintering in a cool, dark spot where temperatures will be below 13C/55F. It can then be repotted when temperatures rise with the change in seasons.
The overwintering room has sunny south windows but is kept cool. Last year there was lots of leaf drop with the lemon tree. Should the pots be wrapped to keep the roots warmer?
The room conditions may explain last year's leaf loss. The root system will be dormant below 13C/55F and so cannot support leaf function when the foliage is exposed to light. (I've modified my previous post to add the word "dark" to the room requirements.) Either keep the tree cool and in the dark or warm the roots if exposed to light. You can do this with a low power heat pad for seedlings or with a string of incandescent lights wrapped around the pot. Some people use small Christmas lights for this purpose.
