Any good advice on planting citrus from nursery containers? Soil prep, amendments, transplant shock etc is greatly appreciated. Cheers, LPN.
I have a large greenhouse/coldframe (20'w x 50'l x 14'h) I intend on using, similar in fact to what Bob Duncan uses in Saanich. I have Owari satsuma, Changsha mandarin and 10 degree tangerine, all of which fall into the "cold hardy" category. I was thinking of planting these in a somewhat elevated planter with an open bottom. This would allow roots to eventually run down into the natural soil, a rather sandy, gravelly, free draining mix. Cheers, LPN.
LPN, I think that a 8 to 12 inch raised bed would do well. your Owari and the Changsha are on Poncirus trifoliata rootstock they can handle the wet quite well - I am not sure about the 10 degree Tangerine that you have It looked like either a seedling or a cutting. Your greenhouse is 14' high - It will be a huge success if your roof is not high enough! Greg
LPN, I have several citrus trees planted directly into the soil, in my Colorado greenhouse. They do very well. Last year the trees had five flushes of growth, and three flushes so far this year. When you plant them, do not add any amendments to the soil at all. During the winter months, I extend the short days by lighting the in ground trees from sunset until 10:00 PM. I also use a heat mat from November to March to keep the soil root zone to 80F (27C). The lighting and ground heat is not necessary to keep the tree alive, but I wish to obtain growth for the full 12 months of the year. The trees must think they are living in the tropics. Colorado winters are MUCH COLDER than your greenhouse experiences in Vancouver (one of my favorite cities). - Millet
Gregn & Millet ... So it sounds reasonable to plant these citrus in raised planting areas inside the coldframe/greenhouse. The advantage of having these planted there is that they'll be out of the worst of the elements and a jump on the growing season too. As an indicator, I had potted Haas avocado plants pull through with some leaf damage. These completely recovered shortly after spring was underway. No heat or care of any sort and in fact, these where very root bound plants in regular 2 gallon nursery pots. An obvious neglect on my part. Millet ... for the record, I'm 35 miles west of Vancouver BC and located on Vancouver Island. Cheers, LPN (Barrie)
Barrie, your a lucky man living on Vancouver Island. I've been to Vancouver Island many times. I usually take the Nanaimo Ferry, or the Hydroplane from Seattle. The scenery is gorgeous. Vancouver Island is a great place. Your in charge of the Vancouver Island Citrus Growers COOP. I've always loved all of British Colombia Canada. The next trip, I want to visit the UBC gardens.- Millet
