Water seems to drain right through

Discussion in 'Citrus' started by pwrflpills, Jun 24, 2008.

  1. pwrflpills

    pwrflpills Member

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    Location:
    Delray Beach, FL (S. Palm Beach County)
    I am familiar with how and when to water potted citrus trees, however, a couple of my trees appear so dry that the water seems to find a channel or two in the soil and drain right through and out of the pot. The leaves appear healthy and the plants don't appear to dehydrate/wilt. I am about to repot the trees and want to make sure this is fairly normal or if I need to be making adjustments when I witness this happening.
     
  2. skeeterbug

    skeeterbug Active Member

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    Location:
    Pensacola, USA
    You want a fast draining mix, but it should be a uniform mix that distributes the water evenly, if it is channeling, that is not good.
     
  3. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    Peat, barks and even sawdusts, and the potting media made from them can be difficult to re-wet if they become too dry, either before potting or when already in pots. The development of a water-repellent condition in pots allows much of the water applied to just run down the outside of the root ball or through large channels within the medium. The medium itself is hardly any wetter than before watering. Trees in such a medium suffer from water stress and will grow poorly. Medium that has become water repellent in pots can be treated in two ways. Either by adding 30% sand to the medium before planting, or by dunking the entire root ball into a solution containing 1 ml/L of a good safe agricultural wetting agent. - Millet
     
  4. drichard12

    drichard12 Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Michigan, U>S>A
    Rehydrate using fresh water,or repot using a good fast draining soil mix. Growing citrus in containers leads to a very dense root sytem by using a soil that is about 1 year old the water will flow though easly without water the roots.
     

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