Expert: nick mccann - 11/11/2008

Question
We just bought a meyer lemon bush in a 12" pot in Austin, Tx.  It has small blooms on it and is approx 3' tall now. We were wondering if we need to leave it in the container or go ahead and plant it.  We are expecting 35 degree temp later in the week and were unsure what we should do.  Is it unusual for it to bloom at this time?  How do we care for it?  When should it bear fruit?

Answer
Hi Jackie, Nurseries like to promote bloom and often even small fruit on their trees, it gives the buyer a sense of "wow! it already has fruit, I am buying it!" when it reality, it shouldn't, because it is draining needed energy from the plant, being a young tree, you want all of its energy to be going into development, not fruit; normally it is year 3 or 4 where it will begin developing fruit that will develop into maturity. The blossoms on your little tree are inconsequential, and if fruit does develop (depending on pollination) it should be snipped off immediately. You didn't mention your climate zone, but if its under 9, then it should be put into a container for the winter, one that is about half again bigger then the nursery container it is in now. When you remove it from its present nursery container, you will more then likely find it root bound, so loosen the root ball up and spread the roots out and then replant it in its new container with a light potting soil, make sure to line the bottom of the container with about 2 inches of gravel for better drainage as Citrus is prone to root rot if its roots sit in standing water. In the spring you can put it in the ground, again, providing you are in a 9 zone or greater, otherwise for all intents and purposes, it really won't make it through a winter without drastic measures to protect it. Make sure there are other Citrus around you, within a mile at least, for cross pollination, or any fruit that does develop will fall off prematurely, but again, this should not be a concern until the little guy has grown for a couple of years. Let me know if you have any other questions after reading this, I will help you the best I can. Nick:)