Hi, I'm back again.

I have a potted lemon tree which I bought with fruit on it last fall. It's about two feet tall. I repotted it as soon as I bought it. Now that spring is here and it's outside, it has started putting out blossoms and new leaves. When is a good time to put it in a larger pot? Right now it's in about an eight-inch pot and it looks a bit topheavy. Should I wait till it has flowered? Also, should I fertilize it now or later?

Thanks.

Cantate in Tokyo (zone 8-9):)

careful when repotting it, dont disturb the roots and if its in an 8" pot, only move up to a 10" pot. citrus HATE to be overpotted

as for fertilizing, dont yet. repot then wait for new growth. Not sure why, but you aren't suposed to fertlize right when you transplant

Since you re-potted the plant this past fall I would not re-pot it again. Citrus hate having their roots messed with and this can do more damage than good. While the top has grown by leaps and bounds the roots have not. The pot you planted it in is probably big enough for 2 years growth. many people make the mistake of re-potting too often and into too large a pot. Citrus should only be re-potted ONCE every 2 to 3 years and then only 1 to 2 pot sizes larger. Most all citrus look top heavy,this should not cause a problem unless the tree is falling over. If this is the case you can set the tree,pot and all inside another pot and anchor it with large rocks to keep it upright. Be careful not to block any of the drainage holes.

IF your tree has not been fertilized since you initally re-potted it then feed it with a good fert containing micros. Citrus should be fed 4x a year with a slow release fert. If you are using a water soluible fert you can feed a weak amount each month but be sure to flush the pot before each application to remove any excess fert salts.

Wow, that's very helpful. I'm glad I don't have to repot so often. That makes a lot of sense too, with the mikan (mandarin orange) trees I've seen that look like they have so little root space but are growing and producing. That's going to be my next citrus.

I like the idea of putting it inside a larger pot so it won't fall over. We've had some heavy winds recently and it does fall over pretty easily (hasn't knocked any leaves off though.).

Thanks all!

Cantate