Hello,
I have a dwarf Ruby Red Grapefruit tree in a container, which I believe needs to be moved to new soil. It has been in this soil now for about 2 years. The plant is doing OK but the growth is small and I am getting some yellow leaves. I live in Las Vegas, Nevada and now we are very, very hot. 115 - 117 every day. Do you think I should transplant it now in the heat, even though it may need it, or do I wait for cooler temperatures. There are probably reasons for both but if I don’t transplant it now, could I be doing more harm?
Thank you,
Laura
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I won’t transplant now in your heat. But would if possible pull the rootball out and see what it looks like. Most importantly is there soil in the bottom of the pot that has become water logged and has no roots. Even if there is I’d wait until cool weather to move it.
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Maybe try and keep the container a bit cooler in the heat. I just covered a black container of mine with a white garbage bag so the sun wouldn’t cook it.
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A white garbage bag could act like a mini greenhouse. It might or might not make the pot cooler. If it’s separated from the pot with some air space and open on top then it might cool the pot.
I know what you’re saying. Didn’t mean to give the impression of any kind of greenhouse effect. The white plastic is tight to the pot, so basically all I did was change the color of the pot from black to white. The pot is cooler to the touch now, compared to almost burning my hand on it before. If a pot is that hot, then the soil (and roots) inside has to be almost as hot. Soil is a pretty good conductor.
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Hi, thanks so much for your help!! My citrus trees are all in light colored pots. In the terrible heat, I have been keeping them in the shade during the afternoon and providing shade to the pots, the best way I can. I noticed that a couple of the trees have some sunburn so that is why I moved them to the shade in the afternoon. The fruit is growing nicely but they haven’t sent out a new summer flush yet. Must be way to hot. I have a Barrass (sp) Lime and it is not happy at all. I keep it watered well but all the new growth it sent out in the spring curls inward. It’s not dying, just curling. It has many new little limes on it. This weekend I will lift the one grapefruit out of the pot and see what may be at the bottom. Thanks so much for your help!!!
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One one of the citrus forums I used to frequent, one of the posters had black pots which were painted white on one side. During the summer the white side faced the sun; in the winter the black side did.
Seemed like a clever idea, although I have not yet gotten to it so can’t comment on how well it works.
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