| How should I plant my orange trees? The roots are coming out of the bottom of the plastic pot. By the way, I live in New York. |
| Since you live in a cold-winter area I suspect your citrus trees are in pots and spend the winters indoors. When roots emerge from the drainage holes, it's a good indication the plant needs repotting. Choose a slightly larger pot (usually the next size pot is just the right size), and repot by watering the plant thoroughly the day before you plan to transplant. This will make the plant easy to slide out of the old pot. Moisten some new potting soil and place a few inches into the bottom of the new container. Slide the plant out of the old pot, untangle the largest roots and drape them (or arrange them naturally) over the soil in the bottom of the new pot. Fill in around the sides of the rootball, then water thoroughly to eliminate any air pockets. You may need to add a little more growing medium to bring the soil level up to the level it was on the crown of the plant in the old pot. It's important not to plant too deeply, or to have the roots too close to the top of the soil. Once transplanted, your citrus trees should be happy in their new containers for a year or two. When roots creep out of the drainage holes, it will be time to repot them again. Enjoy your trees! |
