Re-potting Citrus Trees

[Artisan]

I have some container grown Citrus trees that I think will need re-potting. When is the best time to move them up a pot size? At the moment the trees are in my greenhouse but they will be moved outside in early June.

[Kirk]

All mine have been effectively evergreen, so not really a dormant time I guess, as none have thrown their leave off.

I would say sort of now, or 9 or 10 months time. Reason for this that my lime is presently sending out new fresh green shoots, I noticed them 2 or 3 days back, along with flower buds (so more limes I guess), and I would therefore suspect that either yours are or are about to do so.

The lengthening daylight hours will be triggering them into activity.

[Artisan]

Hello Kirk. Thank you for the advice. I started growing citrus for the first time early last summer and by the time late summer came I had spent rather a lot of money on my collection so I'm keen not to kill them with kindness. They are doing well in my greenhouse with the addition of some gentle heat on the coldest of nights. I do have some leaf drop but that is at a minimum. Having said that I do have some growth as well on some.

I read on the internet that the trees should not be put outside until June but can that be earlier? I understand that they are not frost tolerant but I live in Mid Devon where frosts are few and far between. I would appreciate getting the trees outside as early as possible as my greenhouse is not that big and I could do with the room later on in the late late spring.

[devonuk]

They will survive any amount of grass frost, but anything harder will kill them stone dead. You can easily put them out much earlier than June, just prepare to take action in a cold snap. They have periodic flushes of growth - 4 or 5 a year? As to reporting, the advice reads of Norfolk gave when they sold citrus was do it while the tree is in a growth spurt as you want the roots moving into the new compost.

Oh and final point they hate strong winds - I am high up in Devon and have to keep them in all year for that reason.