Calamondin Orange Tree

[kribensis12]

I bought a Calamondin orange tree while i was in florida. It was in one of those air tight bags so it wont die. I planted last week adn it seems to be doing good, but do you guys know how i could make it perform better and grow faster?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hmm...I don't know a great deal about orange tree's, but;

a. Is it in a pot or in a flower bed?
b. What type of soil do you have and its ph?
c. What is the ph of your water out of the tap?
d. Is it is in a very sunny, medium sunny, slightly shady or very shady area etc?
e. Does the tree have an compost under or around its roots, and if so, what type of compost etc?

 

[kribensis12]

its in a 6 in pot until it gets bigger( when i buoght it, it 1 inch pot).
It have potting soil. I dont know the soils ph.
My water ph is around 8.0
Sunny.
No compost, but i feed it mirical grow, and theese little time realse thingy's.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hmm, i've heard bad stuff about Miracle Gro, apparently its got a lot of salt and stuff in it which can be particularly bad for plants in the long term, these articles may be of interest to you on synthetic plant fertilisers;

http/www.angelfire.com/hi/AdeniumsofHawaii/miracle.html

http/www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=131


So personally i would advise not using Miracle Grow as it will probably harm your orange tree in the long term. You should find out your soils ph as a lot of plants prefer different soil types, and will only grow properly if put in the right type of soil etc- for example, my mother had some Wisteria tree's many years ago, but they hated the hard alkeline chalky soil she grew them in, and after 10 years of very poor growth the tree's basically gave up and died. So its important to make sure you are growing your plants in the right type of soil and ph to make sure your plants thrive .

How big is the tree at the moment?

 

[kribensis12]

It is about 1ft tall. I have the cardboard box i got it in and it dosent say anything about it requiring a certain ph. I only use miracle grow when i think about it and that is around once a month. Here is a pic: http/i170.photobucket.com/albums/u274/kr.../orangetree.jpg

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

It is about 1ft tall. I have the cardboard box i got it in and it dosent say anything about it requiring a certain ph. I only use miracle grow when i think about it and that is around once a month. Here is a pic: http/i170.photobucket.com/albums/u274/kr.../orangetree.jpg

Hmm apparently such orange tree's do best in the more neutral ph range, milky alkeline or acidic is ok but nothing more;

http/davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55287/


Looks like its going to grow into a pretty big tree- you should water it very regularly like it was a tomato plant, don't let it dry out- it is probably best you add some gravel or stones to the bottom of its container to help keep good drainage and stop the soil from becomming water logged from regular waterings.

According to this site, orange tree's are difficult plants in general to grow and are not good for inexperienced gardeners, so be prepared that this is a high maintanence fussy plant to keep;

http/www.thegardenhelper.com/cgi-bin/ubb...66;t=000955;p=0

.

 

[kribensis12]

I am not that inexperienced. I have grown roses, impatients, geraniums, vinca's, morning glory's, easter liles, london plane tree's, maple tree's, tomato's, potatoes, pea's, straw berries, blueberries, watermelon, pumkin, and corn( also, some others that i cant think about right now). So I know a little bit more than inexperienced, but as a kid, there is alot more out there. Thanks for the links. My tree hasnt had any leaf drop off, and seems to be doing well.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I am not that inexperienced. I have grown roses, impatients, geraniums, vinca's, morning glory's, easter liles, london plane tree's, maple tree's, tomato's, potatoes, pea's, straw berries, blueberries, watermelon, pumkin, and corn( also, some others that i cant think about right now). So I know a little bit more than inexperienced, but as a kid, there is alot more out there. Thanks for the links. My tree hasnt had any leaf drop off, and seems to be doing well.

Whoops sorry i kinda worded that last post wrong- i didn't mean to indicate at all that you were inexperienced at gardening, i was just trying to say that this is a not the easiest of plants to keep .

I think with testing soil for ph, i think you just get some RO water and put the water and soil in a test tube and swish them around together and then leave them for 15mins, then you just test the water in the tube for its ph like you would with aquarium water. I think thats how it is down anyway with soil ph testing .

 

[kribensis12]

Thats okay, i dont have any R/O water so that is out of the question. I do have a liquid ph test kit. I bought a while back. So i will see what i can do.