3rd time lucky with lime trees. The first two started well then just as the fruit appeared all the leaves turned yellow and they died.

This one is in a pot and has a good crop, some bigger than golf balls and still growing. The tree is about 1 metre high. The pot has the base knocked out for draining but sat on stone so the roots can't reach the soil.

☺☺

"Pot with base knocked out for draining, and set up on a stone", = red flag for me. Water management will be critical, especially in upcoming hot dry season. Good planting containers are designed with specific holes to facilitate appropriate drainage. If the base is entirely knocked out then I would want it flush with soil grade and contacting the soil to insure it doesn't drain too fast and give the tree root system more soil volume to gather water and nutrients. Base knocked out, up on a rock, plus customary porous potting soil, could allow excessive drainage, lack of retention of soil moisture. A soil moisture meter is one of the most important instruments in my tool box. They are especially good for container plants and take the guess work out of when to water, too much or too little.

On 26/01/2017 at 2:56 AM, drtreelove said:

"Pot with base knocked out for draining, and set up on a stone", = red flag for me. Water management will be critical, especially in upcoming hot dry season. Good planting containers are designed with specific holes to facilitate appropriate drainage. If the base is entirely knocked out then I would want it flush with soil grade and contacting the soil to insure it doesn't drain too fast and give the tree root system more soil volume to gather water and nutrients. Base knocked out, up on a rock, plus customary porous potting soil, could allow excessive drainage, lack of retention of soil moisture. A soil moisture meter is one of the most important instruments in my tool box. They are especially good for container plants and take the guess work out of when to water, too much or too little.

 

It gets a good watering every morning and has a 4/5 inch layer of wood chips on top of the soil and the bowl is about 1 metre diameter. Sitting on a platform of single layer red ash blocks that do retain a fair amount of moisture themselves, so not really stone. I reckon any roots will find a way through between them if they really want to. Maybe should have clarified the stone part in the first post. 

Now has another 3 or 4 fruits budding along with the original ones on it when bought.