Growing citrus in pots

I gathered as many of my citrus-growing tips as possible for an article about growing indoor citrus, featured in the March edition of Better Homes and Gardens. The paper edition, hard copy only. I know! A real magazine. 

Here I am, reading the piece to the Thai limes. They had questions. 

These tips are hard-won, from personal experience (with some expert support along the way) and were written to answer - in one place - some of the frequent questions I am asked about growing citrus trees in pots. My trees have taught me a lot. I have also made mistakes, and learned how to recover from them (sorry about that over-watering, Ms. Meyer!).

In our bedroom right now it is citrus blossom season. Well, at least for the deliciously scented Meyer lemon. Sometimes the Thai limes are slower and only erupt once they are out on the terrace again, and that won't be for another six-ish weeks. 

The yuzu is still too young to bloom, and the fingerlime has a mind of its own, sometimes flowering hardest in the middle of the year! 

If you are in the US and looking for citrus trees to buy, my fingerlime and yuzu trees came from Four Winds Growers, while the Meyer lemon and Thai limes came from LemonCitrusTree. 

Canadians, you can pre-order citrus from Phoenix Perennials.

In my native South Africa, locals can contact the Stellenbosch Botanical Garden to see if they have Thai limes (Citrus hystrix) in stock (thanks to my friend Donovan Kirkwood, who is the garden's curator). And yes, they would have to be picked up in person. 

Our own citrus flock is a delight, but these are not low maintenance plants. Think of them as green pets, and you'll get along just fine.

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