Citrus trees... question

[smom1976]

Ok so I called my county extention office and he wasnt much help. but he wasnt the citrus guy... I will call the citrus expert on another day..

but I will ask here..

I want to plant some citrus trees..

I do have the types that are suitable for my area.. so that is not the question..

But I do want to plant them on the side of my house.. description...

MY house then the property line about 6-7 feet out, then the neighbors house about 9 feet from my property line..

ok..

so I want to plant these trees in the ground.. BUT with a capital B...

I do not want the roots to grow into either of our two houses.. so I want to "contain" these roots essentially like a potted plant..

#1 I need ideas on what to "contain" them in..

ie: a burried water barrel?

#2 does it need a bottom ? if not how deep do I need to go down?

#3 will the roots being contained just make for a smaller tree.. ? (this is quite fine with me.. a nicely trimmed 5 or 6 foot tree would be perfect!)

I will be placing the container in the ground just on the inside of the property line.. the top bushey part can grow on both sides..

(if you are reading this and think that this plan is NUTS,,, tell me so that I can go back to the drawing board)

 

[momofdrew]

How wide does a citrus tree grow??? We dont have any in NH...tree roots in general only grow as wide as the trees branches grow at least that is what I have read...Citrus may be different...send me a few yummy jucey oranges/grapefruit when you harvest...

 

[bid]

I would ask the citrus expert about the tap root. IME, which is limited to bonsai of citrus, they grow quite a long taproot. That makes sense in a way because of the sandy soil you are growing them in. That might answer whether or not you need a bottom on the container.