Hello from the Algarve, Many thanks for your helpful reply, my instinct was to get the tree into the ground as soon as possible and your comments support this. I will plant it in the ground as soon as we have had our first proper winter rain, which we hope for soon ! I will put it in our area which is more sandy and drains well in the winter. We are mulching all our other trees with shredded material from cleaning the garden to help retain moisture during the summer, which is when we do irrigate. I will let you know how we get on. Many thanks again, Rosie