tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post8757394078725774823..comments2024-03-15T00:38:43.240-07:00Comments on The Citrus Guy: To Prune or Not To Prune, Is that the Question?Darrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174646683640212162noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-33733865595769125282021-07-12T09:22:09.761-07:002021-07-12T09:22:09.761-07:00Hi Darren. Thank you so much for your informative ...Hi Darren. Thank you so much for your informative website.<br />After moving from the northeast to the SF Bay Area, I was excited to have a potted Meyer lemon tree but I have found that I am very unprepared for knowing how to handle challenges that keep arising. The tree is about 2.5 years old and is very leggy due to various issues that have caused leaves to drop. I have been leaning through trial and error. Currently, I spray with neem oil weekly to control pests and fertilize every 2-3 weeks with Jobe's Organics Fruit & Citrus Fertilizer during spring and summer, per package directions. I use drip irrigation and have increased it to every other day recently because we are in high summer now and have strong winds. <br />The tree has been producing a lot of lemons and has a lot of new growth, but the many leaves have fallen off and the center is pretty bare. (I think that many of the leaves fell when I was under-fertilizing it earlier in the year.) I believe that the tree needs to be better pruned but am asking: 1) where on the tree to start, 2) how much to prune, and 3) if I should wait until after I harvest the lemons, which may not be until winter. I think my problem may be similar to Andrew's December 1, 2020, post where most of my tree's growth, blossoms, and lemons are at the ends while large areas of the stems are bare. <br />I have photos that I will gladly send with your okay.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08517209756876629997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-82064237921479531492021-03-25T05:38:47.683-07:002021-03-25T05:38:47.683-07:00Good Morning, Leslie.
Yes, please send me a couple...Good Morning, Leslie.<br />Yes, please send me a couple of pictures to TheCitrusGuy@netzero.comDarrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174646683640212162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-6479689775411175332021-03-24T12:05:54.795-07:002021-03-24T12:05:54.795-07:00I can also send pictures if needed.I can also send pictures if needed.Lesliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03530671865376255674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-45257294730427272032021-03-24T12:05:00.940-07:002021-03-24T12:05:00.940-07:00Hi Darren, Thank you for this post. I have a citr...Hi Darren, Thank you for this post. I have a citrus tree that was given to me for my mom's passing back in 2013. I kept her in my office window but she did not thrive. I moved her to another office with better lighting and she shot straight up, but barely any side growth. Now I have her at home in front of a window that she is very happy with however she is just about touching the ceiling and starting to droop over. She also barely has any side growth. How would you suggest I encourage side growth? I have no experience with pruning and don't want to stress her out. I was told to cut her in half....what would you suggest?Lesliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03530671865376255674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-16666178277642655302020-12-02T08:20:40.366-08:002020-12-02T08:20:40.366-08:00Thanks so much! Just emailed you!Thanks so much! Just emailed you!Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-44597510493945855292020-12-02T07:24:01.116-08:002020-12-02T07:24:01.116-08:00Hi Andrew, Thank you for the kind words!
Yes, plea...Hi Andrew, Thank you for the kind words!<br />Yes, please send me some pics to TheCitrusGuy@netzero.net<br />I just want to see what you are dealing with before offering any info.Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174646683640212162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-7749499943675924822020-12-01T13:30:14.896-08:002020-12-01T13:30:14.896-08:00Hi Darren, thanks for your informative post! I bou...Hi Darren, thanks for your informative post! I bought a clementine from a nursery that was several years old and clearly root bound in a 3 gallon pot. It is nearly 7 feet tall and VERY lanky, likely due to growing in a greenhouse in too small of a pot for several years. There are several branches that have about a foot of growth with no leaves until the end of the branches. It had a few fruit on it that I just picked. I have the tree potted and am wondering if I should substantially cut it back so that it is smaller and less lanky? It seems like it may fit this situation from your description, "Occasionally, you may need to prune a leggy tree. This will be caused by inadequate light or grown indoors. You can cut this back to force branching and create more bushiness.". I'm worried simply because most of the leaves are on the top of the tree that I would cut off. The tree wouldn't be left with many leaves. Will it recover adequately? Or am I better of keeping as is? Happy to send photos if useful. Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-49896867219187983732020-04-06T17:36:52.994-07:002020-04-06T17:36:52.994-07:00I am assuming you cut the fruit off?
Theoretically...I am assuming you cut the fruit off?<br />Theoretically, it should straighten up on its own.<br />How long have you had it now?Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174646683640212162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-69910393993958980042020-04-04T17:06:53.119-07:002020-04-04T17:06:53.119-07:00I bought a mandarin tree about 4 feet tall. It wa...I bought a mandarin tree about 4 feet tall. It was tightly bound for shipping, and because it had a weighty fruit at the very top, the top 1/3 of the tree bends over to the 10:00 position. I kept the shipping stake on, and have loosely tied with green stretchy gardening ties to try and keep it upright. Any advice? Trim the top foot off? Will it ever straighten up?<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-26870624573496901542019-09-18T12:12:32.549-07:002019-09-18T12:12:32.549-07:00Hello, Manuel.
Nope, pruning it at that height wi...Hello, Manuel. <br />Nope, pruning it at that height will not be a problem.<br />The folks in Florida keep their cut down, not quite that low, but doesn't matter, to keep it easier to pick fruit.Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174646683640212162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-59208064314351323192019-09-18T08:36:28.027-07:002019-09-18T08:36:28.027-07:00hello Darren I have a Persian lime that I've h...hello Darren I have a Persian lime that I've had for about 2 years now. I live in Maryland so its in a pot that I move in for the winter. the tree has gotten pretty tall now about 3 or 4 feet and I want to know if cutting the tree at the top to prevent it from growing any taller would harm it? any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.Manuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02667741824189376039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-37334927846814195852019-03-16T16:53:21.003-07:002019-03-16T16:53:21.003-07:00Hello, Annette.
Is there anyway you can send some ...Hello, Annette.<br />Is there anyway you can send some pictures to TheCitrusGuy@netzero.com<br />I can work from there.<br />Thanks!Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174646683640212162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-61425258794145382432019-03-16T15:59:58.721-07:002019-03-16T15:59:58.721-07:00Great Information and I hope you can assist me. I...Great Information and I hope you can assist me. I do not know what kind of orange tree I have. I purchased it in a gift shop in a box about 2 1/2 years ago. It now has two branches that are fairly low and one tall shoot straight up which I cut off hoping it would branch out elsewhere. It in now sending out a couple of shoots right off the top! <br /><br />My two side branches come off the main branch about 5" from the bottom of the plant and they are both now a foot long. The central shoot (which is now sending off two small leafs; straight off the top) it is 25" tall. No blooming and no budding yet. <br /><br />Any suggestions, related to pruning it, would be greatly appreciated as i got this when a friend took me away after the death of my father and it has special meaning to me and I do not want to kill it! fertilizer suggestions appreciated too for this newby growing a boxed Florida tourist orange tree. :) It is inside as I have great light in that room. Thanks for any assistance. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13342118429870840137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-52115311919932392122019-01-20T16:40:53.772-08:002019-01-20T16:40:53.772-08:00Long story short, I would go ahead and cut off all...Long story short, I would go ahead and cut off all of the brown branches.<br />If it ain't green, chop it.<br />Hopefully, there is still enough life in it that it will initiate a flush of growth.<br /><br />As for the fruit split, keep the moisture level consistent, about the consistency of a wrung out dish sponge. Watering by the calendar does not work. If it is in a pot, water very well, then lift the pot. Get the feel for the weight, then a couple of days later, pick it up again. If still heavy, let go another day or two.<br />Sticking your finger in is good too. Dry to your second knuckle, then water.Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174646683640212162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-56213509300153145862019-01-20T13:16:04.256-08:002019-01-20T13:16:04.256-08:00Hello Darren,
Thank you for all the incredible inf...Hello Darren,<br />Thank you for all the incredible information. I have a blood orange that I got about a year ago. It had a nice full canary and some fruit small fruits. About 3 ft tall from the dirt. It had what I thought was powdery mildew or something. I think it turned out to be the fungicide the growers use. Either way I trimmed too many leaves off I think. It started to lose the rest of the leaves. It is now bare and the branches seem to be turning brown. There is one left that seems to be trying to survive. I live in so cal about 1 mile from beach. It is winter now so I just left it. It's in a 24" container. I may have under watered it if anything. Had some fruit splitting on my other orange so was trying to not over water this year. Also started fertilizing with avacado and citrus fertilizer once a month. Deep water twice a month. Anyway, is there hope and should I chop the brownish red branches? If so there will be not much other than the trunk left. The trunk is green and alive pretty much all the way up. I checked scratching bark and look to see if it is green. The branches mostly are not green. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02058176592542399800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-45491993371358556162018-10-11T19:02:37.548-07:002018-10-11T19:02:37.548-07:00We have some very over grown standard kumquats tha...We have some very over grown standard kumquats that need to be pruned back. I am told not to do this because it will expose too much wood and they will die. If this true. What is the best time to prune them and should we prune them in stages. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09958789256520369765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-78098481218694695992018-08-29T05:10:17.394-07:002018-08-29T05:10:17.394-07:00Hello Darren,
our grapefruit tree here in San Die...Hello Darren,<br /><br />our grapefruit tree here in San Diego came with the house when we bought it and was already mature. It has been producing 100+ pounds of fruit for many years. About a year ago some gophers stripped off a large portion of the bark from the trunk. On what I see now was bad advice I painted the stripped area with a tar like stuff they sold me and it seemed ok. In the spring this year the tree began to wilt and I watered it well but now all the leaves have died and the tips of many but not all branches have turned gray and brittle. Maybe now I have compounded the problem by overwatering and caused root rot. I have now pruned severely to remove all the dead wood. Having read many other posts and replies here I see that I should perhaps now whitewash the now exposed bark to prevent sunburn. Since there are now zero leaves (they were all dead or dropped off) but the tree is still green that is I cut back to green wood, I’m wondering if leaves will come back by themselves or if I’ll need to graft a branch with a couple of leaves onto the tree? I can send pics if needed. Thanks for a great blog. Johnny. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-7711494498642506562018-07-11T03:04:53.415-07:002018-07-11T03:04:53.415-07:00Hi Darren,
I have had a potted lemon tree for ove...Hi Darren,<br /><br />I have had a potted lemon tree for over 25 years. It has survived a number of U.K. winters outside, bringing it indoors for a few days only if things got really bad. But this winter I was away for a prolonged cold spell and it wiped out the tree. I was forlornly hoping to see some life from the main trunk, but nothing throughout the spring. Now however, surrounding the dead trunk there are at least 6 new, strong shoots coming up. What is the best route to achieving an attractive potted citrus again? Should I cut back the main dead trunk? Should I prune out all but one shoot, or should I let this grow on as a multi shoot plant? Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743623217593340953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-18958391471660900082018-05-28T06:42:55.080-07:002018-05-28T06:42:55.080-07:00I’ve had a Persian lime tree that I’ve had for man...I’ve had a Persian lime tree that I’ve had for many years ( at least 10) it blossoms and fruits several times a year. <br /><br />It was on its side after Irma (I’m in Collier County FL) and I was able to correct this and support it for several months and it seems to have recovered. <br /><br />The last blossom and fruiting is amazing, it easily has 3 -4 times the fruit its ever had before. The fruit is still too small, but seems to be weighing down the branches. We are leaving for 6-8 weeks and a friend said I should pick the fruit. I started to picked 40-50 small fruit, then decided to research it before taking all the fruit. What would you advise?<br /><br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Charlotte Bremseth<br /><br />I also sent this comment to you as an email, before I figured out how to comment, sorry.Coach Bremsethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05312481153429948616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-78573744332317670792018-03-02T07:15:59.773-08:002018-03-02T07:15:59.773-08:00Hey Aaron,
It sounds like it is not getting enough...Hey Aaron,<br />It sounds like it is not getting enough sunlight and is stretching to find it.<br />How much sun is it getting, full sun that is?<br />It won't flower for at least another 3-4 years from seed, so that is not the problem right now.<br />Can you send me a picture?<br />TheCitrusGuy@netzero.comDarrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174646683640212162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-3926875358147904602018-03-01T18:46:22.639-08:002018-03-01T18:46:22.639-08:00Hey Darren,
I just started growing a lemon tree in...Hey Darren,<br />I just started growing a lemon tree indoors from a lemon I bought from the store, just to see if I could.<br />Well, it worked... sort of. It's been about a full year and it's growing like a weed... and that's the issue I am having. I keep the tree in the sunlight and keep it watered and spray the leaves to help with humidity. But the trunk is too small. The lemon tree is falling over from it's own weight. I've inserted a small rod and used a zip tie to keep it up but it's grown so much that it's now looking like a big sideways Z (or an N). Should I cut the tree back? It hasn't started flowering yet so I'm not worried about that, I just want it to grow straight up and down not fall off to the side from it's own weight. Thanks, AaronAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-19241238211484275592018-01-24T16:27:54.906-08:002018-01-24T16:27:54.906-08:00Hello, Unknown. LOL
This is a tough question witho...Hello, Unknown. LOL<br />This is a tough question without any pictures.<br />How far had you cut it back in relation to the graft or ground?<br />The leaves on the part that is coming back, do they look the same as the original grapefruit?<br />Any pictures you may have or can get, you can send them to TheCitrusGuy@netzero.comDarrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174646683640212162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-20121733043099480862018-01-24T16:09:53.891-08:002018-01-24T16:09:53.891-08:00Hi please help a gardener stupidly cut the wrong t...Hi please help a gardener stupidly cut the wrong tree clean off my grapefruit tree has been slowly coming back for roughly 2 years now when would you assume ill see fruit again please say soonAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12179453915579922303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-27213265108013524962017-12-22T18:57:54.124-08:002017-12-22T18:57:54.124-08:00please advise,
have new to me myer lemon
growing g...please advise,<br />have new to me myer lemon<br />growing great<br />but iam concerned<br />it has close to 100 new lemons<br />i fear for the plant to keep up with that many fruits<br />(it is growing indoors )<br />should i just bite the big one and nip off most of the lemons leaving only few so i may have normal size fruit?Beenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8051633486819426115.post-13400468408190420452017-12-20T09:37:10.183-08:002017-12-20T09:37:10.183-08:00No problem, I answer any and all questions, no mat...No problem, I answer any and all questions, no matter where they land.<br />You can send me pictures to my e-mail: TheCitrusGuy@netzero.comDarrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174646683640212162noreply@blogger.com