Indoor Lime Tree

Baltimore, MD

Hey,

My boyfriend bought me this dwarf Keiffer/makrut lime tree from Four Winds Growers for my birthday, and I want it to be an indoor/outdoor plant (outdoor when it's warm enough). It just sent out its first new branches since I repotted it (you can see them as the lighter green ones in the pictures) about two weeks ago. They looked a little leggy, so I ordered a compact fluorescent light with a reflective cone, and I just set that up today. I positioned it based on what I read on this site: http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/guide3.shtml (where I bought the fixture and bulb).

Here's my question: How can I make this tree more compact without hurting it? The light will help with that, right? Is it okay to just clip the upper branches that are kind of long? Should I wait for it to produce more leaves before I do that to make sure that it's happy? How much trimming is too much?

Any advice is appreciated. I'm always afraid of trimming plants. Thanks!

Thumbnail by MissionVao Thumbnail by MissionVao
Portage, WI(Zone 5a)

Get that light as close as you can to your tree, that will help. Some kind of "tent" , reflectors might also help. Your light does not seem that bright on a larger scale, IMO. General rule is something like you can trim back a plant 2/3 without ill effect. Citrus can be trimmed back more than that. Boils down to what is your major concern: what is best for the tree or what will make it look better to you? Gene

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